Chapter Summaries

After losing his job, Qing Mengzhu discovered that the Interstellar Mall had bound itself to him and made him a seller in an agricultural and pastoral area. He began exploring the app and learned that he could sell eligible goods to the mall for interstellar coins.

• Qing Mengzhu told his friend Zhao Hexi that he planned to return to his hometown and deal with the family land after being fired.
• As Qing Mengzhu went to fetch more beer, he heard a system voice announce that he had bound to the Interstellar Mall and received a seller slot.
• Zhao Hexi took Qing Mengzhu home, and Qing Mengzhu woke the next morning thinking the voice might have been a drunken illusion.
• Qing Mengzhu called for the Interstellar Mall and saw its interface appear in his mind after a brief delay.
• Qing Mengzhu accepted the mall's notices, became an interstellar seller in an agricultural and pastoral area, and attached the app to his phone.
• Qing Mengzhu learned that he could scan items to see if they were eligible for sale and that the mall paid in interstellar coins.

Qing Mengzhu tested the Interstellar Mall and discovered that only items he gathered or produced could be sold, though his wild vegetables had not yet reached the minimum sale value. He continued collecting vegetables in his hometown and set out again the next morning, still hoping to earn enough star coins.

• Qing Mengzhu found that household goods were unsellable and dried shiitake mushrooms were marked “No reselling!” in the Interstellar Mall.
• Qing Mengzhu returned to his hometown, scanned Chinese chives from the courtyard, and learned their value was far below the minimum needed for a sale.
• Qing Mengzhu collected wild vegetables from his family’s fields and confirmed the Mall would accept gathered produce, but his haul was worth only 4.3 star coins.
• Qing Mengzhu carried the vegetables home, rested, and replied to Zhao Hexi before falling asleep early.
• Qing Mengzhu went out the next morning to gather more wild vegetables and took directions from a group of women collecting them.

Qing Mengzhu struggled to gather enough wild vegetables to earn 10 star coins through the Interstellar Mall, then discovered that the mall’s prices fell as produce aged. He ended the day with 8.13 star coins’ worth of fresh finds and learned that yesterday’s vegetables had already lost much of their value.

• Qing Mengzhu climbed the nearby mountain and picked bracken shoots, but realized that collecting enough to earn 10 star coins would be extremely difficult.
• Several aunties advised Qing Mengzhu to look for water bamboo shoots, artemisia, and mushrooms in another part of the mountain.
• Qing Mengzhu scanned mushrooms with the Interstellar Mall and discovered that it accepted even poisonous varieties.
• Qing Mengzhu gathered wild vegetables worth 8.13 star coins, and a villager gave him a ride home with his bags.
• Qing Mengzhu scanned the vegetables he had picked the previous day and saw their value had fallen from 4.3 to 3.1 star coins.

Qing Mengzhu sold more wild greens, then spent most of his star coins on a lottery draw and won a bag of premium lotus seeds. The next morning, he visited the village committee to consider whether to rent out his family’s fields.

• Qing Mengzhu sold his wild greens and found that his account balance had risen to 11.23 star coins.
• Qing Mengzhu discovered that the mall’s products were unaffordable or unavailable to him, so he bought three discounted prize draws for 10 star coins.
• Qing Mengzhu won a bag of 467 premium Sacrificial Lord lotus seeds, read their planting instructions, and postponed deciding whether to plant them.
• Qing Mengzhu went to the village committee to discuss his family’s thirteen point three mu of fields with director Qing Yukai.
• Qing Yukai explained that Uncle Dapang’s second daughter and her husband wanted to rent the fields after the current tenant’s lease expired.

Qing Mengzhu considered taking over his family’s farmland and began preparing to grow lotuses, encouraged by the village’s agricultural programs and a visit from Zhao Hexi. After Zhao revealed that Ming Chunxi had returned to the country, Qing Mengzhu was left struggling with his old, unresolved feelings for his stepbrother.

• Qing Yukai explained local produce-buying programs and farming prospects, and Qing Mengzhu leaned toward cultivating his family’s thirteen point three mu himself.
• Qing Mengzhu prepared lotus seeds to germinate and researched growing lotuses and other crops.
• Zhao Hexi visited Pingkou Village, heard Qing Mengzhu’s farming plans, and agreed that the village seemed suitable for agriculture.
• As Zhao Hexi was leaving, he told Qing Mengzhu that Ming Chunxi had returned to the country.
• Qing Mengzhu recalled his long-standing unrequited feelings for Ming Chunxi and went to bed still unsure how he felt about his return.

