Since it was everyone’s first time doing this, Tong Zhanyan watched from the sidelines for a while. Only after each person had transplanted five or six seedlings did he step aside to attend to his own business.

He sent a text to Qing Jiyue, letting him know that Qing Suifeng was with him, just in case Qing Jiyue got worried when he returned and found him missing.

Tong Zhanyan was already used to doing this kind of work; it was light work, and once he got into it, there was nothing that could stop him.

The Devil King and the others, however, couldn’t keep up. In less than two hours, they had all gotten up one after another to stretch their legs.

The Devil King and Yang Hong both had a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads.

The Devil King was exhausted.

Yang Hong was simply too excited.

Visiting Senior Da Liu had once been his dream. Now that the dream had not only come true but was unfolding in a way that exceeded his expectations, how could he not be excited?

During the break, he checked the group chat.

In the group, Changge and the others were engaged in a heated discussion about who the people in the livestream were.

Because of the presence of those bodyguards, most people agreed that it must be some wealthy or powerful figure who had come to Senior Da Liu’s place for a team-building event.

Everyone seemed to accept this quite well.

Crops are precious to begin with, and the fact that the Senior was willing to let them visit the base was already generous enough. Every time the visitors left, the Senior would even give them a pile of crops worth far more than their expenses. While they felt envious, they also felt a bit sorry for him.

Plus, the Senior only drew ten or twenty winners each time. With over eight million fans in the livestream, winning was practically impossible.

Rather than waiting for that slim chance, they’d actually much prefer to pay for a tour.

In fact, if they didn’t act fast, the line for paid tours would probably stretch all the way to next year.

“It’s not a team-building event,” Yang Hong interjected.

“How do you know?”

“Does the group admin have inside information?”

“I can’t go into specifics, but it’s not a paid tour.” Yang Hong left it at that, shut down his terminal without a second thought for how much he’d left the group hanging, and walked away.

As he looked up, his gaze met a smiling face.

Chu Yi had slipped up beside him at some point and was now watching him.

“What’s up?” Yang Hong asked.

If he and Wang Yanzhou each represented one of the Four Great Families in their generation—serving as iconic figures of the time—then Chu Yi was undoubtedly the one who enjoyed the greatest prestige and fame.

Back then, there were even rumors that he might take over the Lin family, one of the Four Great Families, and become the next head of the clan.

At that time, the Lin family had fallen from a full household to just two members in a short period while fending off the beasts, and their situation had once been precarious.

It was around that time that Chu Yi suddenly began to disappear from public view, instead frequently joining the teams sent out on extermination and exploration missions.

These expedition teams typically targeted beasts in a state of frenzy, earning them the nickname “suicide squad.”

But perhaps because he was too strong—so much so that even dying wasn’t easy—Chu Yi returned safely after participating in over ten such missions.

“Was that the Victims’ Alliance group you just mentioned?” Chu Yi asked.

Yang Hong froze. Had he been spotted?

He had never told anyone about creating the group.

“Add me to it,” Chu Yi said with a smile. “I’ve been trying to join for a while—I tried several groups, but they were all full.”

Yang Hong didn’t know how to react at first.

Qing Suifeng leaned in. “What?”

“There’s a group called the Victims’ Alliance, and Yang Hong is a member…” Chu Yi explained briefly.

Qing Suifeng had clearly heard of the Victims’ Alliance and was quite surprised. “How did you get in?”

“What?” Tang Shijin also leaned in.

Chu Yi repeated himself.

Yang Hong’s expression grew even stranger.

Chu Yi was one thing—he’d always been the type to get carried away by the crowd.

But Qing Suifeng was the Qing Family Head, and although Tang Shijin was a few years younger than them, she was currently a rising star in the Xu family…

“Ahem.” Wang Yanzhou cleared his throat.

Chu Yi and the others glanced at him, then immediately turned their expectant gazes back to Yang Hong.

“My group is already full,” Yang Hong mused. “There should be a new one in a couple of days. I’ll have someone add you all then.”

Chu Yi raised an eyebrow. From the way Yang Hong spoke, was he actually an admin?

Yang Hong straightened his back slightly but offered no explanation. “I’ll let you know when the time comes.”

Wang Yanzhou, who had been about to pull out his terminal, silently put it away.

He had joined a group, too—and not just any group.

