Blending of Planes: I am leisurely farming

"128 Pelican Square, this is it."

Sean looked at the two-story building in front of him, with a red roof, white walls, and a brick structure. A red cross sign was framed above the door, and a sign saying "Open for Business" was hung on the iron railing extending diagonally above the door.

Pushing open the half-open door, the pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with air freshener, an indescribable smell hit my nose.

What comes into view is a waiting area with a front desk, and some information related to disease prevention and medical treatment is posted on the white wall.

A young female nurse was standing at the service desk, and an old woman was sitting on a chair against the wall.

The entire waiting area is small and tidy. At the end of the field of vision, a double-open wooden door and a hanging white cloth separate the diagnosis area from the waiting area.

"Hello, do you have an appointment?" the female nurse said to Sean.

"No, how long do I have to wait to make an appointment now? I've been feeling dizzy and having a headache these past few days. I want to come over for a blood test and a brain examination."

Sean said the excuse he had thought of on the way, frowned and rubbed his temples with his hands, "I feel a little dizzy again."

The nurse glanced at Sean, took out a form and handed it over.

"Please fill in the information first. You are lucky. The clinic originally scheduled for this morning has been cancelled. Doctor Harvey was supposed to review the bandaged wounds of those people from the Explorers' Guild."

The nurse paused, then suddenly thought of something and continued, "By the way, since the equipment for brain examination is limited, we only have CT scans here. If you want to do an MRI, you can only go to the city."

Sean controlled his muscles and forced a wry smile from the corners of his mouth: "I feel very dizzy, just do whatever you can." He took the form and began to fill in his personal information with a grin.

"Isn't it strange? When that group of people came here at night, they were covered with wounds of varying sizes. I don't know what they encountered in that blocked jungle." The nurse seemed to be a bit talkative. Seeing Sean writing with his head down, she started talking to herself.

"I have a friend who lives over at the coal mine forest. He said there is an unknown monster there, it's terrifyingly big, and the footprints are bigger than a washbasin." Sean remembered what Robin had told him, and decided to process it himself to see if he could get any useful information out.

"Yes, yes! There is a monster! I told Emily and Haley, but they still didn't believe me!" As if she had found a confidant, the young nurse raised her voice, "The wounds I saw that night didn't look like scratches or bites from a wild animal. They were more like those caused by acid corrosion."

She was so excited that she didn't notice that a man in his 30s wearing a white coat was pushing an elderly man in a wheelchair out of the clinic area. The old woman sitting by the wall hurriedly and tremblingly went to greet him.

"Jenny! Don't disclose the patient's privacy!" The doctor glared at her first, then turned around and patiently instructed the two elderly people about medication matters in a gentle and magnetic voice, without showing any impatience due to the elderly's deafness.

"Yes, Dr. Harvey." Jenny said with her neck shrunk in disappointment.

"This gentleman is feeling dizzy and would like to have a brain CT scan and a blood test." After Harvey finished his work, he came over with an inquiring look. Jenny hurriedly handed over the form respectfully.

Harvey took the form and looked at it. "Name: Sean? Dizzy? Want to get a checkup?" He confirmed with Sean according to the procedure. "Follow me."

He seemed like a responsible doctor. Sean completed the examination with Harvey, agreed to come back in the afternoon to get the diagnosis results, and then left the clinic.

[It seems that there really is a monster, and it seems to be attacking with corrosive substances. However, I don’t remember any records of supernatural phenomena. The confidentiality measures of this world are quite good.]

[I will wait for the Coal Mine Forest to grow and see what I can get after the sacrifice before exploring. Also, the Explorers Guild is an unusual organization. I don't have any memories related to it when I was a child. Stardew Valley is indeed a special place. ]

After leaving the clinic, Sean thought about it and walked quickly towards Pierre's grocery store not far away.

Sean pushed open the door accompanied by the sound of wind chimes.

Looking inside, I saw a man in his forties wearing a brown leather jacket standing behind the cash register at the far end of the store.

To Sean's right are shelves filled with daily necessities, and to his left is a display area for some seasonal agricultural and sideline products.

The entire grocery store does not occupy a large area, but the merchandise is displayed fully and in an orderly manner.

"Handsome guy, what do you need? Take a look at my top-quality goods." The man adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Under his eyes was the shrewd temperament unique to a businessman. He walked out from behind the cash register and greeted Sean.

"Hello, how much do you sell the seeds and fertilizers here?" Sean chose to get straight to the point.

The man smiled when he heard this: "Come on, come on, let's sit down and chat slowly." He then pulled out a chair beside the square table and gestured, "Wait a moment."

It seems that Pierre's business is not very good recently. Looking at the overly enthusiastic Pierre, Sean thought secretly.

"Please." Pierre, who had returned, handed over some tea.

Sean took the tea and Pierre sat down next to him.

"Handsome guy, you look unfamiliar. Are you the farmer that the mayor mentioned will move to Pelican Town soon?" Pierre showed his observation skills as a businessman.

