Tong Zhanyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Why don’t you… Go talk some sense into him?” Old Jin asked, full of hope.

As the only person Tong Zhanyan had ever visited in person to offer guidance at the greenhouse, Bai Yu had been the envy of the group for quite some time.

But now, while everyone else’s crops were thriving, Bai Yu’s remained as poor as ever—and were actually getting worse.

This made them all a bit hesitant to face Bai Yu, because they simply didn’t know how to approach him.

“Alright,” Tong Zhanyan replied.

Old Jin glanced at Tong Zhanyan again, then turned and left.

Tong Zhanyan opened his terminal and reached out to Boss Bai. He planned to allocate a plot of land for him near the back gate, where Gu Yunyang and the others were.

“Isn’t this too much trouble…” Boss Bai felt a bit awkward that Tong Zhanyan knew he was about to give up.

However, upon hearing that Tong Zhanyan intended to allocate a plot of land for him at the base, he couldn’t resist the temptation.

“It’s no trouble. Come over once you’ve finished what you’re doing,” Tong Zhanyan said.

“Alright.”

After making the arrangements, Tong Zhanyan was about to return to the small building when his terminal rang. He glanced at it—it was someone from the paleontology team.

Tong Zhanyan had assumed they’d already delivered the items to the entrance, but when the call connected, the other party wanted to discuss something else.

They wanted to send over all the ancient creatures from their base—not just the dragonflies that Tong Zhanyan’s base didn’t previously have, but also the bees and ants they’d been breeding themselves.

They had originally kept them for protection, but now it seemed the creatures they’d kept were struggling to survive—as if they were suffering.

However, this raised a new problem.

Once the ancient creatures were brought into Tong Zhanyan’s base, they would belong to him. He would have full authority over them, and even the others would only have occasional visitation rights.

The person in charge of the handover to Tong Zhanyan chose his words carefully. “Your base has quite a few ancient creatures now, and no one to help manage them. Would you be interested in hiring a few people…”

“Sure.”

“We can monitor those bees and cabbage white butterflies for you—” The person in charge of the handover didn’t realize what Tong Zhanyan had just said until halfway through his sentence; he looked over in astonishment.

Tong Zhanyan said, “Or you could make the Paleontological Conservation Institute a subsidiary department under me. I can set up a dedicated work area for you at the base so you can monitor those paleontological specimens at all times, and I can also provide funding to support your research and search for more of them.”

“But from now on, you’ll be under my authority.”

“And anything brought into the base—except for the academic findings resulting from your research—belongs to me.”

As the number of creatures being raised at the base continued to grow, he truly needed a dedicated team to oversee them. His assertive stance was purely to prevent any future complications.

Bees produce honey, and since they’re currently in a critical developmental stage, Tong Zhanyan hasn’t interfered with them—though he does plan to taste the honey in the future.

Crabs, shellfish, and snails all taste quite good.

Raising mosquitoes to feed fish, or raising parasitic flies to feed birds that eat cabbage white butterflies, is already common practice and will only become more so.

In fact, should any of these populations ever become so rampant as to be uncontrollable, he would carry out a cull himself.

He didn’t want to deal with pointless arguments later on.

“A subsidiary department…” The man handling the handover hadn’t considered this possibility before and was momentarily taken aback.

“You can discuss it first before making a decision.” Tong Zhanyan wasn’t in a hurry.

“Alright.” The person handling the handover didn’t press the issue.

After the call ended, the person stood there in a daze for a while before hurrying toward the break room.

In the break room, a group of twenty or thirty people was waiting.

When he walked in, everyone turned to look at him.

“How did it go?”

“What did he say?”

The person in charge of the handover took a deep breath. “He said…”

In the base.

After explaining his intentions, Tong Zhanyan went to attend to other matters.

The pig pens and septic tanks had already been repaired, so Tong Zhanyan went over to take a look.

Ten rows of pigsties, each with five pens, and two rows of septic tanks side by side—fifty in total—plus the chicken and duck coops, made for quite an impressive sight.

After the inspection, Tong Zhanyan paid the final installment.

Before leaving, Tong Zhanyan took a moment to look at the piglets; they were at their cutest, each one pale pink with a hint of white.

