Chapter Summaries

Qing Mengzhu helped Zhou Yan use bamboo leaves and bamboo leaf ash to make bite-sized zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival. Zhuxi Farm gave the colorful, photogenic zongzi to guests, and diners’ social media posts drew attention to them.

• Zhou Yan told Qing Mengzhu that bamboo leaves could wrap zongzi and asked him to collect bamboo leaf ash for lye-water zongzi.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi burned fallen bamboo leaves, then Qing Mengzhu delivered the ash to Zhou Yan’s kitchen.
• Zhou Yan and the kitchen staff made lye-water, meat, and egg yolk bamboo-leaf zongzi, which Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi praised.
• Qing Mengzhu offered to gather more leaves and burn more ash after Zhou Yan proposed giving zongzi to farm guests.
• Zhuxi Farm gave guests strings of little zongzi tied with five-colored thread, and diners shared photos that attracted attention online.

Zhuxi Farm’s tiny zongzi drew crowds and prompted Qing Mengzhu to promise bonuses for the workers. A call from Di Xing then offered Qing Mengzhu a chance to buy more than ten thousand near-fruiting Monthong durian trees, and he agreed to review the details.

• Zhuxi Farm’s zongzi made the restaurant so busy that customers faced long waits and staff worked late.
• Qing Mengzhu agreed with Zhao Hexi to give everyone a bonus for their hard work.
• While Qing Mengzhu prepared thin chives, Di Xing called to tell him that Aiersi’s family was nearing bankruptcy and wanted to sell assets.
• Di Xing asked whether Qing Mengzhu wanted to buy over ten thousand six-year-old Monthong durian trees, with extra saplings included.
• Qing Mengzhu asked Di Xing to send the tree information and customs documents so he could consider the offer.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi traveled to Country T to inspect a large batch of durian saplings for a possible orchard investment. After arriving, they sampled local fruit and left the story poised for their orchard visit the next morning.

• Qing Mengzhu reviewed Di Xing's information and discussed the potential durian orchard with Ming Chunxi, who agreed to proceed if the saplings looked good in person.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged with Di Xing to visit the saplings on Saturday, and Di Xing offered to interpret for them.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi flew to City C in Country T, where Di Xing picked them up and arranged to meet early the next morning.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi explored the local streets and bought a Fine Grade coconut and a Good Grade+ tree-ripened durian.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi opened and shared the durian, enjoying its soft, sweet flesh.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi inspected and bought durian and mangosteen trees from Aiersi, then began arranging their shipment home. Zhao Hexi recommended a large, discounted orchard in Qiongwei City as a place to plant them.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi visited the orchard and found that its dug-up durian trees were mostly Good Grade+ despite having been stored for one or two months.
• Qing Mengzhu met with Aiersi, who refused to lower the durian price but offered more than two hundred seven-year-old mangosteen trees at thirty percent off.
• Qing Mengzhu inspected the mangosteen trees and agreed to buy them along with the durian trees.
• Qing Mengzhu and Aiersi signed a contract, and Di Xing helped arrange a cargo ship to transport the trees home.
• Zhao Hexi recommended an orchard in Qiongwei City, explaining that it was large enough for their trees and available at about eighty percent of the market price.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi arranged to sublease an orchard in Qiongwei City and ship Aiersi’s fruit trees there. After inspecting the orchard, Qing Mengzhu decided he wanted it, while Zhao Hexi prepared to negotiate a lower price because of the damaged, depleted soil.

• Qing Mengzhu agreed with Zhao Hexi to meet in Qiongwei City about the orchard, then arranged through Di Xing to ship the fruit trees there.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi traveled to Qiongwei City and learned that five large wolfdogs would remain at the orchard, along with an underpaid security guard caring for them.
• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi toured the orchard and found its roads, fences, irrigation, electrical systems, and surveillance in good condition, though many fruit trees had been removed.
• Qing Mengzhu considered using Spirit Pearl Dregs in the orchard’s wells and fertilizer from the Interstellar Mall to improve its crops and soil.
• Zhao Hexi gave the group sweet figs from the orchard, and Qing Mengzhu decided to lease it and asked Zhao Hexi to negotiate a lower price based on the poor soil and past chemical fertilizer use.

