Chapter Summaries

Qing Mengzhu returned to the orchard and discovered that the big wolfdogs and village cats had been fighting over the ryegrass. He helped them settle into a peaceful arrangement, then brought fresh orchard grass back to Vine City for Dharma Protector and the others.

• Qing Mengzhu learned from Ping Lin that village cats had been sneaking into the orchard to eat ryegrass and fighting the big wolfdogs.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi found the cats and big wolfdogs fighting, and Ming Chunxi separated them.
• Qing Mengzhu rewarded the big wolfdogs with jerky and encouraged them to let the cats enter the orchard to catch field mice.
• Qing Mengzhu gradually helped the cats and big wolfdogs coexist peacefully, while secretly giving the cats bits of jerky.
• Ming Chunxi returned to Vine City for work, and Qing Mengzhu later brought fresh ryegrass there for Dharma Protector and the other dogs.

Zhao Hexi and Qing Mengzhu considered developing ryegrass pet treats, while Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi gathered mushrooms during an evening visit to the mountain. The next morning, they set out with the animals to forage, armed with local advice and Qing Mengzhu’s map.

• Dharma Protector and Guard enjoyed eating ryegrass, prompting Zhao Hexi to suggest making pet treats; Qing Mengzhu agreed they would need to wait until they had more seeds.
• The red fox and otter joined Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi to eat ryegrass, and Zhao Hexi stayed for lunch before Qing Mengzhu took a nap.
• Ming Chunxi returned early and woke Qing Mengzhu, and the two later carried leftover ryegrass up the mountain to feed the cattle and check the livestock.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi found plump honey mushrooms in the gastrodia patch and decided to go mushroom picking the next morning.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi set out early with the four animals, following advice from villagers and Qing Mengzhu’s foraging map.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi gathered baskets full of wild mushrooms, then invited Zhou Yan and He Xi to share a mushroom risotto. Zhou Yan began cooking the meal, leaving Qing Mengzhu, He Xi, and the animals eagerly waiting at the kitchen door.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi gathered large quantities of mushrooms on the mountain and wove extra baskets for Guard, Dharma Protector, the red fox, and the otter.
• Zhou Yan called after seeing photos of their haul, offered to cook mushroom risotto, and asked Qing Mengzhu to dig up onions from the vegetable patch.
• That evening, Zhou Yan brought ingredients and discussed the rice crop with Qing Mengzhu while preparing the risotto.
• Qing Mengzhu and the animals gathered at the kitchen door, drawn by the smell as Zhou Yan simmered rice with hazel grouse broth and mushrooms.
• Zhao Hexi arrived, smelled the food, and learned from Zhou Yan that he was making wild mushroom risotto.

Zhou Yan’s risotto and mushroom oil delighted Qing Mengzhu and the others, while the farm began buying wild mushrooms from village residents after the group stopped foraging. Qing Mengzhu later arranged to visit Zhaiqian Village with Ming Chunxi, turning their inspection trip into a date and bringing along two determined dogs.

• Zhou Yan served risotto made with mushrooms and hazel grouse broth, and Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi praised it.
• Zhou Yan fried the foraged mushrooms into fragrant mushroom oil, and Zhao Hexi saved the leftover oil for noodles.
• Qing Mengzhu and the others stopped picking mushrooms so village elders could gather them, and the farm began buying fresh mushrooms for its guests.
• A gourmet suggested a group chat for updates on seasonal ingredients, and Qing Mengzhu decided to hire someone to oversee one.
• Yi Yanbai invited Qing Mengzhu to visit Zhaiqian Village and inspect the fertilized bamboo and tea trees, so Qing Mengzhu planned a weekend trip with Ming Chunxi.
• Guard and Dharma Protector leaped into Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi’s car, and Ming Chunxi agreed to bring the dogs along.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi visited Zhaiqian Village to inspect the company’s bamboo and tea plantings. They found the bamboo growing well under Yi Yanbai’s care, then sampled the fragrance of a new tea leaf.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi arrived at Yi Yanbai’s home, learned from Chen Meimei that Yi Yanbai was working on the mountain, and left gifts before heading up to see him.
• As they climbed, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi inspected the bamboo and found it healthy, well-managed, and potentially Fine Grade+ quality.
• Yi Yanbai hurried to meet them, slipped in the mud, and then led them around the bamboo while reporting on its growth and hearing Qing Mengzhu’s advice.
• Yi Yanbai joined Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi to inspect the tea trees, mentioning that Minyue lived nearby and that they had gotten to know each other.
• Qing Mengzhu plucked a tea leaf and shared its fragrance with Ming Chunxi, who agreed that it smelled fragrant.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi inspected the work in Zhaiqian Village, praised Yi Yanbai and Zhou Minyue with raises, and learned that wind-fallen orchard tangerines had started to sweeten. That evening, the group sampled the tangerines at Qing Mengzhu’s house, where Ming Chunxi patiently peeled segments for Qing Mengzhu and the animals.

