Chapter Summaries

Zhou Yan showed Qing Mengzhu different ways to prepare dried bamboo shoots, including blanching them in ice water and cooking them in charcoal before drying. The next morning, they compared the two batches and stir-fried both with pork belly.

• Zhou Yan agreed to help Qing Mengzhu improve the drying process and explained that the shoots should retain some moisture.
• Zhou Yan blanched one batch of shoots, cooled them in ice water, and set the dryer to leave fifteen percent moisture.
• Zhou Yan taught Qing Mengzhu to cook another batch directly in charcoal before peeling and drying it.
• Ming Chunxi came home, and Zhou Yan, Qing Mengzhu, and Ming Chunxi ate hand-torn charcoal-cooked bamboo shoots for dinner.
• Zhou Yan returned the next morning, and he and Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi compared the dried batches before soaking and stir-frying them with diced pork belly.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan settled on simmering and drying the Cloud Mirror Bamboo shoots, and the company’s first batch sold out immediately. Zhou Yan sent his share to Ling Dongyu, whose friends sampled the shoots in a pork stew and praised their flavor.

• Qing Mengzhu preferred the savory simmered dried shoots, and Zhou Yan advised selling them in small, premium-priced packages.
• Qing Mengzhu had Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. harvest the abundant bamboo shoots, while he processed the shoot bases for fertilizer and sold some to the Interstellar Mall.
• The company packaged and listed its first 200 jin of dried bamboo shoots, and all 400 packs sold out on the first day, mostly to local customers.
• Zhou Yan sent his reserved bamboo shoots to old friends, giving the largest portion to Ling Dongyu.
• Ling Dongyu cooked pork belly with the dried bamboo shoots and invited his friends to share the meal.
• Ling Dongyu’s friends enjoyed the savory, tender shoots and praised his cooking.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi received soil test results showing that their rented fields were severely depleted and unsuitable for large-scale planting without improvement. They planned to restore the soil gradually with green manure and amendments, while limiting their risk because the lease would not take effect until January next year.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi reviewed soil test results showing depleted secondary and micronutrients as well as poor soil texture and structure.
• Zhao Hexi asked whether they should buy chemical fertilizer, but Qing Mengzhu explained that uniform fertilizer application would not solve the fields’ different problems.
• Qing Mengzhu proposed planting milk vetch and gradually adding soil amendments, then promised to write out a plan for Zhao Hexi.
• Zhao Hexi worried that the landowners might reclaim the fields before the lease took effect and make trouble if the crops became profitable.
• Qing Mengzhu said they should plant milk vetch first because they would not lose much if an owner took a field back.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi planned to improve their future fields with Chinese milk vetch and microbial inoculant, while deciding not to hire more staff yet. Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi tried Solomon’s seal as a tonic, but their dogs objected to being left out, so Qing Mengzhu hid the remaining herbs.

• Qing Mengzhu suggested planting Chinese milk vetch before adding microbial inoculant to improve the fields, and Zhao Hexi agreed.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi discussed their workload and decided not to hire additional staff until the fields were ready.
• Qing Guozhi brought Qing Mengzhu Solomon’s seal, recommending it as a tonic for the coming winter.
• Qing Mengzhu steamed pork ribs with Solomon’s seal, and he and Ming Chunxi ate them after work.
• Qing Mengzhu made Solomon’s seal and lean pork soup the next day but refused to share it with Dharma Protector and Guard, who barked in protest.
• Qing Mengzhu gave the dogs pet jerky and hid the remaining Solomon’s seal in a high cupboard.

Dharma Protector and Guard found wild sealwort on the mountain and brought it home, earning a hearty meal from Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi. After planting the two rhizomes, Qing Mengzhu considered growing more in the bamboo grove, and Tan Wenlei offered to take him to visit a friend who cultivated sealwort.

• Dharma Protector and Guard brought Qing Mengzhu several fresh sealwort rhizomes they had dug up on the mountain.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi realized the dogs had found the sealwort themselves and rewarded them with a stew made with hazel grouse and other ingredients.
• Qing Mengzhu planted the sealwort rhizomes by the backyard fence with Ming Chunxi the following morning.
• Qing Mengzhu researched sealwort's growing conditions and decided the bamboo grove might be suitable for planting more.
• Tan Wenlei told Qing Mengzhu that his friend grew multiflower sealwort in the mountains and offered to take him to see it.

