Chapter Summaries

Fan Donghua toured Qing Mengzhu’s farm, praised its ingredients and kitchen, and declared its sour bamboo shoot and hazel grouse soup worthy of becoming the business’s signature dish. Qing Mengzhu then arranged to incubate more hazel grouse eggs, while he and Zhao Hexi discussed renovations at the bamboo forest and its soybean crop.

• Zhou Yan showed Fan Donghua the farm’s clean kitchen, well-sourced ingredients, and carefully raised hazel grouse.
• Zhou Yan cooked sour bamboo shoot and hazel grouse soup for Fan Donghua, who praised it and asked for another bowl.
• Zhou Yan offered Fan Donghua a hazel grouse to take home, and Fan Donghua accepted.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged for the collected hazel grouse eggs to be incubated so the farm could keep serving its new signature dish.
• Zhao Hexi brought Qing Mengzhu a watermelon that had grown wild in the fields, and Qing Mengzhu planned to chill it for the evening.
• Qing Mengzhu explained that Chunxi had ordered an automated farming system and that he was planting soybeans in the bamboo forest.

Qing Mengzhu discovered a mutated bamboo stalk in the forest and planned to grow seedlings from it before telling Duan Yu'ang. Before he could do so, Duan Yu'ang arrived with space-mutated seedlings grown from Qing Mengzhu's bamboo, and Qing Mengzhu showed the group his own discovery.

• Qing Mengzhu spotted an unusually tall, hard bamboo stalk, scanned it, and confirmed it was a new kind of bamboo rather than Cloud Mirror Bamboo.
• Qing Mengzhu marked the stalk on Ming Chunxi's map and sent Ming Chunxi a photo; Ming Chunxi advised him to cultivate seedlings before informing Boss Duan.
• Qing Mengzhu followed Dharma Protector and Guard to a clump of wild lilies, then searched both mountains for more mutated bamboo but found none.
• Qing Mengzhu planned to fertilize and water the rare stalk so he could grow seedlings, but Duan Yu'ang called to say his team had already cultivated seedlings from Qing Mengzhu's bamboo using space-induced mutation technology.
• Duan Yu'ang brought staff members to Qing Mengzhu's home, and Qing Mengzhu led them to the mutated stalk and pointed out its unusual color, height, and reddish nodes.

Qing Mengzhu planted three mutated bamboo seedlings and watermelon seeds while preparing to raise his oriental river prawns in the rice and water bamboo fields. He planned to handle the shrimp fields with Ming Chunxi over the weekend, despite Zhao Hexi’s concern about the workload.

• Qing Mengzhu planted three scrawny, mutated bamboo seedlings from Duan Yu'ang’s group on the mountain.
• Duan Yu'ang’s researchers tested branches from Qing Mengzhu’s bamboo and confirmed its mutation, though comparison with the space-bred seedlings would have to wait until they matured.
• Ming Chunxi took on more housework while Qing Mengzhu tended the mountain, and he agreed to help bury Spirit Pearl Dregs in the fields that weekend.
• Qing Mengzhu bought watermelon seeds from the Interstellar Mall, germinated them, and planted them in the backyard.
• Zhao Hexi offered to help with the shrimp, but Qing Mengzhu said Ming Chunxi would help him prepare the six mu of fields and release the prawns.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi searched for suitable fire crystal persimmon trees and found a venerable old tree in a mountain village courtyard. The owners refused to sell the tree or its fruit, so Qing Mengzhu asked whether they would part with pruned branches for cuttings.

• Qing Mengzhu planted watermelon seeds and agreed to help Zhao Hexi choose fire crystal persimmon saplings.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi inspected several orchards near Vine City but found only trees below the quality they wanted.
• Qing Mengzhu spotted a promising persimmon tree from the road, and Zhao Hexi stopped so they could ask its owners about it.
• The old man welcomed Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi into the courtyard and told them his wife had cared for the roughly fifty-year-old tree.
• The old woman said the tree was an old variety of fire crystal persimmon and refused to sell it because her granddaughter loved its fruit.
• Qing Mengzhu asked whether the owners would sell them branches they pruned from the tree so he could grow cuttings.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi bought persimmon branches from an elderly couple and were invited to lunch, where Qing Mengzhu discovered the old woman grew and pan-fried tea. After tasting her tea, he went with the couple to see the tea bushes in her vegetable garden.

• Qing Mengzhu paid the old woman for persimmon branches and carefully cut several for propagation.
• The old woman shared the story of her persimmon tree and invited Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi to lunch.
• Qing Mengzhu learned the old woman grew tea bushes and sampled her spring tea, which he praised for its fragrance and sweet aftertaste.
• The old woman took Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and her husband to her vegetable garden, where tea bushes bordered the plot.

