Chapter Summaries

Zhou Yan sampled Qing Mengzhu’s produce and invited him to help test a menu for important guests, then decided to buy two of Qing Mengzhu’s ducks after finding his duck dish unmemorable. The chapter ended with Zhou Yan struggling to catch the ducks as Dharma Protector and Courtyard Guard watched.

• Qing Mengzhu showed Zhou Yan his crops and lotus ponds, and Zhou Yan praised the lotus seeds and young lotus rhizomes.
• Zhou Yan invited Qing Mengzhu to taste his experimental dishes and asked for feedback on the feast.
• Qing Mengzhu praised several dishes but said the seafood bisque lacked depth, the ham was too rich, and the duck confit was forgettable.
• Zhou Yan asked to buy two ducks, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to let him catch two drakes in the backyard.
• Zhou Yan failed to catch the fast, flying ducks, and Guard barked anxiously as Dharma Protector and Courtyard Guard watched.

Zhou Yan visited Qing Mengzhu to collect a duck for a new dish, then invited him to forage for fresh mushrooms with Dharma Protector and Guard. The group climbed into the mountains and paused to rest partway up, with the mushroom search still ahead.

• Guard leaped into the duck pen and caught a duck for Zhou Yan, who took it to make duck confit.
• Qing Mengzhu told Dharma Protector and Guard that Zhou Yan had given them ingredients, and the dogs later brought Zhou Yan and Qing Mengzhu boletes as gifts.
• Zhou Yan asked Qing Mengzhu to go mushroom picking after praising the boletes in a fried rice dish he had eaten.
• Qing Mengzhu changed into hiking clothes, and he and Zhou Yan drove partway up the mountain before continuing on foot with the dogs.
• Zhou Yan grew out of breath as they climbed, so Qing Mengzhu stopped with him at a shady, flat place to rest.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan explored the mountain, gathering several kinds of mushrooms with help from Dharma Protector and Guard. They discovered a likely wild gastrodia, a nationally protected class-two plant, and carefully avoided disturbing it as they continued picking nearby.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan picked gǔshú mushrooms and truffles, then tasted raw milkcaps after Dharma Protector and Guard began eating them.
• The pair followed new mushrooms off their usual route and found a large patch of hazel mushrooms, which Qing Mengzhu marked on his map.
• Zhou Yan joked about cooking hazel mushrooms with Qing Mengzhu's hazel grouse, and promised to give the dogs extra steak for their good luck.
• Qing Mengzhu stopped Zhou Yan from stepping on a plant he identified as likely wild gastrodia, a nationally protected class-two plant.
• Qing Mengzhu sent Dharma Protector and Guard outside the patch, then continued picking hazel mushrooms carefully with Zhou Yan.

Qing Mengzhu found seeds left by his grandparents and began growing black gastrodia, then joined Zhou Yan and Qing Pingdun to taste Zhou Yan’s new dishes. The chapter ended with Qing Mengzhu praising the balanced flavors of Zhou Yan’s lotus seeds simmered in stock.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan picked honey mushrooms and other mushrooms in the mountains, and Qing Mengzhu planned to report the wild gastrodia patch to the police for protection.
• Qing Mengzhu found old gastrodia seeds among his grandparents’ belongings and used the Mall Assistant to identify them as low-viability black gastrodia seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu bought new black gastrodia seeds online and told Zhou Yan he planned to try growing them.
• Zhou Yan brought duck confit, lotus seeds simmered in stock, and truffles wrapped in ham for Qing Mengzhu and Qing Pingdun to taste.
• Qing Mengzhu praised the lotus seed soup’s savory, harmonious flavors, and Zhou Yan asked whether they tasted balanced.

Qing Mengzhu prepared black gastrodia seeds for planting and watched his fertilizer reach a higher grade, then sold enough to buy the bamboo he had been saving for. He ended the chapter with the bamboo in his personal center and a newly earned treasure chest waiting to be checked.

• Zhou Yan explained how he used chicken fat and mushroom-infused oil to balance the flavors of his lotus-seed soup and duck confit, and Qing Mengzhu praised the dishes.
• Zhou Yan asked Qing Mengzhu for vegetables, mushroom oil, and dried mushrooms, then headed home with the ingredients.
• Qing Mengzhu soaked black gastrodia seeds in mashed Luring Grass leaves and planted them with honey-mushroom-spored soil on his family's mountain.
• Qing Mengzhu's compost became basic fermented fertilizer with Fine Grade+ quality, so he sold exactly 1,011 jin and raised his balance to 10,007.29 Star Coins.
• Qing Mengzhu bought the 9,999-Star-Coin bamboo, then received a notification that spending 10,000 Star Coins had earned him a treasure chest.