Qing Mengzhu prepared his ponds for growing the new lotus seeds and discovered how the Interstellar Mall priced processed fish. A worker arrived to till the ponds, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to pay according to the area measured by the machine.

• Qing Mengzhu told Qing Yukai he would keep his family's land instead of renting it out and arranged to have his ponds tilled for growing deep-water lotus.
• Qing Mengzhu drained the ponds, and Tan Wenlei offered to connect him with a seller of fish fry and prawn larvae.
• Qing Mengzhu gave Tan Wenlei small fish from the pond, then used the Interstellar Mall to learn it would buy only processed fish and required purchases worth at least 10 Star Coins.
• The worker arrived the following afternoon to till the ponds, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to pay based on the area measured by the worker's machine.

Qing Mengzhu prepared his ponds for organic lotus farming, then planted his sprouted lotus seeds on Grain Rain. He left the ponds shallow and planned to monitor the water as the plants grew.

• Qing Mengzhu had the ponds tilled, hired an excavator to clear silt, and bought composted chicken manure and microbial disinfectant to prepare them.
• Qing Mengzhu spread fertilizer and disinfected the pond soil, telling Tan Wenlei that he planned to farm organically while privately noting the Interstellar Mall would scan his produce precisely.
• Qing Mengzhu planted all 447 sprouted lotus seeds across the two ponds, spacing them widely because he could not afford more seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu left only a thin layer of water in the ponds and planned to check them morning and evening, gradually raising the water level as the lotus grew.
• Qing Mengzhu found several lotus leaves that had fallen into his basket and smelled their mild fragrance.

Qing Mengzhu discovered that lotus leaves grown from Interstellar Mall seeds sold for far more than ordinary leaves, then considered buying shrimp eggs while weighing the biosecurity risks and his lack of funds. He decided to cut expenses by giving up his apartment and went into the city to meet Zhao Hexi.

• Qing Mengzhu collected his EM bacteria package and mixed it with sugar and spoiled vegetables to make bokashi compost.
• Qing Mengzhu scanned his homegrown lotus leaves and found that the Interstellar Mall valued them far above wild lotus leaves.
• Qing Mengzhu searched the Interstellar Mall for shrimp eggs, found expensive Savage Marsh Shrimp eggs, and reminded himself to consider biosecurity.
• Qing Mengzhu decided to move out of his apartment to save rent and offered his spare appliances to Zhao Hexi.
• Qing Mengzhu drove into the city, where Zhao Hexi greeted him with a hug and remarked that he looked well.

Qing Mengzhu reconnected with Ming Chunxi, his former stepbrother, and remembered the losses and feelings that had driven them apart. After leaving his apartment and returning to Pingkou Village, he inspected his lotus pond and headed into the mountains to gather produce, where he met a group of young people looking for mushrooms.

• Zhao Hexi asked Qing Mengzhu whether he was still in contact with Ming Chunxi, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to let Zhao Hexi share his WeChat contact.
• After dinner, Qing Mengzhu gave Zhao Hexi household items and helped clean his apartment before accepting Ming Chunxi's friend request and chatting with him.
• Ming Chunxi told Qing Mengzhu he had joined ET and would be working in Vine City, then offered to help with his farming plans.
• Ming Chunxi said he had asked Zhao Hexi for Qing Mengzhu's contact because he wanted to know whether Qing Mengzhu was willing to reconnect, stirring old feelings and memories in Qing Mengzhu.
• Qing Mengzhu checked out of his apartment, returned to Pingkou Village, inspected his lotus pond, and went up the mountain to gather bamboo shoots and mushrooms.
• Qing Mengzhu met a group of young people on the mountain and warned them that poisonous mushrooms could resemble edible ones.

Qing Mengzhu gathered mushrooms, Chinese toon, and bamboo shoots, then used a group of agricultural students’ recommendation to send lotus seeds and seedlings for testing. He began preparing a field for chili peppers and told Tan Wenlei he planned to grow three mu of peppers and vegetables for himself.

• Qing Mengzhu met agricultural students in the mountains, gathered mushrooms and wild plants, and gave the students a few mushrooms for specimens.
• Qing Mengzhu showed the students photos of his lotus seedlings and asked them to recommend a testing institution; they later directed him to a testing center.
• Qing Mengzhu paid 5,500 yuan for a testing package and sent five lotus seeds and five seedlings to the center by courier.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged for a worker to plow his field in two days and spent the wait repairing ridges, clearing weeds, and removing insect eggs.
• Tan Wenlei asked Qing Mengzhu about farming contracts and his planting plans, and Qing Mengzhu said he would grow three mu of chili peppers and vegetables for himself.