The Victims’ Alliance now had over thirty groups. This particular group wasn’t just the original one; it was where all the admins and the earliest fans who had discovered Tong Zhanyan’s livestream had gathered.

He’d managed to get in, but only just in time.

Wang Yanzhou couldn’t help but glance at Yang Hong again.

Is Yang Hong an admin?

Does that mean Yang Hong is in Group One, too?

As they discussed this, everyone in the group turned to look at Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan was hard at work. Behind him, the number of cups he’d already replaced was more than the combined total of the five of them.

The group exchanged glances and went back to continue replacing the cups.

At noon, Tong Zhanyan asked Yang Hong and the others about their usual routine. Upon learning they typically just boiled vegetables, he didn’t make them make another trip. Instead, he went straight to the field, pulled some fresh bok choy, and plugged in the pot.

The previous batch of cherry radishes and bok choy had already been completely used up. The ones currently being fed to the pigs and chickens were the low-infection-rate variety; those didn’t have reduced infection rates.

He picked the batch that wasn’t quite fully mature yet.

After the water came to a boil, he served a bowl for each person. Then, Tong Zhanyan dug out the bottle of sea salt he’d bought but used only once and placed it on the table for them to add to their own bowls before starting to cook his own.

A moment later, when Tong Zhanyan stepped outside carrying the egg custard, he looked up and saw the group of guards who had followed him, looking pitiful as they sipped their nutrient solution and gazed at Yang Hong and his group.

Hearing the commotion, Yang Hong and his group—who had been eating heartily—caught the scent of the egg custard in the air. Their throats involuntarily swallowed, and their eyes took on a look of longing.

Tong Zhanyan silently turned his back.

Don’t look at him.

He didn’t have enough for himself.

After finishing their meal, Yang Hong and his group rested for half an hour before continuing.

By the time Qing Jiyue returned in the evening, they had already replaced half of them.

The next day, when the group arrived, Tong Zhanyan was collecting eggs from the chicken coop.

He was in luck today—he managed to gather five at once.

Yang Hong and the others watched longingly.

Tong Zhanyan ignored them, boiled one for breakfast, and carefully stowed the rest away.

There might not be any tomorrow.

Knowing there was nothing to eat, the group could only obediently carry their small stools over to swap seedlings.

Tong Zhanyan fed the chickens and then the pigs before heading over.

After another busy day, the cherry tomato seedlings were all transplanted.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t ask them to help with watering this time. He also didn’t use the soaking method like before; instead, he turned on the water pump and sprayed water high into the air from a distance, simulating a rain shower.

This method often fails to thoroughly saturate the soil, which can affect the seedlings’ growth, but with such a large quantity now, there was no other choice.

Rain would have been a solution, but the other seedlings weren’t ready to have their plastic sheeting removed yet; a sudden drop in temperature could easily cause them to wither.

Three days later, the eggplants and cucumbers were ready to be transplanted as well.

This time the quantity was double what it had been before. Time-wise, it was manageable, but it was quite exhausting.

He didn’t mind, but Yang Hong and the others were exhausted.

Tong Zhanyan was pondering whether to hold a raffle when Ning Langdong—after hauling over a truckload of leaves and using the excavator to bury them himself—approached him to discuss changing majors.

“You want to switch to my department?”

“Right.”

Tong Zhanyan was taken aback.

He trusted Ning Langdong completely, and since the boy had already helped out with some tasks—he was practically a semi-skilled worker—Tong Zhanyan was naturally happy to have him around. But what about his studies?

Su Yanran had attended intensive training three months early, yet his grades were barely passing. Ning Langdong, on the other hand, had worked part-time whenever he had free time throughout the entire academic year, and managed to pass thanks solely to a last-minute cram session in the final ten days or so.

In terms of raw talent alone, Ning Langdong was a cut above Su Yanran; someone like him was clearly better suited for the path of combat.

He’ll go far in the future.

“There will be many paths in the future, but if I don’t choose this one, I’m sure I’ll regret it,” Ning Langdong said with a smile.

Tong Zhanyan wanted to urge Ning Langdong to think it over again, but the words died on his lips.

Having had to take care of his mother since he was thirteen or fourteen, Ning Langdong was undoubtedly more mature than others his age; he wouldn’t act recklessly.

“I’ll think it over,” Tong Zhanyan finally said.

Ning Langdong said nothing more and drove off.

At noon, Tong Zhanyan went ahead with the lottery.

