Chapter Summaries

Li Ping stayed in the countryside to look after Zhao Danshi during his pregnancy, then helped him sell the family’s vegetables and strawberries at Ninggai Market. After their successful sales, Li Ping told Zhao Danshi he needed to return to X City for work, leaving Zhao Danshi visibly reluctant.

• Li Ping negotiated Zhao Danshi’s cravings and diet restrictions, allowing him three strips of pickled vegetables each day and agreeing to eat pregnancy foods with him.
• Li Ping and Zhao Danshi drove their vegetables and strawberries to Ninggai Market, where Zhao Danshi sold them throughout the day.
• They sold out after five in the afternoon, earning 8,556.70 yuan, and bought roast goose to celebrate.
• On the walk home, Li Ping told Zhao Danshi he would return to X City to handle company matters, and Zhao Danshi’s excitement faded.

Zhao Danshi sent Li Ping home with vegetables and other village specialties, and the Li family enjoyed a meal made from them. After four days of work, Li Ping returned to Zhao Danshi, where they shared a tender moment as their unborn child moved.

• Zhao Danshi harvested vegetables and strawberries for Li Ping to take home, and the two agreed Zhao Danshi would wait until Li Ping returned before they went to W City together.
• After Li Ping left, Zhao Danshi admitted to the old man that he liked Li Ping, while Li Ping brought the food Zhao Danshi had packed to his family.
• Li Ping's family praised the flavor of Zhao Danshi's vegetables, and Li Ping's parents asked about Zhao Danshi and learned how highly Li Ping regarded him.
• Li Ping worked through four days of company business while calling Zhao Danshi each night, then returned to the countryside on the fifth day.
• Zhao Danshi woke from a nap to find Li Ping home, and they watched their unborn child move as Zhao Danshi welcomed him back.

With Li Ping helping, Zhao Danshi finished preparing the fields and arranged to travel to W City to stay with Ran Yuanyao. Before leaving, he activated Watcher’s Marketplace, confirmed that Dou Dou was healthy and due on February 7, and arranged for Watcher to perform the birth by C-section.

• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping finished tending the fields, and Zhao Danshi agreed to go to W City the day after tomorrow after speaking with Ran Yuanyao.
• Li Ping reassured the old man about Zhao Danshi’s weight gain, and Zhao Danshi agreed to get a hospital checkup in W City.
• Zhao Danshi told Li Ping about Watcher and his estrangement from his parents, then introduced Li Ping to Watcher.
• Zhao Danshi activated Watcher’s Marketplace and used its medical service to confirm Dou Dou’s healthy development and February 7 due date.
• Zhao Danshi arranged for Watcher to perform a C-section and discussed Dou Dou’s nickname and surname with Li Ping.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping traveled to W City, where Watcher performed a successful cesarean section and Dou Dou was born. The new fathers settled into caring for their son, while Zhao Danshi kept his relationship with Li Ping secret from his family and prepared to return home after the New Year.

• Zhao Danshi asked Spoon to watch over his grandpa while he and Li Ping went to W City for the birth.
• Ran Yuanyao examined Zhao Danshi, and he and Li Ping agreed that Watcher would perform the cesarean section at home.
• Li Ping’s family questioned his frequent requests for pregnancy meal recipes, but Li Ping told Chen Yuxue he would explain his life plans by May.
• Watcher performed the cesarean section, and Zhao Danshi and Li Ping welcomed their son, Dou Dou, with Ran Yuanyao assisting.
• Zhao Danshi recovered at home as Li Ping and Ran Yuanyao helped care for Dou Dou, and Li Ping decided not to return to his family for the New Year.
• Zhao Danshi told his grandpa about Dou Dou and their plans to visit after the New Year, then hurried to prepare formula when the baby began crying.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping celebrated Dou Dou’s first month and brought him back to Zhao Danshi’s village, where his great-grandfather met him for the first time. They planned to travel to X City to register Dou Dou as Ning Xi, while Li Ping told Zhao Danshi he was not yet ready to introduce the baby to his parents.

• Ran Yuanyao visited Zhao Danshi and Li Ping for dinner, and they spent the New Year at home caring for Dou Dou and watching fireworks.
• After the Lantern Festival, Zhao Danshi and Li Ping celebrated Dou Dou’s first month before Ran Yuanyao returned from five exhausting blind dates.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping drove Dou Dou to the village, where Manzigong met his great-grandson and welcomed them home.
• Zhao Danshi told Manzigong they planned to travel to X City to register Dou Dou as Ning Xi, taking his mother’s surname Li.
• Manzigong guessed that Dou Dou was Li Ping’s sister’s child, and Li Ping agreed to that explanation, promising to raise Dou Dou with Zhao Danshi.
• Li Ping told Zhao Danshi he would not introduce Dou Dou to his parents yet because he had not worked out how to tell his father.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping drove to X City with Dou Dou for a paternity test, but their trip turned tense when Li Suilun confronted them about their relationship. Li Suilun’s insults triggered Zhao Danshi’s memories of being rejected and thrown out by his family as a teenager.

• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping promised the old man they would return within a week, then drove to X City with Dou Dou and arrived late at night.
• The next morning, Zhao Danshi and Li Ping took Dou Dou to Shun Medical University's paternity testing center and arranged to collect the results that afternoon.
• While Zhao Danshi waited with Dou Dou, Li Ping left the company to meet them for lunch, but Li Suilun stopped him and confronted him about Zhao Danshi.
• Li Ping told Li Suilun that he and Zhao Danshi were together, and Li Suilun brought them into his office to question their relationship.
• Li Suilun criticized Zhao Danshi’s background and Dou Dou’s birth, prompting Zhao Danshi to relive the memory of his father striking him and driving him from home after discovering he was gay.

Zhao Danshi left after Li Suilun berated him and demanded that Li Ping end their relationship. Li Ping defied his father, resigned from the family company, and returned to Zhao Danshi, offering to join him in farming and raising Dou Dou as a partner.

• Zhao Danshi rejected Li Suilun's attempts to interfere in his life and left with Dou Dou while Li Ping promised to visit him at the hotel.
• Li Ping confronted Li Suilun about controlling his life, refused to end his feelings for Zhao Danshi, and said he would resign from the company.
• Li Ping told Li Sheng that he was tired of living in their father's shadow and planned to leave his position and make his own way.
• Li Ping returned to the hotel and apologized to Zhao Danshi, who said he planned to return to his hometown and farm with Dou Dou.
• Li Ping offered to become Zhao Danshi's farming and childcare partner, and Zhao Danshi neither accepted nor refused.

Zhao Danshi registered Dou Dou as his son while Li Ping chose to pursue a life with Zhao despite his parents’ opposition. After handing over his work, Li Ping returned with Zhao and Dou Dou to the village, where they began planning their farming and settled into their new life together.

• Zhao Danshi completed Dou Dou’s household registration, officially recording Dou Dou as his son.
• Li Ping told his parents he would resign and pursue Zhao, and he left after they refused to support his choice.
• Li Ping asked Zhao Danshi to become his partner, and Zhao agreed despite realizing Li Ping had concealed the family conflict.
• After finishing his work handover, Li Ping returned to the village with Zhao Danshi and Dou Dou, and Zhao showed the old man the completed household registration.
• Zhao Danshi met Yazi Mei in the fields, and she asked him to save some seeds from his vegetables for her.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping planned to inspect the fields and decide what to grow that year.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping planned their spring crops, arranged fertilizer and hired help to get the fields planted. Zhao Danshi also explored raising livestock and decided to apply to dig a fish pond on the mountain behind their home.

• Zhao Danshi showed Li Ping the family's fields and discussed renting more land and growing a range of vegetables, staple crops, and fruit.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping made a detailed planting schedule, and Grandpa helped correct their harvest estimates and advised them on the crops.
• Zhao Danshi bought and fermented manure, used Watcher's farming advice, and hired villagers to help plant the crops.
• After Yazi Mei returned with chicks, Zhao Danshi considered raising chickens and pigs, but Grandpa warned him and Li Ping against taking on too much work.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping asked village chief Zhao Huayong about digging a pond, and Zhao Danshi wrote an application to dig one for raising fish.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping finished planting their fields and prepared to film videos promoting Zhao Danshi’s vegetables. After their first morning shoot, they headed into the misty mountains to gather wild vegetables and bamboo shoots for a spring-roll video.

• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping finished planting their land after a month of work and discussed making online videos, with Li Ping offering to film and edit.
• Li Ping ordered camera equipment, and Zhao Danshi’s tender greens sold out to villagers and buyers from nearby villages for over two thousand yuan.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping began filming breakfast footage, and Li Ping privately took a photo of Zhao Danshi checking on Dou Dou.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping went up the mountain to gather ingredients for spring rolls, and Li Ping filmed Zhao Danshi picking wild vegetables along the misty paths.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping filmed a video of Zhao Danshi gathering spring ingredients and cooking spring rolls, while caring for Dou Dou and helping around the household. After editing the footage, they decided to reshoot the vegetable-picking scene the next day.