They were also full of energy.

The sow, however, looked utterly disheartened.

While he was out, Tong Zhanyan made an appointment to have the pig castrated.

Due to the sow’s aggressive nature, he decided to wait until weaning and separation, which was still a few days away.

The corn in the greenhouse had grown to Tong Zhanyan’s chest, and the wheat was ready to be planted.

The infection rate had dropped by 7% last time, so Tong Zhanyan had high hopes this time around.

There were only eight rows of wheat, and since no seedlings were needed, Tong Zhanyan finished planting them in the time it took him to walk a single lap.

After finishing up here, seeing that it was nearly dark, Tong Zhanyan went to check on the fields where he’d planted garlic, mint, and sesame.

Since it was the first time sowing and the seeds had low viability, the crops across the entire field were growing unevenly, but at least they were all alive.

Seeing them lifted Tong Zhanyan’s spirits, and his mouth watered constantly—stir-fried garlic shoots with pork, sesame paste, grilled meat with shiso…

The next day, the paleontology team contacted Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan had originally thought they’d need some time to discuss it; after all, this wasn’t a trivial matter.

When they contacted him, the person in charge of the handover couldn’t stop smiling and seemed eager beyond measure. “Unanimous approval… When can we come over?”

“What do we need to bring?”

“We can pack up tomorrow.”

“Why don’t we book a flight for tonight? It’s a bit of a rush, though.”

“They asked me to check—is food included?”

Tong Zhanyan’s mouth twitched. “It can be included… Right now, the only people who haven’t been infected by the frenzy are surviving on nutrient solutions.”

“I see…” The person handling the handover looked disappointed.

Since they were monitoring those ancient creatures, they were all watching the livestream as well, and the back-door cafeteria was currently the most-watched spot in the entire stream.

Tong Zhanyan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You can send the supplies over first; there’s no rush for the people. How do you want the research institute laid out? Draw me a rough sketch, and I’ll have someone set it up. Also, list any equipment you need.”

The base dorms now consist of three buildings and are ready for immediate occupancy, but the research institute side is a bit more complicated.

“We can bring the old equipment over for now. As for the location, as long as there’s a table, it’ll work—even inside the dorm buildings…”

Tong Zhanyan was about to say something else, but swallowed his words at the last moment. “That’ll work, too.”

The group had only been able to visit briefly before; now that they suddenly had the chance to observe things closely, they must have been eager to get started.

With permission granted, the person in charge of the handover hurried off to notify the others.

Two days later, they arrived at the entrance.

The Paleontology Research Institute had fewer than two hundred staff members in total, and since few people paid attention to their work, the average age was on the higher side.

This time, they didn’t just bring their luggage; they also brought equipment they’d need, as well as the paleontological specimens from their base.

With all those bags and boxes, they looked as if they’d just fled from some disaster.

After opening the door, Tong Zhanyan led them straight to the dormitory building at the back.

Because they had so much to carry, they made two full trips back and forth, with over fifty utility vehicles each time—a massive convoy.

In the fields, Ning Langdong and his group were busy pruning flowers and leaves and pulling weeds. Hearing the commotion, they all looked up.

The dormitory building was already fully furnished, so they could move in right away.

Tong Zhanyan arranged for them to stay in the same dormitory building.

After unloading their belongings, Tong Zhanyan was just about to urge them to get to work on the blueprints when the group eagerly grabbed their testing equipment and headed downstairs.

Tong Zhanyan decided to simply follow them.

He took the other creatures that had come with him back to the small building to quarantine them as needed.

A week later, when the wheat in the greenhouse had grown nearly to Tong Zhanyan’s knees, the paleontologists and their team had finally settled down from their initial excitement.

A group of five or six administrators came to the small building, bringing with them the institute’s blueprints, a list of required instruments, and a testing plan.

Since the feeding room was no longer needed and the institute didn’t require much space, the area Tong Zhanyan had previously set aside near the back door was more than sufficient.

The list of instruments was quite long, and the prices were all on the high side, but since Tong Zhanyan wasn’t short on money, he merely glanced at it before setting it aside.

Tong Zhanyan, however, studied the testing plan carefully.

