Recaps

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi put the Water Spirit Pearl into their new well, then shared tea brewed with the well water with Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi while planning summer vegetables. After scanning the Soil Fertility Restoration Agent, they found brassica listed among its active ingredients and began investigating whether plants in that genus could restore soil.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi hid the Water Spirit Pearl in bamboo charcoal and placed it in the newly dug, covered well.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi invited Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi to taste the well water and tea, which they praised.
• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Zhou Yan agreed to raise summer vegetable seedlings in Qing Mengzhu's fields before moving them to the company's land.
• Ming Chunxi invited Qing Mengzhu to a concert, and they agreed to scan the Soil Fertility Restoration Agent together.
• The scan listed brassica substance among the agent's active ingredients, leading Qing Mengzhu to suggest testing plants from the brassica genus.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi searched online for information about brassica plants improving soil.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi used a Wish Seed to obtain an expensive Tuan Brassica seed for a soil-restoration experiment. After testing contaminated soil for the experiment, Qing Mengzhu discussed the vegetable boxes for March with Zhao Hexi.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi found Tuan Brassica in the Interstellar Mall, but its seeds cost 150,000 Star Coins for fifty grams.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi used their Wish Seed to claim one Tuan Brassica seed and planted it in a pot in the courtyard.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged for Li Ba to test the soil, and Li Ba found it was moderately contaminated.
• Qing Mengzhu explained to Zhao Hexi that the potted Tuan Brassica absorbed heavy metals and was inedible.
• Zhao Hexi asked Qing Mengzhu which vegetables he wanted in the first March vegetable boxes.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi prepared the members’ vegetable boxes, rejecting crops that failed their strict quality standards. After the boxes were shipped, Zhou Yan visited Qing Mengzhu and began cooking asparagus, beef, and vegetables from a sample box, leaving Zhao Hexi and the animals waiting eagerly outside the kitchen.

• Qing Mengzhu approved a plan to pack twelve vegetables and strawberries, with extra workers hired to harvest, sort, and ship the boxes.
• Qing Mengzhu inspected the fields with Zhao Hexi and rejected inferior green beans and cracked radishes, directing the green beans to compost.
• Qing Mengzhu worked with his team from three in the morning until after one in the afternoon to send the vegetable boxes to members.
• Zhou Yan visited Qing Mengzhu, brought marinated diaolong beef from the kitchen, and offered to cook it with freshly picked asparagus.
• Zhou Yan decided to use a sample member vegetable box for more dishes, while Qing Mengzhu invited Zhao Hexi over.
• Zhou Yan cooked as the dogs, fox, otter, and Zhao Hexi gathered expectantly at the kitchen door.

Ming Chunxi returned to a lively dinner cooked by Zhou Yan, and the group enjoyed fresh asparagus and other dishes before checking customers’ reactions to their vegetable boxes. Members praised the vegetables and regretted not ordering more, while Zhao Hexi received a request from a wealthy gourmand to buy radishes separately.

• Ming Chunxi came home as Zhou Yan finished cooking dinner, and Qing Mengzhu prepared a lightly seasoned meal for the animals.
• Zhou Yan served six dishes and soup, and Qing Mengzhu promised to grow rice and share some with Zhou Yan and others.
• Qing Mengzhu and the others checked their phones after dinner and saw that members were praising the vegetable boxes and regretting not ordering more.
• Min Yunfei and Qing Xun discussed getting more vegetables and planned to share some with Min Yunfei’s parents.
• Zhao Hexi told Qing Mengzhu that a well-known wealthy gourmand wanted to buy radishes separately to make caipu-dried radish.

Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Zhou Yan agreed to use some of their radishes to make preserved radish, and Zhou Yan cooked an old duck soup that impressed everyone. They prepared a batch to age for their future restaurant, while the newly purchased farmstead was being renovated for Zhou Yan’s team to move into.