Qing Mengzhu prepared the newly purchased orchard for durian trees by improving its fertilizer, then joined Ming Chunxi for their prize draws. They won Superior Grade Improved Ryegrass seeds that could help improve soil, and Qing Mengzhu planned to plant them between the fruit trees.

• Qing Mengzhu directed Ping Lin and the others to dig planting holes and prepare fertilizer for the orchard.
• Ping Lin delivered fermented fertilizer and earthworms, and Qing Mengzhu mixed the fertilizer with a batch from the Interstellar Mall, raising its quality to Fine Grade-.
• Ming Chunxi noticed Qing Mengzhu’s sunburned face during their video call and watched as he applied ointment.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi used their prize draws and won Superior Grade Improved Ryegrass seeds that could improve soil and provide safe forage.
• Qing Mengzhu decided to propagate the ryegrass seeds and plant the grass between the fruit trees.

Qing Mengzhu planted durian and mangosteen trees in Qiongwei City, then returned to Vine City after arranging for the orchard to be cared for. Back home, he reunited with Ming Chunxi and the four little ones, settled back into household matters, and checked on his plants.

• Qing Mengzhu and local workers planted the fruit trees, built steel-pipe supports against typhoons, and tended the trees until they sprouted leaves and a few mangosteen flowers.
• Ming Chunxi visited Qing Mengzhu in Qiongwei City every weekend, and they spent their time together exploring the city and coast.
• Qing Mengzhu and most of the group returned to Vine City, where Dharma Protector, Guard, the red fox, and the otter crowded around him and barked at him.
• Zhao Hexi told Qing Mengzhu that Ming Chunxi had handled many responsibilities while he was away, and Qing Mengzhu decided to take time off before returning to work in August.
• Qing Mengzhu checked his courtyard plants and found that the Tuan Brassica seeds had ripened while he was away.

Qing Mengzhu harvested and tested seeds from the pollutant-accumulating Tuan Brassica, then worked with Gu Benshu to collect earthworms for the composting pond. Gu Benshu confirmed he had found a new earthworm species, and Qing Mengzhu decided to continue testing the plant and hire a soil science expert.

• Qing Mengzhu selected 4,322 viable Tuan Brassica seeds and sent the dead plant and its soil to Gu Benshu's team for research.
• Gu Benshu joined Qing Mengzhu in digging earthworms near the mother bamboo and found an earthworm he believed was a new species.
• Qing Mengzhu and Gu Benshu moved the earthworms to the composting pond, and Qing Mengzhu planned to replenish it with manure and sell vegetables to meet his July target.
• Gu Benshu confirmed the earthworm was a new species and reported that the Tuan Brassica had accumulated metals while few toxic substances remained in the soil.
• Gu Benshu recommended a second Tuan Brassica crop and suggested hiring a soil expert, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to hire one.

Qing Mengzhu agreed to test Tuan Brassica as a soil-remediation plant at a chemical plant after reviewing the project and its risks. The seedlings sprouted, and he began considering how to produce another batch after the test plants were used.

• Ke Shuwen joined Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. and urged Qing Mengzhu to take on a chemical plant remediation project using Tuan Brassica.
• Qing Mengzhu reviewed Ke Shuwen’s research materials with Ming Chunxi, visited the chemical plant, and agreed to test remediation on a small patch of land.
• Qing Mengzhu identified the soil pollutants, prepared Tuan Brassica seeds, and planted them in seedling trays for the test.
• The Tuan Brassica seedlings sprouted, and Zhao Hexi watched Qing Mengzhu water them.
• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi they might need to grow mustard greens and graft them onto another batch of Tuan Brassica, and Zhao Hexi asked whether mustard greens could grow in the heat.

Qing Mengzhu harvested bamboo shoots and Sichuan pepper leaves and peppercorns for Zhou Yan’s farm restaurant, then drove Tuan Brassica to the chemical plant to help remediate polluted land. The chapter left him suited up with Ke Shuwen’s team, ready to plant the crop.

• Qing Mengzhu went up the mountain alone to inspect the bamboo grove and dig shoots, while Dharma Protector and Guard followed him.
• Zhou Yan invited Qing Mengzhu to lunch and asked him to bring Sichuan pepper leaves and bamboo shoots for the restaurant.
• Qing Mengzhu found that some young Sichuan pepper plants had produced peppercorns, picked a few, and brought them with the leaves and bamboo shoots to Zhou Yan.
• After lunch, Qing Mengzhu drove Tuan Brassica to the chemical plant, where Ke Shuwen and a group of workers waited to plant it.
• Ke Shuwen offered Qing Mengzhu a lightweight protective suit with ice packs, and Qing Mengzhu put it on before the planting work.