Qing Mengzhu discovered that Grandma Shi had expertly grown tea plants and offered to hire her granddaughter, Zhou Minyue, as a technician for Zhaiqian Village. After the family grew wary of the offer, Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi reassured them while buying persimmon branches to propagate.

• Qing Mengzhu admired Grandma Shi's thriving tea plants and learned that every cutting she planted had survived.
• Qing Mengzhu offered to hire a skilled tea technician for his planned tea-growing project in Zhaiqian Village, and Grandma Shi recommended her granddaughter, Zhou Minyue.
• Grandma Shi and Zhou Xiaowei suspected Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi might be scammers, so Zhao Hexi showed his ID and explained their visit.
• Zhou Xiaowei contacted Zhou Minyue, who said she would return, and the group waited at the old couple's home.
• Qing Mengzhu bought twenty-five persimmon branches for fifty yuan each, then helped Grandma Shi bury compost beneath the tree.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi recruited Zhou Minyue as a technician, then Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi propagated persimmon and tea branches and prepared to move freshwater shrimp into their fields. The chapter leaves them wondering whether the shrimp raised with Spirit Pearl Dregs and lotus have grown larger than last year's.

• Qing Mengzhu learned about local farming conditions, and Zhao Hexi persuaded Zhou Minyue to join the company as a technician after she finished arranging her affairs.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi treated twenty-five persimmon branches and fifty tea branches with rooting solution, then planted them in seedling pots.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi checked their compost and arranged for it to be disinfected before using it to fertilize the fields.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi inspected their freshwater shrimp and noticed that this year's shrimp looked plumper than last year's.
• Qing Mengzhu wondered whether Spirit Pearl Dregs and lotus had improved the shrimp and prepared to scan them.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi moved a healthy batch of freshwater shrimp into their rice paddies and water bamboo fields. They discovered a family of otters there, and Little Otter and the red fox drove the newcomers away, leaving Little Otter sulking at Qing Mengzhu.

• Chen Yi told Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi that their shrimp fry were healthy and ready to be moved into the fields after the hottest part of the day.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi spread fertilizer and Spirit Pearl Dregs, then released the shrimp into six mu of fields that afternoon.
• Qing Mengzhu spotted a family of unfamiliar gray otters hiding among the rice plants, and Ming Chunxi recognized them as the otters that had troubled their shrimp the previous year.
• When one of the strange otters reached for a shrimp, Little Otter and the red fox attacked the family and drove all seven otters away.
• Qing Mengzhu fed Little Otter and the red fox dried meat, but Little Otter remained upset that he had spoken with the strange otters.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi finished releasing the shrimp by evening, then returned to the farm for dinner because they were tired.

After the red fox and Little Otter brought Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi water snakes, Qing Mengzhu hired Chen Yi to manage the freshwater prawns and fields. Chen Yi began catching unwanted snakes and fish, and the fish became a new dish at the farm, where Zhou Yan prepared fried mixed fish for Qing Mengzhu’s dinner.

• Little Otter and the red fox brought water snakes to Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi, frightening Qing Mengzhu.
• Qing Mengzhu asked Chen Yi to join Zhuxi and oversee the freshwater prawns, and Chen Yi agreed.
• Chen Yi set traps to catch water snakes, rats, and unwanted fish, then delivered the catch to the farm.
• Zhou Yan added the wild mixed fish to the farm’s menu and offered to prepare some for Qing Mengzhu.
• Qing Mengzhu asked Zhou Yan to fry the fish and brought home wild raspberries for Ming Chunxi.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi found that the soil-improving Tuan Brassica flowers smelled of metal and exhaust, leaving Qing Mengzhu uneasy about whether the plant could produce seeds. Meanwhile, the farm’s abundant vegetables drove strong online sales and required extra processing.

• Zhou Yan visited Qing Mengzhu, brought fried little fish, and asked about the crops, including the Tuan Brassica growing to improve the soil.
• Qing Mengzhu scanned the Tuan Brassica and found it was low quality, which suggested it had absorbed many harmful substances; he hand-pollinated its flowers to help it produce seeds.
• Ming Chunxi noticed a metallic, exhaust-like smell on Qing Mengzhu’s hand, and they traced it to the Tuan Brassica flowers.
• Qing Mengzhu worried the strange-smelling flowers might not produce seeds, but Ming Chunxi suggested the plant should still be able to do so.
• Rain and warm weather brought heavy yields, so Qing Mengzhu’s group fed surplus vegetables to their animals, listed some in the online shop, and sent others for processing.
• Demand for the farm’s vegetables remained high, while customers asked for sour bamboo shoots and hazel grouse dishes that the online shop did not sell.

