Chapter Summaries

After returning to Vine City, Qing Mengzhu checked the farms after heavy rain, caught wild fish and shrimp in his family’s rice paddy, and discussed a silk-clothing sales venture with Zhao Hexi. Zhao Hexi prepared to travel to Ye'erqingele to arrange tomato-sauce production, while Qing Mengzhu planned to visit the rice fields soon.

• Qing Mengzhu agreed to bring Zhao Hexi a bucket of orchard earthworms when they returned to Vine City.
• After the sea-fishing trip, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi returned to Vine City, where Qing Mengzhu inspected the cattle, hazel grouse, mother bamboo, and fields after the rain.
• Qing Mengzhu caught small fish and shrimp in his family’s rice paddy and shared them with the employees, who recalled catching fish in their childhood.
• Zhao Hexi brought Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi silk clothes made from local spring-silkworm silk, and Qing Mengzhu agreed that the company should explore selling selected agricultural products under a separate brand.
• Zhao Hexi said he would travel to Ye'erqingele to arrange tomato-sauce production, and Qing Mengzhu planned to visit the rice fields in a few days.

Qing Mengzhu inspected the rice and other crops before agreeing with Zhao Hexi to buy and lease a neighboring oilseed sunflower farm. He stayed in the frontier region for half a month to manage the new crop, while production of their tomato and pepper products began in Ye'erqingele.

• Zhao Hexi told Qing Mengzhu that an oilseed sunflower farm owner had offered to sell them his crop, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to inspect it.
• Qing Mengzhu checked the rice and other crops, adjusting the paddy water and planning when to dry and fertilize the fields.
• Qing Mengzhu inspected the sunflower fields and decided to buy the crop and lease the farm, while Zhao Hexi negotiated the deal.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged for the new farm to keep bees for pollination and took his team to care for the sunflowers and soil.
• Qing Mengzhu stayed in the frontier region for half a month, and Ming Chunxi visited him for a few days.
• Zhao Hexi sent the Ye'erqingele vegetables to a contract manufacturer, where production of tomato sauce, tomato paste, and dried peppers began.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi sampled Zhou Yan’s new dishes, which featured ingredients from their farm and orchard. Just as they finished, Zhao Hexi called to say Qing Mengzhu’s cow seemed to be going into labor.

• Qing Mengzhu returned to Vine City with tomato products and invited Zhou Yan to get together after he finished developing new dishes.
• Zhou Yan served Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi Sichuan pepper conch, meat-stuffed peppers, and bird’s nest and lotus seed soup, explaining the ingredients and flavors.
• Qing Mengzhu praised the dishes and suggested that Zhou Yan offer the soup hot or cold and sell the dishes as a set.
• Zhao Hexi called Qing Mengzhu and reported that his cow was calling urgently and seemed about to give birth.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi watched as all twenty-eight cows gave birth safely, then learned to milk them and collect colostrum. They brought the first milk to Zhou Yan, who remarked that it looked different from what he had seen before.

• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and the vet prepared the cows for delivery and waited through the night.
• All twenty-eight cows gave birth to healthy calves without complications by the following morning.
• The vet examined the cows and calves, advised Qing Mengzhu to milk the cows as their colostrum increased, and offered to teach him.
• On the third day, the vet taught Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi how to milk the cows and explained that the yellow milk was colostrum.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi brought colostrum to Zhou Yan, who said it looked different from what he had seen before.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan tasted the farm’s rich, naturally sweet cow colostrum and discussed making dairy products and desserts with the fresh milk. As the cows began producing steadily, the farm’s yogurt and other dairy dishes became popular, and customers soon asked about coffee.

• Zhou Yan slowly pasteurized Qing Mengzhu’s colostrum while the group drank tea and discussed the cows’ milk supply.
• Zhou Yan served the colostrum, and Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, Ming Chunxi, and the others found it unusually rich, sweet, and delicious.
• Zhou Yan agreed to make butter, cheese, yogurt, double-skin milk, and desserts with the cows’ milk, and Qing Mengzhu offered to order dairy treats for his company.
• The farm began using its steady supply of fresh milk in cakes, baked dishes, and yogurt, which became popular and often sold out early.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi discussed the dairy products’ popularity, and Zhao Hexi said people online had begun asking about coffee.