• Qing Mengzhu praised Zhou Minyue’s tea-tree cultivation and gave her a raise after discussing ways to improve her methods.
• Yi Yanbai invited Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhou Minyue to eat with his family, then Qing Mengzhu and the others picked mushrooms and early-ripening akebia fruits with Yi Ousheng.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi agreed to give employees in remote areas equal raises, and Zhao Hexi told him that Old Xu’s fallen tangerines had become sweet enough to add to members’ vegetable boxes.
• Zhao Hexi brought tangerines to Qing Mengzhu’s house, where Zhou Yan suggested drying their green peels and the group admired their fragrant aroma.
• Ming Chunxi fed Qing Mengzhu the sweet-and-sour tangerine segments, then peeled pith from more segments and shared them with the animals.

Zhou Yan made orange jelly from the higher-quality mountain oranges, then developed several orange dishes for the farm that quickly became popular. After oranges were added to the members’ vegetable packages, Yin Junning received a box and began tasting one.

• Qing Mengzhu took Zhou Yan to the mountain orange grove, where they tasted the better-quality fruit and Zhou Yan decided to make orange jelly.
• Zhou Yan prepared orange jelly with orange juice, peel syrup, gelatin, and honey-marinated orange flesh, then served it to Qing Mengzhu and their friends that evening.
• Zhou Yan brought orange dishes to the farm, where the orange jelly and orange roast chicken became popular seasonal specials.
• Zhao Hexi added the nearly ripe orchard oranges to vegetable packages, and Yin Junning received a box of four large oranges.
• Yin Junning peeled an orange and tasted a segment.

Yin Junning and other members enjoyed Zhuxi’s oranges and discussed ways to use them, while Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi decided to protect the ripening mountain oranges from birds by bringing hazel grouse into the grove. Qing Mengzhu left the grouse there and watched to see whether they would keep the birds away.

• Yin Junning’s family ate all four Zhuxi oranges, and she bought more from a shop but found them less fragrant and juicy.
• Yin Junning joined the group chat, where members shared ideas for using orange peels and discussed farms and village specialties.
• Qing Mengzhu ate canned oranges made from Zhou Yan’s byproduct and agreed with Ming Chunxi to leave ripe oranges on the trees for gradual picking.
• Wild birds pecked many of the mountain oranges, and Qing Mengzhu’s scarecrows failed to keep them away.
• Ming Chunxi suggested using the territorial hazel grouse to drive off the birds, and Qing Mengzhu decided to try it.
• Qing Mengzhu scattered millet in the orange grove to keep the hazel grouse there, then stayed nearby to observe them.

Qing Mengzhu tended his animals and backyard crops, then discovered that Dharma Protector and Guard had secretly eaten watermelons. After punishing them, he shared a ripe, Fine Grade- watermelon with Ming Chunxi and the other animals, and finally forgave the dogs after warning them not to steal again.

• Qing Mengzhu let the hazel grouse guard his ripe oranges and planted ryegrass in the backyard, where several animals came to nibble it.
• Qing Mengzhu caught Dharma Protector and Guard acting guilty and discovered they had secretly eaten watermelons by hollowing them out from the bottom.
• Qing Mengzhu made the two dogs face the wall, then picked two ripe watermelons and shared one with Ming Chunxi.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi fed watermelon to the red fox and otter, who both enjoyed it.
• Guard pleaded with Qing Mengzhu, and Qing Mengzhu forgave both dogs while warning them not to steal food again.

Qing Mengzhu dealt with his cattle going into heat and bought an intermediate coffee planting skill book from the Interstellar Mall. After absorbing its knowledge, he realized the orchard soil needed adjustments before they could grow coffee.

• Qing Mengzhu saved seeds from their watermelons, hoping to grow Fine Grade watermelons next year.
• Qing Mengzhu called a vet after finding the cattle restless and red-eyed; the vet confirmed they were in heat and advised waiting until they were older to breed them.
• Qing Mengzhu separated the bulls from the cows and took them to graze in an abandoned field when they disturbed his nap in the backyard.
• Qing Mengzhu found the intermediate coffee planting skill book available in the Interstellar Mall and told Ming Chunxi.
• Qing Mengzhu bought and extracted the skill book, then realized they needed to adjust the orchard soil.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi planted coffee seedlings at their orchard, while Zhou Yan and Qing Mengzhu planned new kitchen equipment and Mid-Autumn Festival products. Later, Ming Chunxi and Qing Mengzhu tasted Zhou Yan’s fragrant mooncakes and learned that dried tangerine peel gave the filling its distinctive aroma.