• Qing Mengzhu decided to sell some of the radish harvest, and Zhou Yan asked to reserve two thousand jin to make preserved radish.
• Zhou Yan brought twenty-seven-year-aged preserved radish and cooked old duck soup, which Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi enjoyed.
• Qing Mengzhu agreed to set aside two thousand jin of radishes so Zhou Yan could make preserved radish for their own use.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan selected Good Grade+ radishes and worked with the group to wash, cut, dry, salt, and store them in an earthenware jar.
• Zhou Yan called the preserved radish part of the restaurant’s foundation as the purchased farmstead’s renovation neared completion.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi expanded the vegetable-box options while Qing Mengzhu prepared summer seedlings and helped researchers improve their fields with earthworms. Ji Qinglin and his students visited to collect earthworms, and Cen Zhiming revealed he had joined Ji Qinglin’s group.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi planned to offer mulberry leaves, milk vetch, and pea shoots as optional vegetables, and let members choose between strawberries and mulberries for fruit.
• Qing Mengzhu led workers in transplanting summer vegetable seedlings and explained to Nian Xinfei how organic fertilizers and earthworms had improved his soil.
• Nian Xinfei and his students dug up earthworms from a cleared field to take back to their experimental field.
• Ji Qinglin called Qing Mengzhu to ask for earthworms, then brought students, including Cen Zhiming, to collect them that afternoon.
• Cen Zhiming told Qing Mengzhu he had joined Ji Qinglin’s group and might apply to become his graduate student, crediting Qing Mengzhu’s lotus-root advice.

Qing Mengzhu researched rice cultivation with Ji Qinglin and Ming Chunxi, then sampled rice from several stores to choose a variety to grow. He and his friends selected five favorites, leaving him pleased with their choice.

• Ji Qinglin advised Qing Mengzhu about japonica and indica rice and recommended northern japonica varieties.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi researched rice cultivation and decided to grow japonica rice after finding no staple crop seeds on the Interstellar Mall.
• Qing Mengzhu ordered rice from several highly rated stores so he could taste it before choosing seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, Qing Pingdun, Zhao Hexi, and Zhou Yan cooked and sampled thirteen kinds of rice.
• The group voted for five favorites, three from the northeast, and Qing Mengzhu was pleased that they had chosen the right rice.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi traveled to buy rice seeds, and Qing Mengzhu selected seeds from a locally adapted variety while considering expanding their rice-growing operation. The chapter ended with Qing Mengzhu imagining renting land in the region to grow rice once their plans had developed.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi examined seed samples and found three Fine Grade seeds mixed into a batch of Good Grade+ seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged to visit the seed seller, and Ming Chunxi decided to travel with him while Zhao Hexi offered to care for their animals.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi traveled to the northeast, where they sampled local barbecue before visiting the seller the next morning.
• Qing Mengzhu asked to select about sixty kilograms of the seller's rice seeds and scanned them in sections for Fine Grade seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu listened to the seller explain local growing conditions and considered renting land nearby to grow rice in the future.

After returning with rice seeds, Qing Mengzhu recovered and began sorting them while Zhao Hexi arranged fields for the company. Once the new land was leased and its soil treated, Zhao Hexi proposed breeding and selling earthworms, and Qing Mengzhu was left considering the idea.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi brought home sixty kilograms of rice seeds, then rested and recovered from the tiring trip.
• Qing Mengzhu sorted the rice seeds while Zhao Hexi told him that high land prices were complicating the search for fields.
• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi not to accept unreasonable terms, and Zhao Hexi then leased the requested fields from two households.
• Qing Mengzhu treated the new fields’ soil and took Feng Ningxiang and the others to dig earthworms for transplanting.
• Zhao Hexi proposed breeding and selling earthworms, explaining that the company could use its compost beds and earn money from sales.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi added earthworms to their online store, while Gu Benshu proposed and received funding for research into using earthworms to carry Insect-Killing Bacillus against underground pests. After Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi inspected their new wasp cards and cucumbers, Little Otter appeared by the river and offered Qing Mengzhu a fish, leaving Zhao Hexi asking for one too.

• Qing Mengzhu agreed to sell earthworms through the company's online store, and customers began buying them to make fertilizer.
• Gu Benshu proposed studying earthworms as carriers for Insect-Killing Bacillus to target underground pests, and Qing Mengzhu asked him to prepare a report.
• Ming Chunxi assessed Gu Benshu's report as worth trying, and Qing Mengzhu approved staged funding for the project after hearing the team's presentation.
• Gu Benshu brought Trichogramma wasp cards carrying Insect-Killing Bacillus, and Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi replaced the old cards in their vegetable plots.
• Zhao Hexi ate a cucumber straight from the trellis while Qing Mengzhu washed his, and Little Otter emerged from the river to give Qing Mengzhu a big fish.
• Zhao Hexi asked Little Otter for a fish too, and Little Otter hesitated.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi decided to grow water bamboo after Little Otter brought them some to eat, and Zhao Hexi took Qing Mengzhu to inspect seedlings from local growers. They had found only one promising option so far and continued searching for better seedlings.

