Chapter Summaries

Luo Boqin and the others took the mutton they had bought from Shi Wen to a private kitchen to taste it and judge whether its high price was justified. After the owner served the meal, they tried the soup and all looked to Pu Yiping, leaving the reason for their reaction unresolved.

• Shi Wen gave each customer a box of farm-made cheese and two jars of chive blossom sauce before seeing them off.
• Luo Boqin and the others debated whether the mutton was worth eighteen hundred yuan a jin, then took it to a private kitchen to have it cooked.
• The private kitchen owner sniffed the mutton, praised its pure aroma, and prepared several mutton dishes, soup, seasonal vegetables, and specialties.
• The mutton’s cooking aromas left Luo Boqin and the others silent with anticipation as they waited for the food.
• The owner served eight dishes and a pot of soup, and everyone tasted the milky mutton soup before looking at Pu Yiping.

Luo Boqin and Pu Yiping’s group devoured Shi Wen’s mutton, then returned to buy more sheep and brought the private restaurant owner along. Shi Wen later arranged to slaughter all three hundred sheep that had reached weight, drawing officials, friends, and many workers to the sale.

• Luo Boqin and the others ate the mutton and rice until they were full, then praised the meal and decided to buy more.
• The group went to Shi Wen’s place and bought two live sheep, while the restaurant owner purchased ten jin of butchered meat.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing that they had made 572,000 from the day’s sales.
• Shi Wen selected a sunny day to hire professional butchers to slaughter all three hundred sheep, each weighing over 160 jin and priced at a minimum of 1,800 per jin.
• Officials came to investigate the sale, while Ma Chengfeng, Shi Wen’s friends, and a large number of hired workers arrived to help or watch.

Shi Wen prepared his ranch’s mutton for sale and agreed to let the Abnormal Affairs Bureau handle its overseas distribution. After a major foreign livestock company contacted him, he sent them to Zhu Ji because he had already signed away the distribution rights.

• Shi Wen and Fu Meng reflected on the ranch’s success as workers packaged and shipped the high-scoring mutton.
• Zhu Ji asked about the sheep available for slaughter, and Shi Wen said 163 of the 213 could be processed while the rest would be kept for the ranch and an exhibition.
• Zhu Ji proposed that the Abnormal Affairs Bureau negotiate overseas distribution rights, and Shi Wen agreed to a price of at least 1,800 yuan per jin for the current batch.
• Shi Wen delivered the members’ orders and signed a contract requiring him only to supply mutton regularly.
• A major foreign livestock company called Shi Wen to discuss buying mutton, and he referred its representative to Zhu Ji because the Bureau already held the overseas distribution rights.

Shi Wen explained to Qile Moge that his ranch’s sheep were exceptional because of his husbandry and feed, not a proven breed advantage, so selling them would likely lose Qile money. He left Qile on a waiting list for future breeding experiments and decided to focus on improving the ranch until its Ability value passed 300.

• Qile Moge visited Shi Wen and praised how the ranch’s fat-tailed sheep had surpassed Dolan Sheep in popularity.
• Qile asked to buy as many lambs as possible, but Shi Wen warned that they would lose their quality outside his ranch and advised renting breeding sheep instead.
• Shi Wen explained that he could not yet supply sheep reliably and told Qile that lambs would cost far more than the market price without any guarantee of profit.
• Qile asked to stay on the waiting list, and Shi Wen agreed to contact him first if he began further experiments.
• After Qile left, Yan Kexing reassured Shi Wen that he would breed better sheep, while Shi Wen said he would first improve the ranch’s ingredients and wait until its Ability value exceeded 300.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing planned to improve the pregnant ewes’ nutrition and grow barley and wheat after their lambs’ poor results. Later, they received termite mushrooms from Zhake and cooked a feast, which they enjoyed together.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing agreed to improve the ewes’ nutrition and grow wheat and barley for the next generation of lambs.
• In late spring, Shi Wen ate watermelon in the courtyard with the animals while Yan Kexing returned carrying a parcel.
• Yan Kexing told Shi Wen that Zhake had sent them termite mushrooms to thank them for helping find his horses.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing prepared the mushrooms as stir-fried mushrooms, mushroom oil, and chicken soup.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing ate the termite mushroom feast late that evening, and Shi Wen praised the mushrooms’ flavor and texture.

