Chapter Summaries

Shi Wen bought expensive Yucheng Silage No. 9 seeds for his ranch, and Yan Kexing offered to lend him money before accepting an invitation to visit and stay overnight. When Yan Kexing spotted a stack of papers by his team on Shi Wen’s desk, Shi Wen realized his private reading had been exposed.

• Shi Wen read the paper on Yucheng Silage No. 9 and agreed to buy enough seeds for his fifty mu of land at thirty-six yuan per jin, with technical support included.
• Yan Kexing offered to lend Shi Wen money, but Shi Wen explained that he had received part of a 300,000-yuan subsidy and was carefully budgeting.
• Shi Wen invited Yan Kexing to tour the ranch and stay the night, and Yan Kexing praised the lively grounds.
• Shi Wen brought Yan Kexing into the house and offered to prepare a guest bed.
• Yan Kexing noticed the papers by his team on Shi Wen’s desk, and Shi Wen realized Yan Kexing had seen them.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing spent a quiet afternoon together before heading out to watch the sunset, where Shi Wen's dogs brought them enormous mushrooms. Yan Kexing identified them as delicious mushrooms and warned Shi Wen to avoid eating unfamiliar kinds.

• Shi Wen changed the subject when Yan Kexing asked what he thought of the research paper, and the two made a bed together.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing worked quietly at home, then went outside to watch the sunset.
• Shi Wen's dogs returned from herding cattle and sheep with large mushrooms in their mouths.
• Yan Kexing identified the mushrooms as delicious mushrooms, which the dogs had likely dug up, and explained how to distinguish them from similar species.
• Yan Kexing cautioned Shi Wen against eating mushrooms he could not confidently identify.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing brought home mushrooms the dogs had found and cooked them after the dogs stopped Shi Wen from leaving. Yan Kexing finished stir-frying the mushrooms, and Shi Wen kept the dish inside to cool before serving it.

• Yan Kexing confirmed that the mushrooms Heiwa and the other dogs had brought back were safe to eat.
• Shi Wen tried to leave with Yan Kexing to watch the sunset, but An Wa, Le Wa, and Heiwa blocked his way until he agreed to cook the mushrooms.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing cleaned the mushrooms, and Yan Kexing took over the preparation and cooking.
• The three dogs waited outside the kitchen with their bowls as Yan Kexing stir-fried the mushrooms.
• Shi Wen took the finished dish back inside to let it cool while the dogs jumped and whined for food.

Yan Kexing cooked a meal that delighted Shi Wen, and the two shared an intimate evening on the ranch. While showing Yan Kexing around, Shi Wen explained his three-year plan and the financial constraints holding back the ranch’s expansion.

• Yan Kexing prepared stir-fried mushrooms, beef, and eggplant with loofah and egg drop soup, and Shi Wen served rice and soup to the dogs.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing ate together, and Shi Wen praised the dishes, especially the delicious mushrooms and eggplant.
• After washing the dishes, Shi Wen invited Yan Kexing to walk beneath the stars and showed him around the ranch.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing he planned to build the ranch’s infrastructure and bring in livestock over three years, hoping to turn a profit that year.
• Yan Kexing suggested Shi Wen consider a loan to expand the ranch, and Shi Wen explained that he lacked suitable collateral for one.

After accepting Yan Kexing’s help to secure a loan, Shi Wen used the money to fund his livestock operation and struggled to give his sheep a medicated bath. Sikewell helped him and the dogs contain the flock, and Shi Wen turned to care for his exhausted dogs before attending to Sikewell.

• Shi Wen accepted Yan Kexing’s offer to introduce him to a local bank, and borrowed 700,000 yuan with Yan Kexing as guarantor.
• Shi Wen drove the sheep toward a pool of medicated water to treat their parasites and prevent insect bites.
• The sheep resisted fiercely, exhausting Shi Wen and his three dogs as they tried to herd them into the pool.
• Sikewell arrived on his motorcycle and helped Shi Wen block the sheep and pen them in the medicated water.
• Shi Wen let the sheep out after they had soaked, then gave water and dried meat to the tired dogs before turning to Sikewell.

Shi Wen visited the sick cattle Sikewell had found and examined two pregnant dairy cows with mucosal disease. He agreed to buy them for three thousand each, but their owner objected to the price.

• Sikewell examined Shi Wen’s four cows and confirmed that the two pregnancies were stable.
• Sikewell told Shi Wen about five sick cows for sale, and Shi Wen went with him to inspect them.
• Shi Wen and Sikewell visited a household with two seriously ill dairy cows that were pregnant and still producing milk.
• Shi Wen examined the cows and agreed to buy both for three thousand each, but the owner objected to his offer.

Shi Wen bought five pregnant, sick dairy cows and began caring for them at his ranch. After milking one cow while keeping the dogs out of the warehouse, he fed the sick cows and tended to the rest of his livestock.

