Chapter Summaries

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.

Duan Yu'ang and Pei Guangjian visited Qing Mengzhu’s bamboo grove to assess its older, higher-quality moso bamboo for possible purchase. They left with a sample to test, and Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi that the visit seemed promising for steady business.

• Duan Yu'ang asked Qing Mengzhu to show him the better-quality bamboo, and Qing Mengzhu drove him and Pei Guangjian to the grove.
• Qing Mengzhu cut down a stalk of older moso bamboo, and Duan Yu'ang praised its quality and took it for testing.
• Duan Yu'ang toured the grove, observed its wildlife and crops, and learned that only about five hundred stalks were of the better quality.
• Qing Mengzhu, Duan Yu'ang, and Pei Guangjian carried the bamboo down the mountain before Duan Yu'ang and Pei Guangjian departed.
• Qing Mengzhu messaged Ming Chunxi that the visitors seemed satisfied and that the bamboo might bring them steady business.

Qing Mengzhu inspected the freshwater prawn ponds and brought in Chen Yi to help prepare for the breeding season. They decided to breed the prawns in the same ponds and planned to buy net cages, while Chen Yi was astonished by the size and number of the prawns.

• Qing Mengzhu declined Ming Chunxi’s invitation to lunch because he planned to check the prawns with Chen Yi, and Ming Chunxi said he would come home early that evening.
• Qing Mengzhu invited Chen Yi to help with breeding the freshwater prawns, and Chen Yi agreed to meet him at the ponds.
• Qing Mengzhu checked the robust prawns and the protective screens while the otter followed him around the ponds.
• Chen Yi arrived and explained the trade-offs between breeding prawns in their existing ponds and moving them to ponds with adjusted salinity.
• Qing Mengzhu chose to breed the prawns in the same ponds, and he and Chen Yi decided to buy net cages in town.
• Qing Mengzhu estimated that each pond could hold fifty or sixty cages, and Chen Yi was surprised by the large number and size of the prawns.

Qing Mengzhu and Chen Yi set up net cages in the pond and gathered workers to catch egg-bearing river shrimp for breeding. After the females laid eggs, Qing Mengzhu began removing them from the cages and feeding shrimp to the otter, while the red fox waited impatiently for its share.

• Qing Mengzhu bought ninety-seven net cages, and Chen Yi helped install them among the pond's lotus leaves.
• Chen Yi trained Qing Mengzhu's workers to catch egg-bearing females carefully and place them in the cages.
• Villagers watched the catch, and Qing Mengzhu said the bred shrimp would be raised in the rice paddies.
• Over the next few days, the females laid eggs, and Qing Mengzhu began removing them from the cages.
• Qing Mengzhu tossed shrimp to the otter, then told the impatient red fox to wait until he finished picking shrimp from the cage.

Qing Mengzhu harvested Superior Grade- freshwater shrimp and shared a lavish steamed shrimp dinner with Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi. The next morning, all of them—and the dogs—had slept unusually well, leaving Zhao Hexi wondering whether something in their meal had caused it.

• Qing Mengzhu fed shrimp to the red fox, Dharma Protector, Guard, the otter, and an owl before bringing the remaining female shrimp home.
• Qing Mengzhu scanned the shrimp and found they had improved from Fine Grade+ to Superior Grade-; the Interstellar Mall offered 62 Star Coins per 500 grams.
• Qing Mengzhu invited Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi to eat the shrimp, and Zhao Hexi hurried back from out of town for dinner.
• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi enjoyed the steamed shrimp until none remained, then went to bed feeling full.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi woke refreshed, and Zhao Hexi messaged that he had slept unusually well and asked if their drinks had been special.

Qing Mengzhu and his friends taste-tested five prawn dishes at Zhou Yan’s newly opened farm restaurant and chose which ones to make signature dishes. They set a high price for the exceptional freshwater prawns, and the dishes quickly won over curious diners.

• Qing Mengzhu decided to keep some of his freshwater prawns and send the rest to Zhou Yan’s farm restaurant as a signature ingredient.
• Zhou Yan invited Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi to taste-test five prawn dishes, and the unexpectedly busy restaurant delayed their dinner.
• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi praised the dishes and recommended the butter-pan-fried prawns and Longjing tea shrimp, with Thai hot-and-sour prawns as the third signature dish.
• Qing Mengzhu suggested pricing the prawn dishes at 688 or 888 a serving, and Zhou Yan agreed that the high prices suited the restaurant’s upscale positioning.
• Qing Mengzhu agreed to show a designated staff member how to catch prawns safely, and the restaurant’s expensive signature prawns became an instant hit with diners.