• Qing Mengzhu took Ming Chunxi to Qiongwei City, where they improved the coffee plot and planted ten thousand seedlings brought from Vine City.
• Qing Mengzhu brought figs back from the orchard and gave some to friends, family, and Zhou Yan at the farm.
• Zhou Yan suggested buying a freeze-dryer, and he and Qing Mengzhu planned smaller mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
• Qing Mengzhu agreed to have the company order mooncakes and sell snow fungus and lotus seed soup made with their lotus seeds.
• Ming Chunxi and Qing Mengzhu tasted Zhou Yan’s new mooncakes and called him to ask about their unusual flavor.
• Zhou Yan told Qing Mengzhu that dried tangerine peel made the mooncake filling especially fragrant.

Qing Mengzhu discussed using mountain-grown dried tangerine peel in cooking, then led the harvest of his first rice crop and recorded a bumper yield. After telling Ming Chunxi that harvesting had advanced his grower progress bar, Qing Mengzhu returned home and opened the Interstellar Mall.

• Zhou Yan explained that he had used dried tangerine peel from Qing Mengzhu's mountain to season the meat filling and offered to bring rice wine for them to try.
• Qing Mengzhu discussed the harvest timing with Zhao Hexi, who offered to arrange workers and warned him about rain.
• After consulting Nian Xinfei and experienced farmers, Qing Mengzhu led his people in harvesting the five mu of rice after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
• Qing Mengzhu and Gu Benshu recorded the crop's yield of 6,150 jin, averaging 1,230 jin per mu, and Qing Mengzhu asked Zhao Hexi to oversee machine-drying it.
• Ming Chunxi brought Qing Mengzhu bamboo sap, and Qing Mengzhu said the demanding harvest had raised his intermediate grower progress bar.
• Qing Mengzhu took Ming Chunxi home, closed the courtyard gate, and opened the Interstellar Mall in their room.

After harvesting and drying their rice, Qing Mengzhu and his friends cooked and enjoyed the new crop, then decided to enter it in a prestigious competition. The chapter left Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi reviewing details of the International Rice Competition with Zhao Hexi.

• Qing Mengzhu checked his Interstellar Mall profile and discovered that harvesting staple crops had brought him closer to becoming an Intermediate Grower.
• Zhao Hexi returned the carefully low-temperature-dried rice, and Qing Mengzhu inspected its Fine Grade+ grains before taking some to town for milling.
• Qing Mengzhu sent five kilograms of rice to Ming Lexin and invited Zhou Yan over to cook the new crop.
• Zhou Yan used a rice steamer to prepare rice and rice broth, and Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, Zhao Hexi, and Zhou Yan enjoyed the meal.
• Zhao Hexi researched rice competitions and presented the International Rice Competition to Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi as a way to promote their rice.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi entered the International Rice Competition, where their rice won a gold medal. After the harvest, Qing agreed to let experts visit the paddies despite there being only stubble left.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi discussed entering the International Rice Competition, and Zhao arranged the required recommendations.
• Qing Mengzhu led employees in drying rice straw and planted hydrilla in the paddies to feed the river shrimp.
• Zhao Hexi called Qing Mengzhu to announce that their rice had won a gold medal, then accepted the award while Qing watched the livestream.
• Zhao Hexi returned home with the medal, and Ming Chunxi hung it around Qing Mengzhu's neck as they celebrated.
• Zhao Hexi told Qing Mengzhu that experts wanted to visit their paddies, and Qing agreed to host them after learning they did not mind seeing the harvested fields.

Qing Mengzhu hosted more than thirty renowned experts who visited Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. to learn about its rice and research. After the visit, he agreed to arrange a tour for company members, send earthworms to interested professors, and review hiring plans from Gu Benshu and Li Ba.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi arranged a reception for the visiting experts, who questioned Qing Mengzhu about his rice, farming methods, and plans to grow rice without other organisms next year.
• Gu Benshu explained Zhuxi’s earthworm research, including its Biological Missiles project, while Qing Mengzhu answered the experts’ questions throughout the morning.
• Community-supported agriculture members recognized several visiting scholars and asked Ji Kun about meeting them and arranging their own tour.
• Nian Xinfei invited Tengcheng Agricultural University leaders to join the experts for lunch, and Qing Mengzhu welcomed three of them.
• After the experts left, Qing Mengzhu agreed to organize member visits and let members see the fertilizer, provided they stayed out of the fields.
• Gu Benshu asked to send earthworms to interested professors, and Li Ba and Gu Benshu proposed hiring more staff; Qing Mengzhu asked them to prepare plans for his review.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi made two batches of rice wine and enjoyed rice balls while the wine began fermenting. Ming Chunxi then told Qing Mengzhu he planned to resign and start a company focused on quantum computing and artificial intelligence, while Qing Mengzhu supported him and took charge of logistics.