• Zhao Danshi gathered scallions, garlic leaves, wild greens, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots, then bought pork while Li Ping filmed him.
• Zhao Danshi returned home, greeted Dou Dou, and prepared ingredients for spring rolls as Li Ping filmed the cooking.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping ate the spring rolls with the old man, then cleaned up and looked after Dou Dou.
• The old man prepared lunch, and Zhao Danshi and Li Ping planned to work in the fields after eating.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping edited their footage, and Li Ping suggested they reshoot the crowded vegetable-picking scene the next day.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping began sharing rural-life videos, took Dou Dou to the city for medical care and a swimming outing, and built a pond for fish and lotus roots. After finishing the pond, Zhao Danshi planned to plant local loquat trees and asked around for saplings and fish fry.

• Zhao Danshi showed the villagers his video with Li Ping, then uploaded it to his old Weibo account and received two comments over the next two days.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping took Dou Dou to the city for his scheduled medical care and vaccines, then brought him swimming and ordered an inflatable pool for him.
• After their pond application was approved, Zhao Danshi and Li Ping hired an excavator operator to dig a pond and decided to plant local loquat trees beside it.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping finished the pond, diverted water from a nearby stream, and planted deep-water lotus roots.
• Zhao Danshi asked the old man and Zhao Huayong about buying loquat saplings and fish fry, and Zhao Huayong asked him to arrange two saplings for his family as well.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping planted loquat trees, stocked their pond with fish, and filmed a cooking video while Watcher persuaded them to buy Spirit Spring Water. After Zhao Danshi uploaded the video, Watcher criticized their food content and Zhao Danshi asked for suggestions.

• Zhao Danshi bought fifteen loquat saplings, and he and Li Ping negotiated with Watcher to buy ten jin of Lower-grade Spirit Spring Water for twenty-five Bio-Energy per jin.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping planted the loquat trees, stocked their pond with one thousand fingerlings, and filmed the work for their next video.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping cooked boiled fish with pickled mustard greens and edited footage of the pond and their village into a video.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping uploaded the video and planned to collect stone snails for a future episode, but Zhao Danshi stopped checking the page when no new activity appeared.
• Watcher told Zhao Danshi that their food videos were too basic to attract viewers, and Zhao Danshi asked it for suggestions.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping negotiated with Watcher over recipe sales and Spirit Spring Water while caring for Dou Dou. They agreed to split Bio-Energy earned from cooking videos, secured an unlimited supply of Lower-grade Spirit Spring, and then set out to catch river snails.

• Watcher offered Zhao Danshi recipes and cooking videos, but Zhao Danshi deferred the business discussion to Li Ping.
• After Dou Dou finished his milk and settled into bed, Li Ping and Zhao Danshi learned Watcher wanted to sell recipes to help grow Zhao Danshi’s self-media following and earn Bio-Energy from his fans.
• Zhao Danshi proposed splitting the Bio-Energy they earned from cooking videos fifty-fifty, and Watcher was about to accept.
• Li Ping bargained for discounted Spirit Spring Water and obtained Watcher’s agreement to provide Lower-grade Spirit Spring without limit.
• After working in the fields, Zhao Danshi prepared to catch river snails, and Li Ping brought him fishing waders to keep him warm.

Zhao Danshi gathered stone snails and cooked a meal with Watcher guiding his skills, while Dou Dou rolled over for the first time. Zhao Danshi and Li Ping planned to sell their strawberries to a county fruit shop, and Zhao Danshi began stir-frying the stone snails.

• Zhao Danshi collected stone snails and garlic shoots, then asked his grandfather to buy pork shank bones for a soup to use in the recipe Watcher had given him.
• Zhao Danshi cooked breakfast with Watcher’s real-time guidance, and Li Ping and the others praised the meal.
• Li Ping noticed that Dou Dou had rolled over, and the family encouraged him to roll over several more times.
• While watering their fields, Zhao Danshi and Li Ping decided to approach a county fruit shop about buying their strawberries wholesale.
• Zhao Danshi prepared pork belly, sour bamboo shoots, chilies, and seasonings, then added the cleaned stone snails to the hot wok.

Zhao Danshi cooked river snails for a video, then launched a giveaway that earned him Bio-Energy and prompted plans to grow their audience. The next morning, Zhao Danshi and Li Ping picked strawberries and brought them to a county fruit shop, where the owner tasted one and was astonished by its flavor.