Shi Wen missed Zhake’s fragrant termite mushrooms, so he arranged for his family to visit Zhake’s fig orchard and hunt for them. Zhake welcomed them to the orchard, where they sampled ripe figs before beginning their search.

• Shi Wen thanked Zhake for sending termite mushrooms, then bought some online when his supply ran low and found they were a different, less fragrant variety.
• Shi Wen contacted Zhake and proposed a family outing to dig for termite mushrooms in Zhake’s fig orchard, and Yan Kexing agreed.
• Shi Wen brought honey and vegetables as gifts, and he and Yan Kexing traveled to the orchard with Gong Jiang and two others.
• Zhake led the visitors through his fig orchard, explained that it covered more than 130 mu and sold its crop to a nearby preserved-fruit plant, then offered them ripe figs to eat.

Shi Wen and his companions searched Zhake’s fig orchard for termite mushrooms, and Chasing Clouds found the first cluster. They collected twelve mushrooms and continued the contest, waiting to see which of the other little ones would find the next cluster.

• Shi Wen praised Zhake’s figs, then declined his offer to keep showing them around and set out to look for termite mushrooms.
• Shi Wen sent the little ones searching while he and his companions split into two groups; Cong Zai chose to stay beside them.
• Chasing Clouds spotted tiny mushrooms from the air and led everyone to the first cluster beneath the fig trees.
• Shi Wen and the others dug up twelve termite mushrooms, covered them with leaves, and refilled the hole.
• Shi Wen announced that Chasing Clouds was in the lead, prompting Wolf King and the others to hurry off and search again.
• Lin Chengqian asked whether they should follow Shi Wen, who suggested they wait for the first little one to call out.

Shi Wen and the others searched the orchard and dug up six clusters of termite mushrooms. When the little fox found an abandoned termite nest with no mushrooms, Shi Wen discovered edible Xylaria nigripes sclerotia inside, and the group began digging them up.

• The dogs led Shi Wen and the others to six clusters of termite mushrooms, which they dug up across the west side of the orchard.
• Shi Wen and the group headed east, where the little fox found a mound that smelled of termite mushrooms.
• Shi Wen uncovered an abandoned termite nest and found a white, mycelium-covered object inside.
• Yan Kexing identified the object as a sclerotium of Xylaria nigripes and explained that it was edible and medicinal.
• Shi Wen widened the nest and found more sclerotia for the group to take home.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing’s group gathered charcoal horn fungus and termite mushrooms at Zhake’s orchard, then returned to the ranch for a feast. After drinking soup made with black spirit ginseng, termite mushrooms, and chicken, everyone slept unusually long, and Yan Kexing explained that the soup had a strong sleep-inducing effect.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing dug through a termite nest and found thirty-four charcoal horn fungus sclerotia.
• The little fox and the Wolf King led the group to more termite mushrooms, and the group also dug up the clusters found by An Wa and the little snow leopard.
• Shi Wen decided the group had gathered enough and headed back after leaving Zhake’s family a basket of mushrooms, which Zhake refused to keep.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing prepared a termite mushroom feast while Gong Jiang and the others slaughtered chickens, and everyone ate and drank chicken soup with charcoal horn fungus sclerotia.
• Shi Wen and the others slept unusually deeply, and when Shi Wen woke at 9:37 the next morning, Yan Kexing told him the soup had a strong sleep-inducing effect.

Shi Wen and his companions recovered from the deep sleep caused by the wild wuling shen and gathered to eat Yan Kexing’s roast goose. After Shi Wen posted about the herb’s effects, Xing Mingyue contacted him to ask whether the wuling shen alone had caused them.

• Shi Wen woke feeling refreshed, checked the sleeping young animals, and confirmed that Gong Jiang, Ge Yue, and Lin Chengqian were also sleeping soundly.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing went back to sleep, then hosted Gong Jiang, Ge Yue, and Lin Chengqian for roast goose that evening.
• The group discussed the wuling shen’s powerful effects, and Shi Wen credited the little fox with finding it.
• Shi Wen posted about the wild wuling shen on Moments and cautioned that cultivated versions might not have the same effect.
• Xing Mingyue messaged Shi Wen to ask whether the wuling shen alone had caused the unusually deep sleep.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing sent wuling ginseng, Bresse chickens, and honey to help Xing Mingyue’s insomniac friend from the Sixth Institute. After the ingredients helped, Old Zhou invited Xing Mingyue to meet near the Abnormal Affairs Bureau.

