Chapter Summaries

Shi Wen allowed the Wolf King’s companions to visit the ranch under strict limits while spring brought new growth and fish to the ditches. Ma Chengfeng then asked Shi Wen to assess Dolang sheep for a friend, leaving Shi Wen wary despite the generous pay.

• Shi Wen accepted Gong Jiang and Yan Kexing’s explanation that the Wolf King’s friends were helping him, and he allowed a few well-behaved wolves to visit the ranch occasionally.
• Shi Wen watched the visiting wolves and let them stay as long as they did not threaten the ranch’s livestock or cause trouble.
• Spring rain brought fresh grass and wild vegetables, and the ranch’s ditches filled with spawning fish that Shi Wen’s animals sometimes caught.
• Shi Wen fitted rubber rings to the lambs’ tails while checking their condition, then went to meet Ma Chengfeng at the ranch gate.
• Ma Chengfeng asked Shi Wen to assess Dolang sheep for a friend for eight thousand yuan per day, and Shi Wen hesitated because he had never examined that breed.

Shi Wen visited a Dolang sheep farm with Ma Chengfeng and Qile Moge to assess the breed and help choose lambs. He found the sheep unusually high-grade and began selecting the best lambs, while planning to call Yan Kexing.

• Shi Wen agreed to visit Ma Chengfeng’s friend, Qile Moge, and Yang Yiqing warned him to be cautious about the inflated price of Dolang sheep.
• Qile Moge praised Shi Wen’s sheep and asked to place an advance order after revealing that a small plate of their mutton cost 3,800 yuan.
• Shi Wen traveled south with Ma Chengfeng and Qile Moge, met the Dolang sheep owner, and examined the adult sheep, which seemed exceptionally high-grade to him.
• The owner showed them the one-month-old lambs and invited them to choose; Shi Wen entered the pen with Qile Moge and the other selector and quickly identified the better lambs.

Shi Wen accompanied Qile Moge to buy Dolan sheep, then discussed the meat’s warming effect with Yan Kexing. The next morning, the Wolf King was missing, and they suspected he had gone into the grassland to find a mate.

• Shi Wen watched Qile Moge and another selector choose fifty Dolan sheep, then heard Qile Moge pay six hundred thousand for them.
• At lunch, Shi Wen found Dolan mutton delicious and noticed it made his hands and feet feel warm; Yan Kexing said he had never felt the same effect.
• Qile Moge drove Shi Wen back to the ranch, and Shi Wen said he might someday buy a few Dolan sheep.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing that the Wolf King was missing, and Yan Kexing suggested he had gone to find a she-wolf.
• Shi Wen decided the Wolf King had probably left on his own and threatened to withhold his snacks when he returned; Cong Zai searched the calmly eating dogs with a puzzled look.

Shi Wen worried when the Wolf King disappeared for nearly a week, then was relieved to see him return with a frightened young Siberian ibex. Yan Kexing identified it as a protected animal, and Shi Wen realized the Wolf King may have brought it because he thought Shi Wen wanted a sheep.

• Shi Wen worried about the missing Wolf King and agreed with Yan Kexing to wait before searching for him.
• After six days, the Wolf King returned to the ranch carrying a frightened lamb, and Shi Wen wondered if he had stolen it.
• Yan Kexing identified the animal as a Siberian ibex and said it was a nationally protected species.
• The Wolf King tried to take the ibex again, but Yan Kexing blocked him and Shi Wen questioned why he had brought it back.
• Shi Wen remembered admiring Qile Moge's Dolan sheep and guessed the Wolf King had brought the ibex as a gift.

The Wolf King returned to Shi Wen with an ibex, and Shi Wen realized he might have brought it as a thoughtful substitute for the Dolan sheep Shi Wen wanted. While waiting for Zhou Hongzhong to collect the ibex, Shi Wen learned from Fu Meng about a chance to buy Dolan sheep.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing guessed that the Wolf King had brought the ibex because he knew Shi Wen liked Dolan sheep, and the Wolf King eagerly sought Shi Wen's affection.
• Yan Kexing fed the hungry Wolf King, and Shi Wen checked him over before letting him sleep.
• Shi Wen called Zhou Hongzhong, who arranged to collect the ibex the next morning, and Shi Wen kept the frightened kid separated from the other animals.
• Fu Meng and the others visited the ibex, and Fu Meng offered to introduce Shi Wen to a friend selling three ewes and two lambs.
• Zhou Hongzhong arrived with his people, and everyone went to the cattle pen to see the ibex.

