Chapter Summaries

Qing Mengzhu and his partners established a small company and began researching Livingston Bacillus while preparing to expand into agricultural production. Tan Wenlei asked to join the company after pests damaged his fields, leaving everyone surprised by his decision to quit farming.

• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Gu Benshu recruited three graduate students and set up a company to search for Livingston Bacillus.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi planned to let Gu Benshu's team research the bacteria before using the Interstellar Mall as a backup to make their discovery seem credible.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi picked vegetables with Feng Ningxiang and the others, and Qing Mengzhu explained that the company needed the produce and would save most bamboo shoots for planting.
• Di Caiyong asked Qing Mengzhu to give his restaurant first consideration for future bamboo shoots, and Qing Mengzhu agreed.
• Tan Wenlei asked Qing Mengzhu about a production job, then admitted he wanted to work for the company because pests had damaged his fields and he expected a poor harvest.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi expanded Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. by renting farmland and ponds, hiring local workers, and planting bamboo on a hill. They planned to move the hazel grouse there, but Zhao Hexi wondered whether they would need a heater when the eggs hatched in colder weather.

• Tan Wenlei and Deng Linjia joined Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. and sublet their fields to the company.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi rented farmland and ponds, increasing their leased farmland from fifteen mu to 450 mu.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi led the production team in clearing a hill and transplanting bamboo across it.
• Zhao Hexi asked whether they should buy a heater for the hazel grouse eggs, which might hatch after the weather turned colder.

Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi discussed raising hazel grouse and welcomed Qing Guozhi, who asked to use their bamboo to make fresh bamboo sap for his coughing son. The next day, they cut bamboo on the mountain and began extracting its sap, while Qing Mengzhu and Qing Guozhi discussed the bamboo forest and the company’s plans.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi considered raising a few thousand hazel grouse in the bamboo forest, and Ming Chunxi joined their discussion.
• Qing Guozhi brought the group large crabs and asked Qing Mengzhu for bamboo stalks to make fresh bamboo sap for his coughing son.
• Qing Mengzhu invited Qing Guozhi to dinner, where the old man gave Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi advice about starting a company.
• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, Ming Chunxi, and Qing Guozhi went up the mountain the next morning and talked about the company’s work arrangements and ways to make money from bamboo.
• The group cut bamboo stalks and carried them home, where they split the stalks and heated them over a small fire to collect fresh bamboo sap.

Qing Mengzhu and his family made fresh bamboo sap for the old man and Qing Xun, who praised its effects and suggested selling it. Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi began planning health-food gift boxes and a marketing department, leaving the family preparing to expand into processed products.

• Qing Mengzhu and the old man roasted bamboo, filtered the sap, and gave Zhao Hexi a small bowl to try.
• The old man took a thermos of fresh bamboo sap to Qing Xun, who drank it and suggested Qing Mengzhu sell bamboo sap and other health products.
• The old man called Qing Mengzhu and encouraged him to obtain a health-food business license and consider products made from lotus plumules, gastrodia, and bamboo sap.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi discussed making health gift boxes, including lotus seed soup products for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi about the plan, and Zhao Hexi proposed setting up a marketing department and opening an online store.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi finalized a snow fungus and lotus seed soup recipe and prepared to fulfill the company’s first large order. Gu Benshu reported progress on insect-killing bacteria and introduced Qing Mengzhu to bamboo vinegar as a possible agricultural additive.

• Zhao Hexi presented the finished snow fungus and lotus seed soup, and Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi approved its taste.
• Zhao Hexi said Qing Xun had ordered five hundred gift boxes, and Qing Mengzhu urged the team to carefully check the first production batch.
• Gu Benshu reported that his team had isolated three insect-killing bacilli but could not patent the strains because similar products already existed.
• Qing Mengzhu gave Gu Benshu fresh bamboo sap and explained how to store and handle it safely.
• Gu Benshu explained that bamboo vinegar could help pesticides penetrate more effectively, and Qing Mengzhu said he would look into producing it.

Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi distilled bamboo vinegar from Cloud Mirror Bamboo and tested how it could be used with pesticides. After Gu Benshu confirmed their batch was suitable, they sprayed comparison fields and prepared to test it with herbicide.

• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi researched bamboo vinegar and bought a small dry distillation machine.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi distilled used bamboo into bamboo vinegar, then asked Gu Benshu to examine it.
• Gu Benshu confirmed the bamboo vinegar was decent and advised them on mixing it with pesticide.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi sprayed pesticide with bamboo vinegar on one field and the same pesticide without it on another.
• Qing Mengzhu decided to test the vinegar with glyphosate, and Tan Wenlei and the others volunteered to buy the herbicide.

Qing Mengzhu and his colleagues confirmed that bamboo vinegar greatly improved their herbicide’s effect, prompting plans to plant more bamboo. At an agricultural exchange conference, Qing Mengzhu heard about reusing bacteria from infected insects and realized the company could broaden its search for useful Bacillus by buying insect carcasses from other growers.

• Zhao Hexi hurried Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi to the fields, where the weeds treated with bamboo-vinegar herbicide had wilted while untreated weeds remained green.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi agreed to plant bamboo on another mountain, and Zhao Hexi decided to focus on selling bamboo vinegar as a pesticide and advance the company’s pesticide license application.
• Qing Mengzhu attended an agricultural exchange conference because Zhao Hexi and the production team were too busy to represent the company.
• Qing Mengzhu listened to a presentation explaining how growers could reuse Bacillus thuringiensis by collecting and spraying infected insect carcasses.
• Qing Mengzhu realized that buying insect carcasses from growers across a wider area could help the company find unfamiliar insect-killing Bacillus bacteria.

Qing Mengzhu and his colleagues collected insect carcasses from local farmers, and Gu Benshu’s team found an unfamiliar insecticidal Bacillus crystal in a corn borer. After confirming the discovery, they discussed cultivating a new strain and planning a paper, while Qing Mengzhu urged the researchers to rest instead of working excessive overtime.

• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi arranged to collect infected insect carcasses from several villages and asked Gu Benshu to screen them at a market stall.
• Gu Benshu and Zhao Hexi bought more than three thousand yuan’s worth of insect specimens, and Gu Benshu began studying them with his researchers.
• Two days later, Gu Benshu told Qing Mengzhu that his team had found an unfamiliar parasporal crystal in a corn borer, suggesting a new insecticidal Bacillus species.
• Qing Mengzhu and the others examined the crystals in the laboratory, then Qing Mengzhu promised the researchers a buffet and an extra bonus.
• Qing Mengzhu and Gu Benshu decided to assess cultivation of a new strain before deciding when to publish the paper, and Gu Benshu planned to request new equipment.
• Qing Mengzhu sent the researchers home and told Gu Benshu to work less overtime.

After the typhoon, Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi checked the fields and found the pond and shrimp unharmed. The red fox brought Qing Mengzhu wild lily bulbs, prompting Zhao Hexi to suggest they search the mountain for more mushrooms and bulbs the next day.

• After the rain stopped, Qing Mengzhu inspected the pond and found the shrimp and protective nets unharmed.
• Zhao Hexi pulled a lotus root from the pond, and Qing Mengzhu said it needed more time to grow.
• The red fox gave Qing Mengzhu two wild lily bulbs, and Qing Mengzhu thanked him with two portions of dried meat while the otter received one.
• Zhao Hexi suggested searching the mountain for mushrooms and wild lily bulbs, and Qing Mengzhu agreed to go the next day with Ming Chunxi.
• Zhao Hexi asked Qing Mengzhu to see if the red fox would lead them to wild lily bulbs.

Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi followed the red fox up the mountain, gathering fruit and wild lily bulbs. After they returned, Ming Lexin asked to visit for a meal, and Ming Chunxi reached for Qing Mengzhu’s phone to turn her down.

• Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi followed the red fox through the mountain, eating rose myrtle and picking wild kiwifruit, akebia fruit, blueberries, and mushrooms along the way.
• Qing Mengzhu led the group to the abandoned village near where he had visited as a child, and they dug up two bags of wild lily bulbs.
• The group descended the mountain together after filling their baskets and bags with their harvest.
• Qing Mengzhu received a message from Ming Lexin asking to come over for a meal that day, and he eagerly agreed.
• Ming Chunxi saw the messages and reached for Qing Mengzhu’s phone, saying he would turn Ming Lexin down.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi welcomed Ming Lexin for dinner, where she saw how affectionate they were and accepted their relationship. The family shared a meal and took a photo together, and Ming Lexin invited them to visit her home next time.