Qing Mengzhu retrieved a Superior Grade Cloud Mirror Bamboo from the Interstellar Mall and prepared it for planting. Tan Wenlei sought his advice about growing asparagus, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to raise seedlings for both of them.

• Qing Mengzhu extracted the Cloud Mirror Bamboo, confirmed its quality with the Mall Assistant, and soaked it overnight in water infused with Luring Grass.
• Qing Mengzhu mixed soil for a flowerpot while his dogs, otter, and red fox watched nearby.
• Tan Wenlei asked Qing Mengzhu about growing asparagus and explained its long lifespan and delayed harvest.
• Qing Mengzhu advised Tan Wenlei to plant both mature seedlings and seeds, starting with a small area rather than a field.
• Qing Mengzhu agreed to take Tan Wenlei's asparagus seeds, raise seedlings for them both, and begin soon because autumn had started.

Qing Mengzhu planted Cloud Mirror Bamboo and asparagus seeds, then opened a spending-reward chest with Ming Chunxi’s help and received a basic crop-growing skill book. After inviting Ming Chunxi over to make lotus tea, he examined the book and found that he could apply it to more than a hundred crops, but not lotus roots because his lotus-root-growing skill was already basic.

• Qing Mengzhu prepared soil for the bamboo and asparagus, then soaked Tan Wenlei’s Good Grade+ asparagus seeds to help them sprout.
• Qing Mengzhu asked Ming Chunxi to help him open his ten-thousand-Star-Coin progress chest, and Ming Chunxi called out when to tap it.
• Qing Mengzhu won a basic skill book and learned that it could quickly raise one crop-growing skill to the basic level.
• Qing Mengzhu invited Ming Chunxi over to make lotus tea, and Ming Chunxi said he would arrive in about an hour.
• Qing Mengzhu discovered that his lotus-root-growing skill was already basic and that the skill book could not be used on it, leaving more than a hundred other crops to choose from.

Qing Mengzhu used a beginner skill book to learn bamboo cultivation and spent the evening with Ming Chunxi before taking him to pick lotus buds for tea. In the pond, Ming Chunxi stepped on something hard, and Qing Mengzhu found a giant river mussel.

• Qing Mengzhu used the beginner skill book on bamboo cultivation and learned that his prepared soil was too alkaline.
• Ming Chunxi arrived after an industry summit, showered, and spent the evening chatting and stargazing with Qing Mengzhu.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi went to the lotus pond early the next morning to pick buds for lotus flower tea.
• Ming Chunxi stepped on something hard near the center of the pond, and Qing Mengzhu found a giant river mussel beneath the water.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi cleared large freshwater mussels from the pond with help from the otter, dogs, and red fox, then carried their haul and vegetables home. On the way, they ran into Zhou Yan, who admired the mussels as excellent ingredients.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi searched the pond for mussels while Qing Mengzhu checked that the hidden Spirit Pearl Dregs remained unchanged.
• The otter began diving for mussels and quickly gathered them, while the dogs and geese added to the commotion.
• Ming Chunxi caught Qing Mengzhu when he nearly fell into the pond, and Qing Mengzhu ordered the dogs back to shore.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi packed more than thirty mussels and vegetables, with the dogs and otter carrying some as they headed home.
• Zhou Yan stopped his car, asked about Qing Mengzhu's haul, and praised the mussels as excellent ingredients.

Zhou Yan visited Qing Mengzhu to cook river mussels with duck, and everyone enjoyed Qing Mengzhu’s fragrant lotus tea before preparing dinner. While cleaning the mussels, they found nine small golden pearls and considered turning them into jewelry.

• Zhou Yan agreed to make duck and river mussel stew and Qing Mengzhu invited Zhao Hexi to join them.
• Zhou Yan arrived at Qing Mengzhu’s home, brought wine for the stew, and praised the lotus tea after tasting it.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi prepared the duck while Zhou Yan and Ming Chunxi cleaned the mussels and searched for pearls.
• Ming Chunxi found a golden pearl and gave it to Qing Mengzhu, then found two more as Zhou Yan found an irregular pearl.
• The group found nine small, bright pearls among thirty-seven mussels, and Zhou Yan suggested having them made into jewelry.