Shi Wen calmed the Wolf King after Zhou Hongzhong took the rescued Siberian ibex away, then visited Fu Boxiu’s ranch with Fu Meng to buy Dolan sheep. They agreed on a price of fifty thousand yuan for two ewes and three lambs, and Shi Wen stayed for lunch.

• Zhou Hongzhong examined the Siberian ibex and took it away to try to return it to its herd or send it to a zoo.
• The Wolf King tried to stop Zhou Hongzhong from taking the ibex, but Shi Wen calmed him with promises of Dolan sheep and chicken drumsticks.
• Shi Wen asked Fu Meng to arrange a visit to Fu Boxiu’s ranch so he could buy Dolan sheep.
• Fu Boxiu explained that the sheep had lost much of their value and offered two older ewes and three lambs for fifty thousand yuan, which Shi Wen accepted.
• Fu Boxiu invited Shi Wen and Fu Meng to lunch and went to catch a grassland free-range chicken, catching Shi Wen’s attention.

Shi Wen visited Fu Boxiu’s pasture, tasted his Bresse chicken, and agreed to trade for chicks to raise alongside his geese. After buying an old hen for Yan Kexing, Shi Wen and Fu Boxiu went to pick up the goslings.

• Shi Wen recognized Fu Boxiu’s chickens as Bresse chickens and went with Fu Boxiu and Fu Meng to see them.
• Fu Boxiu and Fu Meng failed to catch a chicken, so Shi Wen pinned one down for them.
• Shi Wen tasted Fu Boxiu’s white-cut chicken and praised its tender, flavorful meat.
• Fu Boxiu proposed trading Bresse chicks for Shi Wen’s goslings, and Shi Wen and Fu Meng agreed to take fifty and twenty chicks respectively.
• Shi Wen bought an old hen for Yan Kexing, and Fu Boxiu drove him home to pick up the goslings.

Shi Wen settled the new Dolan sheep and Bresse chickens into the ranch, then shared a meal made from a chicken with Yan Kexing and the animals. As the flock adapted and began foraging, Shi Wen planned to expand the poultry facilities and prepare for the livestock’s seasonal care.

• Shi Wen quarantined the Dolan sheep and penned the chicks beside the geese, telling the animals to protect the newcomers.
• Yan Kexing found Shi Wen watching the chicks, helped him stand after his legs went numb, and showed him how to press a meridian.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing prepared a Bresse chicken three ways and shared it with Yang Yiqing and the animals.
• Shi Wen proposed applying to build a larger poultry house, and Yan Kexing agreed to discuss expanding the chicken coop, goose house, and dovecote.
• Shi Wen let the Bresse chickens forage around the ranch, where they adapted well and found much of their own food.
• As the weather warmed and pasture grass grew, Shi Wen began planning feed changes, deworming, vaccinations, and health checks for the livestock.

Shi Wen discovered that the missing Bresse chicks had gone to Pasture No. 2 to eat giant harvester ants near the beehives. After discussing the ants with Yan Kexing, he decided to let the chicks feed on them and began testing whether they could guard other hives.

• Shi Wen searched for the missing Bresse chicks and found them pecking giant ants beneath the beehives in Pasture No. 2.
• Shi Wen sent photos to Yan Kexing, who identified the ants as likely harvester ants and warned that the chicks might also eat bees.
• Shi Wen decided to leave the ants as food for the chicks and discussed training them to protect the hives.
• Shi Wen carried two chicks to the beehives in Pasture No. 1, where they eagerly ate the ants.
• Shi Wen noticed the ants might be drawn by abundant honey inside the hives.

Shi Wen harvested honey from the hives at Pastures No. 1, 2, and 3, then made honey water for the animals and Yang Yiqing. After he invited Yan Kexing to come home early, Yan returned that afternoon with Ge Yue and two others.

• Shi Wen shut the animals indoors, smoked the bees with a torch, and harvested honey while leaving some comb behind in each hive.
• Shi Wen found that the hives at Pasture No. 3 were nearly full and was relieved he had harvested them before the colonies could split.
• Shi Wen kept the dogs and other animals away from the honey bucket, then made honey water for them and Yang Yiqing.
• Yang Yiqing praised the honey's floral fragrance, and Shi Wen offered to give her a bottle to take home.
• Shi Wen strained and refrigerated the honey, then invited Yan Kexing to come back early for honey water.
• Yan Kexing returned that afternoon with Ge Yue and two others, who smiled when they saw Shi Wen.