• Qing Mengzhu invited Ming Lexin to dinner, and Ming Chunxi asked Zhao Hexi to stay so Qing Mengzhu would feel less awkward.
• Ming Lexin arrived with gifts, sampled the wild berries, and admired the courtyard and the dogs.
• Ming Lexin noticed Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi's affection and felt relieved that they were a family again.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi cooked a home-style meal, which Ming Lexin praised as comforting.
• Ming Lexin asked Zhao Hexi to take a family photo, then invited Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi to eat at her home next time.
• Zhao Hexi told Qing Mengzhu that Ming Lexin seemed accepting, and Qing Mengzhu hoped their relationship would continue smoothly.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi’s relationship became openly accepted by Qing Mengzhu’s family, while Qing Mengzhu sorted out the company’s assets and advanced plans to patent a newly discovered Bacillus strain. The chapter ended with Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi heading into the mountains to dig bamboo shoots.

• Ming Chunxi reassured Qing Mengzhu that their relationship was no longer a secret from the family and that he had no reason to feel guilty around Auntie.
• Qing Mengzhu showed accountant Fu Maike the company’s assets, and she recorded them separately from his personal property.
• Qing Mengzhu agreed to pay the company for workers’ labor and for the lotus seeds it used.
• Gu Benshu recommended submitting their paper on the new Insect-Killing Bacillus to a microbiology journal and proposed patenting the strain as Insect-Killing Bacillus ZX01.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi went to Qing Mengzhu’s family mountain to dig bamboo shoots and tend the bamboo grove.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi dug bamboo shoots and discovered bamboo weevils in the grove. After Ming Chunxi left for work, Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi collected the bugs, planning to fry them that night.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi dug up a bamboo shoot, and Qing Mengzhu correctly guessed that it weighed three and a half jin.
• The dogs alerted Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi to bamboo weevils clinging to a bamboo stalk, and Qing Mengzhu caught three.
• Ming Chunxi went to work while Qing Mengzhu stayed in the grove to collect more bamboo weevils.
• Qing Mengzhu called Zhao Hexi for help, and Zhao Hexi arrived with two buckets and eagerly joined the search.
• The dogs helped Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi spot more bamboo weevils as they gathered them in the buckets.

Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and the dogs gathered more than three jin of bamboo worms and planned to fry them for dinner. Zhou Yan visited to inspect the catch and agreed to help prepare and cook it that evening, leaving Ming Chunxi to arrive home to a busy courtyard.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi split up to gather bamboo worms, and together they collected more than three jin.
• Qing Mengzhu shared a photo of the worms with Ming Chunxi, and they traded playful messages during work hours.
• Zhao Hexi posted a video of their catch, prompting Zhou Yan to call and visit to inspect the bamboo worms.
• Qing Mengzhu invited Zhou Yan to dinner, and Zhou Yan agreed to bring corn oil and help fry the worms that evening.
• Ming Chunxi returned home to find everyone in the courtyard preparing the bamboo worms by removing their heads and wings and squeezing out their innards.

Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, Zhao Hexi, and Zhou Yan shared a meal of fried bamboo grubs, while Qing Mengzhu discussed his hazel grouse and celebrated the holiday with friends. After the holiday, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi returned from a three-day road trip, leaving Zhao Hexi at home with the animals.

• Ming Chunxi avoided helping with the bamboo grubs, so he and Qing Mengzhu prepared side dishes while Zhou Yan fried them.
• Zhao Hexi and Qing Mengzhu praised Zhou Yan's fried bamboo grubs, and Ming Chunxi overcame his hesitation and tried one.
• Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi and Zhou Yan that 868 hazel grouse chicks remained, and he planned to move the birds into the bamboo grove once it was ready.
• Qing Mengzhu celebrated the holiday with his company, Ming Lexin, and his friends, who teased him about his relationship with Ming Chunxi.
• Ming Chunxi picked Qing Mengzhu up after the gathering, and the two went on a three-day road trip while Zhao Hexi looked after the house and animals.

