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An Wa led the way, while the couple followed behind carrying a basket.

Seeing this, the other dogs and puppies all ran out, happily running around.

Shi Wen, too lazy to carry the basket, asked, "Who can carry the basket for me?"

Many dogs pretended not to hear, Fu Wa, the honest dog, ran over, opened its mouth, and obediently picked up the basket.

Shi Wen pat its head and say, "Good boy."

The pasture was still a bit chilly in the early morning, and the morning mist on the distant mountains had not yet dissipated, the milky white fog obscuring the entire mountain indistinctly.

Shi Wen took a deep breath. "Our ranch is really beautiful."

Yan Kexing agreed, "It's like a scene from a traditional Chinese painting. It's getting more and more beautiful."

An Wa, the dog, took the lead and ran forward with great strides.

Shi Wen, observing the direction it was running, slowly realized. "Is there something on our mountain?"

Yan Kexing: "What could be on the mountain? Wild animals? If it were wild animals, it probably wouldn't be behaving this way, trying to curry favor."

"Could something have grown?" Shi Wen thought to himself, then thought it unlikely. "I went up the mountain to check a couple of days ago, and there was nothing special about it."

As An Wa drew closer to the mountain, it didn't stop, but ran straight to the edge of the saxaul forest at the foot of the mountain. "Woof woof."

Shi Wen suddenly remembered. "Could it be that the Cistanche deserticola we planted before has sprouted? I read in the information that Cistanche deserticola can be harvested in spring and autumn."

Yan Kexing: "We'll know once we go over and take a look."

An Wa had arrived at the destination and barked loudly at a saxaul tree, "Woof woof!"

Shi Wen at the saxaul tree and saw nothing particularly special about it, so he couldn't help but look puzzled.

Yan Kexing: "I saw cracks underground."

Shi Wen, "Hasn't it grown yet?"

They went over to take a look and sure enough, they saw a crack next to the saxaul tree.

Shi Wen hadn't brought a hoe, so he simply picked up a dry branch nearby, scratched it a couple of times, and then saw a cylindrical object with a white top—it was indeed Cistanche deserticola.

They quickly dug out the Cistanche deserticola.

Shi Wen gestured with his hand, saying, "How come it's only the size of my palm? I've seen other people's Cistanche deserticola plants that are as big as bamboo shoots."

Yan Kexing: "Others usually take two or three years to harvest Cistanche deserticola, but we're only in our second year, so it's understandable that it's small."

Thinking about it Shi Wen, I realize it makes sense.

Shi Wen held up the Cistanche deserticola and smelled it.

Cistanche deserticola doesn't have a particularly special smell; it's just a fresh, herbaceous fragrance with a slight bitterness, which is quite pleasant.

Yan Kexing: "There should be other Cistanche deserticola plants; let's look for more."

"Alright." Shi Wen patted An Wa on the back and called to the other little ones, "Let's have a competition! Let's see who can find the most Cistanche deserticola."

An Wa: "Woof!"

The dogs love playing this game, and as soon as they Shi Wen say that, they immediately barked and ran out to find it.

Shi Wen the cultivation of Cistanche deserticola, I specifically looked up some information about it.

When harvesting Cistanche deserticola in spring, it needs to be dug up before it grows out; otherwise, once it grows out, it will flower, and all the nutrients will be supplied to the flower, greatly reducing its medicinal value.

The dogs have an excellent sense of smell and are good at finding things; they found several bulges in no time.

Cong Zai found two, Shi Suo found one, and Laibao found one, but the other little guys didn't find anything.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing dug around one by one, and soon they had dug out a small half-basketful.

Shi Wen said with a sense of accomplishment, "Luckily, we planted a lot, so we were able to dig up so much in the first year."

Yan Kexing: "Let's dig again in a couple of days."

"Aren't they growing very fast? If we dig them up again in a couple of days, some of them should already be flowering," Shi Wen said reluctantly, looking at the newly harvested Cistanche deserticola. "I feel like we can come back and dig them up again tomorrow."

Yan Kexing: "They flower and produce seeds, which is perfect for planting second-generation Cistanche deserticola on the pasture. You can dig them up if you want, but let them produce seeds again after a while."

Shi Wen, "If that's your opinion, then let's leave some of the better-growing ones and let them flower and bear fruit slowly."

Shi Wen found some Cistanche deserticola, but I don't know how to use it.

He picked up a piece of Cistanche deserticola and looked at it. "How are we going to eat it? Dry it and soak it in water?"

Yan Kexing: "You can also soak it in water after drying it. If you want to try it, we'll cook some Cistanche porridge today."

Shi Wen immediately said, "I want to try it."

Yan Kexing: "Let's have porridge for dinner."

"Why?" Shi Wen answered himself, "Because porridge isn't enough; I can't go to work with a belly full of soup and broth. Oh well, I'll drink it tonight then."

Yan Kexing smiled and ruffled his hair, perhaps because he found him cute.

Shi Wen didn't think anything was wrong. He gave the little guys who had found the Cistanche deserticola an extra meal, and they went about their business as usual.

In the evening, Yan Kexing deliberately left work a little earlier and cooked meat porridge with Cistanche deserticola.

Cistanche deserticola has a slightly fragrant and bitter taste. When added to beef porridge and seasoned skillfully by Yan Kexing, it develops a unique flavor.

Shi Wen drank three bowls in a row and thought it tasted pretty good.

Yan Kexing then finished the rest of the porridge.

Even at this point, Shi Wen still didn't realize anything was wrong.

It wasn't until he sat down at his desk that evening to read that he truly understood what restlessness meant.

Something was stirring deep inside him, a kind of restlessness.

Just as Shi Wen put the book on the table, intending to say something to Yan Kexing, he suddenly noticed a smile in Yan Kexing's eyes.

Shi Wen lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You knew what was going to happen, didn't you?"

Yan Kexing, supporting his buttocks, calmly said, "Didn't you research the medicinal properties of Cistanche deserticola when you planted it?"