Twenty people, for one day.

The draw took place that night.

Early the next morning, a group of people appeared at the gate.

Tong Zhanyan went out alone and brought them back.

After letting the group who’d been selected by the draw look around freely, feed the chickens, and check on the piglets, Tong Zhanyan put them to work.

Yang Hong and the others had too special a status—especially Qing Suifeng—so under these circumstances, Tong Zhanyan definitely couldn’t let them come over.

The only ones doing the work were the group itself.

This made Tong Zhanyan think of Ning Langdong. While Yang Hong and the others were perfectly fine for occasional help, having them around when things got really busy was actually a hassle.

That night, after seeing off the visitors who had come for the raffle, Tong Zhanyan thought it over carefully and gave his reply.

If Ning Langdong really wanted to come, then he should come.

He would only get busier from now on; he couldn’t possibly handle everything personally anymore.

Ning Langdong replied almost immediately, saying he would submit his application as soon as possible.

After planting the eggplants and cucumbers, it was time for the string beans and carrots.

This time was different from before; this time, there were over a thousand seeds for the string beans and carrots as well, and when planted together, they covered a large area.

Two days later, Tong Zhanyan held another lottery.

Unlike before, while the others were preparing their beds, Tong Zhanyan sowed the corn.

Corn seeds contain a high moisture content and can be sown directly, but they’re also more prone to mold, so Tong Zhanyan made a point of letting them air-dry first.

After sowing the corn, Tong Zhanyan harvested seeds from the batch of crops with the lowest infection rate.

Over the next few days, Tong Zhanyan planted everything that needed to be planted.

Once all the seeds were planted, Tong Zhanyan called Yang Hong and the others over again. This time, he had something even more entertaining in store: cleaning the pigpen.

Those two piglets had been fed a mixture of mother’s milk and synthetic feed after birth before being brought over, so Tong Zhanyan had no intention of keeping their earlier droppings.

Yang Hong and his group were all high-profile figures in the outside world and had never done this kind of work before, so even as they tried to maintain a smile, the muscles in their faces kept twitching.

Especially when cleaning the manure pit, their faces contorted in disgust.

The contents of the manure pit were transported to the small building and flushed down the drain.

Tong Zhanyan was in a pretty good mood, after all—more hands made light work.

Because he was in such a good mood, that night Tong Zhanyan generously handed out a hard-boiled egg to each person.

As the number of laying hens increased, he could now collect four or five eggs every day; on a good day, he might even find six or seven.

This gave him a decent stockpile.

As Qing Suifeng was leaving, Tong Zhanyan secretly slipped one to him to take to Qing Jiyue.

Qing Jiyue had been very busy lately as well—he had classes during the day, and at night he had to oversee the research institute, manage affairs on the Qing Family’s side, and coordinate with more people.

As if they’d planned it, Qing Jiyue was preparing to bring in some more people to join the testing.

A little over a week later, just as Tong Zhanyan was thinking about transplanting those cherry tomatoes, Qing Jiyue suddenly appeared in front of the small building during class time.

“Did you find anything?”

“Yes. Among the crops with reduced infection rates, there’s one that the others don’t have. The research institute thinks it’s very likely the key, so they’re already preparing to synthesize it.”

Tong Zhanyan’s upturned lips paused. “Synthesize?”

“Right,” Qing Jiyue said matter-of-factly. “As long as we know the components, we can synthesize them, and then mass-produce them.”

Tong Zhanyan’s brow furrowed slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Qing Jiyue asked, puzzled.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t know how to explain it.

Nutrient solutions, fertilizer solutions, synthetic feed—he had always been quite averse to this world’s “synthetic technology.”

Especially nutrient solutions; they weren’t even extracted from plants, but were truly synthetic in the truest sense.

In his view, they were much like the health supplements from his former world—just a collection of various basic components the body needs.

It was indeed convenient and avoided a series of problems caused by picky eating.

But the human body isn’t a machine; besides those basic nutrients, it also needs other things.

He even felt that the chickens, pigs, and even people in this world were abnormal, precisely because they had been lacking those things for so long.

And the reason crops could suppress the frenzy was essentially that they were compensating for those deficiencies.

Crops with lower infection rates were effective precisely because they contained even more special components.

However, this was merely a rough hypothesis on his part.

He was a student at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, not a biological researcher.