Shi Wen shared honey water with everyone, then agreed to make braised goose for dinner. He invited Zhu Ji over after learning he wanted honey and had something to tell him, but Zhu Ji had not yet arrived.

• Shi Wen served honey water, and everyone discussed the ranch's products while drinking it.
• After everyone asked for goose, Shi Wen agreed to make dinner, and Gong Jiang and the others caught and weighed a sixteen-jin, eight-liang gander.
• Shi Wen chose braised goose, then replied to people asking to buy honey and told them he had none to spare.
• Shi Wen invited Zhu Ji over for dinner after Zhu Ji messaged that he wanted honey and had something to discuss.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing that Zhu Ji was coming, then tasted the goose leg and suggested adding sugar.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing prepared a meal that left Zhu Ji puzzled by how unusually delicious the ranch’s food was. After dinner, Yan Kexing and Shi Wen took Zhu Ji to the living room to discuss what he had noticed.

• Yan Kexing finished cooking goose and other dishes while Shi Wen prepared food for the ranch’s cats and dogs.
• Zhu Ji arrived and wondered whether the aroma came from vicious beast meat, but Yan Kexing dismissed his suspicions.
• Everyone ate together, and Zhu Ji remarked that the mutton, mushrooms, and goose tasted unlike food from elsewhere.
• Yan Kexing and Shi Wen exchanged looks, recognizing that Zhu Ji wanted to discuss the food’s unusual energy.
• After the meal, Yan Kexing and Shi Wen brought Zhu Ji to the living room for a private conversation.

Zhu Ji told Shi Wen that his livestock and produce might have unusual energy and asked to take samples for testing, then asked him to foster a young Qingqiu Fox Variant Beast. Shi Wen agreed to the testing and considered the fox’s placement after hearing about its condition and the monthly foster fee.

• Zhu Ji asked about Shi Wen’s unusually energetic meat, and Yan Kexing explained how Variant Ingredients were identified while insisting Shi Wen should not be pressured to produce them.
• Shi Wen agreed to let Zhu Ji report the ingredients and take samples for testing, including Dolang sheep meat, and Zhu Ji said he might arrange another test in autumn.
• Zhu Ji showed Shi Wen a file about a three-month-old fox that had awakened a Qingqiu Fox bloodline and needed supervision.
• Zhu Ji asked Shi Wen to foster the underweight fox for a monthly fee of thirty thousand, with food costs paid separately.
• Shi Wen reviewed the fox’s file and considered whether it would fit in with the animals on his ranch.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing weighed whether to foster Zhu Ji’s frail little fox, while Zhu Ji reported that their mutton and goose meat had high ability values but were not exotic beast meat. Shi Wen admitted he feared relying too much on Yan Kexing, and Yan Kexing reassured him that he wanted them to lean on each other.

• Shi Wen told Zhu Ji they needed three days to decide whether to take in the little fox, and Zhu Ji took the meat for testing.
• Zhu Ji reported that the mutton had an ability value of 138 and the goose meat had an ability value of 114, and that neither was exotic beast meat.
• Zhu Ji said the Dolang sheep’s ability value was 67 and thanked Shi Wen for suggesting it as suitable meat for ability users.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing he hesitated to foster the fox because he could not bear raising it for years and then having to let it go.
• Yan Kexing told Shi Wen that partners should ask each other for help, and Shi Wen admitted he feared Yan Kexing would tire of him relying too much.
• Yan Kexing embraced Shi Wen and said he had never been bothered by being needed.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing discussed their worries about raising animals and agreed to communicate more openly, while Shi Wen explained why he wanted a smart ranch system. After Shi Wen promised honey to Ge Yue and the others, Zhu Ji brought the little fox to their home.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing reassured each other about raising the little fox and staying close despite the demands of the ranch.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing that he wanted a smart management system so they could run the ranch with fewer people, and Yan Kexing promised to move his work closer to home when he was less busy.
• Ge Yue asked Shi Wen for honey, and he said he would divide it among her and the others once the bottles arrived.
• An Wa barked at Ge Yue after she suggested the animals only pretended to understand people, and Ge Yue and Lin Chengqian declined Shi Wen's idea to test them.
• Zhu Ji brought the snow-white fox cub to Shi Wen, who held it as it licked his hand and wondered whether the other animals might frighten it.

Shi Wen cared for Zhu Ji’s delicate fox cub, which settled in with Cong Zai and the other animals, while Yang Yiqing prepared to install the pasture’s smart system. He took the growing flock out to graze with the fox cub as Yang Yiqing began her work.