Qing Mengzhu moved the hazel grouse into the bamboo grove, where they stayed healthy as they grew, and continued caring for his pond shrimp and bamboo grove. While gathering bamboo grubs with Dharma Protector and Guard, he discovered an owl nesting in the bamboo and had to stop the dogs from harassing it.

• Qing Mengzhu learned that the hazel grouse had survived several days in the bamboo grove and arranged for them to be fed chopped leaves mixed with rice bran.
• Qing Mengzhu noted that the pond shrimp had grown to five or six centimeters and might reach eight or nine centimeters as they matured.
• Qing Mengzhu brought food to the grouse and took Dharma Protector and Guard into the bamboo grove to collect bamboo grubs and check the shoots.
• Dharma Protector pushed Qing Mengzhu as he climbed, and Qing Mengzhu grabbed him by the collar and scolded him.
• Dharma Protector spotted an owl nesting atop a bamboo stalk, and he and Guard barked at it until Qing Mengzhu pulled them back.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi discovered that a red-eyed owl had repeatedly pooped outside their gate, then identified it as a collared scops owl that hunted rodents in the bamboo grove without bothering their hazel grouse. After Qing Mengzhu returned home from weeding, he found Zhou Yan visiting with a piece of dry-aged beef.

• Qing Mengzhu confined Dharma Protector for disobeying, and Ming Chunxi lectured the dog until it ran off to hide.
• Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi about an unfamiliar owl, and they agreed to monitor the hazel grouse for signs of trouble.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi found several piles of droppings outside their gate and used surveillance footage to see the owl return five times overnight to poop there.
• Ming Chunxi identified the owl as a collared scops owl, and Qing Mengzhu observed that it hunted rodents but left the hazel grouse alone.
• Qing Mengzhu returned from weeding the bamboo grove and found Zhou Yan visiting Ming Chunxi with dry-aged beef.

Zhou Yan cooked aged beef stir-fried with fresh bamboo shoots and peppers for Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi. The meal delighted everyone, and Qing Mengzhu considered selling more peppers to afford the beef.

• Qing Mengzhu invited He Xi to join them for a meal while Zhou Yan prepared the beef and bamboo shoots.
• Zhao Hexi arrived and discussed the poor quality of the snow fungus he had inspected and the possibility of growing their own next year.
• Zhou Yan served aged beef stir-fried with bamboo shoots and peppers, and Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi praised the dish.
• Ming Chunxi asked Zhou Yan to buy them some aged beef, and Zhou Yan warned that it could cost three times as much as the original cedar beef.
• Qing Mengzhu said he might sell bamboo shoots to afford the beef, and Zhou Yan pointed out that their pepper plants were still covered in peppers.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi harvested bamboo shoots in the rain, discovered the Interstellar Mall paid the same for tender tips as for tough bases, and kept the tips to cook with beef. After a satisfying meal at home, Ming Chunxi teased Qing Mengzhu about whether he was still hungry.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi sold bamboo shoots to the Interstellar Mall and used the tough pieces as fertilizer on the mountain.
• Qing Mengzhu noticed the Mall paid the same rate for bamboo shoot bases and tips, so they gathered more shoots and kept the tender tips while selling the bases.
• The two checked that the hazel grouse were warm and healthy in their covered cages.
• Qing Mengzhu cooked beef with bamboo shoot tips and served it over handmade noodles, which he ate with relish.
• Ming Chunxi cleaned up after the meal, noticed Qing Mengzhu admiring him, and ruffled his hair while asking if he was still hungry.

Qing Mengzhu turned a fresh harvest of tender bamboo shoots into dried shoots, then shared them with friends and family, who praised their flavor. As Zhou Yan also thanked him and asked about how they were made, Qing Mengzhu confirmed they had dried them at home.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi decided to dry the tender bamboo shoot tips because fresh shoots were difficult to store.
• Qing Mengzhu boiled and dried a large batch of shoots, then cooked a mountain delicacy dinner with Zhao Hexi and Ming Chunxi.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi shared the dried shoots with friends and family, who praised them in stews and other dishes.
• Ming Lexin called Qing Mengzhu to praise the shoots and invited him and Ming Chunxi to visit for a meal.
• Zhou Yan called to thank Qing Mengzhu for the dried shoots, and Qing Mengzhu said they had dried them themselves in their small dryer.