Qing Mengzhu, Zhou Yan, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi shared duck stewed with river mussels after feeding the dogs, otter, and red fox. After cleaning up, Qing Mengzhu invited Ming Chunxi to walk and look at the stars, and they set off together.

• Zhou Yan simmered duck and mussels while Qing Mengzhu fed dried meat to the dogs, otter, and red fox.
• Qing Mengzhu served the animals meat mixed with rice and vegetables, and they eagerly ate it.
• Zhou Yan finished the duck and mussel dish with a sauce featuring litsea cubeba oil, and everyone ate it with the other dishes and soup.
• After the meal, Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi went home while Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi cleaned up.
• Qing Mengzhu invited Ming Chunxi to stargaze, and they agreed to walk along the road together.

Qing Mengzhu reflected on his growing sense of security and shared a peaceful walk with Ming Chunxi. As autumn cooled the village, he tended his crops and began preparing a mountain plot for bamboo, but then rushed into a river to save a young boy who had fallen in.

• Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi that returning to farming had eased his anxiety, and Ming Chunxi encouraged him to trust his friends.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi played with Guard and Dharma Protector during their walk beneath the stars.
• Qing Mengzhu saw his crops thriving in the cooler weather and found a bamboo shoot emerging from the section he had planted.
• Qing Mengzhu cleared a mountain plot for transplanting bamboo, then walked home when the sun grew hot.
• Qing Mengzhu saw a young boy fall into a river and a girl struggle to rescue him, then overcame memories of his father's drowning and jumped in to search for the boy.

Qing Mengzhu rescued a drowning child and, shaken by the experience, found comfort in Ming Chunxi, who confessed his feelings and asked to pursue him. Qing Mengzhu admitted he liked Ming Chunxi but feared change and was left with time to consider beginning a relationship.

• Qing Mengzhu and the two dogs brought a drowning boy ashore, and Qing Mengzhu performed CPR until the boy began breathing again.
• After villagers and the ambulance took over, Qing Mengzhu went home to rest with Dharma Protector and Guard.
• Ming Chunxi arrived, embraced Qing Mengzhu, and asked him to be together.
• Qing Mengzhu admitted he liked Ming Chunxi but said he hated change and feared another painful ending.
• Ming Chunxi offered to pursue Qing Mengzhu slowly and urged him to take time before deciding.

After Ming Chunxi confessed, Qing Mengzhu wrestled with his fears about dating him and sought advice from Zhao Hexi. He agreed to take things slowly, and Ming Chunxi asked whether he could visit on weekends.

• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi that Ming Chunxi had confessed, then went to work in the fields to steady himself.
• Tan Wenlei told Qing Mengzhu that Ming Chunxi had worried about him after hearing he had rescued a child from the water.
• Zhao Hexi encouraged Qing Mengzhu to give the relationship a chance and reminded him that he might be shutting himself off because he had not moved on from his uncle's death.
• After eating and drinking with Zhao Hexi, Qing Mengzhu asked Ming Chunxi whether they could date slowly, and Ming Chunxi agreed.
• Ming Chunxi asked to visit Qing Mengzhu on weekends, and Qing Mengzhu asked whether he was coming that week so he could prepare his room.

Ming Chunxi moved in with Qing Mengzhu, and the two grew more comfortable living together as a couple. After the family of the boy Qing Mengzhu had saved thanked him publicly, Qing Mengzhu reflected on his own loss and felt ready to move forward.

• Ming Chunxi told Qing Mengzhu that he had informed his mother about having a boyfriend, and she had accepted it.
• Ming Chunxi brought his luggage and exercise equipment to Qing Mengzhu's house, where the two shared a more intimate atmosphere.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi worked in the fields while Tan Wenlei watched them nearby.
• The parents of the boy Qing Mengzhu had rescued arrived with Qing Yukai and village residents to thank him and present him with a silk banner.
• Qing Mengzhu posed for a commemorative photo and thought that although his father had not been saved, he had become someone else's good fortune.
• Ming Chunxi arranged to commute from Qing Mengzhu's home with a driver, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to their living together.