"Sean Oak, hello Uncle Pierre." Sean nodded in confirmation, introduced himself, and extended his hand for a handshake.

"You are as handsome as old Oak. It's good that you are back, young man! I haven't tasted the agricultural products from his farm for a long time since old Oak left." Pierre held Sean's hand and recalled the past.

"Uncle Pierre, I want to see the prices of seeds and fertilizers and learn about the procurement of agricultural products." Sean tried to get closer.

"My dear nephew Sean, please wait a moment." Pierre stood up and went back to the cashier counter to get three forms. He turned them around and placed them one by one on the wooden table in front of Sean.

"This is the price of seeds." Pierre pointed to the table on the far left.

[Rice: 100g per kilogram, recommended dosage per mu: 2 kilograms]

[Wheat: 10g per kilogram, recommended dosage per mu is 18 kilograms]

……

[Chinese cabbage: 40g per bag, about 2000 seeds per bag, recommended planting 4000 plants per acre]

The price of seeds was reasonable. Sean looked at them one by one, thinking about the crops to be planted in the spring.

"There's still more than a month until spring, nephew, you have to hurry up and prepare." Seeing that Sean was still hesitant to speak, Pierre urged him, "The seeds I have here have a high germination rate and a good yield."

"We have to hurry. The farm is still full of weeds, and we haven't built a seedling box yet. The seeds will be kept at my uncle's house for a few days." Sean was not in a hurry to make a decision and evaded the question.

"By the way, Uncle Pierre, what is the process for purchasing agricultural products here?" Sean picked up the second agricultural product purchase price list and started looking at it.

"Did you notice the shipping box next to the house? I'll pick up the goods every Tuesday and Friday. Just put the goods there. If you need to sell a large amount of goods urgently, you can call me and I'll come to your door right away. If you have anything you collect from the wild, such as bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and tree fruits, you can bring it to the store and sell it to me directly."

Pierre took a sip of tea and continued, "The prices of common crops are all on the table in your hand. The specific purchase price will fluctuate by about 20% depending on the quality of the crops. When I go to the city to ship goods or pick up goods at doorsteps every Saturday, my wife and daughter will help look after the store, so you can ask them for help at that time."

Sean nodded to indicate that he would remember.

"What about fertilizer? Uncle Pierre, what fertilizer brands do you recommend?" Sean pointed to the last form.

"If you are a newbie buying fertilizer, I recommend this brand of slow-release organic compound fertilizer as base fertilizer. It has a long shelf life and, as an organic fertilizer, has little pollution to the environment. For topdressing, choose this brand of compound fertilizer. When using it, dissolve it in water in a certain proportion and use it as water-fertilizer to reduce pollution. For seed fertilizer, I recommend this one. It is effective quickly and has a high survival rate for transplanted seedlings. The specific nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ratios are marked. Choose the corresponding category according to the crops you are planting." Pierre said, pointing to several fertilizers on the table.

The price of fertilizer varies according to its type, ranging from 350-600g per bag, and each bag is 50 kilograms.

Sean looked at the price and fell into deep thought. The recommended brand was indeed similar to the fertilizer Sean had selected in the guide he had made before coming to Stardew Valley. It was just that the overall price was 10% or 20% more expensive. Considering the cost of small-scale long-distance transportation, this price was reasonable.

I calculated the cost in my mind and found that one acre of land from seedling cultivation to harvest requires almost one bag of fertilizer, plus the price of seeds mentioned above, and the crops cannot be sold at a good price. No wonder Robin said that some farmers can hardly afford fertilizers.

Sean now has a more intuitive understanding of the difficulties faced by the farmers in Pelican Town.

"You get what you pay for. Don't be fooled by the cheap prices sold over at Joja. Those fertilizers are all produced in factories on the northern mountains. They are all quality assurance products. You have never seen the sewage discharged. And those fertilizers are also very harmful to the environment." Pierre saw that Sean was silent and began to speak ill of his competitors.

"Look at what those farmers are saying. They say that if the environment is polluted, then it's polluted. They can accept the reduced production in a few years after using this fertilizer. It's better than starving to death now. Anyway, Joja's fertilizer is much cheaper than yours. Tell me how much money you have made from the fertilizer business in the past few years! Your building is getting bigger every year!"

"Isn't it infuriating? I helped to purchase agricultural products with good intentions to earn some hard-earned money, and brought back fertilizers to sell on the way back, but I ended up being treated like a nobody." Perhaps because he was severely suppressed by Joja recently, Pierre gradually lost the emotional control that a businessman possessed, and began to complain to Sean.

"I'm really sorry, Uncle Pierre. I just came to the farm yesterday and haven't gotten enough information yet. Once I decide what to plant, I'll come here to buy from you." Sean looked at Pierre who was getting more and more excited, and in order to avoid embarrassment when they meet next time, he said he would leave quickly next time.

"Take these three forms. If you want to buy anything, just go to your Uncle Pierre." Pierre also realized that his mood was a little wrong, and said while adjusting his glasses.

Sean took the form and left the grocery store.