Chapter Summaries

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing left the cuddling snow leopards undisturbed, then arranged for Gong Jiang and his colleagues to film them. A few days later, Shi Wen and the others set off for Sanjiangyuan to visit the little snow leopard, with White Tiger and the little fox joining them.

• Shi Wen photographed the male and female snow leopards cuddling, posted pictures to Moments, and left the mountain with Yan Kexing.
• Gong Jiang asked Yan Kexing for the snow leopard location so his team could film there, then asked Shi Wen to guide them to the little snow leopard.
• Shi Wen invited Gong Jiang and his colleagues to join a future trip to Sanjiangyuan and told them when the group planned to go.
• Ge Yue and Shi Wen discussed how the little snow leopard might fare among the other animals at Sanjiangyuan.
• White Tiger insisted on joining the trip, and the little fox climbed into the car after him.
• The Sanjiangyuan leader approved bringing White Tiger and the little fox, telling Shi Wen and the others to keep them close.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing visited the little snow leopard at Sanjiangyuan, where it greeted them affectionately and tried to give Shi Wen a bird. The group followed as it ran off again, finding it digging at a pika burrow.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing drove to Sanjiangyuan with Gong Jiang and his companions, then set out toward the little snow leopard’s territory with meat for it.
• The little snow leopard ran to greet Shi Wen and Yan Kexing, rubbing against them and then greeting the little fox and White Tiger.
• The little snow leopard ran off and returned with a bird as a present for Shi Wen.
• Shi Wen rescued the bird and let it fly away, and the little snow leopard ran off again.
• Shi Wen and the others followed the little snow leopard to a pika burrow, where they found it digging.

Shi Wen and his companions followed the little snow leopard to his den after he repeatedly tried to give them hunted prey. They found him healthy and settled, and the chapter ended with him sharing the meat they had brought with White Tiger and the little fox.

• The little snow leopard dug up a pika and brought it to Shi Wen, who refused it and told him not to hunt; Shi Wen then asked him to lead them to his den.
• The little snow leopard ran off and returned with a tiny female red deer, which Shi Wen wrapped in his coat and gave to Ge Yue to hold while he told the snow leopard to bring plants instead of prey.
• The little snow leopard led everyone to his clean den, where they played with him until he was exhausted.
• Shi Wen placed the meat beside the little snow leopard, who carried it over to share with White Tiger and the little fox.
• Shi Wen allowed White Tiger and the little fox to eat, and White Tiger licked the little snow leopard and urged him to eat more.

Shi Wen and the others said goodbye to the little snow leopard and returned to the ranch, where they shared a goose dinner with Gong Jiang, Lin Chengqian, and Ge Yue. The little guys brought back mushrooms for soup, and the group talked about their recent work after dinner.

• The little snow leopard fell asleep after eating, and Shi Wen and the others left the cave after saying goodbye.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing returned to the ranch with White Tiger and the little fox, and Shi Wen promised An Wa and the others he would take them to visit the snow leopard on their next day off.
• Shi Wen invited Gong Jiang, Lin Chengqian, and Ge Yue to dinner, and they helped prepare a large goose.
• Heiwa, Wolf King, An Wa, Le Wa, Langwa, and Xi Wa returned with mushrooms, which Shi Wen washed and used in soup with a Bresse chicken.
• After dinner, Shi Wen asked about their lives; Gong Jiang had been running a science education account, while Lin Chengqian and Ge Yue were helping Yan Kexing with the local pasture diversity project.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing began clearing the ranch’s large vegetable patch, harvesting its ripe produce and planning to sell the best vegetables while sending the rest for processing. Shi Wen hired familiar part-time workers to help pick the remaining crops.

• Ge Yue asked Shi Wen what he had been doing, and he explained that he still had ranch chores to handle, including harvesting the vegetables.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing went to the vegetable patch the next morning and began picking produce and removing aging plants.
• Shi Wen harvested tomatoes until noon, then discussed with Yan Kexing sorting the best ones for sale and sending the rest to be made into tomato sauce.
• Yan Kexing suggested selling other vegetables too, so Shi Wen hired familiar workers through the part-time work group to pick them.
• The workers admired the quality of Shi Wen’s eggplants and peppers, and one asked him for seeds.