• Little Otter brought Zhao Hexi a freshwater mussel and water bamboo, and Qing Mengzhu considered growing the crop.
• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi ate the water bamboo and discussed growing it; Zhao Hexi offered to find seedlings, while Qing Mengzhu agreed to select them himself.
• Zhao Hexi quickly arranged visits to water bamboo growers and took Qing Mengzhu around nearby villages on his electric scooter.
• After inspecting seedlings in four villages, Qing Mengzhu had chosen only one as a backup because its quality was below his hopes.
• Qing Mengzhu spotted another field from the scooter and asked Zhao Hexi to turn in so they could inspect its seedlings.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi visited Lü Chunkai to inspect his water bamboo seedlings and learned about raising swamp eels and softshell turtles alongside the crop. Lü Chunkai invited them to lunch to discuss selling them seedlings, and Qing Mengzhu recognized the chilies Lü Chunkai used as a variety grown from his family’s seeds.

• Zhao Hexi and Qing Mengzhu met Lü Chunkai while he was catching swamp eels in his water bamboo field, and he explained how deep ditches protected the eels from birds.
• Lü Chunkai demonstrated his skill at catching eels and told Zhao Hexi about semi-farming eels and raising softshell turtles in water bamboo fields.
• Qing Mengzhu examined Lü Chunkai’s high-quality seedlings, and he and Zhao Hexi said they wanted enough to plant ten mu of land.
• Lü Chunkai invited the two men to his home for lunch, prepared swamp eels, and explained that the chilies in the dish were a special variety from a relative.
• Qing Mengzhu recognized the chilies as grown from seeds his family had given to people in their hometown, and Lü Chunkai welcomed him to try them with the eels.

Qing Mengzhu arranged to buy water bamboo seedlings and decided to raise swamp eels in the new field while focusing on growing rice. As Zhou Yan prepared a green-plum side dish for his upcoming restaurant, Qing Mengzhu tried it and found its sour, spicy flavors surprisingly harmonious.

• Qing Mengzhu and the others negotiated with Lü Chunkai to buy water bamboo seedlings for two yuan each, then inspected and selected seedlings from his household and another farm.
• Qing Mengzhu decided to raise swamp eels among the water bamboo and asked Zhao Hexi to arrange the purchase of eel fry.
• Qing Mengzhu left the company's rice seedlings to Zhao Hexi and the experienced workers while concentrating on growing rice in his own field.
• Zhou Yan visited Qing Mengzhu to ask to use green plums from his mountain for a restaurant side dish, and Qing Mengzhu took him to pick two baskets.
• Zhou Yan marinated the plums with salt, oil, soy sauce, and dried chilies, then served them at dinner, where Qing Mengzhu tasted the dish and found its flavors well balanced.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan prepared their farm restaurant for a trial opening, while Zhou Yan developed dishes and considered adding specialty cuisine. The first week of trial operation went smoothly, and a pregnant diner sent Qing Mengzhu loquats in thanks for the pickled green plums.

• Qing Mengzhu showed Zhou Yan Ming Lexin's request for pickled green plums for her pregnant friend's daughter, and Zhou Yan offered to share the recipe instead of shipping food.
• Zhou Yan proposed developing medicinal cuisine and a sour plum drink, but Ming Chunxi cautioned against narrowing the restaurant's appeal, so they agreed to test-run the restaurant before its official opening.
• Qing Mengzhu sent the pregnant woman green plums, and the renovated farm obtained its licenses as Zhou Yan resigned and brought his team to Zhuxi Catering Group.
• The restaurant launched a seven-day trial run with two half-price tables per day, and all the slots sold out quickly.
• Zhou Yan and his team prepared the menu's dishes on the first day, and Qing Mengzhu and the staff praised the duck in green sauce, pickled green plums with ham, and other dishes.
• Zhao Linling told Qing Mengzhu that a pregnant diner surnamed Xu had brought him Baisha loquats, and Qing Mengzhu recognized her as Ming Lexin's friend's daughter.

Qing Mengzhu welcomed the first diners at Zhou Yan’s restaurant, whose meal received enthusiastic praise, then returned home to share desserts with Zhao Hexi and the animals. Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi agreed that the long-running pepper crop required a new purchase contract with Di Xing.

• Qing Mengzhu greeted Xu Baizhen and the other diners, who praised the restaurant’s pickled green plums and hot dishes.
• Zhou Yan gathered positive feedback from the diners, who celebrated the successful meal before leaving.
• Zhou Yan gave Qing Mengzhu leftover loquats and soufflé pancakes, and Qing Mengzhu thanked him for his work.
• Qing Mengzhu shared tea, loquats, and soufflé pancakes with Zhao Hexi, Dharma Protector, Guard, the otter, and the red fox.
• Zhao Hexi proposed arranging pepper picking and revising the purchase contract with Di Xing because the crop had kept producing and improved in quality.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan gathered bamboo and ingredients for new dishes, then served bamboo-tube pork ribs and cakes to diners. Aerospace engineer Pei Guangjian took an interest in the mature bamboo, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to let him take samples; later, Qing Mengzhu joined the team picking vegetables for the weekly member boxes.

• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi that he and Zhou Yan would cut bamboo for new menu dishes and promised to save him a meal.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan drove the cattle up the mountain, then selected bamboo and gathered shoots, grubs, and wild vegetables.
• Zhou Yan and the kitchen team served bamboo-tube pork ribs and cakes, which Qing Mengzhu and the diners enjoyed.
• Pei Guangjian, an aerospace engineer, examined the mature bamboo, exchanged WeChat contact details with Qing Mengzhu, and took two pieces to study.
• Qing Mengzhu followed the hand-picking of tomatoes, cauliflower, loofahs, and green beans for the next day's vegetable-box deliveries.

Qing Mengzhu organized workers to harvest bamboo branches for propagation and discussed leasing mountains in Zhaiqian Village. Pei Guangjian then arrived to negotiate buying bamboo, and he and his colleague sampled Qing Mengzhu’s fresh bamboo sap.

• Qing Mengzhu explained to the workers that bamboo fiber could be processed into composites for noncritical spaceship components.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi led workers up the mountain to cut bamboo branches, then soaked more than ninety thousand trimmed branches in rooting solution.
• Qing Mengzhu asked Zhao Hexi to look into leasing mountains in Zhaiqian Village to plant bamboo.
• Pei Guangjian visited with colleagues and asked to buy at least ten thousand bamboo stalks, and Qing Mengzhu quoted about two thousand yuan per stalk.
• Qing Mengzhu served Pei Guangjian and his colleague fresh bamboo sap, and they recognized its distinctive quality after tasting it.

Qing Mengzhu arranged an exclusive three-year contract to sell bamboo after its fresh sap was extracted, then returned to planning farm and field work. As he inspected bamboo cuttings intended for planting, workers gathered around him and asked whether there were enough seedlings for three mountains.

• Qing Mengzhu and Tan Wenlei extracted fresh bamboo sap from mature bamboo so Pei Guangjian's colleagues could test whether the bamboo remained usable.
• Pei Guangjian reported that the bamboo could still be used and agreed to Qing Mengzhu's price of five thousand per ton, plus five hundred per ton for a three-year exclusive contract.
• Qing Mengzhu signed the contract with Pei Guangjian's company after his lawyer checked it, then hosted the visitors for a meal.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged a thirty-ton bamboo delivery and continued overseeing farm work, including preparing rice paddies and checking bamboo cuttings in the pond.
• Farm workers gathered around Qing Mengzhu and asked whether the bamboo seedlings could cover three mountains.

Qing Mengzhu sold bamboo seedlings to employees and research institutions, then brought workers to plant bamboo on the 3,274-mu mountain rented in Zhaiqian Village. The planting was underway in spring rain, with the crew expecting to finish within a few days.

• Qing Mengzhu let employees buy up to three bamboo seedlings each at a discounted price, and Fu Maike organized the sales.
• Nian Xinfei asked Qing Mengzhu to sell seedlings to Tengcheng Agricultural University, and he agreed to provide one hundred.
• Other agricultural and research institutes also bought one hundred seedlings each, reducing Qing Mengzhu's family stock to just over eighty-six thousand.
• Qing Mengzhu hired people from Zhaiqian Village to clear and plant the 3,274-mu mountain, whose overgrown, poor soil required substantial work.
• The workers planted the bamboo in an assembly line during spring rain and expected to finish in two or three days.

Qing Mengzhu oversaw the bamboo planting and discussed the orchard with Zhao Hexi before planning a weekend fruit-picking trip with Ming Chunxi and their animals. The group reached the orchard, where an employee warned them about a wild beehive in the blueberry patch.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi agreed that Yi Yanbai would monitor the bamboo and that Zhao Hexi would arrange surveillance cameras.
• A week after planting, most of the bamboo had taken root, and Qing Mengzhu inspected it after receiving Yi Yanbai's reports.
• Zhao Hexi brought Qing Mengzhu mulberries and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall from Zhou Yan, then told him the orchard's mulberries were in peak production but lost freshness quickly.
• Qing Mengzhu declined to arrange a member picking event, then planned a Saturday orchard picnic with Ming Chunxi and asked Zhou Yan to prepare food.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi drove to the orchard with Dharma Protector, Guard, the red fox, and the otter, and an employee warned them about a wild beehive in the blueberry patch.

