Chapter Summaries

Zhan Chongyun rented two of Shi Wen’s horses to try out, and Shi Wen worked with Yan Kexing to negotiate and revise the contract. When Zhan came to collect the horses, they refused to leave the ranch, leaving Shi Wen to coax them.

• Zhan Chongyun decided to rent horses eight and eleven from Shi Wen for a trial instead of buying them outright.
• Shi Wen brought Baoye A Sai in to help draft the rental contract and agreed to pay him a commission.
• Shi Wen revised the contract with Yan Kexing’s advice, and Zhan Chongyun accepted the new terms.
• Zhan Chongyun came the next day to sign the contract and transport the two horses back.
• The horses clung to Shi Wen’s clothes and rolled on the ground rather than leave, so Shi Wen tried to calm and coax them.

Shi Wen accompanied Zhan Chongyun to a horse race, where Horse No. 8 and Horse No. 11 trained on a proper track and showed impressive stamina. After caring for his horses, Shi Wen told Yan Kexing that watching the competition had helped him understand the thrill of pushing beyond one’s limits.

• Zhan Chongyun persuaded Shi Wen to leave the ranch for two days and attend the races with him.
• Shi Wen and Zhan Chongyun traveled to the racecourse, where Shi Wen surveyed the competing horses and riders.
• Zhan Chongyun met his staff to prepare the horses, while Shi Wen watched Horse No. 8 and Horse No. 11 train on the practice track.
• Shi Wen noted that his horses performed well and showed strong stamina, though they were not clearly superior to the competition.
• Shi Wen fed and comforted his horses before staff took them to soak in snow water for recovery.
• Shi Wen called Yan Kexing and described how watching the horses compete helped him understand the excitement of challenging limits.

Shi Wen watched his ranch horses prepare for and enter their first race, while Zhan Chongyun discussed buying the ranch’s fodder. As the 1,800-meter race neared its finish, Shi Wen’s horses were still among the leaders.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing discussed the horses’ performance before falling asleep while talking on the phone.
• Shi Wen visited the horses at the racecourse and shared his ranch’s fodder with the stable’s other horses.
• Zhan Chongyun asked about buying the fodder, and Shi Wen agreed to check his supply and consider a small contract.
• Shi Wen’s horses charged into the leading pack when their first race began and kept pace as several experienced horses slowed or stopped.
• Shi Wen watched as his horses approached the finish line still among the leaders.

Shi Wen's horses placed second and third in their first race, leading Zhan Chongyun to buy all eleven stallions. Shi Wen then prepared the Shi Family Ranch to plant spring corn and several traditional varieties.

• Shi Wen's number eleven horse finished second and number eight finished third, prompting Zhan Chongyun to celebrate and praise the horses.
• Zhan Chongyun negotiated with Shi Wen and bought all eleven stallions for 1.2 million each, agreeing to purchase feed from the Shi Family Ranch.
• Shi Wen decided to plant two or three hundred mu of spring corn, including silage corn, sweet corn, and waxy corn.
• Chang Qingqing and Xin Xianghong brought Shi Wen seeds of traditional corn varieties, and Yan Kexing offered to make corn pancakes after the harvest.
• Shi Wen spread fermented manure across the cornfield and hired a familiar local man to plow it into the soil.

Shi Wen harvested bamboo shoots from the ranch and arranged to send them to Zhengzheng at the zoo. Later, Fu Ningjia called to ask him to help Zhao Yongqiang’s sick dog, Huohuo, and Shi Wen set out to assist.

• Shi Wen discussed fertilizer and composting with a worker, then inspected the ranch’s crops and fruit trees.
• Shi Wen harvested about two hundred jin of bamboo shoots and asked Xi Long if he could send some to Zhengzheng.
• Xi Long agreed, and Zhengzheng ate the shoots and appeared to thank Shi Wen on camera.
• Fu Ningjia called Shi Wen and said Huohuo, Zhao Yongqiang’s dog, was sick while the adults were away.
• Shi Wen told Fu Ningjia to stay away from Huohuo and went to help.

Shi Wen rushed to Zhao Yongqiang's house to help a mother dog struggling to give birth. After examining her and giving her honey water, he delivered her puppies, leaving the mother dog with five newborns.