The base’s primary focus remained on cultivation; ecology was merely supplementary and must not interfere with farming.

Once the basics were settled, the group discussed the matter of searching for more ancient creatures that Tong Zhanyan had mentioned earlier.

They actually had information on a few ancient creatures, but due to previous funding constraints, there had been little progress.

Tong Zhanyan asked them for detailed information. After giving it a quick review, he readily provided a sum of seed money.

With the ancient creatures now eating the crops, the group settled into the base, and their activities were now funded. As they left, their faces were beaming with joy.

Seeing their smug expressions, Old Xu and Old Wang were grinding their teeth in frustration.

Now that the group had moved into the base and Tong Zhanyan had provided funding for their activities, who knew how many more crop-eating creatures they might bring in later?

They trusted Tong Zhanyan, but having cultivated crops for most of their lives, their attachment to them far surpassed that of others—they were like their own children.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t dare provoke them, so he went out to the fields to take a look.

Ning Langdong and his group had started pinching off flowers and leaves ten days ago; now, only a few dozen acres remained unpruned, and the earliest-planted, earliest-blooming plants had already begun to bloom on a large scale.

Usually at this time, Ning Langdong’s group would split into two teams: one to continue pruning and the other to return for pollination.

But this time, Tong Zhanyan planned to handle the pollination himself.

That night, when Ning Langdong and his group were finishing up for the day, Tong Zhanyan made a point of speaking with them.

He was worried that someone might not be able to resist, which would affect the experimental results.

“Is this really going to work?” Ning Langdong asked anxiously, glancing at the flowers in the field.

“We’ll find out once we try,” Tong Zhanyan replied.

Depending on the crop, some shed their flowers and leaves immediately after successful pollination, while others let the fruit develop before the flowers and leaves slowly wither away.

But regardless of the type, changes would be visible within a fortnight at most.

However, while the success of pollination could be observed, failed blooms were irreversible, and a drop in yield was inevitable.

They would have to wait for the plants to bloom again. Given the limited fertilizer supply, crops with high seed viability might suffer relatively minor impacts, while those with lower seed viability could face severe consequences—potentially resulting in a complete crop failure.

Nearby, Gu Yunyang and his group were also deeply concerned.

Although the group felt uneasy, they had no better solution.

Pollination is a delicate task. With 500 mu of land, even if we were to randomly select 500 people, it might not be enough.

Many flowers will wither if left too long, and there is even more land to tend to next.

The other crops were blooming one after another, and the rapeseed—planted earliest—was now in full bloom.

Rapeseed flowers have a distinct scent; some find it fragrant, others find it foul. Tong Zhanyan had long since grown accustomed to it and no longer noticed it much.

However, this time he had planted the rapeseed in front of the small house, so the scent was present day and night, and it was starting to get a bit overpowering.

The next day, Ning Langdong and his group finished picking the leaves and flower buds from the remaining plots.

Since pollination wasn’t needed this time, they had some downtime afterward.

But the group didn’t feel happy; instead, they found themselves making frequent trips to the fields.

Seeing them act as anxiously as children weaned from their mothers’ milk, Tong Zhanyan, fearing someone might lose control, specifically spoke with Ning Langdong, Tian Xinqing, and Su Yanran, asking them to keep a close watch.

Old Xu and Old Wang were even more anxious than Gu Yunyang and his group.

On the first day, the field was packed with people.

On the second day, the field was still swarming with people patrolling.

On the third day, seeing the number of people in the field growing, Tong Zhanyan directly issued an order prohibiting entry into the field.

They kept coming and going in the field, and the bees didn’t dare go in.

Unable to enter, the group stood guard far outside the fields, watching the bees pollinate.

Tong Zhanyan was at a loss for words.

A little later, Boss Bai arrived.

While he wasn’t much of a farmer, Boss Bai was quite the businessman; he’d never let Tong Zhanyan worry about business matters.

This time, he’d just returned from several major distribution points.

Tong Zhanyan happened to be free, so after grabbing a hoe from the warehouse, he took him straight to the back gate.

Gu Yunyang and his group’s crops were already in their third cycle; both the yield and the quality of the seeds had improved significantly.