Qing Mengzhu planted vegetables and confirmed that his lotus seeds were safe, then found a way to use the Interstellar Mall to compare wild pepper seedlings. He discovered that a paid mall assistant could identify goods without resale restrictions, but lacked the star coins to activate it and began searching for a faster way to earn them.

• Qing Mengzhu prepared and planted his field with local vegetable seedlings and seeds, while Tan Wenlei offered him seedlings from his home.
• Qing Mengzhu received a test report confirming that his lotus seeds were a safe new variety, though they were prone to degeneration.
• The Interstellar Mall refused to evaluate pepper seedlings Qing Mengzhu had bought, so he gathered wild seedlings and successfully compared their prices through the mall.
• The Interstellar Mall offered Qing Mengzhu a mall assistant for 99 star coins, which could identify goods without resale restrictions.
• Qing Mengzhu saw that he had only 25.7 star coins and decided not to harvest lotus leaves or overgather nearby mountain produce as he searched for a faster way to earn more.

Qing Mengzhu discovered an abandoned plum grove on Mount Wangwu and earned enough Star Coins from its fruit to activate the Mall Assistant. After activation, the assistant identified his plums as Zhongjiu green plums of Good Grade, giving him useful information for future sales.

• Qing Mengzhu learned from Qing Pingdun that an unclaimed plum grove on Mount Wangwu was full of unwanted fruit.
• Qing Mengzhu found the grove and discovered that its ripe plums were extremely sour but sold to the Interstellar Mall for 0.022 Star Coins per jin.
• Qing Mengzhu picked plums in the grove for three days, raising his balance to 124.15 Star Coins.
• Qing Mengzhu spent 99 Star Coins to activate the Mall Assistant and scanned a plum.
• The Mall Assistant identified the fruit as Zhongjiu green plum, Good Grade, priced at 0.022 per 500g.

Qing Mengzhu searched for pepper seedlings that would earn a better rating from the Interstellar Mall than the local varieties he had inspected. After learning about Tengcheng Agricultural University's promising new variety, Tengjin 01, he asked his contacts for help finding seeds, but their replies left him with no leads yet.

• Qing Mengzhu scanned seedlings at several local nurseries and found that most rated Good Grade, while the best, Xiangmei 888, rated Good Grade+.
• A nursery owner suggested Qing Mengzhu ask Tengcheng Agricultural University about its pepper varieties.
• Qing Mengzhu researched the university's pepper breeding history and learned that its newly released Tengjin 01 was highly regarded but not yet publicly available.
• Qing Mengzhu asked friends and agricultural students to help him find Tengjin 01 seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu received mostly refusals and no useful leads, and began considering other pepper varieties.

Qing Mengzhu obtained Tengjin 01 pepper seeds through Jing Chi and Professor Nian Xinfei, prepared them for planting, and began raising seedlings. He later contacted Ming Chunxi to thank him for arranging the seeds, and Ming Chunxi explained how he had helped.

• Qing Mengzhu accepted Jing Chi’s WeChat request and arranged for him to mail Tengjin 01 pepper seeds, paying 200 yuan for shipping.
• Qing Mengzhu collected the package, scanned the seeds as premium-grade Tengjin 01, and prepared them for germination.
• Qing Mengzhu filled seedling cups, sowed the pepper seeds in a field greenhouse, and tended them as they began to sprout.
• Qing Mengzhu thanked Jing Chi and Professor Nian Xinfei, then messaged Ming Chunxi to thank him for arranging the seeds.
• Ming Chunxi explained that he had heard Qing Mengzhu needed pepper seeds and had asked Professor Nian Xinfei to send some; Qing Mengzhu offered to treat him to a meal.

Qing Mengzhu arranged to treat Ming Chunxi to dinner, then spent the evening reconnecting with him after years apart. The dinner went smoothly, but Qing Mengzhu struggled to hide his feelings as Ming Chunxi walked him to his car.

• Ming Chunxi agreed to meet Qing Mengzhu for dinner on Friday, May 3, and Qing Mengzhu let him choose the restaurant.
• Qing Mengzhu tended the quickly sprouting Tengjin 01 chili peppers while Tan Wenlei remarked that he had planted them late.
• Qing Mengzhu got a haircut and waited out the time before dinner at a café.
• Qing Mengzhu met Ming Chunxi at the restaurant, and they talked about the pepper seeds, Qing Mengzhu's former job, and Ming Chunxi's work.
• After dinner, Ming Chunxi walked Qing Mengzhu to his car, and Qing Mengzhu looked back at him, reluctant to part.