• Shi Wen called Fu Meng, who suspected Zhao Yongqiang's pregnant dog was about to give birth and then reported that she was having trouble.
• Shi Wen gathered veterinary supplies and went to Zhao Yongqiang's house, where Fu Ningjia and her classmates waited outside.
• Shi Wen examined the mother dog, gave her honey water, and used lubricant to help deliver the first puppy.
• Shi Wen brought the first two puppies to their mother, who licked and cleaned them.
• The mother dog gave birth to the third, fourth, and fifth puppies one after another.

Shi Wen and Fu Meng helped Zhao Yongqiang's dog deliver seven healthy puppies, then Shi Wen returned home to dinner with Yan Kexing. After two rains, the pasture began to green, and their geese eagerly fed on the new grass.

• Shi Wen and Fu Meng helped Zhao Yongqiang's dog deliver six puppies, and Zhao Yongqiang prepared mutton soup for her.
• After eating, the mother dog delivered her seventh puppy, and Shi Wen checked that all seven were alive and nursing.
• Fu Meng warned the children not to approach a dog while it was giving birth or caring for newborn puppies.
• Shi Wen returned home and shared dinner with Yan Kexing, enjoying pea shoots from their backyard and discussing growing bean sprouts.
• After two rains, fresh grass sprouted along the ditch, and their geese ran there to eat it.

Shi Wen hired workers to clear the ranch’s silted ditch and attended a village meeting where he learned that the local livestock industry was declining. On his way home, a mother dog and her seven puppies thanked him, and the animals at the ranch crowded around to welcome him.

• Shi Wen decided to hire workers to clear the ditch after finding it clogged with silt, and many local women signed up.
• Fu Meng told Shi Wen that the local livestock industry was already declining and reminded him to attend the village’s spring meeting.
• Shi Wen attended the meeting, took notes on livestock information, and noticed that fewer villagers were present because more had gone elsewhere to work.
• Outside Zhao Yongqiang’s house, a mother dog called her seven puppies out to greet Shi Wen and wagged their tails at him.
• Shi Wen rode home on Shi Suo, where Changfeng, the little snow leopard, and the other animals crowded around asking to be held.

Shi Wen placated the Wolf King and Heiwa after they caught him petting another dog by making them a special dinner. He then learned Gong Jiang would soon return and arranged to visit Red Blossom Ranch the next morning to choose lambs.

• The Wolf King sniffed Shi Wen and barked at him after detecting the scent of another dog, and Heiwa joined in.
• Shi Wen admitted he had been looking for mates for the dogs, but they remained upset until he promised to make them a meal.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing prepared large meatballs for the dogs, and Shi Wen explained that petting the mother dog and her puppies had been an accident.
• Yan Kexing told Shi Wen that Gong Jiang's paper was nearly finished and that Gong Jiang would return in a couple of days.
• Xi Yuxin called Shi Wen to say the lambs at Red Blossom Ranch were ready to be chosen, and Shi Wen arranged to visit the next morning.

Shi Wen bought fourteen hundred lambs from Red Blossom Ranch and agreed to notify Xi Yuxin when his own ranch had breeding sheep for sale. He then met Wu Jinliang, who had been seeking Shi Family Ranch’s sheep and wanted to learn how Shi Wen raised them.

• Shi Wen visited Red Blossom Ranch and selected fourteen hundred lambs while Xi Yuxin showed him around.
• Xi Yuxin asked Shi Wen to reserve some of his ranch’s future breeding sheep for Red Blossom Ranch, and Shi Wen agreed.
• Red Blossom Ranch loaded the lambs onto five trucks for Shi Wen’s ranch.
• Shi Wen met Wu Jinliang, who had been asking brokers to buy sheep from Shi Family Ranch.
• Wu Jinliang told Shi Wen he loved the ranch’s mutton and wanted to visit and learn how he raised the sheep.

Shi Wen discussed future lamb sales and breeding-ram rentals with Wu Jinliang, then brought his newly purchased lambs to the ranch for care. While treating the flock with Sikewell and Zhang Deyuan, he asked what Sikewell told people who wondered whether his sheep were a special breed.