Qing Mengzhu visited Jing Juntao’s mountain farm to inspect his polygonatum and learn how it was grown. The seeds seemed familiar from the Interstellar Mall, and he left wondering about their connection as Jing Juntao described the risks of waiting for better prices.

• Qing Mengzhu drove with Tan Wenlei to Jing Juntao’s mountain home to see his polygonatum crop.
• Jing Juntao showed them his medicinal-herb fields and explained that the polygonatum was grown with little pesticide or growth regulator.
• Jing Juntao dug up a polygonatum plant and offered Qing Mengzhu its seeds, which looked familiar from the Interstellar Mall.
• Qing Mengzhu asked why Jing Juntao did not grow more polygonatum, and Jing Juntao explained that prices could fluctuate for years.
• Qing Mengzhu asked whether growers could leave polygonatum in the ground until prices rose, and Jing Juntao warned that prices might fall further.

Qing Mengzhu investigated Solomon’s seal cultivation and found Fine Grade+ seeds for sale in the Interstellar Mall under the alternate name dragon’s grasp. He bought the maximum allowed amount and planned to test whether the seeds had come out of dormancy.

• Jing Juntao showed Qing Mengzhu and Tan Wenlei his processed Solomon’s seal, and Qing Mengzhu bought some while Tan Wenlei bought seeds to plant in his terraced fields.
• Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi that he was considering planting Solomon’s seal across the two mountains but wanted to assess the risks and seed quality first.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi searched the Interstellar Mall’s discount section and found the seeds listed as dragon’s grasp, another name for Solomon’s seal.
• Ming Chunxi confirmed the seeds were Fine Grade+ and cost 866 Star Coins per portion, and Qing Mengzhu bought the three portions allowed by the purchase limit.
• Qing Mengzhu examined the agate-like seeds and said he would soak them in Luring Grass to check whether they had come out of dormancy.

Qing Mengzhu prepared 15,000 polygonatum seeds for planting while taking care to hide the unusual growth of his crops. Zhao Hexi then told him the company's canned tomatoes had gone viral online, driving praise and sellouts in the store.

• Qing Mengzhu ordered polygonatum seeds as a cover for his crops and planned to destroy them after they arrived.
• He soaked the seeds in Luring Grass extract, prepared seedling cups, and planted all 15,000 seeds in a spare field.
• Qing Mengzhu worked in the field while Dharma Protector and Guard watched the geese nearby.
• Zhao Hexi interrupted Qing Mengzhu to show him videos of creators using the company's canned tomatoes and tomato paste in recipes.
• Zhao Hexi showed Qing Mengzhu that the products had sold out and customers were praising them and asking for restocks and fresh tomatoes.

Qing Mengzhu and his partners discussed selling fresh tomatoes and creating a seed production department after their tomato products and seeds attracted attention. They agreed to pursue tomato seeds and recruit more staff, while the polygonatum seedlings later sprouted at an exceptionally high rate.

• Qing Mengzhu let Zhao Hexi try selling fresh tomatoes to existing customers, while they decided to keep selling peppers only to Di Xing for now.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi saw online posts about people growing tomatoes from Zhuxi seeds and discussed applying for a seed production and operation permit.
• Qing Mengzhu, Ming Chunxi, and Zhao Hexi agreed to establish a seed production department, begin with a tomato project, and recruit more staff in autumn.
• Qing Mengzhu found that nearly all the polygonatum seeds in the seedling cups had sprouted and quickly grown two leaves.

Qing Mengzhu transplanted Solomon’s seal into his carefully tended bamboo grove, then discovered pond snails had multiplied in his pond. He and Zhao Hexi gathered them with the otter and reminisced about the old-variety snails they used to eat in high school, leaving the Solomon’s seal unwatered until the next day.

• Qing Mengzhu had company workers help transplant Solomon’s seal into the bamboo grove, where the plants quickly recovered.
• Qing Mengzhu went to fetch pond water for the Solomon’s seal and was startled when Little Otter surfaced with a pond snail.
• Qing Mengzhu spotted many pond snails in the pond and began gathering them, while Little Otter joined in.
• Zhao Hexi joined Qing Mengzhu and Little Otter in collecting snails, and they gathered more than half a bucket before dark.
• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi washed the snails and recalled the fragrant sour-bamboo-shoot snails they had eaten near their high school.