Qing Mengzhu planted five mu of chilies and cared for them through rainy and then hot weather. When tobacco cutworm larvae badly damaged his lotus leaves, he chose a targeted microbial insecticide and began spraying the undersides of the leaves, while Tan Wenlei suggested using a drone.

• Qing Mengzhu hired three aunties to plant nearly three mu of chilies, then hired a man to plow another two mu and planted the extra seedlings.
• Qing Mengzhu watered the chilies by hand, then bought a pump and hose to make watering all five mu easier.
• Qing Mengzhu found chewed lotus leaves and discovered tobacco cutworm larvae beneath them.
• Tan Wenlei identified the insects as tobacco cutworms and advised Qing Mengzhu to ask at a pesticide shop about treatment.
• Qing Mengzhu bought Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedrovirus and sprayed the undersides of the lotus leaves after sunset.
• Tan Wenlei saw Qing Mengzhu spraying the pond and suggested hiring someone to apply pesticide with a drone.

Qing Mengzhu bought mallard ducklings to help control pests in his lotus ponds, then caught small fish and shrimp that had appeared there. The Interstellar Mall rated the mixed fish Good Grade+ and paid him 1.98 Star Coins, and he prepared the rest for lunch.

• Qing Mengzhu asked Qing Changhong for advice on raising ducks and bought 150 large mallard ducklings in town.
• Qing Mengzhu kept the ducklings in his courtyard for two days, then moved them in cages to the pond embankments.
• Qing Mengzhu inspected the ponds, found dead tobacco cutworms and schools of small fish, and bought two fish traps.
• Qing Mengzhu pulled up the traps the next morning and caught lively small fish and shrimp.
• Qing Mengzhu cleaned over three jin of mixed fish and sold them to the Interstellar Mall for 1.98 Star Coins.
• Qing Mengzhu prepared the remaining fish for a pan-fried and dry-pot lunch.

Qing Mengzhu hosted three agricultural university students for lunch and told Cen Zhiming how he controlled tobacco cutworms on lotus leaves. When Cen Zhiming’s plants worsened after using the virus, Qing Mengzhu inspected his field and found signs of several diseases.

• Qing Mengzhu invited Jin Chongshan, Niu Jinhao, and Cen Zhiming to eat after they arrived to ask about his lotus plants.
• Qing Mengzhu’s dry-pot little fish impressed the students, and they finished the five dishes and rice before discussing Cen Zhiming’s pest problem.
• Qing Mengzhu recommended tobacco cutworm nucleopolyhedrovirus, and Cen Zhiming later reported that his lotus leaves were rotting badly after he used it.
• Qing Mengzhu rode to Cen Zhiming’s lotus field and identified signs of brown spot disease, leaf blight, and possible rot disease.

Qing Mengzhu learned that Cen Zhiming’s lotus field was too diseased to save, then studied fertilizer options for his own crops. When Zhao Hexi visited, he told Qing Mengzhu that Ming Chunxi had won a major award, prompting Qing Mengzhu to search for news about him.

• Qing Mengzhu identified several pests and diseases in Cen Zhiming’s lotus field and suggested removing the plants, disinfecting the field, and replanting elsewhere.
• Cen Zhiming followed his teacher’s advice, switched fields, and tested and amended the soil before replanting lotus roots.
• Qing Mengzhu read the books Cen Zhiming lent him and considered fertilizer for his rapidly growing chili peppers, but found the options in the Interstellar Mall costly.
• Zhao Hexi visited Qing Mengzhu, brought fishing gear, and headed out to fish after they chatted.
• Zhao Hexi told Qing Mengzhu that Ming Chunxi had won a major foreign award, and Qing Mengzhu searched for news about it.

Qing Mengzhu read about Ming Chunxi’s award and accomplishments, then struggled with his feelings about their distance. When Ming Chunxi called, they reminisced about their youth and tried a prize draw together, which stopped on fertilizer fermentation powder.

• Qing Mengzhu watched Ming Chunxi’s presentation and read comments praising his expertise, while rumors about his romantic life left Qing Mengzhu uncomfortable.
• Qing Mengzhu ate lunch with Zhao Hexi, who then returned to fishing while Qing Mengzhu unsuccessfully tried to nap.
• Qing Mengzhu considered congratulating Ming Chunxi, liked his Moments post, and browsed the Interstellar Mall for fertilizer.
• Ming Chunxi called Qing Mengzhu after noticing his like, and they reminisced about Ming Chunxi helping Qing Mengzhu win scratch-off prizes when they were young.
• Qing Mengzhu started a prize draw in the Interstellar Mall and paused when Ming Chunxi told him to stop, winning fertilizer fermentation powder.