Shi Wen harvested and sold a large variety of ranch vegetables, which customers quickly bought up and praised. He and Yan Kexing invited Gong Jiang and the others to celebrate the harvest with hot pot, and the guests brought paintings of the ranch as gifts.

• Shi Wen organized the vegetable harvest and gave out saved seeds to people who wanted them.
• Shi Wen and the others prepared fresh and dried vegetables, tested them, and listed more than ten kinds for sale.
• Customers bought the vegetables within two hours and praised them enthusiastically in the WeChat group.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing decided to invite Gong Jiang and the others over for a harvest meal and chose hot pot.
• Gong Jiang, Ge Yue, and Lin Chengqian arrived with paintings they had made of the ranch in all four seasons.
• Yan Kexing cooked the hot pot base as Ge Yue admired its smell and asked what brand it was.

Shi Wen hosted a hot pot meal featuring meat and produce from his ranch, then prepared pig feed and went to Fu Meng’s home as their cattle were being slaughtered. Villagers gathered to help and admired how large and healthy the cattle had grown.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing served a lavish hot pot meal made with ranch-raised meat and vegetables, and their guests praised the food and lemon honey water.
• Shi Wen explained that the ranch’s lemons were newly planted and would yield more fruit next year.
• Shi Wen loaded imperfect harvested produce into the automatic cooker to make feed for the pigs.
• Fu Meng called to say the cattle slaughterers had arrived, and Shi Wen hurried to his home by motorcycle.
• Shi Wen arrived to find dozens of villagers gathered, and they praised the size and condition of the cattle he and Fu Meng had raised.

Shi Wen inspected Fu Meng’s exceptionally well-raised young bull before it was sent to a slaughter plant. Seeing how much better it was than most local cattle, Shi Wen decided to start a cattle germplasm improvement program after breeding his own cattle.

• An elderly herder told Shi Wen that Fu Meng’s bull was unusually large, and Fu Meng invited Shi Wen to inspect it before slaughter.
• Shi Wen praised Fu Meng’s care of the castrated bull, which weighed 1,903 jin and had passed inspection.
• Shi Wen accompanied Fu Meng to the slaughter plant, where workers checked the bull’s paperwork and processed it.
• Shi Wen observed that most local brown cattle were far smaller and in poorer condition than Fu Meng’s bull, so he decided to improve cattle germplasm after breeding his own herd.
• Fu Meng checked the processed animal, confirmed everything was in order, and asked Shi Wen to return with him to assess the beef.

Shi Wen joined Fu Meng and the others in processing a cow and discussed the risks of raising forest musk deer. At lunch, he tasted Fu Meng’s grass-fed beef and found it remarkably tender, juicy, and fragrant.

• Shi Wen inspected the cow with Fu Meng, then helped clean its offal while the others cut up the beef.
• When the group asked about raising forest musk deer, Shi Wen said they were easy eaters but timid and potentially difficult to treat when sick.
• Fu Meng and the others prepared a courtyard grill, while Chang Qingqing made soup from the beef bones.
• Shi Wen and the group waited for the beef to cook, and Fu Meng warned them not to eat it raw because the farm’s standards did not permit it.
• Shi Wen tasted the grilled beef and found it tender and juicy, with an unusual aroma unlike the grass-fed beef he had tried before.

Shi Wen praised Fu Meng and Chang Qingqing’s carefully raised grass-fed beef and offered to sell it through his family’s mini-program. He promised to work with other herders on livestock breeding and said he would share a broader raising method once it could be used without grass from his ranch.

• Everyone tasted Fu Meng and Chang Qingqing’s beef and praised its flavor, tenderness, and quality.
• Shi Wen proposed selling the beef through his family’s mini-program, either by buying Fu Meng’s cattle or splitting the proceeds.
• The herders envied Fu Meng and Chang Qingqing’s opportunity and asked Shi Wen to help them work with his sales channel.
• Shi Wen said he would eventually cooperate with the herders and first focus on improving breeding stock with suitable bulls.
• The herders toasted Shi Wen and asked to obtain breeding stock, join a livestock association, or help expand his work.