Thinking it over, Tong Zhanyan simply reminded him, “Let me know when you have results.”

He currently had a total of eight mu of land, and the seedlings hadn’t even been planted yet. If he could synthesize it and it proved useful, that would be a good thing.

“Alright.”

No one was happier about the progress in the research than Qing Jiyue.

As he left, Qing Jiyue’s steps were light and cheerful.

Tong Zhanyan watched his for a moment before turning his gaze back to his own plot of land.

With the previous crop completely uprooted and the next one not yet planted, the field looked rather forlorn.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t dwell on it. After a good night’s sleep, he began seriously planning the transplant the next day.

Transplanting is more troublesome than temporary planting; it requires more manpower and time. He couldn’t afford to keep working haphazardly like before.

Tong Zhanyan ran some calculations and decided to postpone the transplanting of the cherry tomatoes while moving up the schedule for some other crops. He planned to group them into three batches and get everything done in one go.

Back in the livestream, Tong Zhanyan announced his plan as soon as he had it figured out.

Taking time off and getting everyone to the site would take time.

Since the quantity was large, the number of spots for this giveaway was also substantial.

He would draw thirty people for each of the first two rounds, and fifty for the middle round.

To make this happen, Tong Zhanyan hurriedly prepared another plot of land and planted some cherry radishes and bok choy.

Between the chickens, pigs, Yang Hong, and the others, plus the giveaway winners, he was already stretched thin across all three plots.

The day after the fourth plot of cherry radishes and bok choy was planted, Chu Yi stopped by and asked him about his thoughts on Ning Langdong transferring departments.

Tong Zhanyan answered honestly.

The day after Chu Yi left, Tong Zhanyan received a message from Ning Langdong: his application had been approved.

The school granted him the same “autonomous choice” rights as Tong Zhanyan, but imposed stricter requirements on him—in addition to various stipulations, he would also face academic exams at the end of the term.

Furthermore, the school would arrange for his mother to be brought to the Inner City to settle in.

Ning Langdong agreed.

He wouldn’t do anything to harm Tong Zhanyan, but he understood the principle of prevention.

Tian Xinqing and Su Yanran were quite indignant about this—how could Ning Langdong not even tell them a word?

Tong Zhanyan, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. He’d have his hands full from now on, since Yang Hong and the others couldn’t make an appearance; he’d be the only one left to handle everything, which would drive him crazy.

Tong Zhanyan cleared out a room on the third floor and bought some furniture to serve as staff quarters.

As for Qing Jiyue, he already had a headcount for the next batch of test subjects and was figuring out how to arrange things.

This group’s situation was similar to Yang Hong’s—cages were a given, but whether to increase the number of security personnel was a question.

The main issue was that there was only one small building there, which wasn’t big enough to house everyone.

Listening to Qing Jiyue’s concerns, Tong Zhanyan felt a momentary daze. Why did his base seem to be turning more and more into a rural resort?

Ning Langdong had only brought a few belongings with him; he still needed to return to class when he had free time.

During dinner that night, before Tong Zhanyan could decide on the arrangements, Ning Langdong spoke up first.

“I’ll just drink the nutrient solution.”

Tong Zhanyan paid him a decent salary, and he had to attend classes in his spare time. Plus, since Tong Zhanyan’s presence offered his mother a chance to visit the Inner City, he could drop by often.

If he ate Tong Zhanyan’s food every day, he wouldn’t feel right about it.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t dwell on it for long.

The day when everyone could eat crops wouldn’t be too far off.

The day after Ning Langdong arrived, Tong Zhanyan held a giveaway.

This time, he drew a whopping thirty winners—the largest number in any of his previous giveaways—and the livestream was buzzing with excitement.

However, the channel’s subscriber count had already surpassed nine million just two days prior. Picking thirty winners out of nine million—even with strict entry requirements—still meant odds of nearly one in ten thousand…

Even before the results were announced, a crowd had already started freaking out.

After the results were announced, naturally, even more people were driven to the brink of madness.

Two days later, he arrived at the gate.

With Ning Langdong’s help, things were indeed much easier.

After feeding the chickens and checking on the piglets, the transplanting began.

Tong Zhanyan had already tilled the fields beforehand and mapped out exactly which crops would go where.

During the transplanting, Tong Zhanyan picked out a few who looked strong and had them follow Ning Langdong and him to dig holes and build mounds up front, while the others planted from behind.