The only problem was that, aside from the plants they’d carefully cultivated themselves, their fields were also filled with weak and inferior seedlings culled from other plots.

This resulted in plants of varying heights and shapes; without a closer look, the field resembled a patch of weeds more than a farm.

Overall, however, the growth was quite good.

Mr. Bai had visited this place before and seen it on the livestream, but seeing it with his own eyes still left him with mixed feelings.

Back when Tong Zhanyan started the program, he had signed up too, but he was eliminated before reaching the final stage.

He hadn’t been very good at farming back then either.

Tong Zhanyan handed him the hoe, then marked out a plot next to him that was the same size as the ones for Gu Yunyang and the others.

The total area was only about twenty square meters, so a tiller would actually be inconvenient.

Mr. Bai suppressed the excitement in his heart, took the hoe, and began digging with a solemn expression.

Since the plot had been thoroughly tilled once with a tiller, the soil was fairly loose and not difficult to dig.

After all, Mr. Bai had been farming for nearly a decade, so he still had the basic skills.

He dug quite deep.

Tong Zhanyan watched from the side for a while and, finding nothing wrong, turned and walked over to Gu Yunyang’s group’s plot to check on them as well.

Because they wanted to grow a little bit of everything, Gu Yunyang and his group’s plot was a hodgepodge, which brought along many problems—for example, some crops simply couldn’t be interplanted.

As Tong Zhanyan inspected the plot, he jotted down the issues, intending to address them later.

Half an hour later, as Tong Zhanyan finished his rounds and headed back, Mr. Bai had just finished digging.

The issue was actually the supply of humus and plant ash; the previous 500 mu of land had already used up the base’s entire stock.

The school had sent more since then, but it wasn’t ready for use yet.

Thinking this through, Tong Zhanyan took Mr. Bai straight to the septic tank to give him some well-decomposed pig manure.

“I don’t think that’s quite right…” Mr. Bai was a bit overwhelmed by the offer; he knew better than anyone how crucial fertilizer was to the base.

“It won’t take much,” Tong Zhanyan said.

Seeing that Tong Zhanyan had spoken up, Mr. Bai no longer hesitated and hurried to help.

For twenty square meters of soil—roughly the amount in a bucket of manure as tall as a person—the two were back in just a few minutes.

A group of viewers in the livestream, who had previously been focused on the pollination process, noticed them.

“Who’s that guy?”

“Looks like the base’s procurement manager. He’s the one who used to haul the crops to the entrance for inventory.”

“Has he switched careers to become a farmer?”

“Is Senior here to give personal guidance? That’s great…”

“If he’s switching careers, does that mean his old position is open?”

“Don’t even think about it. Even if it opens up, it’ll be gone by the time you get there.”

“Damn.”

……

Twenty square meters—even if Boss Bai were working alone, it would only take half an hour.

Once they were done, Tong Zhanyan took him to the room in the small building where he stored his seeds and let him pick them out himself.

This was a privilege no one else had ever received, and Boss Bai’s face flushed from the tips of his ears all the way down to his neck.

A few minutes later, he emerged holding seeds for cherry radishes, bok choy, and cherry tomatoes.

“Just these three?” Tong Zhanyan was a little surprised. He had seventy or eighty varieties of seeds, yet Mr. Bai had chosen the three most common ones.

“These three are just fine.” Looking at them, Mr. Bai felt a touch of nostalgia, especially for the cherry tomatoes—after all, that was how Tong Zhanyan had started his business.

Tong Zhanyan nodded, turned around, and led him to the warehouse to fetch seedling trays and disposable cups.

He filled the cups with water and poured the seeds in.

So far, everything was going smoothly.

Soaking the seeds took four to five hours. After Tong Zhanyan confirmed everything was in order, he turned and walked out the door.

He needed to keep an eye on the fields as well; Ning Langdong and the others weren’t entirely reliable—who knew if they might take pity on the plants?

With Gu Yunyang’s group no longer wandering aimlessly through the fields, the bees were noticeably more active.

Especially above the rapeseed flowers—there were an unusually large number of them.

Tong Zhanyan walked around for a while before heading back.