Qing Mengzhu worried that the pollution-absorbing Tuan Brassica would die before producing seeds, but Zhao Hexi inspired him to graft its flowering stalks onto mustard plants. After arranging to discuss a new chili pepper deal with Di Xing, Qing Mengzhu met him again and seemed more dazzling than he had the previous year.

• Qing Mengzhu worried that the wilting Tuan Brassica would not produce seeds, and Ming Chunxi could offer no solution.
• Zhao Hexi suggested that pollutants might be preventing the plant from setting seed, prompting Qing Mengzhu to try grafting its flowering stalks onto mustard plants.
• Qing Mengzhu grafted three flowering stalks onto mustard plants and told Ming Chunxi he expected the grafts to take in seven to ten days.
• Qing Mengzhu thanked Zhao Hexi with a red envelope, then arranged to meet Di Xing the following week to discuss a new chili pepper deal.
• Qing Mengzhu met Di Xing again, and Di Xing thought Qing Mengzhu looked more dazzling than he had the previous year.

Qing Mengzhu welcomed Di Xing and let him taste the exceptional wild tea brewed with Spirit Spring Water, then discussed selling him chili peppers. Qing Mengzhu showed Di Xing the company’s organic fields, where Di Xing sampled the vegetables and praised the company’s peppers.

• Qing Mengzhu served Di Xing wild tea, which impressed him so much that he asked to buy some, but Qing Mengzhu offered only a small amount to take home.
• Qing Mengzhu quoted prices for fresh and dried homegrown chili peppers, and Di Xing arranged to buy them weekly with a ten percent discount.
• Qing Mengzhu offered to show Di Xing the company’s less expensive chili peppers, and Di Xing agreed to visit the fields.
• Qing Mengzhu showed Di Xing the company’s produce and explained its biological pest control as Di Xing sampled a cucumber.
• Di Xing tasted a raw company-grown chili pepper and said it tasted much better than market peppers and was nearly as good as Qing Mengzhu’s homegrown peppers.

Di Xing brought four foreign customers to see Qing Mengzhu’s chili peppers, and they were impressed by the farm’s fresh bamboo sap, tea, and well-kept fields. After tasting the peppers and picking vegetables, they accepted Qing Mengzhu’s invitation to have lunch at the farm.

• Qing Mengzhu made fresh bamboo sap for Zhao Hexi, who was recovering from a cold and internal heat, while Di Xing arrived with foreign customers.
• The visitors tried the bamboo sap and tea, and were surprised by how soothing and flavorful they were.
• Qing Mengzhu led the group through the farm to the chili field, where the foreigners tasted the peppers and learned about their flavor.
• Qing Mengzhu invited the visitors to lunch, and Zhou Yan agreed to prepare a meal featuring the farm’s produce.
• The foreigners picked vegetables for a salad, and Qing Mengzhu and the others drove them to the farm with their armfuls of produce.

Qing Mengzhu hosted foreign buyers at the farm, where they sampled his vegetables and chili dishes before placing trial orders. Afterward, he considered expanding the farm’s crops and browsed the Interstellar Mall for seeds, where a late-night notification announced its millennium celebration discounts.

• Zhou Yan and Zhao Linling brought the foreign visitors to a private dining room, where they enjoyed salads and dishes highlighting Qing Mengzhu’s chilies.
• The visitors ordered trial quantities of fresh and dried chilies, and two also bought tomatoes; Qing Mengzhu offered free shipping on qualifying orders and told them about the company’s online store.
• A foreign visitor suggested that Qing Mengzhu grow chives, and Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi encouraged him to consider chives, alliums, and vegetables requested by the farm’s members.
• Qing Mengzhu reviewed the members’ vegetable list and searched the Interstellar Mall for seeds, saving apricot and pomegranate tree seeds to consider later.
• The Interstellar Mall woke Qing Mengzhu with a notification announcing its millennium celebration, discounts, and coupons.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi took advantage of the Interstellar Mall’s millennium celebration discounts to stock up on farming supplies, then Qing Mengzhu organized workers to harvest crops and fertilize the fields. In early June, he worked with the others to strip old leaves from the water bamboo and discussed whether to raise more cows.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi planned their purchases after discovering the sale and its prize draw, spending most of their Star Coins on restoration agents, Spirit Pearl Dregs, fertilizers, and seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu asked Zhao Hexi to assign experienced workers to harvest bamboo shoots, tomatoes, and chili peppers and to help fertilize the crops.
• Over three days, Qing Mengzhu and the workers completed the harvest and applied discounted fertilizer to the tomatoes, chili peppers, and bamboo.
• In early June, Qing Mengzhu and the workers stripped old leaves from the water bamboo, collecting them to feed or store for the cows.
• Tan Wenlei and Miao Lan asked whether Qing Mengzhu would raise more cows, and he said he would consider it.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi chopped water bamboo leaves for feed and planned to make some into silage, while Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi bought fermentation powder from the real-world shop and the Interstellar Mall. Zhou Yan arrived for dinner with roast duck, finding the others already relaxing in the courtyard.