With him supervising the digging and mounding, there weren’t many issues.

Since they were all beginners, Tong Zhanyan had to turn back every now and then to check on the transplanters, making sure they didn’t plant the seedlings too deep or too shallow.

With so many tasks to manage, Tong Zhanyan was busier than if he’d been working alone, but having more hands certainly had its advantages—they finished up by a little past four.

Seeing that it was still early, Tong Zhanyan let the group roam freely for a while before giving them gifts and sending them on their way.

Under the cover of night, Ning Langdong packed up his things, while Tong Zhanyan took a walk through the fields, loosening the soil around the seedlings that were buried too deep and covering those that were too shallow.

That night, the livestream was quite lively.

That’s because some of the recipients had their crops appraised, confirming that the cherry radishes and bok choy Tong Zhanyan was currently using to feed his pigs and chickens were indeed low-infection-rate varieties.

In fact, their infection rate was under 15%.

Keep in mind that even the Four Great Families—and even Qing Suifeng—could only access crops with infection rates between 20% and 30%.

Yet Tong Zhanyan was using crops with an infection rate under 15% to feed his pigs and chickens—and even giving them away as gifts.

“I usually feel like I’m living a life worse than a pig’s.”

“Crops with an infection rate under 15% must have significant research value, right? Plus, seeds at this stage are very scarce—once they’re gone, they’re gone. And he’s just feeding them to pigs…”

“I feel like that’s a bit unreasonable, too.”

“That buzzing sensation in my head I haven’t felt in ages.”

“…Has he gotten a little too carried away?”

…

That night, Tong Zhanyan made it rain.

The second transplant was scheduled for four days later, but he couldn’t wait.

Apart from the corn, the rest had already had their plastic sheeting removed or even been transplanted, so there was no need to worry about the seedlings.

Because it had rained, Tong Zhanyan didn’t schedule any farm work for the next day.

The two of them had originally planned to go to school.

But when they asked, they found out that Tian Xinqing and the others weren’t at school—they were in the middle of their first wilderness survival training.

The training site was in the mountains outside the school.

Since it was their first time, Tian Xinqing and the others were extremely excited, and even Tong Zhanyan felt a bit tempted.

Better to act than just feel tempted, so that evening, Tong Zhanyan ran five kilometers around the field in front of the small building.

He had originally planned to run ten kilometers, but by the time he finished five, he was already panting heavily.

The physical strength gained from farming was completely different from that built through training.

Ning Langdong, on the other hand, went to the open field behind the mountain every day for his own training.

Two days later, Tong Zhanyan held the prize draw.

On the morning of the fourth day, the prize draw organizers arrived at the door.

It was the same procedure, but since there were more people this time, it took quite a while.

Feeding the chickens was especially chaotic—fifty people lined up in a long queue, leaving the chickens completely bewildered.

Tong Zhanyan felt a twinge of pity for his cherry radishes and bok choy; to ensure everyone got a turn, he had to pull up even more.

Fortunately, a group of people who had fun worked quickly. Tong Zhanyan had originally worried whether they could finish in a single day, but they wrapped up before six o’clock.

That night, after seeing the group off, Tong Zhanyan made his usual rounds.

Five days later, Tong Zhanyan organized the third prize draw.

This time, the prizes were mainly seeds of crops with low infection rates. There wasn’t much of each variety, but there were so many types that it took a whole day to sort everything out and plant them.

When he saw this group off, Tong Zhanyan had completely uprooted all the low-infection-rate cherry radishes and bok choy—except for the hundred or so plants he’d set aside for seeds.

The next day, Tong Zhanyan called Yang Hong and the others over for the first time in a while and had them set out the corn seedlings.

He himself removed the plastic sheeting from the cherry radishes and bok choy in the fourth plot, watered them, and harvested the seeds from the plants with a low infection rate.

The corn was the last crop to be planted.

That very night after the transplanting, Tong Zhanyan had it rain all night long to thoroughly irrigate the fields.

The next day, Tong Zhanyan looked out from under the eaves in the drizzling rain.

The eight-mu plot in front of the small house was now completely filled with seedlings.

They were still too small; from a distance, they even looked sparse, but the rain had nourished them, helping them stand tall.

The viewers in the livestream witnessed this scene, and it filled their hearts with both tenderness and uncontrollable excitement.