Qing Mengzhu investigated why Dharma Protector and Guard had fought with the otter and discovered an intruder had taken over the otter’s burrow. The real otter charged into the burrow to confront it, and a fierce fight began inside.

• Zhao Hexi and Qing Mengzhu joked about being lovestruck and arranged for Zhao Hexi to visit that weekend.
• Qing Mengzhu prepared fertilizer for his bamboo, then found Dharma Protector and Guard barking at an otter near its burrow.
• Qing Mengzhu found many otter tracks and shrimp remains by the pond, and Tan Wenlei warned him that the otter might be stealing his shrimp.
• Qing Mengzhu went to speak with the otter but heard someone breathing inside its burrow.
• The real otter emerged from the red fox’s den, then charged into its burrow and began fighting the creature inside.

Qing Mengzhu helped his otter friend and the red fox drive off three otters that were trying to take over the otter’s den and reach his shrimp pond. He kept feeding the animals as they guarded the pond, while Zhao Hexi returned from fishing early after repeatedly losing his lines.

• Qing Mengzhu called Dharma Protector and Guard to help his otter friend and the red fox defeat three intruding otters, then treated the injured animals and fed them dried meat.
• Ming Chunxi suggested calling the forest police, but Qing Mengzhu decided the dogs and other animals could drive off the intruders themselves.
• Qing Mengzhu fed Dharma Protector and Guard generously, and they joined the otter and fox in chasing away the three otters whenever they came near the shrimp pond.
• While picking vegetables, Qing Mengzhu and his companions discussed the daily fights and whether the shrimp might eventually be sold to Chef Zhou's restaurant.
• Zhao Hexi went fishing for yellowcheek carp with expensive bait, but returned early after losing several hooks and spools of line.

Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi discovered that three otters had been snapping Zhao Hexi’s fishing lines, and their animals drove the otters away. The next day, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi prepared lotus seeds and hazel grouse for soup, while Feng Ningxiang noticed their growing closeness.

• Zhao Hexi’s fishing line kept snapping in the evenings, so Qing Mengzhu suspected the three otters he and Ming Chunxi had angered were biting through it.
• Qing Mengzhu brought an otter to fish with Zhao Hexi, and the otter, red fox, and two dogs fought the three otters and drove them into the river.
• Zhao Hexi sent Qing Mengzhu money to reward the animals, and the group decided to make hazel grouse and lotus seed soup.
• The next day, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi picked mature lotus pods and agreed to use them for soup.
• Feng Ningxiang and two others saw Ming Chunxi help Qing Mengzhu out of the boat and recognized the change in their relationship.
• Qing Mengzhu said he had asked Brother Zhou how long hazel grouse needed to cook, and he and Ming Chunxi planned to prepare it when they got home.

Qing Mengzhu slaughtered three male hazel grouse and made lotus seed and hazel grouse soup for lunch, which everyone enjoyed. Afterward, he fed the leftover soup and rice to the dogs, otter, and red fox, and the otter eagerly ate while the fox remained wary.

• Qing Mengzhu selected three male hazel grouse to slaughter, leaving some males and all females to preserve the flock.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi prepared the grouse, and Qing Mengzhu cooked them with lotus seeds into soup.
• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi ate the soup and praised its rich, savory flavor.
• Qing Mengzhu mixed cooled soup with rice and vegetables, then fed portions to the dogs, the otter, and the red fox.
• The otter eagerly ate from its bowl, while the cautious red fox repeatedly approached to sniff the food before retreating.

Qing Mengzhu discovered that lotus seed and hazel grouse soup was Fine Grade+ after Zhao Hexi reported feeling healthier from drinking it. The next day, Ming Lexin called to say the soup had made her complexion rosy and smooth, leaving Qing Mengzhu wondering what the soup could do.

• The red fox chased the otter away from its den, and Qing Mengzhu collected their bowls after they finished eating.
• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi overslept after lunch, and Zhao Hexi said the soup had eased his throat and made him feel refreshed.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi agreed to give the soup to relatives without telling them what effects it might have, so they could judge their reactions.
• Qing Mengzhu scanned the soup with the Mall Assistant and found it was Fine Grade+, then arranged for Qing Guozhi to receive some.
• Qing Guozhi praised the soup's flavor but noticed no unusual effects, while Ming Lexin called the next day and said it had improved her complexion.