Qing Mengzhu harvested wild honey from a hive in the orange grove, then shared it with Ming Chunxi and the little ones. After tasting the orange-blossom honey, they went to pick ripe mulberries.

• Qing Mengzhu learned that wild bees had made a hive in the orange grove and that their honey was ready to harvest.
• Qing Mengzhu smoked the bees, cut away a third of the honeycomb, and left extra honey for the colony.
• Ming Chunxi helped Qing Mengzhu remove his bee suit while the little ones sniffed the honey bucket and Dharma Protector tried to lick it.
• Qing Mengzhu shared the honeycomb with Ming Chunxi and the little ones, then teased Ming Chunxi by taking a bite from his hand.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi returned the bee suits, gave some honeycomb to the employee, and took the little ones to pick ripe mulberries.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi enjoyed a picnic among the mulberry trees, then went up the mountain to inspect the orange trees and discuss adding beehives. They discovered that the orange trees’ quality had improved to Fine Grade+.

• Qing Mengzhu noticed that Dharma Protector’s nose was swollen from a bee sting, and Ming Chunxi guessed he had been stung while licking honey from a bucket.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi ate mulberries, had lunch in the orchard, and rested until the afternoon.
• Qing Mengzhu suggested checking the mountain’s orange blossoms and possibly placing beehives there, and Ming Chunxi agreed the mountain offered plenty of flowers for the bees.
• Feng Ningxiang told Qing Mengzhu that the geese had started laying eggs again, and Qing Mengzhu considered collecting and hatching them.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi walked up the mountain, discussed the improved environment and upcoming produce sales, and inspected the orange trees.
• Qing Mengzhu found that the orange trees’ quality had risen from Fine Grade to Fine Grade+.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi discovered that their orange trees had improved in quality and bought Brood-Feeding Honey to raise a new colony of bees. After Qing Mengzhu fed the bees the honey mixed with Spirit Spring Water for nearly half a month, Zhao Hexi urged him to check whether they had produced harvestable honey.

• Qing Mengzhu scanned the orange trees and confirmed they had reached fine grade+, while the other fruit trees showed no improvement.
• Ming Chunxi suggested searching the Interstellar Mall for bee pupae, and they instead found and bought Brood-Feeding Honey.
• Qing Mengzhu asked Zhao Hexi to arrange a new bee colony and hive through Old Zhou, while Dharma Protector recovered from a sting.
• Qing Mengzhu fed the bees Brood-Feeding Honey mixed with Spirit Spring Water each day, and the bees allowed him near their hives.
• Zhao Hexi asked about the bees' honey, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to check the combs while Zhao Hexi offered to feed the ducks and geese.

Qing Mengzhu discovered that the mountain beehives already contained delicious, fragrant honey and shared it with the others. Zhou Yan planned to use it for a honey cheesecake, while Zhao Hexi wound up competing with the red fox for the little animals’ attention.

• Qing Mengzhu harvested honeycomb from both mountain hives, tasted the honey, and told Ming Chunxi about it.
• Qing Mengzhu gave small pieces of honeycomb to Dharma Protector and Guard, then met Zhou Yan, who tasted it and suggested making a honey cheesecake.
• Qing Mengzhu returned home and shared the honey with Zhao Hexi, who decided to stay for dinner.
• Ming Chunxi and Zhou Yan arrived, and Zhou Yan took over dinner preparations while Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi tasted the honey together.
• Zhao Hexi tried to pet the red fox, but it refused because his hands smelled of honey, so he hugged the dogs and held the otter instead.

Qing Mengzhu learned that Pei Guangjian and a head-office leader wanted to visit, then hosted them the next morning. The chapter ended with Duan Yu'ang asking whether Qing Mengzhu had even better-quality bamboo.

• Qing Mengzhu answered Pei Guangjian's call and agreed to meet him and a head-office leader the next day.
• Zhao Hexi told Qing Mengzhu that research using his bamboo had appeared in a top journal, and Qing Mengzhu decided to look up the paper.
• Qing Mengzhu and the others ate dinner and Zhou Yan's honey cheesecake, then shared honey and bracken with Zhou Yan.
• Zhou Yan sent strawberry cookies the next morning, and Ming Chunxi went to work while Qing Mengzhu prepared for his visitors.
• Pei Guangjian and Duan Yu'ang arrived at Qing Mengzhu's home, where Duan Yu'ang asked about his better-quality bamboo.