It hadn’t been long since the previous crop was harvested, and the images of that bountiful harvest were still fresh in their minds—and now there were another eight mu of seedlings.

When it comes time to harvest…

“Have you guys seen Heihei Yixiao’s harvest over the past couple of days?”

“Yeah.”

“A lot of the streamers Senior has been mentoring are harvesting right now. Just among the ones I follow, there are six or seven.”

“Oh, they’re just starting to harvest? Didn’t he plant around the same time as the streamers?”

“He used the first batch of seeds, and his farming skills aren’t as good as the streamers’ to begin with.”

“That’s true. From what I’ve seen of the harvests, the crops they’ve grown are pretty average.”

“You’re just used to seeing the streamers’ crops. From what I’ve seen, even a random one of theirs is way better than what others grow.”

“Agree with the post above.”

“Speaking of which, have you guys seen those posts lately claiming that the crops Senior sold have better effects than others’?”

“I’ve seen them.”

“Lots of them lately. I’ve seen them too.”

“It’s probably just a placebo effect, right?”

“It’s definitely a placebo effect. The senior does grow well, but even at his best, the infection rate is only around 40–50%. How could it have such a huge effect?”

“No, the effects are real. My dad has been eating them, and he says they’re good. The rest of my family feels like he’s been losing his temper less often lately.”

“Is it really that magical?”

“It really is.”

…

Tong Zhanyan didn’t have much time to admire the scenery.

As soon as the rain stopped, he headed straight to the fields to check if any of the earthen embankments had been washed away.

The muddy paths were hard to navigate, and the muddy fields were even worse. By the time he’d made a full circuit, his rain boots were so caked with mud he could barely lift them.

After washing his boots clean, his work wasn’t done yet.

Tong Zhanyan dug out the low-infection-rate cherry radish and bok choy seeds he’d saved earlier and hurried to plant them.

He didn’t bother with the chickens and pigs—he was counting on eating those himself.

Fortunately, as more and more chickens began laying eggs, he could now harvest at least seven or eight a day, and on good days, as many as twelve or thirteen.

That caused his stockpile to grow rapidly, forcing him to start considering other options.

Eggs can’t be stored for too long; they go bad if left too long.

He could sell them or give them to Yang Hong and the others to eat, but he also had another option: hatching them.

He hadn’t separated the roosters from the hens, so there should be some fertilized eggs among them. Hatching itself isn’t difficult; the real challenge lies in raising the chicks afterward.

Corn and pumpkins would take at least another two months to ripen, and there’s also the issue of infection rates.

The third batch of seeds might have mutations, but not every single plant will mutate…

Pondering this, Tong Zhanyan went to check on the sweet potatoes.

For over a month, he’d been busy with other things; aside from glancing at them when applying fertilizer, he hadn’t paid them any attention.

Upon closer inspection, their vines had already spread out nearly half a meter in all directions.

Sweet potatoes love to sprout leaves; logically, they should be a lush green expanse. However, since the seeds had been stored for several years, the leaves and vines, though spreading widely, were all small and spindly.

Tong Zhanyan went back inside to fetch a pair of shears and snipped away, aiming to concentrate their nutrients on fruit production.

Sweet potatoes can be propagated by cuttings; the spots where leaves grow on the tuber are the bud points.

Just like with the strawberries before, Tong Zhanyan didn’t opt for cuttings; instead, he chopped up the trimmed leaves to feed the pigs.

These sweet potatoes had been stored for too long, and the leaves had lost all vitality. Even if they did produce tubers, they would surely be small and spindly.

He’d have to wait until the second batch to try cuttings.

After checking on them, Tong Zhanyan thought of those tangerines and oranges for the first time in a long while.

Three or four months had passed; the ones planted first were nearly waist-high, while the ones planted later reached his knees.

Tong Zhanyan looked at the plot of land at the foot of the mountain that Qing Jiyue had helped him dig up earlier. After some thought, he decided to plant there first.

It wasn’t a solution to just keep waiting like this.

Besides, his condition was a bit better now than before.

Tong Zhanyan started the excavator, dug out a meter of yellow soil from that plot, then went to the mound of soil mixed with leaves to dig up more, filling the area and mixing it all together.

Trees are different from crops; their roots grow very deep. Since he couldn’t provide much fertilizer at the moment, he could only bury the humus as deeply as possible.

After the excavator finished, Tong Zhanyan went over the area with a hoe.