• Xing Mingyue asked Shi Wen whether wuling ginseng had helped everyone sleep, and Shi Wen confirmed that it had worked for him, Yan Kexing, their students, and their animals.
• At Yan Kexing’s suggestion, Shi Wen agreed to send ingredients to Xing Mingyue’s friend from the Sixth Institute without charge.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing sent three Bresse chickens, wuling ginseng, and honey, and Xing Mingyue confirmed the package had arrived that evening.
• Three days later, Old Zhou called Xing Mingyue and said the ingredients had helped a great deal, then invited him out for a drink.
• Xing Mingyue met Old Zhou at a small restaurant near the Abnormal Affairs Bureau and noticed that Old Zhou had grown old.

After Old Zhou thanked Xing Mingyue for the ranch’s ingredients, new tests confirmed that some of Shi Wen’s products enhanced the effects of medicinal ingredients. Shi Wen suspended sales and arranged health checks for members while the possible risks were investigated.

• Old Zhou praised the black ginseng and Bresse chicken Xing Mingyue had sent him, then exchanged gifts and drinks with Xing Mingyue.
• Shi Wen received a request from higher-ups to retest the Bresse chicken and assess other ranch ingredients, and Zhu Ji collected samples for testing.
• Xing Mingyue told Shi Wen that the Bresse chicken and honey had ability values of 286 and 284, and that high-value ranch ingredients enhanced medicinal properties.
• Shi Wen asked whether the ingredients could also amplify medicine’s toxicity or require dosage changes, and Xing Mingyue promised further study.
• Shi Wen announced a suspension of ingredient sales and funded health checks for members; Zhu Ji later heard that members’ reports showed improved health and no side effects.

Shi Wen discussed his ranch’s product-quality concerns and livestock breeding with Zhu Ji, then reviewed information on potential goats from several organizations. He was still deciding which goats could suit the ranch’s climate when Yan Kexing came home.

• Shi Wen told Zhu Ji that he had stopped selling the ranch’s products until he could obtain more complete test reports and follow-up studies.
• Zhu Ji checked the members’ forum and found customers divided between concern and praise, with little abuse.
• Shi Wen explained that the sheep pigs were breeding well but the black pigs stayed apart, leaving him unsure whether artificial insemination would work.
• Zhu Ji offered information about black goats from the south, and Shi Wen agreed to assess whether they could handle the cold.
• Zhu Ji sent documents about goat candidates from several organizations, and Shi Wen studied them at dinner as he waited for Yan Kexing.
• Yan Kexing asked about the documents, and Shi Wen explained that he wanted to judge which goats were suited to the ranch before accepting any.

Shi Wen considered the practical factors involved in raising new livestock while Yan Kexing cooked dinner, and reassured friends that the ranch could withstand its temporary suspension. Half a month later, Xing Mingyue delivered research confirming that the ranch’s ingredients were safe and could counteract excessive medicinal nourishment.

• Shi Wen explained that livestock needed to suit the local humidity and diet as well as the temperature, then decided to help Yan Kexing make dry-fried fish for dinner.
• Gong Jiang, Ge Yue, and Zhu Ji visited Shi Wen to check on him, and he explained that the ranch’s temporary suspension had not caused financial trouble.
• Ge Yue told Shi Wen that Brother Fu and other neighbors had also asked whether he needed help, and Shi Wen reflected on their support.
• Xing Mingyue gave Shi Wen a thick report showing that the ranch’s ingredients had no hidden risks and that excessive nourishment from medicinal ingredients would be expelled from the body.

After reviewing research confirming the need for caution with the ranch’s ingredients, Shi Wen and Yan Kexing announced their findings and received supportive comments from members. Sikewell then visited the ranch to teach Shi Wen and Tang Duohai how to collect semen from the breeding boar, and Tang Duohai prepared to try it himself.

• Xing Mingyue told Shi Wen that leaders would soon discuss closer cooperation, possibly commissioning him to breed animals with specific traits.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing reviewed the research results and posted an announcement explaining why they had paused trading ingredients.
• Members praised Shi Wen’s caution and asked for the ranch’s ingredients to return to sale, and Zhu Ji showed him their comments.
• Sikewell and Tang Duohai arrived to collect semen from the boar and inseminate a sow, while Shi Wen joined them to learn.
• Shi Wen shaved and cleaned the boar, and Sikewell demonstrated semen collection before inviting Tang Duohai to try.