Qing Mengzhu and Ke Shuwen’s team planted Tuan Brassica in the polluted chemical plant and hoped it would clean the soil. After returning home, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi made lotus tea and enjoyed it in the courtyard until Zhao Hexi and Brother Zhou arrived.

• Qing Mengzhu taught Ke Shuwen and the researchers to plant and water a small patch of Tuan Brassica at the contaminated chemical plant.
• Ke Shuwen hoped the seedlings would grow well and prove as effective as the Tuan Brassica in the earlier reports.
• Qing Mengzhu returned home and found Ming Chunxi carrying freshly picked lotuses.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi prepared lotus tea, cooked dinner together, and brewed the tea with Spirit Spring Water.
• Zhao Hexi and Brother Zhou arrived after smelling the tea, and Zhao Hexi asked Qing Mengzhu for a cup.

Qing Mengzhu joined Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi on a late-night trip to catch swamp eels, and their outing grew into a group activity with Ming Chunxi and the animals. They caught many large wild eels and found plump crabs in the improved fields.

• Zhao Hexi and Zhou Yan stopped at Qing Mengzhu's house to drink his lotus tea before heading out to catch swamp eels.
• Qing Mengzhu decided to join them, and Ming Chunxi, the two dogs, the otter, and the red fox followed along.
• The group searched the water bamboo field and found large wild swamp eels among the young eels they had released.
• The little ones helped locate eels, while Qing Mengzhu quieted the barking dogs so they would not disturb the villagers.
• The group filled both buckets more than halfway with eels and discovered large crabs in the ditch; Zhou Yan offered to pick out the crab meat.

After Zhou Yan led a late-night barbecue, Qing Mengzhu slept in and spent the afternoon watering the fields. Zhao Hexi told him that officials wanted their farm to host a visit and give a lecture on its vegetable-growing methods, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to speak.

• Zhou Yan grilled swamp eels, crabs, prawns, and other food for the gathered young people and the little ones, who praised the meal.
• Qing Mengzhu stayed up eating barbecue, slept until noon, and later watered the tomatoes and peppers.
• Zhao Hexi told Qing Mengzhu that the relevant department wanted the farm to host a group visit and share its farming practices before September.
• Qing Mengzhu agreed to submit a proposed lecture outline and give the talk after Zhao Hexi prepared a script.

Qing Mengzhu hosted more than 230 visitors at Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., showcasing its crops and explaining its farming and fertilizer methods. The tour ended successfully with visitors asking for another, but Qing Mengzhu was exhausted and did not want to host one again soon.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi planned a visit focused on the company’s vegetables, farming methods, and fermented fertilizer, while Zhao Hexi coordinated with the leaders.
• More than 230 visitors arrived, and Qing Mengzhu led them through the fields, explained the crops, and answered questions about tomato seeds and future farmer partnerships.
• Qing Mengzhu showed the visitors the water bamboo fields and fertilizer fermentation pits, answering questions until the tour ran past its planned end time.
• The leaders presided over the closing as visitors requested another tour, and Zhao Hexi celebrated the event’s success while Qing Mengzhu rested with chilled bamboo sap and said he was exhausted.

Qing Mengzhu harvested honey from the mountain hives and sampled an unripe orange, whose intense sourness left his teeth aching. Back home, Zhao Hexi brought him peaches, and they discussed how delicate fruits could not always be picked fully ripe for delivery.