This time, he didn’t till the entire plot; instead, he focused on the specific sections where he planned to plant the trees.

Once the soil was prepared and the holes dug, he called Ning Langdong over to help carry all the saplings to the site.

He planted ten trees in the first batch, followed by over forty more, bringing the total to nearly sixty—quite a number.

Unlike when planting vegetables, Tong Zhanyan didn’t simply bury the saplings directly in the soil; instead, after removing them from their pots, he pruned their roots.

Although seedling cultivation and temporary planting restrict root expansion to some extent, the plants aren’t kept in small pots for too long, so their roots remain highly active and spread out immediately after transplanting.

These mandarin and orange trees, however, are different. They’ve been in their pots for far too long, and their roots have long since hardened or even lignified.

If these old and rotten roots aren’t trimmed before replanting, the trees won’t be able to grow new roots even if they want to. Worse still, the sudden change in environment could cause the root system to rot and mold, leading to the death of the entire plant.

Pruning the roots to a certain extent, forcing them into a temporary state of nutrient deficiency, actually stimulates the growth of new roots.

“Aren’t small pots supposed to be good for root development? What’s going on here?”

“A lot of those roots are really dark—are they rotten?”

“But won’t the trees die after you cut them off?”

…

After planting all the saplings, Tong Zhanyan sat under the eaves in the evening, preparing to reply to the odd and varied gardening questions in the comments section, when he finally noticed the discussion.

The plot where he grew tangerines and oranges was located between the small house and the pigsty, an area not covered by the camera’s patrol range.

After answering a few questions, Tong Zhanyan found a post asking about the orange and tangerine trees and gave a brief explanation.

Finally, he reconfigured the camera’s patrol range to include the pigsty, the orange and tangerine plot, and the chicken coop.

The chicken coop had always been right on the edge of the patrol range, but the camera hadn’t previously been programmed to specifically patrol inside it.

Once he was done, he went to bed early.

Early the next morning, Qing Jiyue contacted him—the first batch of synthetic agents was ready.

Tong Zhanyan was quite surprised; it hadn’t taken long at all.

Upon reflection, he quickly realized that the synthesis technology was already quite mature, and with the Qing Family backing them up, efficiency was naturally high.

Qing Jiyue planned to have the second group of arrivals test it out.

He had already made arrangements for the second group; they had been setting up the cages over the past couple of days, and if things went smoothly, they could begin the experiment as early as this Sunday.

Tong Zhanyan decided to go take a look then.

All the seedlings had been planted, and the work with the tangerines and oranges was finished, so he would have over a month of free time ahead of him.

Sunday was still a few days away.

Tong Zhanyan pondered whether to go to school next or set up greenhouses to grow strawberries and watermelons.

He hadn’t planted watermelons even once since buying the seeds, because they have specific weather requirements and can only be grown in the summer.

Additionally, he hadn’t planted strawberries since growing them in a greenhouse, because they’re actually better suited for greenhouse cultivation.

Strawberries are fine during other stages, but once they start flowering and setting fruit, they can’t be kept in a stuffy environment or exposed to rain for long periods—that would ruin the fruit.

Currently, he waters the crops directly through the rainwater system, so there’s no way to avoid getting the strawberries wet.

Tong Zhanyan had previously planned to build another greenhouse.

However, the last crop was his first since moving to the farm, and resources were scarce in every aspect, so he put the plan on hold.

Now, aside from the ongoing shortage of fertilizer, everything else is much better than before, and he has a whole month of downtime coming up…

As he pondered this, Tong Zhanyan thought of the bees and ants again.

This crop covers a full eight mu of land. Picking off flowers and leaves is one thing, but even if he hired a hundred people for pollination, it would still take several days.

Plus, diverting that many workers would mean he’d have to plant a separate plot of cherry radishes and bok choy—otherwise, he wouldn’t have enough gifts to go around.

Why not give it a try?

With that in mind, Tong Zhanyan immediately searched for the keywords to find that website again.

There wasn’t much content on the subject, so Tong Zhanyan found it in no time.

Tong Zhanyan found the contact information at the very bottom of the webpage, right below the donation button.

Tong Zhanyan debated whether to contact them himself or ask Qing Jiyue to help. Having Qing Jiyue handle it would certainly save a lot of trouble, but he was currently busy with potion testing.

Before he could decide, his terminal beeped—someone had sent him a communication request.

It startled him.