• Zhou Yan reminded Qing Mengzhu of his plan to make wine from their rice, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to do it.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi bought sweet and regular wine starters, prepared two batches of rice, and packed them into jars to ferment.
• Qing Mengzhu made rice balls from the steamed rice, and he and Ming Chunxi shared them with their animals nearby.
• Ming Chunxi told Qing Mengzhu he planned to resign and start his own business, and Qing Mengzhu supported the decision after showing him their joint account balance.
• Ming Chunxi explained that he wanted to work on quantum computing and artificial intelligence, and he and Qing Mengzhu discussed hiring staff, buying equipment, and eventually bringing their companies together.

Qing Mengzhu learned that Ming Chunxi was close to recruiting two key project leads, then shared his newly fermented sweet rice wine with Ming Chunxi. Ming Chunxi brought his junior brother Chu Yanhuan back from Santa Clara to visit the company and Zhuxi Farm, where Chu Yanhuan remained undecided about joining but was eager to try the food.

• Ming Chunxi told Qing Mengzhu that the company had most of its team in place and that he planned to meet his hesitant junior brother, Chu Yanhuan, in Santa Clara.
• Qing Mengzhu finished fermenting sweet rice wine, tried it, and later shared it with Ming Chunxi.
• Qing Mengzhu suggested bringing wine and preparing food to welcome Chu Yanhuan, while Ming Chunxi hoped to persuade him with the farm's hospitality.
• Ming Chunxi met Chu Yanhuan in Santa Clara and persuaded him to return to the country for a visit, though Chu Yanhuan had not decided whether to stay.
• Qing Mengzhu welcomed Chu Yanhuan to Zhuxi Farm, where Chu Yanhuan admired the grounds and eagerly anticipated the meal.

Chu Yanhuan enjoyed Zhou Yan’s chocolate fermented rice and praised the farm’s food, while Zhou Yan added the dessert and other fermented rice treats to the menu. Later, Qing Mengzhu hosted Chu Yanhuan and Zhao Hexi for dinner, where Chu Yanhuan praised the village and asked about its development.

• Chu Yanhuan praised Zhou Yan’s chocolate fermented rice and agreed to stay longer and work with the others.
• Zhou Yan added chocolate fermented rice mousse, a hot chocolate fermented rice drink, and lighter autumn fermented rice desserts to the farm’s menu.
• Qing Mengzhu brought rose fermented rice, roast goose, and dry-pot swamp eel home and invited Zhao Hexi and Chu Yanhuan to dinner.
• Qing Mengzhu watered the vegetables with Spirit Pearl Dregs water while Ming Chunxi prepared dinner.
• Chu Yanhuan praised Ming Chunxi’s cooking and asked Qing Mengzhu whether the village had plans for its buildings and appearance.

Chu Yanhuan joined Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi on an early trip up the mountain, where he saw their animals and helped cut soybean stalks. Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi noticed an unusual smell in the cattle area, then harvested beans that Qing Mengzhu hoped to improve in quality next year.

• Chu Yanhuan learned that Ming Chunxi and Qing Mengzhu kept relaxed work hours and asked to accompany them up the mountain.
• Chu Yanhuan struggled to keep up with Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi at dawn and was startled by a hazel grouse and their cattle.
• Qing Mengzhu noticed a strange smell near the cattle, and he and Ming Chunxi shoveled away the cow dung they suspected was causing it.
• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Chu Yanhuan cut dried soybean stalks, and Qing Mengzhu explained that fallen beans would sprout the following spring.
• Qing Mengzhu inspected the plump soybean harvest and hoped to raise the seeds' quality to Fine Grade next year.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi prepared to ferment higher-grade fertilizer while Qing Mengzhu studied the process. He also found that his aging pepper and tomato plants were failing, so he planned to replant them next spring and use the plots for refined rice cultivation.

• Chu Yanhuan lost interest in farming and went down the mountain with Ming Chunxi, who later returned to help Qing Mengzhu harvest beans.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi decided to ferment cow dung in the bamboo grove using Superior Grade fertilizer powder and other materials.
• Qing Mengzhu bought another fertilizer fermentation powder and fish, while Zhao Hexi and others kept people from interrupting his fertilizer studies.
• As colder weather arrived, the farm began selling autumn vegetables and strawberries, while Qing Mengzhu investigated dying pepper plants.
• Qing Mengzhu determined that the peppers were likely dying of old age and decided to harvest and replant the peppers and tomatoes next spring.
• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi that the combined plots would be planted with rice using refined cultivation, without freshwater shrimp.