Shi Wen bought Fu Meng's beef, arranged tests that confirmed its exceptional quality, and planned a new brand to promote jointly raised meat. He also told Yan Kexing he wanted to rename Shi Family Ranch, leaving the proposed change for them to discuss.

• Fu Meng sold Shi Wen four hundred jin of beef at a discounted price after Shi Wen praised its value and proposed marketing it.
• Shi Wen made beef jerky and invited Zhu Ji to try it, then got approval to send samples to the Abnormal Affairs Bureau for testing.
• The tests showed Fu Meng's beef had an average ability value of 177 and ranked highly in several commercial measurements.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing discussed creating a brand for jointly raised meat, but did not settle on a name.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing he wanted to rename Shi Family Ranch because Yan Kexing had contributed greatly to its success.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing chose Shijiu United as the name for their jointly owned ranch and breeding brand. After Zhu Ji suggested a wedding, Shi Wen began considering how to publicly celebrate their relationship and turned to Zhu Ji with a long-held question.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing rejected the name Shi Yan and settled on Shijiu United, combining Shi Wen's surname with Yan Kexing's courtesy name, Mingjiu.
• Yan Kexing agreed to invest half the funds and handle the paperwork for the ranch's name change and joint brand.
• Zhu Ji explained that the new name would make Yan Kexing's place in the ranch publicly recognized, and suggested that Shi Wen and Yan Kexing get married.
• Shi Wen admitted that the idea of a wedding excited him, asked Zhu Ji to keep the conversation secret, and learned Yan Kexing had said he would wait for Shi Wen to decide.
• Shi Wen decided he knew what to do about the wedding and prepared to ask Zhu Ji a question he had been curious about for a long time.

Shi Wen asked Zhu Ji about his true form and learned that he could potentially transform into a Qilin if he gathered enough energy. After Shi Wen announced the ranch’s joint-cultivation plan and met customers’ skepticism, he decided to hold a free tasting event.

• Shi Wen asked Zhu Ji about his true form, and Zhu Ji revealed that he was a Moon Rabbit who had once been human.
• Zhu Ji said Shi Wen might be able to transform into a Qilin if he consumed enough Variant Ingredients, so Shi Wen planned to process livestock and eat it in rotation.
• Shi Wen and his coworkers renamed the ranch and added a joint-cultivation section to its mini-program.
• Shi Wen explained to customers that the joint-cultivation program would provide breeding sires, forage, and farming techniques to partner farms.
• After customers expressed doubts about the new plan, Shi Wen decided to hold a free tasting event.

Shi Wen launched Fu Meng’s ranch beef through their joint-farming program, and customers praised its quality and affordable price. As a blizzard arrived, Shi Wen checked on the sheltered animals and returned to Yan Kexing, who was making hazelnut jam cake.

• Shi Wen arranged a tasting of Fu Meng’s beef for his members, who enjoyed it before he revealed where it came from.
• Shi Wen put the jointly raised beef on sale for 580 yuan a jin, and customers quickly bought large quantities.
• Qile Moge told Shi Wen that his ranch renovations would be finished by the middle of next month, and Shi Wen urged him to take preparations one step at a time.
• When an early blizzard blanketed the grassland, Shi Wen and the others used boilers, hay, silage, and automatic feeders to keep the animals comfortable indoors.
• Shi Wen checked on the sleepy animals, then returned to the main courtyard and embraced Yan Kexing as he made hazelnut jam cake.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing prepared a large supply of meat for the winter and invited friends to help process it. Chang Qingqing suggested that Shi Wen could have the fat-tailed sheep’s fat made into moisturizer or soap, and Xin Xianghong asked to buy some.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing decided to slaughter pigs, sheep, geese, pigeons, and Bresse chickens so they could stock up on meat for winter.
• Shi Wen called Fu Meng and others to help clean the offal and pluck the birds while he and Yan Kexing cut and cured the pork.
• Shi Wen planned to take Shi Suo and Yan Shi up the mountain the next day to gather pine and fruit-tree branches for smoking the meat.
• Chang Qingqing asked why Shi Wen did not separate the fat-tailed sheep’s fat and explained that shops could turn it into moisturizer or soap.
• Xin Xianghong asked Shi Wen whether he would sell them some of the sheep fat.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing discovered that skincare and cleaning products made with their ranch’s mutton fat worked well, so they arranged for a professional shop to produce more products for their household and the little ones. The chapter ended with He Chengzhang visiting to buy hides and trying their homemade hand soap.