As soon as he reached the doorway, Tong Zhanyan saw Boss Bai holding the cup containing the seeds up to his eyes and shaking it back and forth.

Tong Zhanyan’s footsteps faltered for a moment, and he had a hunch: nine out of ten people who fail at growing seeds do so because they can’t keep their hands to themselves.

“It’s not time yet,” Tong Zhanyan said.

Mr. Bai gave an awkward laugh and quickly put the cup down. “I was just taking a look.”

Three hours later, after the seeds had soaked long enough, Tong Zhanyan watched as Mr. Bai placed the seeds into the seedling tray, covered them with soil, watered them, and then sealed the tray with plastic wrap.

With that done, there was nothing else to do, so Mr. Bai could head back.

He looked back every few steps.

Just past four in the afternoon, Gu Yunyang and his group finally decided to head back.

As soon as they left, the bees in the field became even more active.

However, once night fell, the bees generally wouldn’t come out unless the moonlight was particularly bright; in less than two hours, they too returned to their hives.

As darkness fell, Tong Zhanyan was just about to head out to the field to see what they’d eat tonight when he spotted Gu Yunyang and a few others approaching from a distance.

First, they had spent the past two days estimating and cataloging all the ancient creatures at the base and had prepared a copy of the list for Tong Zhanyan. Second, they came to inform him that a group of them was preparing to head to the next location to search for ancient creatures.

Tong Zhanyan took the list and glanced at it. The number of bees and ants far outnumbered those of other creatures, with the cabbage white butterfly ranking third.

Tong Zhanyan had only had a rough idea of these numbers before, but now that he had more precise data, he felt much more at ease.

As for the search for ancient organisms, Tong Zhanyan simply reminded them to be careful.

After their conversation, the paleontologists rubbed their noses and left.

Tong Zhanyan looked out at the field of rapeseed flowers.

As night fell, the humidity rose, and the scent grew even more intense.

Tong Zhanyan headed toward the fields, intending to finish dinner early so he could go upstairs and lock the doors and windows.

As he pondered this, Tong Zhanyan paused for a moment, then picked up his pace.

Steamed eggplant and boiled eggs. After eating his fill, Tong Zhanyan quickly packed some daily necessities and two sets of clean clothes.

He locked the door, got on his scooter, and, wagging his tail back and forth, headed toward the back gate.

A group of people behind him had also finished eating; some were walking around to aid digestion, while others were gathered in the cafeteria chatting and laughing—the place was bustling.

After circling the building downstairs and not seeing anyone, Tong Zhanyan headed toward Qing Jiyue’s room.

The door opened quickly. Qing Jiyue had just finished washing up and was wearing his pajamas while drying his long hair.

Recognizing Tong Zhanyan, Qing Jiyue looked a bit surprised. “Why are you here?”

When Tong Zhanyan came to the back door, it was usually only at dinnertime.

“The rapeseed flowers stink too much,” Tong Zhanyan said, swishing his long ponytail.

“What?” Qing Jiyue asked, puzzled.

“There are too many rapeseed flowers too close to the small building. The smell is too strong—it stinks,” Tong Zhanyan said pitifully.

Qing Jiyue paused for a moment while drying his hair, then stepped aside.

Tong Zhanyan entered.

Qing Jiyue had just finished showering, and the scent of body wash lingered on him.

The room looked exactly the same as when Tong Zhanyan had visited last time—the desk was covered with books.

Tong Zhanyan opened the backpack he’d brought, took out his toothbrush and towel, and placed them next to Qing Jiyue. He then cleared a small space in Qing Jiyue’s closet and hung up his change of clothes.

Once he was done, Tong Zhanyan grabbed his pajamas and went into the bathroom.

Qing Jiyue had just used the bathroom, and the air was filled with the scent of his body wash.

Tong Zhanyan thought it smelled nice and picked it up to take a closer look.

They’d used the same bathroom back when they lived in the dorm, though back then they’d each had their own shower gel.

When Tong Zhanyan finished washing up and stepped out, Qing Jiyue had just finished blow-drying his hair and casually tied it back.

Tong Zhanyan walked over and took the hair dryer from him.

It was still early, so Qing Jiyue sat down at his desk.