Qing Mengzhu and his crew harvested their second year's rice crop by hand, while Academician Bai Wenru and Professor Cheng Yizheng examined its unusual strength and quality. Bai and Cheng joined Qing Mengzhu at the farm to discuss business, leaving the conversation poised to turn to collaboration.

• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, Zhao Hexi, and the harvesting crew began cutting the ripe rice by hand and found loaches in the dried paddies.
• Gu Benshu alerted Qing Mengzhu that Academician Bai Wenru and Professor Cheng Yizheng had arrived to inspect the fields.
• Bai Wenru and Cheng Yizheng praised the rice's lodging resistance, sturdy stalks, low rate of empty grains, and insect resistance.
• Qing Mengzhu invited Bai Wenru and Cheng Yizheng to the farm to talk, while they left their students to help harvest the rice.
• Bai Wenru began reminiscing about his early work on hybrid rice breeding as he and Qing Mengzhu sat down to discuss business.

Qing Mengzhu agreed to cooperate with research laboratories on rice studies and harvested his family’s improved crop, which yielded 1,237 jin per mu. He then oversaw the first rice harvest at the company’s large Ye'erqingele farm, where the grain was sent for drying.

• Qing Mengzhu agreed to detailed partnership talks with Cheng Yizheng and Bai Wenru’s laboratories, and Zhao Hexi prepared to negotiate the terms.
• Qing Mengzhu’s family harvested ten mu of rice, averaging 1,237 jin per mu, and Zhou Yan cooked the fragrant new crop for them to try.
• Qing Mengzhu refused to sell the family’s rice, reserving it for seed, family, and friends, while Zhao Hexi discussed promoting the company’s upcoming rice.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi traveled to Ye'erqingele and arranged for Ge Yutian’s crew to harvest the company’s 178-hectare farm with seven harvesters.
• Qing Mengzhu planned to plow the rice straw into the fields and sow ryegrass, then inspected the large drying plant receiving the harvest.

Qing Mengzhu and his companions rushed to Qiongwei City after Ping Lin reported that their durians had ripened on the trees. They gathered at the orchard at night to inspect the fruit and prepare for their first harvest, but had not yet tasted any.

• Ping Lin told Qing Mengzhu that some durians had ripened and split open on the trees, so Qing Mengzhu booked a flight to Qiongwei City.
• Qing Mengzhu invited Zhao Hexi, Zhou Yan, and Chu Yanhuan to join him, while Ming Lexin declined and asked them to bring her good durians.
• Ming Chunxi picked up Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi, and the group drove to the orchard while discussing their past disappointments with store-bought durians.
• At the orchard, Chu Yanhuan and Ping Lin waited for Qing Mengzhu so they could taste the first tree-ripened durians together.
• Qing Mengzhu inspected the fruit and its clear fragrance under the starry sky, while Zhao Hexi asked where they could find a ladder.

Ping Lin guided Zhao Hexi, Chu Yanhuan, Qing Mengzhu, Zhou Yan, and Ming Chunxi through the orchard to pick ripe durians, and they discovered that each fruit had a distinct flavor. After tasting four durians, they compared the surprising aromas and learned that wild durians could all taste different.

• Ping Lin pointed out ripe durians, and Zhao Hexi climbed a ladder to pick the first one despite being startled by animals in the tree.
• Ping Lin opened the durian, and everyone shared its silky, sweet flesh and eagerly decided to pick another.
• Zhao Hexi and Chu Yanhuan helped carry the ladder to a nearby tree, where they picked a second durian with a richer, mellower flavor.
• Qing Mengzhu, Zhou Yan, and Ming Chunxi compared the second durian's complex taste with the first and asked to try a third.
• Ping Lin picked a third durian with a nutty aroma, and the group continued tasting a fourth with yet another distinct flavor.
• Qing Mengzhu likened picking durians to opening blind boxes, and Ping Lin explained that wild durians could each have a different flavor.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi hosted Mi Yao and his friends, who sampled their premium durians and offered to connect them with clients. The orchard welcomed its first customers that afternoon, and the durians sold well at high prices.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi ate mung bean soup for breakfast before Qing Mengzhu invited Mi Yao and his friends to visit.
• Qing Mengzhu said he expected to wholesale the durians for 1,600 yuan per kilogram and retail them for 900 yuan per jin, then took the group to taste one.
• Mi Yao and his friends praised the durian’s rich fragrance and silky texture and offered to introduce potential clients.
• Qing Mengzhu guided the clients who arrived that afternoon through the orchard and helped them pick ripe durians.
• The clients bought at least three durians per family, and Qing Mengzhu gave the customer who bought twenty-six the wholesale price.