• Wu Jinliang asked about buying Shi Wen's lambs, and Shi Wen said a batch should be available next spring.
• Shi Wen added Wu Jinliang on WeChat and told him the breeding rams were rented out, with three people ahead of him in line.
• Shi Wen isolated the newly bought lambs, checked their condition, and called Sikewell and Zhang Deyuan to help vaccinate, tag, and treat them for insects.
• Zhang Deyuan and Sikewell praised the lambs' quality and discussed how many people had asked about Shi Wen's sheep.
• Shi Wen asked Sikewell what he told people who wondered whether his sheep were a special breed.

As Shi Wen’s sheep gained attention and brought a flood of inquiries, his geese unexpectedly laid eggs all over the ranch just as hail threatened. Shi Wen called on Yan Kexing and their neighbors to help gather the eggs before the storm arrived.

• Shi Wen told Zhang Deyuan and Sikewell that he had not known his sheep were becoming famous, while people kept contacting him to ask about lambs.
• Shi Wen showed Yan Kexing the 184 messages he had received in two hours, and Yan Kexing joked that their sheep were a hit.
• Shi Wen returned from town to find goose eggs scattered across the ranch and sent Yan Kexing a photo.
• Yan Kexing warned Shi Wen that hail was likely soon and said he was heading home with Gong Jiang and the others.
• Shi Wen asked the large chat group for ten people to help collect the eggs, and neighbors and children volunteered to come.

Shi Wen discovered that his geese and chickens had laid eggs all over the ranch and called for help gathering them before the approaching hail. Nearly half the village came to help, and after they left with goose eggs, Shi Wen was exhausted but reassured by Ge Yue.

• Shi Wen realized that his geese and hens had secretly laid hundreds of eggs around the ranch.
• Shi Wen asked nearby villagers to help gather the eggs before the rain and hail arrived, but far more people came than he expected.
• Villagers searched the ranch, cheering whenever they found an egg, while Shi Wen and the dogs herded livestock back toward the barns.
• Yan Kexing and Gong Jiang's group arrived and asked Shi Wen what had happened.
• Shi Wen gave the helpers goose eggs, while Zhou Hongzhong and his teammates left theirs behind because their rules forbade taking them.
• Gong Jiang and Lin Chengqian carried the full baskets inside, and Ge Yue comforted the tired Shi Wen.

After a sudden hailstorm, Shi Wen and the others began curing the ranch’s many goose eggs with spiced salt and mud. Before Yan Kexing could cook golden sand chicken for Shi Wen, Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo arrived for Shi Wen’s monthly checkup.

• Shi Wen and the others decided to cure the shaken goose eggs rather than sell them, and Yan Kexing suggested making salted goose eggs.
• Hailstones struck the ranch, prompting Shi Wen and Yan Kexing to plan to keep the chickens and geese inside until they laid their eggs.
• Shi Wen suggested using dark mud from the ditch, and everyone carried it back to mix with the salt and spices for curing the goose eggs.
• Shi Wen learned the eggs would need at least forty-five days to cure, so Yan Kexing offered to make golden sand chicken with salted duck eggs instead.
• Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo arrived to conduct Shi Wen’s monthly checkup.

Shi Wen and Zhu Ji tested the ability users, then shared a meal of Yan Kexing’s salted egg yolk chicken. After Zhu Ji heard there might be chicken eggs on the mountain, he joined Shi Wen for an early-morning egg-collecting trip, though they left after he ate two homemade sandwiches.

• Shi Wen’s Divinity and Abilities scores rose by a few hundred, while the little ones’ results remained unchanged.
• Shi Wen invited Zhu Ji to dinner, and Zhu Ji helped him and Duan Kuo slaughter and prepare a ranch chicken.
• Yan Kexing cooked salted egg yolk chicken and a soybean sprout salad, and Zhu Ji teased Shi Wen about collecting goose eggs.
• Shi Wen decided to search the mountain for chicken eggs, and Zhu Ji insisted on joining him the next morning.
• Zhu Ji arrived early without Duan Kuo, then asked for two of Yan Kexing’s homemade sandwiches before they headed up the mountain.