Qing Mengzhu, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi prepared pond snails, and Zhou Yan cooked them with pickled bamboo shoots. As they shared the meal, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi reminisced about eating snails together when they were younger.

• Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi clipped the tails off the pond snails and asked Zhou Yan to help cook them the next day.
• Zhou Yan brought his own seasoning sauce, cooked a plain portion for the otter, and stir-fried the rest with Qing Mengzhu's pickled bamboo shoots.
• Qing Mengzhu fed the otter its snails and gave the dogs and red fox dried meat instead.
• Zhou Yan served the snails, and Zhao Hexi, Ming Chunxi, and Qing Mengzhu praised their taste and remembered eating snails after school.
• Qing Mengzhu teased Ming Chunxi about how he used to eat snails with him despite being particular about cleanliness, and Ming Chunxi said he had wanted to rebel against his good-student image.

Qing Mengzhu and his friends shared river snails with their pets after the animals protested, then discussed the coming winter planting season while harvesting peppers and tomatoes. Qing Mengzhu said he would decide what to plant in his fields over the next few days.

• The dogs and red fox confronted the otter over its river snails, so Qing Mengzhu boiled and fairly divided a portion among all four animals.
• The four animals showed the humans their different ways of eating the snails, amusing Zhao Hexi and Zhou Yan.
• Qing Mengzhu and the others picked peppers and tomatoes, which were sent to restaurants, factories, customers, and canneries.
• Qing Mengzhu gave tomatoes to the dogs, red fox, and otter while they rested from the harvest.
• The workers asked what crops would be planted in the rented and personal fields, and Qing Mengzhu said he would consider suitable winter vegetables soon.

Qing Mengzhu bought seeds and investigated growing Sichuan pepper, then found an expensive Tuli variety in the Interstellar Mall that he and Ming Chunxi wanted but could not yet afford. They planned to save Star Coins by selling their farm goods and left the purchase for later.

• Qing Mengzhu bought seeds from the local shop and learned from the owner about Sichuan pepper varieties grown nearby.
• Qing Mengzhu researched Sichuan pepper and discussed growing it with Ming Chunxi, who suggested checking the Interstellar Mall.
• Qing Mengzhu found eleven Sichuan pepper listings and Ming Chunxi chose the eighteen-thousand-Star-Coin Tuli Sichuan Pepper seeds.
• Qing Mengzhu worried that they had only a little over seven thousand Star Coins and that selling their stored goods would make next month harder.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi discussed the Mall's interest in medicinal plants, and Ming Chunxi reassured him that their farm goods could eventually fund the seeds.

Qing Mengzhu tried to raise enough Star Coins, then signed up for an Interstellar Mall Morning Glory breeding competition with Ming Chunxi. The chapter ended with them checking whether the seed they had soaked overnight had begun to sprout.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi tried three Star Coin prize draws, winning a net 290 Star Coins, but still fell short of their goal.
• Zhao Hexi noticed Qing Mengzhu's worry, encouraged him not to rush, and shared a melon whose grower Qing Mengzhu could not remember.
• Qing Mengzhu found a ten-day Morning Glory breeding competition offering up to ten thousand Star Coins and signed up for fifty Star Coins.
• Qing Mengzhu retrieved the thick-shelled seed, soaked it in lukewarm water with Luring Grass, and placed it on the windowsill overnight.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi checked the soaked seed the next morning to see whether it had sprouted.

Qing Mengzhu struggled to germinate an unfamiliar seed and, after it still showed no growth, discovered that the Interstellar Mall sold their bamboo vinegar as a seed-germination aid. He decided to make more bamboo vinegar and set off with Ming Chunxi to gather bamboo.

• Qing Mengzhu soaked and planted the seed, then fed it to a hazel grouse and replanted it after recovering it from the bird's droppings.
• Qing Mengzhu checked the pot for seven days, but the seed still had not sprouted with just over two days left in the countdown.
• Qing Mengzhu searched the Interstellar Mall for germination products and found their bamboo vinegar listed for 250 Star Coins.
• Ming Chunxi explained that the Mall's higher resale price reflected its risks, and Qing Mengzhu decided to distill more bamboo vinegar.
• Qing Mengzhu woke before dawn to gather bamboo, and Ming Chunxi joined him so they could carry it down together.

