Chapter 132: Harvest: The Golden Wheat Field and the Family Portrait (4K)

The next day.

Unknowingly, more than a month had passed since Luo Mu planted his new seeds and officially began cultivating crops.

It was now mid-February, less than half a month away from the spring break at Grandma Ju Zi's Academy; in two days would be the date Luo Mu had agreed upon with Geeta, when he would head to Frostbite Mountain to commence the mission against Hunter J.

Some of the crops had already ripened, and the harvest gathered together with all the Pokémon filled the warehouse previously constructed by the Machamp Engineering Team.

A few days prior, the Machamp Engineering Team had completed replacing the fences across all areas of the ranch; the newly built fences brought a sense of security to the weaker Pokémon on the farm while also protecting those wild Pokémon outside that lacked the ability to scale the barriers.

After settling the final payment with the Machamp Engineering Team, Luo Mu, who still had some money remaining, had already begun considering how to expand the farm going forward.

Deducting the eighty thousand League Dollars spent on constructing the fences, and adding the twelve thousand three hundred and something League Dollars earned from selling Bai Bai Pengpeng's cotton fluff along with the fifty thousand League Dollars in teacher wages, plus his previous savings, he still had slightly over one hundred thousand League Dollars on hand.

The primary choice was fish fry; Thunder Cry Lake currently housed only Swampert, the Poliwag and Poliwhirl, and a Dragonair, leaving vast areas still empty.

Not to mention there were many Pokémon on the farm that could consume fish; Luo Mu himself occasionally wanted to drink crucian carp soup or eat some grilled fish.

Later, he would place a fishing net across the middle of the lake to demarcate the area for the fish fry and the area for the Pokémon, making capture convenient while minimizing impact on the Pokémon.

Next, using the small Western-style house as a foundation, he planned to extend a building nearby to serve as living quarters for the Pokémon.

As the number of Pokémon on the farm gradually increased, the small Western-style house had become progressively crowded.

The area near the fireplace rug on the first-floor living room was occupied by Moltres; Growlithe sometimes slept alongside it, and other times ran into Luo Mu's room.

On the third-floor balcony, four flower pots were arranged in a row, where Bai Bai Pengpeng and the others lived alongside Whismur.

Comfey and Mawile did not have fixed sleeping spots and could sleep anywhere in the house; Milcery generally slept inside the cupboards, but the range occupied by the several main-team Pokémon was quite large.

Cangyan Cangyan Rengui had its own room; although Serperior liked running into Luo Mu's room to sleep, it also had its own room, and whenever it threw a tantrum, Serperior would return there to sleep.

Mimikyu was either under the covers or on the headboard; Luxray liked lying beside Luo Mu's bed to sleep, occasionally yielding its spot to Dragonite and moving to sleep by the door instead.

Things were fine for now, but later, as the farm added more Pokémon, or if certain Pokémon on the farm suddenly produced Pokémon Eggs, the house would definitely be insufficient for housing everyone.

To prevent trouble before it arose, arranging a small house for the Pokémon to live in was absolutely necessary.

The farming zone.

Gazing at the vast golden "ocean" before him, and at the Growlithe and Mawile frolicking within it, a smile appeared on Luo Mu's face.

Following the other crops, the wheat had also fully ripened under the aromatic influence of Mawile; once harvested, it could finally be processed through various steps into flour, or the sprouted wheat grains could be used to brew wheat wine.

In reality, many of these processes could be assisted by others, but this time Luo Mu intended to try doing it himself.

Although he had already reached the age for drinking, he actually had little interest in alcohol; wanting to brew some wine was merely out of curiosity about its taste.

As for the harvested wheat, Luo Mu planned to grind it into flour for making various flour-based foods.

After inspecting the wheat field, Luo Mu proceeded to the area where the Berry trees were located; the once-tiny saplings had now grown lush and leafy, and under the meticulous care of several Grass-type Pokémon, it would not be long before they bore Berries.