The caller ID read “Green Shade Customer Service.”

Tong Zhanyan immediately furrowed his brow.

Green Shade had sent him numerous messages expressing interest in collaboration. Aside from the very first one, he hadn’t replied to any of the others, yet they had remained persistent.

Things had been quiet for a while recently.

Was this another attempt?

After a moment’s thought, Tong Zhanyan decided to answer.

“Hello, this is the head of Green Shade’s customer service department.” Li Yuanchen looked at Tong Zhanyan on the screen, a touch of nervousness in his voice.

He hadn’t watched live streams before, but for the past six months, he’d been glued to them every day.

He’d thought he’d never have another chance to interact with Tong Zhanyan, but Green Shade had assigned him this task, citing the fact that he’d been the one to recommend Tong Zhanyan for the event in the first place.

“What’s up?” Tong Zhanyan asked.

“Well, Green Shade’s triennial ‘Most Valuable Live Stream’ event officially concluded yesterday. Based on the voting results, you came in first place.”

Tong Zhanyan vaguely recalled that there had been such an event; he had received a participation notice at the time.

He won?

When did that happen?

Tong Zhanyan looked completely bewildered.

That left Li Yuanchen bewildered as well.

Green Shade was the undisputed leader in the entertainment industry; no one could avoid it online, and Tong Zhanyan streamed on Green Shade as well.

The event was an official Green Shade event, held once every three years, and it had been a resounding success for all its previous editions.

And because the event itself attracted massive traffic, many people were scrambling to get in.

Tong Zhanyan actually didn’t know he’d participated in the event?

And he didn’t know he’d won?

After a moment of silence, Li Yuanchen decided to continue the previous topic. He looked at the invitation he’d just received. “Here’s the thing—I’m representing Green Shade to invite you to attend the awards ceremony.”

“Awards ceremony?” Tong Zhanyan thought for a moment. “I’m not going.”

He still felt safer staying at the base.

Besides, he had no idea how he’d even won.

“……” Li Yuanchen was at a loss for words.

The next moment, he resorted to a carrot-and-stick approach. “The prizes are quite generous. We’re collaborating with the Planting Alliance this time—the top three winners get to visit the Planting Alliance for a study tour.”

Li Yuanchen stopped mid-sentence.

Tong Zhanyan, visiting the Planting Alliance for a study tour?

……It would make more sense for the Planting Alliance to organize a group to visit Tong Zhanyan for a study tour.

Tong Zhanyan did feel a momentary flicker of interest.

Since arriving in this world, he had heard about the Planting Alliance countless times; many people truly regarded it as a sacred place.

Forget about studying—if he could just go for a visit……

“…I’ll check on this first and get back to you later,” Li Yuanchen said before ending the call.

He finally understood why this mission had fallen on him.

Tong Zhanyan was still hesitating when the screen went dark.

He decided not to bother with it and went back to studying the bees and ants.

I wonder if they’d even sell protected species?

Even if they did, the price would probably be steep.

He wasn’t short on money right now, but he needed a certain quantity of both.

If each one costs several million…

Tong Zhanyan did the math and realized that even if he sold everything he owned, he might only be able to buy twenty or thirty of them.

And that’s assuming each one costs no more than three million.

After the Planting Alliance transferred the funds, he’d sent the bulk of it to Qing Jiyue’s account, leaving him with just over seventy million.

Tong Zhanyan rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Forget about crops—he’d never imagined he’d one day find himself unable to afford thirty ants even if he sold everything he owned.

After the headache subsided, Tong Zhanyan decisively contacted Qing Jiyue.

If all else failed, he’d just have Qing Jiyue negotiate a discount with those people.

Qing Jiyue agreed readily.

With the serum now available, he was in a great mood.

After ending the call, Tong Zhanyan glanced at the webpage again.

Of course, asking Qing Jiyue to beat them up was just a joke; if the seller really refused to sell, there was nothing he could do.

Tong Zhanyan looked at the seedlings in the field.

Just eight mu of land was already giving him such a headache; if he really couldn’t buy them, he’d have to think carefully about how much to expand next time.

He couldn’t possibly draft five hundred people at once for pollination.

Even if he didn’t offer gifts, managing that many people would be a challenge.

Just as Tong Zhanyan was wrestling with this dilemma, Qing Jiyue, who had just ended the call, contacted him again.

Bees and ants are both for sale.