Shi Wen and Zhu Ji searched the mountain for eggs and discovered a group of eagles, including an eastern imperial eagle Shi Wen had encountered before. Zhou Hongzhong confirmed that the eagle had returned to the ranch after the zoo released it in the northeast.

• Zhu Ji and Shi Wen collected chicken eggs hidden beneath bushes and found that hail had smashed some of them.
• Zhu Ji spotted signs of an eagle, so Shi Wen sent Heiwa and the other dogs to search the area.
• The dogs flushed four eastern imperial eagles and a steppe eagle into flight, and Shi Wen recognized one of the eastern imperial eagles.
• Shi Wen called Zhou Hongzhong, who checked with the zoo and confirmed that the eagle had been released in the northeast but had flown back to the ranch.

Shi Wen and Zhou Hongzhong tried to capture five troublesome eagles that had been raiding poultry and frightening the ranch’s geese. They caught four, but the clever eastern imperial eagle remained loose.

• Zhou Hongzhong told Shi Wen how the eastern imperial eagle had been spoiled at the zoo, released, and repeatedly caught stealing free-range chickens.
• Shi Wen called Zhou Hongzhong for help after his dogs chased the eagle, and Zhou arrived to find it flying with three other eastern imperial eagles and a steppe eagle.
• Shi Wen and Zhou Hongzhong used dogs and net guns to pursue the five eagles, avoiding tranquilizer shots that might make them fall to their deaths.
• The group caught three eastern imperial eagles and the steppe eagle, wrapping them in fertilizer sacks, while the cleverest eagle escaped.
• Zhou Hongzhong warned Zhu Ji not to approach the captured eagles after Zhu admired their long talons.

Shi Wen pursued the last uncaught white-shouldered eagle with Zhu Ji, Heiwa, the Wolf King, and the little snow leopard and white tiger. They drove it back to the ranch and chased it onto the mountain, where Heiwa spotted it first.

• The white-shouldered eagle escaped, so Shi Wen arranged for Fu Meng to watch the ranch and set off after it with Zhu Ji, the Wolf King, and Heiwa.
• The little snow leopard and white tiger jumped into Shi Wen's arms, and he brought both of them along.
• Shi Wen caught up to the eagle and fired shots to drive it toward the ranch while Heiwa and the Wolf King helped guide it.
• Shi Suo leaped over the ranch's wire fence with Shi Wen on his back, and Zhu Ji followed on foot after parking his motorcycle.
• Heiwa spotted the white-shouldered eagle on the mountain and barked to alert the others.

Shi Wen tried to rescue Changfeng after a white-shouldered eagle carried the white tiger into the air, but the rescue ended with them all crashing into cow dung. Shi Wen and the animals were unharmed, though the eagle’s wing was injured and would need time to recover at the ranch.

• Shi Wen chased the white-shouldered eagle with Changfeng, the little snow leopard, and the Wolf King, but the eagle grabbed Changfeng and flew off.
• Shi Wen urged Changfeng to struggle and drag the eagle down, then flew up and caught the eagle while holding the frightened tiger.
• Changfeng burrowed into Shi Wen’s arms, making him lose his balance and fall with the tiger and eagle onto Laibao’s cow dung.
• Zhu Ji, Heiwa, the Wolf King, the little snow leopard, and Shi Suo arrived; Shi Wen said the injured eagle would recover at the ranch.

After the eastern imperial eagle injured Shi Wen and frightened the white tiger, Shi Wen rested while Yan Kexing arranged for the Abnormal Affairs Bureau to take the unruly eagle away for training. Shi Wen met Xiong Cen, the trainer sent to replace it with her Variant Beast steppe eagle, Chasing Clouds.

• Zhu Ji took the injured eastern imperial eagle away while Shi Wen bathed and comforted the white tiger.
• Shi Wen rested after the incident, and Yan Kexing massaged the bruises on his back with Chongming Bird oil.
• Yan Kexing told Shi Wen that the Abnormal Affairs Bureau would take the eagle for training and send another eagle to the ranch.
• Yan Kexing invited trainer Xiong Cen to meet Shi Wen, and she arrived with her Variant Beast steppe eagle, Chasing Clouds.
• Xiong Cen said Chasing Clouds would replace the unruly eagle as the leader and keep other eagles from causing trouble.