"De-li!"

Next, Luo Mu had intended to continue over to the flower field to take a look, but suddenly a Delibird flew down from the sky, gesturing excitedly to indicate that a guest had arrived at the farm entrance and that Luxray had sent it to fetch Luo Mu.

Luo Mu paused, suddenly remembering that he seemed to have arranged with Geeta for her to come take photos today?

Since she had won awards in photography, her skills must be excellent; anyway, he didn't know any photographers himself, so it was better to commission Geeta to take the photos for him.

She seemed quite reliable.

"Ho, so this is Luo Mu's farm? It looks quite large~"

Geeta raised her camera; through the lens, she could clearly see the recently harvested farm, and not far away lay a golden wheat field, which made her fingers itch.

Come to think of it, she usually photographed Pokémon or people, and rarely captured such pure rural life; in other words, perhaps within Luo Mu's farm she might find the inspiration she had lost long ago?

"Meow-aow~"

Having just sent the nearby Delibird to call Luo Mu over, Luxray now returned with a stride full of imposing manner; with its head held high, it resembled less a cat and more a battle-hardened male lion, having shed the appearance of sharp, exposed edges, its entire aura completely restrained.

This made Geeta's eyes shine slightly, and she directly aimed at Luxray and pressed the shutter.

Rarely had she seen a Luxray with such temperament, even in the Sinnoh region!

It was a completely different style from Volkner's Luxray, whose sharp edges were fully exposed, which she had once helped the Sinnoh League photograph; according to Geeta's own aesthetic sense, the aura of the Luxray before her undoubtedly hit all the right notes!

Unable to control her fingers as they kept pressing the shutter, Geeta couldn't help but wonder in her heart: whether it was that Dragonite or this Luxray before her, was Luo Mu really just an ordinary farm owner?

At this moment, Luo Mu, summoned by the Delibird, also arrived at the farm's main gate; seeing Geeta continuously striking poses and frantically snapping photos of the calmly lying Luxray, he felt somewhat speechless.

Just how much did she love taking photos? She shouldn't use up all the memory space in a little while.

But Geeta seemed to have awakened a mind-reading psychic ability; seeing Luo Mu's speechless expression, she directly pulled out a large batch of memory cards, neatly labeled, from the satchel at her waist, proudly introducing her king's treasury: "As a qualified photographer, one must be well-prepared with memory cards!"

"Oh, and by the way, I've also prepared enough batteries to sustain power for half a year even if I get lost in the wilderness."

Luo Mu: "."

Fine, as long as you're happy.

"A family portrait?" Geeta followed Luo Mu into the farm, her hands holding the camera lowering slightly, "Although it's a field I've never attempted, I have studied related knowledge before, but don't expect too much, okay?"

"After all, I'm currently in a slump."

Geeta was confident she could compose a perfect frame, but she could not guarantee whether the resulting photos would be vivid, or whether they would vividly express the unique characteristics of each Pokémon.

As a layman, Luo Mu did not understand why Geeta was so obsessed with her slump or so fixated on photographic quality; generally speaking, wasn't a family portrait just about capturing a warm atmosphere and reasonably including everyone within a single frame?

But Geeta seemed obsessed with something else, and since their relationship wasn't that close yet, Luo Mu did not rashly ask.

Leading Geeta toward the small Western-style house, with Luxray and Delibird following behind him, Geeta curiously observed the surrounding environment along the way.

Only upon actually entering the farm did one realize that the area was quite extensive.

Retracting her scattered attention, Geeta asked, "For the family portrait, have you decided where to shoot it?"

"Currently, I plan to shoot it in front of the house." Luo Mu's steps didn't stop, but his expression became somewhat stiff.

To be honest, he really hadn't considered where to take the family portrait; his answer was merely spoken impulsively in the heat of the moment.