A boar escaped during a semen collection attempt, carrying Tang Duohai through the courtyard before Shi Wen and the young predators chased after it. The white tiger attacked the boar, and they plunged together into a deep ditch, leaving both in danger of drowning.

• Sikewell released the boar, which lunged at him and nearly knocked Tang Duohai down.
• Tang Duohai climbed onto the boar as it charged out of the enclosure, and Shi Wen called the little snow leopard and Changfeng to help chase it.
• Tang Duohai rolled off when the boar slowed, and he and Shi Wen caught their breath while the animals continued the chase.
• Changfeng attacked the boar, and the snow leopard tried to join in as the wounded animal ran from the courtyard.
• The boar jumped into the deep ditch with Changfeng still clinging to its back, putting them both at risk of drowning.

Shi Wen and Sikewell caught and treated a boar after the white tiger attacked it, then completed artificial insemination for two sows. Later, while Shi Wen transported hay, Zhu Ji called to say that leaders from the Abnormal Affairs Bureau had arrived at the ranch, and Shi Wen headed back to meet them.

• Shi Wen pulled the white tiger and the boar from the water, then tied up the boar with Sikewell's rope.
• Shi Wen scolded the white tiger for ignoring his orders, while Sikewell treated the boar's bite wounds.
• Sikewell collected what was needed from the boar and completed artificial insemination for the two black sows.
• Shi Wen penned the sows, gave Tang Duohai and the others mutton to take home, and isolated the frightened boar to recover.
• Yan Kexing returned, and Shi Wen told him what had happened; they planned to make Changfeng a big goose to cheer him up.
• While hauling hay, Shi Wen learned from Zhu Ji that leaders from the Abnormal Affairs Bureau had arrived, so he turned the forklift toward the main courtyard.

Shi Wen met Abnormal Affairs Bureau director Dang Changming and learned that Dang Changming had a Dangkang bloodline, then received two hundred black goats for his ranch. He quarantined the goats and planned to castrate most of the males while raising them for breeding and higher Ability values.

• Zhu Ji introduced Shi Wen to Dang Changming, and Shi Wen discussed the ranch and his choice of two hundred Hebei black goats.
• Yan Kexing sensed Dang Changming’s lingering Ability and told Shi Wen that Dang Changming had a pure Dangkang bloodline classified as a variant beast bloodline.
• Dang Changming arranged for two hundred young black goats to be delivered to Shi Wen’s ranch, along with a test report showing their meat had an Ability value of 63.
• Shi Wen placed the goats in quarantine and thanked Zhu Ji and Dang Changming for arranging the delivery.
• Shi Wen told Zhu Ji that he would keep a few males for breeding and castrate the rest.

Shi Wen took the newly arrived black goats up the mountain, where they climbed trees and fought with the Wolf King and Heiwa. He brought them back to the pasture, and as the wolf and dog trained them, Shi Wen began slaughtering a sheep to reward them.

• Shi Wen selected four promising rams, kept the ewes for breeding, and took the healthy black goats up the mountain after isolating them.
• The black goats climbed into an apricot tree and taunted the Wolf King, who could not climb up after them.
• Shi Wen pulled the goats down and brought them off the mountain while the Wolf King and Heiwa helped herd them.
• The Wolf King and Heiwa chased and trained the black goats until they began to fall into formation.
• Shi Wen started preparing a sheep as a reward, and Yan Kexing joined him and remarked that the goats looked exhausted.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing prepared to harvest the nearly ripe apricots on the mountain with Gong Jiang, Ge Yue, Lin Chengqian, and the ranch animals. The group found the scattered trees and began picking only the ripe fruit, leaving the rest for another trip.

• Shi Wen rewarded the Wolf King and Heiwa with lamb patties for training the black goats, while the other animals grumbled about being left out.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing decided to pick the nearly ripe apricots the next day, and Gong Jiang, Ge Yue, and Lin Chengqian agreed to join them.
• The three visitors arrived early, ate breakfast with Shi Wen and Yan Kexing, and then set out with baskets and several young ranch animals.
• The group searched the mountain for the scattered apricot trees and split into teams to pick fruit.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing saw that some apricots were ripe and some were not, so Shi Wen told the others to leave the unripe ones for later.