Qing Mengzhu and his staff sold their tree-ripened durians at the orchard and farm restaurant, where Cui Zhenzhen and her friends loved the new baked durian with cheese. Back home, Qing Mengzhu shared durian with the animals, then rode off with the rest to give some to Ming Chunxi before they could persuade him to feed them more.

• Qing Mengzhu and the orchard staff offered customers earthworms, ryegrass, or figs as gifts and sold durians locally, to longtime customers elsewhere, and on consignment at the farm restaurant.
• Cui Zhenzhen ordered the new baked durian with cheese, loved it with her friends, and got the last three portions before the restaurant ran out.
• The server gave Cui Zhenzhen and her friends bamboo leaf tea, which they enjoyed after their rich dessert.
• Qing Mengzhu returned home with durians, where Dharma Protector, Guard, the otter, and the red fox eagerly gathered around him.
• Qing Mengzhu gave each animal a small piece of durian, but left with the remaining half to share with Ming Chunxi before the animals could coax him into giving them more.

Liu Mo and his family tried Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.'s durian and praised its flavor and yield as the fruit became a national sensation. After a successful harvest and preparations for the next season, Qing Mengzhu left for Qiongwei City with bees to collect nectar from flowering coffee plants.

• Liu Mo bought a five-jin durian, opened it with his family, and posted a glowing review with photos.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi discussed the strong demand for durians and planned to fertilize and prune the trees after the harvest.
• Qing Mengzhu's company completed its durian harvest after October 15, then fertilized the trees and arranged for technicians to prune them.
• By the company's fourth year, its orchards were producing abundant fruit, and its durians had become famous at home and abroad.
• Qing Mengzhu prepared to fly to Qiongwei City with bees to collect nectar from flowering coffee plants while Ming Chunxi stayed behind to debug a product.

Qing Mengzhu brought bees to Qiongwei City to pollinate Ping Lin’s fragrant coffee blossoms and inspected the flowering grove and its water supply. The bees began gathering nectar, while Qing Mengzhu planned to leave the healthy coffee trees alone and continue checking the orchard.

• Ping Lin met Qing Mengzhu at the airport and reassured him that the coffee blossoms’ strong fragrance would help the bees gather nectar quickly.
• Qing Mengzhu arrived at the coffee grove, admired its dense, colorful blossoms, and told Lin Jinghan to spread out the hives because the flowers would not last long.
• Qing Mengzhu used the Mall Assistant to check the coffee trees and decided they needed only an appropriate amount of extra fertilizer.
• Lin Jinghan and the beekeeping team released the bees into the grove, and Qing Mengzhu shared photos of the bees and blossoms with Ming Chunxi.
• Qing Mengzhu checked the pond, found its Spirit Pearl Dregs still effective, and brought water back for the bees.
• Qing Mengzhu saw the orchard’s free-range chickens and recalled that more than fifty thousand chickens were being raised across the orchards for the farmstead.

Qing Mengzhu and his companions harvested their first crop of coffee cherries and sent them for natural, washed, and honey processing. When the fermentation neared completion, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi visited the processing plant, where the master explained the methods and began showing them the honey-processed beans.

• Qing Mengzhu oversaw the harvest of the ripe coffee cherries with Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi, and Zhao Hexi discovered that the fruit tasted bitter and astringent.
• Qing Mengzhu arranged for the cherries to be divided among natural, washed, and honey processing at a plant in Qiongwei City.
• After the fermentation neared completion, the master invited Qing Mengzhu to inspect the beans.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi visited the plant, smelled the rich coffee aroma, and asked about the different processing methods.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi decided to look at the honey-processed coffee first.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi toured a coffee workshop, sampled several coffees, and brought beans home. Qing Mengzhu invited his friends to share coffee in his garden, where they began brewing the honey-processed beans.

• The master showed Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi honey-processed, washed, and sun-dried coffee beans and explained how they were processed.
• The master ground and extracted several coffees for them to smell and taste, and they finished with lattes in his office.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi asked the master for beans, and Qing Mengzhu showed that he had ordered a coffee machine for home.
• After returning from Qiongwei City, Qing Mengzhu invited Zhao Hexi and the others to his garden for coffee.
• Zhou Yan, Zhao Hexi, and Chu Yanhuan arrived, chose beans to try, and Qing Mengzhu began grinding the honey-processed beans.