• Qing Mengzhu took Dharma Protector and Guard up the mountain to harvest honey, but the dogs ran off when they remembered being stung by the bees.
• Qing Mengzhu harvested half the honey from each hive and tasted an unripe orange that was painfully sour.
• Dharma Protector and Guard returned to Qing Mengzhu’s three-wheeler, and he kept the honey out of their reach on the ride home.
• Zhao Hexi brought Qing Mengzhu late-ripening peaches and urged him to try one, but Qing Mengzhu’s teeth still hurt from the sour orange.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi discussed how fully ripe peaches, mulberries, and Fire Crystal Persimmons were too delicate to transport safely.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi looked for a better fruit preservative and considered using caffeine, while also planning to plant coffee at their orchard in Qiongwei City. After finding 137 coffee tree varieties in the Interstellar Mall, they decided to buy the most expensive seeds.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi discussed the limits of their chitosan preservative and considered researching a safer, more effective alternative.
• Ming Chunxi recalled research into caffeine-based preservatives, and Qing Mengzhu bought three products for Zhao Hexi to test on tomatoes and pea shoots.
• Qing Mengzhu explored planting coffee in Qiongwei City, while Zhao Hexi suggested pairing their future milk with coffee made from their own crop.
• Ming Chunxi listed coffee varieties and prompted Qing Mengzhu to search the Interstellar Mall, where he found 137 kinds of coffee tree seeds.
• Ming Chunxi chose the most expensive coffee tree seeds, which cost 66,000 Star Coins per packet and were Fine Grade+.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi bought expensive coffee seeds and began raising them in a separate orchard, then joined Zhao Hexi and Zhou Yan to roast a goose. The chapter left them waiting eagerly as Zhou Yan cooked the goose over hot charcoal.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi bought coffee seeds and Soil Fertility Restoration Agents, then Qing Mengzhu prepared ten thousand seedling pots and planted the seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi the coffee crop should be separated from the company, and Zhao agreed to the arrangement.
• Zhao Hexi caught a large goose and gathered seasonings and lotus leaves for the barbecue.
• Zhou Yan delivered marinade instructions, then returned after work and began roasting the goose with Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi.
• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Zhou Yan waited nearby as the aroma of the roasting goose made them hungry.

Zhou Yan shared his roast goose, homemade sauce, and plans to make soybean paste and chili sauce with Qing Mengzhu and his friends. The next day, Qing Mengzhu checked the cattle and soybean crop, then noticed the herd’s lead bull seemed unusually lively after eating discarded lotus tea leaves.

• Zhou Yan explained his poultry sauce and soybean paste, promised to bring some to Qing Mengzhu and his friends, and agreed to make paste from their soybeans after harvest.
• Zhou Yan served roast goose, which Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi praised, and discussed making chopped chili sauce and buying baijiu with Qing Mengzhu.
• The next morning, Qing Mengzhu fed the cattle imperfect produce and went up the mountain to check the soybeans, finding their pods had improved in quality.
• Qing Mengzhu picked tender soybean pods, then found the cattle unusually lively and spotted used tea leaves near them.
• Qing Mengzhu realized he had put lotus buds in the cattle’s food, checked the lead bull and other cattle that might have eaten the tea leaves, and found no apparent problem.

Qing Mengzhu discovered that tea leaves seemed to aid the cows’ digestion and, with Ming Chunxi, began testing brewed tea on the herd. After seeing the cows drink it and produce more dung, Qing Mengzhu brought another batch up the mountain the next day, where the herd appeared to be waiting for it.

• Qing Mengzhu noticed that the cows that had eaten tea leaves looked slimmer and more energetic, and suspected the tea had helped their digestion.
• Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi about the change, and they brewed a weak batch of tea to test on the cows.
• The cows eagerly drank the tea, and Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi checked the herd that evening and found signs of increased digestion.
• Qing Mengzhu visited the chemical plant with Ke Shuwen’s team to tend to the Tuan Brassica and collect soil samples, then picked Ming Chunxi up from work.
• Qing Mengzhu brought more tea to the mountain the next day, where he found the cows waiting by the roadside and had the lead cow carry the sealed containers to the cowshed.

Qing Mengzhu arranged composting work, planned roads through the bamboo groves, and discussed the unusual earthworms and bamboo with his staff and Duan Yu'ang. He then traveled with Ming Chunxi to their orchard in Qiongwei City, where five excited wolfdogs greeted them.

• Qing Mengzhu had Tan Wenlei and the others haul manure and bamboo leaves to the pond, where they added them to the compost.
• Qing Mengzhu decided to apply to build winding roads up both mountains and considered making more compost and moving special earthworms to the Qiongwei City orchard.
• Qing Mengzhu led workers in cutting bamboo for Duan Yu'ang, who noted its improved quality and asked about the growing mutated bamboo.
• Qing Mengzhu told Duan Yu'ang he would visit Qiongwei City for about a week, then checked the newly planted coffee seedlings.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi traveled to their orchard in Qiongwei City, where five wolfdogs rushed out to greet them.