Upon arriving before the small Western-style house, Geeta examined this somewhat aged building, touched her chin, and said, "Let me ask, just how many Pokémon do you have, how many people are on the farm, and exactly how many individuals are you planning to squeeze into one photo?"

Luo Mu was stumped by this question; to be honest, he hadn't seriously counted the exact number of Pokémon on the farm.

The main team of six Pokémon, Growlithe, the Bai Bai Pengpeng group... adding all these Pokémon together, and including Moltres, there were a full twenty-six Pokémon!

"Uh, as for Pokémon, there are twenty-six; as for humans, there's only me."

Luo Mu silently calculated the numbers in his mind several times before finally speaking them aloud.

"Taking care of all of them by yourself? You're quite impressive." A trace of respect colored Little Sha Li's gaze as she looked at Luo Mu; merely caring for Noctowl, Leafeon, and Growlithe alone was nearly burning her out, yet Luo Mu had to look after more than twenty different Pokémon.

However, having concrete numbers made things easier; after thinking for a moment, Little Sha Li said, "Could you take me on a tour of your farm so I can meet your Pokémon?"

"I believe there's a more suitable spot within this farm for taking a family portrait; this house... surely still bears the presence of its previous owner, doesn't it? This is merely my humble opinion, but a family portrait holds true meaning only when captured in the place where you and your Pokémon created your shared memories, doesn't it?"

Luo Mu fell silent for an instant; while marveling inwardly at Little Sha Li's powers of observation, he nodded slightly: "I understand. Then let's begin the tour starting from the house."

"One can sense a rich atmosphere of daily life here; though old, it is extremely warm and cozy."

Walking across the floorboards, Little Sha Li's camera lens kept moving; this first floor held nests where unknown Pokémon resided, along with various pieces of old furniture that were nonetheless kept impeccably clean.

Whether it was her imagination or not, something seemed to be moving inside the cabinet placed outside the room that appeared to be the kitchen.

The lens continued to pan; Little Sha Li aimed it at the area on the other side that was clearly the living room, and whether it was her imagination or not, she felt an endless stream of warmth emanating from that direction.

Even though the weather had already turned warm, why was the fireplace still lit?

Or perhaps, was a Fire-type Pokémon resting inside the living room?

"May I go over there to take a look? Your Pokémon are there, aren't they?"

Little Sha Li asked.

Following her line of sight, Luo Mu saw the living room; the Pokémon there was likely Moltres.

After all, he had already invited Little Sha Li to help him take a family portrait; although Moltres ate and drank for free without doing any proper work, it was, at the very least, something like Growlithe's foster parent? It would definitely have to be included in the photo, and besides, Little Sha Li would learn of Moltres's existence sooner or later anyway.

Luo Mu reminded her, "No problem, but you must be careful; that Pokémon's temper is slightly fiery."

Little Sha Li nodded; she also knew that Fire-type Pokémon usually had fiery tempers, so as long as she didn't provoke it, everything would be fine.

Thinking thus, Little Sha Li lightened her steps, slowly approached the living room, and then froze on the spot.

What was it that she saw?

The interior of the fireplace held nothing and bore no flames, yet the Pokémon resting on the carpet blazed with bright, surging fire; a flame crown resembling a work of art proclaimed this Pokémon's identity.

The legendary divine bird, the divine bird that brought spring to the snow country, the origin of the sacred fire in the Kanto region—Moltres.

The orange flames burning on its wings pulsed in rhythm with Moltres's breathing, yet Little Sha Li held her breath, not daring to exhale even slightly.

At this moment, her thoughts had tangled into a complete mess; even though she was from the Sinnoh region, she had heard the legends of Moltres, which held a prestigious status in the Kanto region, yet here was a living legend resting peacefully on the farm of Luo Mu, who claimed to be an ordinary farmer.

Little Sha Li felt as though her entire worldview was about to collapse.

Casting a terrified glance at Luo Mu, and receiving his visual cue in return, Little Sha Li swallowed hard and carefully backed out of the living room.