Qing Mengzhu and his friends sampled their newly harvested coffee and invited champion barista Xia Yuefeng to collaborate. After tasting the coffee, Xia agreed to work with them and inspected the nearly completed café, which was preparing to open.

• Qing Mengzhu served the group lattes made with their coffee beans and fresh cow's milk, and Chu Yanhuan made flat whites for everyone.
• Zhou Yan suggested bringing in a professional barista, and Qing Mengzhu contacted Xia Yuefeng's team to invite them to taste the coffee.
• Xia Yuefeng arrived two days later, sampled the coffee, and agreed to work with Qing Mengzhu after praising its cultivation and distinctive flavor.
• Qing Mengzhu showed Xia Yuefeng the café beside Zhuxi Holdings Co., Ltd., and she approved the espresso machine and offered to select coffee cups.

Qing Mengzhu partnered with Xia Yuefeng to open a café that quickly became popular for its distinctive coffee. He then led a group of members on a farm tour, where they admired the colorful fields and asked about a brown post.

• Xia Yuefeng approved of the café and its basement oak barrels, then signed a partnership contract with Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi.
• Xia Yuefeng's team opened the café, attracting staff from the Zhuxi companies and coffee lovers with its world-class beans and creative drinks.
• Online reviews surged, and Qing Mengzhu read them while waiting to lead the monthly member tour.
• Qing Mengzhu welcomed thirty adult members, signed autographs, and spoke with Lachlan, who had traveled from Exmouth to meet his idol.
• Qing Mengzhu drove one of two shuttles through the farm as members admired the crops, canola blossoms, butterflies, and geese.
• A member asked Qing Mengzhu what a brown post beside the farm path was.

Qing Mengzhu showed visiting company members the farm’s smart agricultural systems, treated them to a meal, and led them on an afternoon tour. After the members left, Zhao Hexi reminded him that it was time to slaughter one of their pigs and make cured pork.

• Qing Mengzhu explained the farm’s irrigation, pest-monitoring, soil-monitoring, and greenhouse systems to the visiting members.
• Qing Mengzhu treated the members to a meal made from farm produce, then served company-grown tea brewed with mountain spring water.
• Qing Mengzhu led the members on an afternoon tour featuring hands-on farming experiences and the company’s agricultural achievements before seeing them off at five.
• Qing Mengzhu returned home, played with the animals, and read in the garden while waiting for Ming Chunxi to finish work.
• Zhao Hexi startled Qing Mengzhu and reminded him that the weather was right for slaughtering a pig to make cured pork.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi shared a romantic moment when Ming Chunxi brought home a Fine Grade+ rose seedling. Later, Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Chu Yanhuan gathered to grill fresh pork during the group’s pig-slaughtering day.

• Zhao Hexi teased Qing Mengzhu about his relationship with Ming Chunxi before heading to the farm for a meal.
• Ming Chunxi brought Qing Mengzhu a Fine Grade+ rose seedling he had bought in Grasse, and Qing Mengzhu kissed him.
• When the group slaughtered their pigs, Tan Wenlei and the others kept Qing Mengzhu from helping so he would not dirty his clothes, while Ming Chunxi and Zhou Yan helped with the pigs.
• Zhao Hexi and Chu Yanhuan prepared a charcoal fire as Qing Mengzhu cut the fresh pork brought over by Zhou Yan’s apprentice, Wu Yi.
• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Chu Yanhuan grilled pork liver, pork belly, pork neck, and ribs with Zhou Yan’s yakitori sauce, chili powder, and salt.

Qing Mengzhu and the others shared a lively charcoal-grilled meal before Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi went up the mountain to gather lily bulbs and Solomon's seal for cooking. They found large, high-quality roots and left the remaining dormant plants to grow.

• Qing Mengzhu and the crowd enjoyed grilled pig liver, pork neck, and pork belly, while Qing Mengzhu brought a plate of meat to Ming Chunxi.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi rode a motorcycle up the mountain to dig medicinal herbs for Zhou Yan's planned dishes.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi dug up an enormous lily bulb from the bamboo grove.
• Ming Chunxi unearthed a large piece of Solomon's seal, which Qing Mengzhu judged to be Fine Grade+ quality.
• Qing Mengzhu decided there were no more large pieces nearby and told Ming Chunxi to refill the soil so the dormant buds could grow next year.