• Shi Wen gave Chang Qingqing and Xin Xianghong large chunks of mutton fat, and they later brought him skincare products made from it.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing tried the products and decided to have a professional shop make more using their mutton fat and beeswax.
• Shi Wen slaughtered ten more fat-tailed sheep to make household skincare and grooming products for the little ones.
• He Chengzhang visited the ranch to buy hides and admired the home’s paintings and welcoming atmosphere.
• Shi Wen offered He Chengzhang salty milk tea and had him try their homemade hand soap.

Shi Wen collaborated with He Chengzhang to supply Shijiu Ranch’s hay-scented sheep-fat soap for an autumn and winter show. After signing the contract and switching to the ranch’s products, Shi Wen transformed into a qilin in his sleep, then woke when Yan Kexing touched his paw.

• Shi Wen told He Chengzhang that the fragrance in the new sheep-fat products came from hay at the ranch.
• He Chengzhang asked to use the ranch’s liquid sheep-fat soap and hay scent for his autumn and winter show, and Shi Wen negotiated a collaboration that credited Shijiu Ranch.
• Shi Wen reviewed and signed He Chengzhang’s contract, and the ranch processed another batch of fat-tailed sheep for sale, the Abnormal Affairs Bureau, and their own use.
• Shi Wen replaced the household’s washing and personal care products with custom ranch versions, which left his hair and tail soft and glossy.
• Yan Kexing watched Shi Wen transform into a qilin while asleep and touched his paw, waking him with a start.

Shi Wen transformed into a Qilin and took Yan Kexing for a moonlit run across the ranch. On the mountaintop, Shi Wen proposed to Yan Kexing with a strand of his hair, and Yan Kexing accepted.

• Shi Wen realized he had transformed into a Qilin after eating many Variant Ingredients.
• Shi Wen ran across the ranch beneath the moon with Yan Kexing riding on his back, and flames and wings appeared as he took to the air.
• Shi Wen changed back into human form, and Yan Kexing lent him his coat before they rested together on the mountaintop.
• Shi Wen asked Yan Kexing to marry him, and Yan Kexing agreed.
• Shi Wen tied a strand of his hair around Yan Kexing's ring finger and said he would later have it set inside a ring.

Shi Wen turned into a qilin to play with the little ones while Yan Kexing made breakfast. The animals gradually recognized him, and he stopped Cong Zai from biting Fu Wa before telling the kitten not to bite his friends.

• Shi Wen heard the little ones waking and asked Yan Kexing if he could turn into a qilin to play with them.
• Shi Wen changed into a qilin and entered the front yard, startling Heiwa, the Wolf King, and the other animals.
• Shi Wen spoke, and Cong Zai recognized his voice; the animals sniffed him and began crowding around him affectionately.
• Fu Wa excitedly butted Shi Wen, and Cong Zai moved to bite him.
• Shi Wen caught Cong Zai by the scruff, set him down, and admonished him not to bite his friends.

Shi Wen played with the little ones in Qilin form until Yan Kexing told him that Zhu Ji needed his help with a herd of Asian elephants blocking a highway in Dian Province. When Shi Wen revealed he could transform into a Qilin, Zhu Ji rushed over and arrived in the form of a huge white rabbit.

• Shi Wen raced through the air as the little ones, including Yan Shi and Shi Suo, chased him.
• Yan Kexing told Shi Wen that Zhu Ji wanted to speak with him about Asian elephants blocking a highway in Dian Province.
• Shi Wen agreed to help and told Zhu Ji over the phone that he could now turn into a Qilin.
• Zhu Ji hurried to Shi Wen instead of discussing the elephants, and Shi Wen sensed his arrival before seeing him appear as a giant white rabbit.
• Zhu Ji examined Shi Wen and remarked on the faint, pure Divinity he sensed in him.