Tong Zhanyan had short hair, so it only took a few minutes to dry.

After putting the hair dryer away, Tong Zhanyan stood beside Qing Jiyue, who was writing a treatment log about the people at the back gate who had been infected and entered a state of frenzy.

The content itself was ordinary, but Qing Jiyue’s handwriting was exceptionally beautiful—just like the impression he gave off, every stroke carrying a sharp edge.

When he finished, Qing Jiyue closed the notebook and stood up.

Tong Zhanyan looked around, a mischievous thought crossing his mind. “How are we going to sleep tonight? Am I sleeping on the couch?”

Qing Jiyue, who had been heading toward the bedroom, paused in his tracks and turned to look at him. “Sure, I’ll get you a blanket.”

Tong Zhanyan froze.

The next moment, seeing that Qing Jiyue was actually going to rummage through the wardrobe, he hurriedly followed him inside.

Opening the wardrobe, Qing Jiyue looked all business.

Seeing that this situation wasn’t going to resolve itself, Tong Zhanyan quickly wrapped his arms around Qing Jiyue’s waist and pushed him onto the bed. “Go to sleep.”

“Aren’t you going to—” Qing Jiyue started to say.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t give him a chance to finish, instead silencing him with a kiss.

It wasn’t their first kiss, but Tong Zhanyan was always so busy; the last time had been that night when they went to see the flowers.

The sudden touch of their skin, especially in such an intimate position, sent a jolt of electricity coursing through Qing Jiyue’s entire body, causing him to let out a low moan.

Hearing that sound, Tong Zhanyan felt all the blood in his body rush to his head. He had intended to keep it brief, but in that moment, he found himself unable to hold back.

From gentle caresses to the mingling of their breaths, he relentlessly conquered every inch of him.

When the kiss ended, both of their breaths were already somewhat ragged.

“You—” Qing Jiyue was about to bring up the past again; he’d finally caught Tong Zhanyan off guard. But as he lifted his gaze, he met Tong Zhanyan’s eyes—so dark and mysterious they seemed bottomless—and his heart, which had only just calmed down, began to race once more.

“Qing Jiyue, is it okay?” Tong Zhanyan realized his voice had grown hoarse only after the words left his lips.

Qing Jiyue responded by tilting his head back for another kiss.

At first, he thought Tong Zhanyan didn’t like him, which was why he always kept his distance.

Later, when he learned it was a misunderstanding on Tong Zhanyan’s part, he didn’t dare to get too excited, because that didn’t mean Tong Zhanyan liked him in return.

When he found out that Tong Zhanyan had rushed to look for him after thinking something had happened to him, and when Tong Zhanyan took his hand, Tong Zhanyan had no idea how happy he was.

By the time Tong Zhanyan realized what was happening, he had already followed Qing Jiyue away.

His blood boiled in that moment; he clenched Qing Jiyue’s hand tighter, wishing he could devour him whole.

And that is exactly what he did.

Watching Qing Jiyue’s body tense beneath him, watching his skin flush pink and grow even more beautiful, Tong Zhanyan’s mind went blank in that instant.

By the time it was all over, it was deep into the night.

The base was located on the outskirts of the city and covered a vast area, so it was far removed from the hustle and bustle.

Once night fell, it became eerily quiet.

The two lay embraced, the sound of each other’s heartbeats ringing in their ears, their breath mingling between their nostrils.

They slept soundly through the night.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

T/N: Hiii guyss, with all new stories uploaded, we are gonna be consistent with the schedule now. Bonus chapters on Sunday, regular updates on Monday and Tuesday, Patreon uploads on Saturday. Side note, with the way the site is built, uploading chapters is a bit of a hassle for the way the site was built, so the Milou’s Archive admin handles the uploading, not us, so we may see comments late. You can chat us up on Discord for issues. I heard that the channel is coming up this week. Also, since we (TKA and the Site Admin) are not from the US, which makes ad views payment low and inconvenient, we are looking for a way to resolve it, but MLA activated their Patreon using a similar way to ours, so check it out if you want, their seven-day free trial is open until the end of June.

That is all. As usual, Tokki’s Archives is thankful for every reader and supporter with us.