Qing Mengzhu made bamboo vinegar and soaked the dormant Morning Glory Flower seed in it as a last attempt to make it sprout. The seed sprouted and grew a bud, and an extraordinary fragrance woke Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi before dawn as they went to inspect it.

• Qing Mengzhu cut bamboo, extracted bamboo sap, and made bamboo vinegar while Zhao Hexi checked on his health by phone.
• Qing Mengzhu soaked the Morning Glory Flower seed in bamboo vinegar, then replanted it with Ming Chunxi.
• The seed sprouted overnight, and Qing Mengzhu confirmed that the green stalk had grown from the Morning Glory Flower seed.
• The flower bud swelled through the day, and Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi expected it might bloom the next morning.
• A delicate fragrance woke Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi before dawn, and they went to the windowsill to inspect the flower.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi admired their Morning Glory Flower before submitting it to the Interstellar Mall contest, where it won second place. With the prize money, Qing Mengzhu bought Sichuan pepper seeds, began preparing them for planting, and considered renting terraced fields to grow them.

• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi admired the blooming Morning Glory Flower with Dharma Protector and Guard, then submitted it just before the contest deadline.
• Four days later, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi learned their flower had won second place and saw that a white Morning Glory Flower from a cultivation plane had taken first.
• Qing Mengzhu received five thousand Star Coins in prize money and bought the Sichuan pepper seeds he had saved in his favorites.
• Qing Mengzhu soaked the Sichuan pepper seeds in alkaline water, fresh water, and bamboo vinegar solution, then placed them in seedling cups in the field.
• Qing Mengzhu asked Qing Yukai about renting a mountain for his roughly 3,200 seeds, and Qing Yukai suggested renting unused terraced fields instead.

Qing Mengzhu rented terraced fields near the road and bamboo grove, then began organizing workers to clear and prepare them for Sichuan pepper cultivation. When a cold snap arrived, he tasted mountain-raised pork ribs and eagerly reserved both pigs the farmer had left.

• Qing Mengzhu received offers from village families to rent their terraced fields and chose nearby plots from several landowners.
• Qing Mengzhu signed low-rent contracts, then asked Zhao Hexi to send workers to clear and deep-plow the overgrown fields.
• A cold snap reached Pingkou Village as Qing Mengzhu and the workers cut grass in the terraced fields.
• Tan Wenlei brought Qing Mengzhu several racks of ribs, and Qing Mengzhu decided to buy a mountain-raised pig after tasting them.
• Qing Mengzhu called the pig farmer and reserved both of the remaining pigs.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi prepared cured pork with Zhou Yan’s help, then Ming Chunxi won a five-jin portion of spirit beef in an Interstellar Mall promotion. The next morning Qing Mengzhu cooked beef chow mein and proposed inviting Auntie and He Xi to dinner that evening.

• Qing Mengzhu shared farm-raised pork with Zhou Yan, who helped make cured pork and sausages.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi hung the cured meat on the roof to dry and kept Dharma Protector and Guard away from it.
• Ming Chunxi redeemed a five-jin portion of spirit beef from the Interstellar Mall, and they extracted it in the kitchen and stored it in the refrigerator.
• The next morning, Qing Mengzhu cooked beef chow mein with the spirit beef and praised its rich flavor and tender texture.
• Qing Mengzhu suggested having the spirit beef again that evening and inviting Auntie and He Xi over for dinner.

Qing Mengzhu prepared a dinner for Ming Lexin, Zhao Hexi, and Ming Chunxi, with the four animals also waiting to eat. The meal was still cooking when his guests sampled the beef stew and begged for more.

• Qing Mengzhu invited Ming Lexin and Zhao Hexi to dinner, and both agreed to come.
• Zhao Hexi arrived first, petted Guard, the otter, and the red fox, then Ming Lexin and Ming Chunxi returned to join him.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi began preparing dinner, including beef stew with dried bamboo shoots and tomatoes.
• Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi tasted the stew, and Ming Lexin, Zhao Hexi, and the animals gathered at the kitchen door after smelling it.
• Qing Mengzhu gave the guests and animals small tastes of beef, then chased Ming Lexin and Zhao Hexi out when they asked for more.