Upon reaching the second floor, Little Sha Li clutched her chest, feeling that her heartbeat had yet to calm down; before she could voice her doubts, Luo Mu explained first: "Growlithe was hatched with Moltres's help; nowadays it is temporarily residing on the farm, so don't feel too much pressure."

"Is that how it is...?" Little Sha Li widened her eyes; could it be that this Moltres was unexpectedly warm-hearted, which was why it helped hatch Growlithe?

She breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "You scared me to death; I never expected a legendary divine bird to be on your farm! If news of this reached the Kanto region, it would surely cause an uproar!"

A legendary Pokémon appearing on a farm—not even a novel would write such a plot!

Luo Mu knew that Little Sha Li's understanding of Moltres was off by quite a bit, but he had no intention of correcting her; smiling, he said, "Then let's continue the tour."

Little Sha Li nodded: "Okay."

Next, Luo Mu led Little Sha Li on a tour of the entire small Western-style house, introducing the few Pokémon staying in the rooms, then took a large group of Pokémon to the farming area, the lake area, and the pasture area, finally gathering all the farm's Pokémon together.

Along the way, Little Sha Li witnessed Thunder Lake, where Dragonair and Swampert resided, spanning a vast area; the pasture zone, home to Mudsdale and Deer and Heavy; and the farming district, filled with various crops, where Comfey and Bai Bai Pengpeng worked together to create a composite grass field that seemed nothing short of miraculous.

Finally, Little Sha Li stopped, sinking into deep thought.

Currently, she had three candidates in mind.

The pasture zone with its vast green grass, Thunder Lake with its excellent water quality where one could take photos alongside water Pokémon, and the golden wheat field filled with unharvested wheat.

Originally, she had heard that Luo Mu had prepared a flower field for the shoot, but unfortunately, the flowers had not yet bloomed, so Little Sha Li had to abandon that idea.

After a fierce internal struggle, Little Sha Li made her decision: "Let's go to the wheat field; a harvest-rich wheat field and the Pokémon who built this farm with their own hands—I believe this is the most suitable plan!"

Along the way, Little Sha Li had also heard from Luo Mu about the Pokémon's contributions to the farm, and her intuition told her that this was the most appropriate choice.

Deferring to the professional's choice, Luo Mu immediately led all the Pokémon to the edge of the wheat field.

Sunlight poured down; under the glare of the proud sun, the wheat field shimmered brilliantly, resembling a golden ocean. Mature wheat ears swayed gently in the breeze, displaying a lustrous golden hue.

Luo Mu stood before the wheat field with numerous Pokémon; Luxray and Serperior occupied the left and right flanks respectively, while Mimikyu and Milcery stood on Luo Mu's shoulders. In Luo Mu's arms, he held the Delibird who was about to depart on its journey.

The small and exquisite Bai Bai Pengpeng, along with Aron, Rockruff, Poliwag, and Wenxiang Wenxiang Kedou, as well as Growlithe, stood in the very front.

Dragonair and Dragonite soared overhead, while Cangyan Cangyan Rengui and Swampert guarded everyone on the left and right edges like knights.

Thanks to their size, the two Meng Ya Lu and Mudsdale remained highly conspicuous even standing at the very back, and Moltres, being very cooperative, flew above the wheat field.

Every Pokémon had a flower crown carefully woven by Comfey atop its head, while the flower crown on Luo Mu's head was personally placed by Comfey itself.

Smiles overflowed on every Pokémon's face; this first family portrait made them thoroughly enjoy themselves, filled with anticipation.

Witnessing such a heartwarming scene, a smile unconsciously climbed onto Little Sha Li's exquisite cheeks; she felt that today, she might just capture a photograph that would grant her a rebirth.

"Say 'Cheese' with me~"

"Cheese~"

As the shutter sound rang out, time froze in that instant, and memories were stored as a photograph within the camera.

(End of Chapter)