• Shi Wen negotiated with a wealthy cattle-raising family and bought their two pregnant cows for 6,600, then bought three more sick, pregnant dairy cows with Sikewell’s help.
• Shi Wen brought all five cows to the ranch and housed them in the disinfected old warehouse.
• Shi Wen went to the warehouse before dawn with Heiwa, checked the cows, washed them, and applied medicine.
• Shi Wen milked one cow while An Wa and Le Wa tried to sneak into the warehouse for milk, then shut all three dogs outside.
• Shi Wen fed the sick cows fresh grass, sent the dogs to drive the healthy cattle and sheep out to graze, and cleaned the livestock shed.

After a rainy night, Shi Wen woke and went outside to find the courtyard and grassland blanketed in white and red flowers. He stood at the courtyard entrance, looking out at the flowers stretching to the mountains.

• Shi Wen woke to rain and set an alarm for ten more minutes of sleep.
• After getting up, Shi Wen drank warmed milk and put on rain gear to go outside.
• Shi Wen opened the door and found the courtyard covered in white and red flowers.
• Shi Wen saw white flowers swaying across the grassland all the way to the foot of the mountains.

Shi Wen admired the wild chive blossoms at his ranch before Fu Meng invited him over for lamb and homemade chive blossom sauce. After finishing his ranch chores, Shi Wen joined Fu Meng and his family for lunch, where he was served lamb broth, tender meat, and the sauce.

• Shi Wen identified the flowers covering his ranch as wild chive blossoms, photographed them with his dogs, and posted the pictures to WeChat Moments.
• Fu Meng called Shi Wen and invited him to eat lamb with his family and try Chang Qingqing's homemade chive blossom sauce.
• Shi Wen fed the dogs, moved hay for the livestock because the pasture was wet, and finished his ranch chores.
• Shi Wen brought pastries to Fu Meng's home, where Chang Qingqing welcomed him and Fu Meng prepared the stewed lamb.
• Shi Wen ate lamb and drank broth with Fu Meng's family, and Chang Qingqing offered him chive blossom sauce to try.

Shi Wen enjoyed Fu Meng’s family’s mutton with Chang Qingqing’s chive blossom sauce and asked to learn how to make it. As Chang Qingqing taught him, Zhang Deyuan arrived at Shi Wen’s home.

• Shi Wen praised Chang Qingqing’s chive blossom sauce after tasting it with Fu Meng’s mutton.
• Shi Wen agreed to let Chang Qingqing gather chive blossoms from his pasture and teach him to make the sauce.
• Fu Meng, Chang Qingqing, their children, and Shi Wen gathered chive blossoms using metal scoops.
• Chang Qingqing showed Shi Wen how to prepare the blossoms and grind them with onions, chilies, and other ingredients.
• Zhang Deyuan called out for Shi Wen, who answered from the kitchen and told Le Wa to stop barking.

Shi Wen bought 304 wethers from Mulati and brought them back to his ranch to fatten for the New Year. After quarantining them in separate sheds, he found the flock settled in calmly as he worked to feed and care for them.

• Zhang Deyuan told Shi Wen that his friend Mulati had wethers available for eighteen yuan per jin, and Shi Wen agreed to go choose some.
• Shi Wen examined Mulati’s flock and selected 304 wethers, paying a little over 250,000 yuan for them.
• Shi Wen brought the new sheep to his ranch and kept them in newly completed sheds for quarantine.
• Shi Wen cut grass daily to feed the larger flock and supplemented it with rapeseed cake, mineral feed, and salt blocks.
• Shi Wen observed that the new wethers were quiet and settled in well, which he attributed to his animal-raising talent and their being castrated rams.

Shi Wen discovered that small animals had been damaging his silage corn and decided to get a cat to deal with the pests. He adopted a friendly black cat named Cong Zai and brought him home, where he planned to let him adjust before roaming the ranch.

• Shi Wen found more than seventy corn seedlings bitten off and replanted the gaps.
• Shi Wen asked his friends to help find a kitten that could catch field mice.
• Luo Qinggui contacted Shi Wen about a black stray cat at Star Pet Hospital.
• Shi Wen met the affectionate black cat, adopted him, and named him Cong Zai.
• Shi Wen bought cat supplies and kept Cong Zai indoors while he settled in.

Shi Wen discovered that Cong Zai was both a fierce fighter and an accomplished hunter when he took the cat to the cornfield to catch the animal damaging the seedlings. Cong Zai swiftly caught a large field mouse, proving he could protect the crop.

• Shi Wen found Cong Zai roaring at Le Wa and An Wa, then scolded all three to treat one another kindly.
• Shi Wen carried Cong Zai to the cornfield and showed him the damaged corn seedlings.
• Cong Zai ran ahead through the field without disturbing the seedlings and growled at a hole.
• Cong Zai used the growl as a feint, chased a field mouse into another hole, and caught it in under three minutes.

Shi Wen praised Cong Zai for catching a giant vole, then shared photos that sparked comments from his acquaintances. The next morning, he found the dogs and cat had lined up their vole catches as gifts, and he fled to prepare their food.