• Qing Mengzhu finished stripping company-grown water bamboo leaves and decided to chop them for hay and silage.
• Zhao Hexi helped Qing Mengzhu transport and chop the leaves, and they agreed to use water bamboo from Qing Mengzhu's family field for Zhou Yan to try.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi showered, then bought silage fermentation powder from both the real-world shop and the Interstellar Mall.
• Zhao Hexi arrived with a watermelon, and Zhou Yan later came after work with roast duck to find Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and the four little ones eating watermelon in the courtyard.

Qing Mengzhu prepared silage from water bamboo leaves and inspected the mountain grove, where he discovered four new Superior Grade+ bamboo shoots. He arranged to cut nearby bamboo to give the shoots room and planned to carry the cut bamboo down for Duan Yu'ang's people to collect.

• Zhao Hexi served Zhou Yan chilled watermelon and tea, and Qing Mengzhu said the tea seedlings were nearly ready to transplant in Zhaiqian Village.
• Qing Mengzhu replaced the delivered silage fermentation powder with Interstellar Mall powder and had employees ferment chopped water bamboo leaves for the cattle and other animals.
• Qing Mengzhu carried water bamboo leaves to the cowshed, fed the cattle, and inspected the bamboo grove, marking older stalks for removal.
• Qing Mengzhu found that the mother bamboo had reached Superior Grade+ and that its rhizomes had produced four Superior Grade+ shoots.
• Qing Mengzhu showed the shoots to Ming Chunxi and called Duan Yu'ang, who sent people to collect the bamboo Qing Mengzhu planned to cut down.

Qing Mengzhu discovered that the Superior Grade+ bamboo shoots had barely grown and that the cows were ignoring their fodder. He followed the cows into the bamboo grove and found them eating the high-quality bamboo leaves.

• Duan Yu'ang's people collected the bamboo from Qing Mengzhu and paid him for it.
• Ming Chunxi noticed the Superior Grade+ bamboo shoots had hardly changed, so Qing Mengzhu fertilized them and planned to water them with Spirit Spring Water.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi found that the cows had barely touched their fodder, and Qing Mengzhu set out with Dharma Protector and Guard to find them.
• Dharma Protector and Guard led Qing Mengzhu across the mountain to the cows in the bamboo grove.
• Qing Mengzhu saw a calf bend a bamboo stalk so the other cows could eat its leaves, explaining why they had ignored the fodder.

Qing Mengzhu discovered that the cattle had been secretly eating tender bamboo leaves and decided to expand the herd. After introducing twenty-five new calves, he watched the cattle learn to feed on young bamboo while leaving the shoots untouched.

• Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi that the cattle were bending young bamboo to eat its tender leaves, and he observed how they also grazed on wild grass.
• Qing Mengzhu proposed buying twenty-five more cattle, including a bull calf, and Ming Chunxi agreed.
• Qing Mengzhu bought the calves, quarantined them in the backyard, and confirmed they readily ate water bamboo leaves.
• Qing Mengzhu showed Zhao Hexi photos of the cattle bending bamboo and planned to make silage from bamboo leaves instead of brewing tea.
• Qing Mengzhu helped the newcomers acclimate, and the original bull became the herd's leader as the cattle learned to bend young bamboo without damaging it.
• Qing Mengzhu observed that the cattle avoided bamboo shoots because their teeth could not bite through the thick sheaths.

Qing Mengzhu inspected the bamboo in Zhaiqian Village, brought over tea seedlings and persimmon saplings, and organized a bamboo-leaf harvest. The chapter ended with Zhou Yan arriving with Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and leftover ingredients for Dharma Protector and Guard.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi discussed how the owl protected the hazel grouse and agreed it was time to prepare for planting tea.
• Qing Mengzhu visited Zhaiqian Village with Yi Yanbai, checked the bamboo seedlings, and arranged for Zhou Minyue to care for the tea seedlings.
• Qing Mengzhu and his companions planted tea seedlings and persimmon saplings, while Qing Mengzhu explained his plans to harvest bamboo leaves.
• Qing Mengzhu hired local women to harvest bamboo leaves, and they collected enough to require two trips by three-wheeler.
• Zhou Yan waited outside Qing Mengzhu's courtyard and brought him Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, along with its leftover ingredients for Dharma Protector and Guard.