• Zhu Ji explained that the fox cub was over three months old despite its tiny size, and Yan Kexing agreed they could return it if they could not raise it.
• Shi Wen fed the fox cub goat’s milk and meat paste, and Cong Zai subdued it after it tried to steal food.
• Shi Wen decided to install the smart system, and Yang Yiqing received the custom-built robots and prepared to set them up.
• Shi Wen left Yang Yiqing to work and drove the flock of more than three thousand sheep out to graze.
• Shi Wen carried the well-behaved fox cub along and noticed Heiwa especially liked attractive young animals such as Cong Zai and the fox.

Shi Wen learned that villagers were gathering caterpillar fungus, then discovered from Yan Kexing that the Grass Immortal was the rare medicinal creature people had confused it with. Yan Kexing offered to take Shi Wen into the mountains to gather lingzhi, and Shi Wen agreed, turning the trip into a family spring outing.

• Shi Wen noticed the pasture grass had grown thick and green, then rested in the sun while Heiwa and the other animals watched the flock.
• Shi Wen read the village group chat about caterpillar fungus and asked Fu Meng whether it was plentiful nearby; Fu Meng explained that villagers gathered it for money despite finding little.
• Fu Meng told Shi Wen about local mountain finds such as caterpillar fungus and ginseng, making Shi Wen interested in exploring the mountains.
• Shi Wen asked Yan Kexing about caterpillar fungus, and Yan Kexing explained that the rare Grass Immortal—not ordinary caterpillar fungus—had medicinal value.
• Yan Kexing offered to take Shi Wen into the mountains to gather lingzhi, and Shi Wen agreed so the family could enjoy a spring outing among the apricot blossoms.

Shi Wen and his household set out on a spring outing, leaving Fu Meng and Zhang Deyuan to watch the ranch while the tiger cubs and pony practiced traveling. After several hours on the road, the animals became carsick, and Shi Wen stopped to give them lemon honey water.

• Shi Wen arranged ranch care and invited Gong Jiang, Ge Yue, Yang Yiqing, and others to join the outing, while Yan Kexing advised them to pack suitable clothes and injury medicine.
• Shi Wen asked Fu Meng and Zhang Deyuan to watch the ranch and told Zhang Deyuan that the tiger cubs might be released into the wild this year if they adapted well.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing traveled in one SUV with the tiger cubs, pony, and other animals, while Gong Jiang and the others rode in a second car with five dogs.
• During the drive, Shi Wen asked Yan Kexing about humanity’s origins and learned that people generally did not believe in Darwin and suspected humans were an introduced species.
• After the tiger cubs and pony became carsick, Shi Wen stopped by the road and gave them lemon honey water, and they perked up enough to show him affection.

Shi Wen and the others trekked through muddy mountain terrain with Yan Kexing and their animal companions, reaching a remote primeval forest. Yan Kexing led them deeper to collect lingzhi he had found on an earlier survey.

• The tiger cub licked Shi Wen's hand until it turned red, and Yan Kexing stopped it and told it to go easy.
• The group rested by a cliff, admired the view, shouted and howled together, then continued toward their destination.
• Everyone except Shi Wen fell repeatedly while descending the muddy mountain, while Cong Zai ran down without falling.
• The group reached a pine forest in less than two hours, where Shi Wen spotted tracks belonging to wild boars and dholes.
• Yan Kexing led the group into the forest toward the lingzhi patch he had found before, and Shi Wen noticed there were wild strawberry plants but no ripe fruit.

Yan Kexing led Shi Wen and the others to two lingzhi mushrooms beneath a pine tree, and the group picked them and passed them around to inspect. They split up to search the woods for more, while Shi Wen worried that the animals’ scattered tracks would make them hard to find later.

• Yan Kexing pointed out two lingzhi mushrooms under a pine tree, and Shi Wen picked them after learning they would grow back.
• The pony, Heiwa and the other animals, the tiger cubs, Cong Zai, and the little fox all sniffed the lingzhi.
• Yan Kexing told everyone to search in pairs and stay safe, so the group split up and began looking for more mushrooms.
• Lin Chengqian and Gong Jiang discussed how refreshing the lingzhi smelled and joked about Yan Kexing’s feelings for Shi Wen.
• Shi Wen searched with Yan Kexing but struggled to distinguish lingzhi from the woody scents of the forest, while the animals ran through the woods and muddled their tracks.