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Cong Zai jumped off Shi Wen's lap and ran forward to check on him.

Their main Shi Wen to check the plots of land to be harvested for insects, wild birds, and other small mammals, and if any are found, they drive them away first.

There are many protected animals here. Shi Wen often drives a large lawnmower along the way, and he is worried that he might accidentally injure the various protected animals. So he simply checks each plot of land before mowing to avoid any accidents.

With the abilities of the four little ones in the house, no animal can escape their inspection.

Once the inspection is complete and everything is fine, you can focus on mowing the lawn without having to think about anything else.

The little ones ran around on the meadow, startling away many insects, birds, and other small animals.

After they finished their inspection, Shi Wen continued to run the lawnmower, chugging and cutting the grass.

The little ones found places to lie down and rest again, and the slightly spicy scent of grass filled the air once more.

The summer breeze carries this scent as it drifts slowly across the pasture.

Shi Wen they had been mowing the grass for six days straight, and had basically finished mowing all the planned plots of land.

However, his ranch was so large that, despite working for several days, the area where the grass had been cut only occupied a small portion of the entire ranch.

The cut grass became very short and fluffy, forming a huge and uniform carpet.

In the uncut areas, the grass grew at varying heights, interspersed with various small shrubs.

He glanced over and saw a clear distinction between the cut and uncut areas.

This is his last day of mowing. After today, this mowing plan will be successfully completed. In the fall, he will observe whether the grass has grown well enough, whether there is enough hay in the warehouse, and whether the weather will be good before considering whether to mow a second time.

The cut grass was left to dry in the sun, Shi Wen brought the drying machine over as well.

Every two hours, he would turn on the drying machine to turn the hay over so that the sun could fully contact the hay and dry it thoroughly.

Only hay that has been thoroughly sun-dried will produce hay bales that are fragrant, dry, and flavorful, making them an excellent staple food.

Otherwise it will get moldy and bitter, and if livestock eat it, it will not only be of no benefit but will also easily make them sick.

After carefully turning and drying the lawn, Shi Wen returned to the lawnmower, ready to restart the machine.

His gaze was fixed straight ahead when he suddenly noticed a clump of grass in the sunlight and sensed something was amiss.

That patch of grass looked fluffy and grew in a somewhat messy way. At first glance, it didn't seem much different from other pasture grasses, but it felt very familiar to Shi Wen.

He felt he had seen this grass somewhere before.

Could it be from a guide to locally protected plants?

Shi Wen muttered to himself.

He flipped through the local wildlife conservation atlas and got a general idea of the protected plants listed—he had to, there were just too many protected plants and animals in the area. Even a fish he casually caught in the river might be a Class I or Class II protected species. If he didn't want to work for the government, he'd better keep track of the protected species.

This grass looks suspicious at first glance. Shi Wen and looking at it from all angles, and I really think it might be a protected plant.

He took out his phone and started checking, but after searching for a long time, he still wasn't sure.

There are so many plants that look alike, and the information online isn't always accurate. You can't really tell their specific characteristics just by searching online.

I searched for quite a while, Shi Wen frustrating.

He simply took out his phone, bent down, and snapped several clear photos of the plant from various angles, then sent them all to Yan Kexing.

Shi Wen: [Yan Kexing, could you help me identify this plant? It looks familiar.]

Is it a protected plant?

I think I've seen a similar plant before; it shouldn't be too rare. I looked it up, but I'm still not sure.

Shi Wen sending the message, Shi Wen picked up his phone, intending to rest for a while and wait for Yan Kexing's reply.

Before he could even sit back down on the lawnmower, his phone started vibrating slightly.

Yan Kexing: [The grass in your pasture?]

Shi Wen: [Yeah, I've been mowing the lawn these past few days. Before I started, I glanced at it and something felt off.]

Shi Wen: [But this is just a gut feeling. I've cut so much grass, but only this one made my heart skip a beat. Whether it's real or not, I can't tell; these plants look so similar.]

Yan Kexing: [Congratulations, you guessed correctly.]

Shi Wen, "[Are they really protecting plants?!]"

Yan Kexing: [Ephedra sinica, National Standard II. Call the police.]

Shi Wen: [Ah? Okay!]

Shi Wen had no doubt whatsoever whether Yan Kexing had made a mistake.

He exited the chat and immediately called the police.

The call was transferred to the forestry police, who, after carefully inquiring about the location of the discovery and the current situation, said they would send staff over and asked for directions.

After hanging up the phone, Shi Wen went to cut the other grass, leaving only the spotted ephedra and the grass nearby.

After waiting for a while and seeing that no one had come, he simply turned on the drying machine again and dried the grass that had been cut earlier.

He waited to pick up the person, and finally received a call from Yan Kexing.

Yan Kexing asked, "Which side of the ranch are you on? Let's come over here now."

Shi Wen in surprise, "You're here too? You're at the foot of the northwest mountain. Should I come and pick you up?"

Yan Kexing: "No need. Wait a moment, we'll be there soon."

Shi Wen waited where he was, and less than five minutes later, a group of people arrived on horseback.

Among so many people, Shi Wen spotted Yan Kexing at first glance.

He smiled and waved at Yan Kexing.

Yan Kexing up and met his gaze, a smile in his eyes, and nodded slightly in greeting.

Upon Shi Wen's side, everyone dismounted.

The forest police had dealt with Shi Wen Shi Wen when they were treating the goitered gazelles, so they weren't unfamiliar with him.

There was no need for introductions at this point; the two sides exchanged a brief greeting and began working.

Shi Wen them take to see the spotted ephedra.

Shi Wen the spotted ephedra on the pasture grows exceptionally large and lush, to the point that it almost doesn't look like spotted ephedra at all.