• Cong Zai caught a giant vole and proudly brought it to Shi Wen, who praised them and declined the offered prey.
• Shi Wen posted photos of Cong Zai and the vole, and he chatted with Yan Kexing about the cat’s name.
• Ge Yue and Lin Chengqian admired Shi Wen’s ranch and discussed visiting or studying its animals with Gong Jiang.
• The cats and dogs kept Shi Wen awake by racing around at night, though he forgot to discuss it with them the next morning.
• Shi Wen found the three dogs and Cong Zai presenting a row of big voles, but he insisted he did not eat them and hurried away to get their food.
• Cong Zai, Heiwa, Le Wa, and An Wa carried their voles toward the livestock shed.

Shi Wen prepared to make hay after Fu Meng advised him that the pasture grass was ready to cut, then began mowing it in good weather. He left the dogs checking the next plot as he rested with them and Cong Zai before returning to work.

• Shi Wen photographed the pasture and asked Fu Meng whether it was time to cut the grass, and Fu Meng advised him to wait for good weather and ensure the hay dried completely.
• Shi Wen checked eight years of weather records, chose a suitable period, and rented a hay tedder and booked a baler.
• Shi Wen drove the cattle and sheep out to graze, then used a mower to cut the grass in plots the livestock had left mostly untouched.
• Shi Wen gave the dogs water and jerky, then also offered Cong Zai water and jerky while the animals rested with him.
• Shi Wen sent Heiwa, Le Wa and An Wa to check another plot, and they ran off to surround it from three directions.

While finishing his mowing plan, Shi Wen recognized a suspicious plant on the ranch as a protected species and alerted the forest police. Yan Kexing arrived with them, and Shi Wen led the group to the unusually lush Ephedra rhytidosperma.

• Cong Zai and the other little ones inspected the plots for animals while Shi Wen mowed the pasture over six days.
• Shi Wen spotted a familiar-looking clump of grass and sent photos to Yan Kexing for identification.
• Yan Kexing identified the plant as second-class nationally protected Ephedra rhytidosperma and told Shi Wen to call the police.
• Shi Wen contacted the forest police, left the plant and the surrounding grass untouched, and continued drying the cut grass while he waited.
• Yan Kexing arrived on horseback with the forest police, and Shi Wen led them to the large, lush Ephedra rhytidosperma.

Shi Wen arranged for Zhou Hongzhong’s team to relocate the spotted ephedra on his ranch, then introduced Cong Zai to Yan Kexing. After their fingers touched, Shi Wen felt an unexpected flutter, while Cong Zai nervously met Yan Kexing.

• Shi Wen asked Zhou Hongzhong to relocate the five spotted ephedra, and Zhou exchanged WeChat details with him.
• Yan Kexing stayed at the ranch after Zhou Hongzhong and the others left with the plants.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing he had worried the protected plants might put his ranch at risk, and Yan reassured him.
• Shi Wen brought Cong Zai to meet Yan Kexing, and their fingers brushed as Yan took the cat.
• Shi Wen felt his heart skip as he met Yan Kexing’s gaze, while Cong Zai trembled in Yan’s arms until Yan gently soothed him.

Shi Wen finished drying and baling his forage and stored it in the warehouse, then hurried to bring his cattle and sheep home as rain threatened. The village group reported that other farmers’ freshly cut grass was at risk of getting soaked.

• Yan Kexing stayed overnight at Shi Wen’s home, helped him make the bed, and said he would visit again during his next break.
• Shi Wen tested the dried forage, confirmed its moisture content was suitable for hay, and baled and stored it in the warehouse.
• When clouds and cool, damp wind signaled approaching rain, Shi Wen rode out with the dogs to bring the cattle and sheep home.
• Shi Wen and the dogs drove the cattle, sheep, and geese toward the livestock shed before the rain arrived.
• Villagers discussed the coming rain in the village WeChat group and worried about their freshly cut grass.

Shi Wen helped Old Man Ma and the villagers save their hay from the rain, then arranged to go blueberry picking with Fu Meng the next day. The group set off for the mountain with Fu Meng's family, Shi Wen's cat, and his three dogs.

• Shi Wen secured his livestock and joined villagers carrying Old Man Ma's hay into storage before the rain arrived.
• Old Man Ma's family served milk tea and butter to the helpers, who praised the couple's grandchildren.
• Shi Wen asked Fu Meng about the wild blueberries, and Fu Meng offered to take him picking the next day.
• Shi Wen arrived at Fu Meng's house with his cat and three dogs, and Fu Meng's family prepared to leave for the mountain.
• Chang Qingqing agreed to let Fu Senze ride behind Shi Wen, and the group set off on their motorcycles.

Shi Wen went blueberry picking in the mountains with Fu Meng, the children, and the animals, and discovered that his sense of smell could lead him to especially delicious berries. He followed a sweet fragrance to bushes bearing large, dark blueberries.

• Shi Wen and the others rode up the mountain with Heiwa and the other dogs, then began picking wild blueberries in an alpine meadow.
• Shi Wen tasted the fresh blueberries while the dogs, Cong Zai, and the children eagerly ate and gathered berries.
• Fu Senze told Shi Wen that Heiwa and the other dogs had found bushes with exceptionally sweet blueberries.
• Shi Wen realized he might be able to use his sense of smell to identify the best berries and went ahead to investigate.
• Following a rich, sweet fragrance, Shi Wen found bushes covered with large, dark blueberries.