Zhuxi Farm’s shrimp dishes drew customers from across Vine City and beyond, prompting Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan to limit sales and plan new offerings. After Qing Mengzhu arranged to expand goose raising, Duan Yu'ang arrived with news that the bamboo experiments had succeeded and asked to buy two hundred stalks.

• Zhuxi Farm’s shrimp dishes became popular, and Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi and Zhou Yan to limit sales so the shrimp would last and support sales of other dishes.
• Qing Mengzhu praised Zhou Yan’s team and promised them an extra month’s pay as a bonus.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi discussed offering hazel grouse and expanding goose raising, including using a hatchery for the eggs.
• Duan Yu'ang called Qing Mengzhu to report that experiments on the bamboo had succeeded and that it could be used to make high-tech materials.
• Duan Yu'ang visited Qing Mengzhu to buy more bamboo and asked whether he could purchase two hundred stalks.

Qing Mengzhu agreed to work with Duan Yu'ang on cultivating improved bamboo, while Duan offered his company the chance to lease a large farm in the borderlands with generous support. After telling Ming Chunxi about the offer, Qing Mengzhu considered which growing skill book to buy as he prepared to expand his farming.

• Qing Mengzhu agreed to provide bamboo and help cultivate new varieties, and Duan Yu'ang offered him a choice of large borderland farms with agricultural support and tax breaks.
• Qing Mengzhu and Duan Yu'ang agreed to keep the new bamboo confidential and not sell it to third parties, then inspected mature and young bamboo on the mountain.
• Duan Yu'ang thanked Qing Mengzhu for his contribution to the country, and Qing Mengzhu promised to do his best.
• Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi about the bamboo partnership and farm offer, and Ming Chunxi agreed to discuss it with him.
• Qing Mengzhu showed Ming Chunxi three intermediate growing skill books and weighed the expensive grass-family book against the more bamboo-specific moso bamboo book.

Qing Mengzhu chose and absorbed an intermediate moso bamboo planting skill book, then went up the mountain with Ming Chunxi and their animals to inspect the grove. They found newly sprouted termite mushrooms, and Qing Mengzhu confirmed his guess that they were in season.

• Ming Chunxi suggested drawing lots to choose between planting skill books, and the lot selected the moso bamboo book.
• Qing Mengzhu bought and extracted the skill book, then slept until dark as its knowledge flooded his mind.
• After waking, Qing Mengzhu listed ways to improve the bamboo grove, and Ming Chunxi offered to make a detailed digital map of the grove and fields.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi took their two dogs, the red fox, and the otter up the mountain at night to inspect the bamboo.
• Qing Mengzhu led the group toward a termite nest, and the dogs ran ahead after catching a scent.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi found newly sprouted termite mushrooms, confirming Qing Mengzhu's guess.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi gathered wild mushrooms and bamboo grubs in their bamboo grove, then invited Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi over to cook a late-night meal. Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi he would focus on cultivating bamboo for a while, and Zhou Yan began frying the termite mushrooms and stewing hazel grouse soup.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi dug up termite mushrooms and bamboo fungus while leaving the smallest termite mushrooms to grow.
• Zhao Hexi called Qing Mengzhu after villagers reported movement in the bamboo grove, and Zhou Yan insisted on coming over to cook the mushrooms.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi gathered more mushrooms and bamboo grubs, then returned home to find Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi waiting.
• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi that he planned to focus on cultivating bamboo and asked him to keep an eye on the company.
• Ming Chunxi gave Zhou Yan the hazel grouse and mushrooms, and Zhou Yan began cooking while Zhao Hexi joined Qing Mengzhu in the kitchen.

Zhou Yan prepared pickled bamboo shoot and hazel grouse soup, which Qing Mengzhu and their companions enjoyed and planned to develop as the farm’s new signature dish. After regular diners approved it, Zhou Yan hosted celebrity chef Fan Donghua at the farm to try the dishes and film a restaurant visit.

• Zhao Hexi tasted the unfinished pickled bamboo shoot and hazel grouse soup and found it delicious.
• Zhou Yan cooked a late-night meal for Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi, and they agreed the soup could become the farm’s new signature dish.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged to bring more bamboo shoots and well water to the farm so Zhou Yan could pickle another batch in small jars.
• Zhou Yan invited regular customers to taste the new dishes, and their positive feedback convinced him the soup was a success.
• Fan Donghua asked to film his visit to the farm, Qing Mengzhu approved, and Zhou Yan arranged for him to come after preparations.
• Fan Donghua arrived with his team and praised the farm’s size, decor, and surroundings.