• Zhao Danshi finished filming a river-snail cooking video, then shared the meal with Shaozi and Zhao Luxing while Dou Dou watched and tasted a little bone broth.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping posted the video on Weibo and announced a giveaway of wild river snails to ten winners.
• Watcher told Zhao Danshi that the reposts had earned 13.86 Bio-Energy, and Li Ping suggested buying a Weibo Hot Search after they posted ten videos.
• Zhao Danshi proposed filming a picnic among the peach blossoms on Oxhead Mountain, and Li Ping agreed before they went to bed.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping picked four and a half foam boxes of strawberries, then drove with Dou Dou to sell them in the county town.
• Li Ping offered their strawberries to a fruit shop owner, who tasted one and was struck by how delicious it was.

Li Ping negotiated a consignment deal with a fruit shop owner, and the strawberries sold so well that the owner agreed to stock them regularly. Li Ping and Zhao Danshi left with payment and plans to pick more strawberries each morning.

• Li Ping rejected the owner's offer of ten yuan per jin, then proposed either a lower wholesale price for a small quantity or a higher price for exclusive stock.
• Li Ping arranged for the owner to sell the strawberries on commission, weighed the fruit with him, and signed a contract.
• Customers were initially deterred by the thirty-yuan price, but a regular customer tasted the strawberries, bought two jin, and spread the word.
• Li Ping and Zhao Danshi spent the day taking Dou Dou around town while the owner sold nearly all the strawberries.
• Li Ping agreed to a flexible supply contract that let the owner end cooperation and return unsold strawberries that had not spoiled.
• The owner paid Li Ping and Zhao Danshi 1,836 yuan after commission, and they agreed to wake earlier to pick more strawberries.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping arranged daily strawberry deliveries and discussed expanding their farm work, including hiring help and raising ducks. They began filming Zhao Danshi catching a chicken, and Yazi Mei agreed to buy them fifty ducks.

• Zhao Danshi hired Zhao Chengjia to deliver their strawberries to the Essence Source Fruit Shop each morning for nine yuan per trip.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping picked and delivered forty-eight pounds of strawberries, earning twelve hundred yuan, then discussed improving irrigation and raising ducks.
• The old man recommended Uncle Wende as a farmhand, and Zhao Danshi and Li Ping offered him two thousand yuan a month to care for poultry and harvest vegetables.
• While filming at Yazi Mei's home, Zhao Danshi chased and caught a rooster for their video.
• Zhao Danshi asked Yazi Mei to bring him fifty local shelducks, including forty-five females and five males, and she agreed.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping filmed a picnic among the peach blossoms at Oxhead Mountain, where they cooked Lotus-Leaf Dry-Fragrant Chicken and took photos with Dou Dou. After posting the video and arranging a river-snail giveaway, Zhao Danshi exchanged Bio-Energy for Spirit Spring and continued sending food and vegetables to both families.

• Zhao Danshi chose Watcher's Lotus-Leaf Dry-Fragrant Chicken recipe, and the old man slaughtered and cleaned the chicken before Zhao Danshi marinated and wrapped it in lotus leaves.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping took Dou Dou to Oxhead Mountain, filmed among the peach blossoms, and shared the chicken on a picnic cloth.
• Zhao Danshi and Li Ping photographed themselves with Dou Dou, then Zhao Danshi fell asleep in the car as Li Ping drove them home.
• Zhao Danshi selected ten fans for his river-snail giveaway, and he and Li Ping uploaded their picnic video to enthusiastic comments.
• Zhao Danshi learned that they had collected 78.86 energy and exchanged his 67 Bio-Energy for Lower-grade Spirit Spring.
• Zhao Danshi sent pastries made with Spirit Spring Water and homegrown vegetables to both families, while the old man and Li Ping said nothing.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping hired Zhao Luxing, Blackie, and three other boys to help with farm work after buying the river snails they collected. The boys began their first workday at the household, where they shared breakfast, while Dou Dou started teething.

• Zhao Danshi offered Zhao Luxing and his friends five yuan per jin for river snails, and the boys brought him twenty-one jin that evening.
• Zhao Danshi paid the boys 105 yuan and offered them farm work for fifty yuan a day, asking them to discuss it with their parents.
• Dou Dou bit Zhao Danshi's finger, and Li Ping and the old man spotted a new tooth coming through his lower gums.
• Blackie, Zhao Luxing, Chengtou, Maolin, and Zhenglian arrived the next morning and began clipping the river snails' tails before starting work.
• Zhao Danshi prepared a large breakfast, and the boys gathered around the table while the old man remarked that the house had not been so lively in a long time.