The busy day ended, and the clinic closed.

Li Xu and Song Sisi had dinner at a nearby noodle shop, then went their separate ways home.

He had just gotten back to his courtyard.

His phone rang. It was a call from Wang the Third.

"Doctor Li, I’m getting ready to transplant the rice seedlings tomorrow."

Wang the Third reported.

Li Xu replied, "Okay, I’ll come by and take a look tomorrow."

Last year, they had only casually planted some rice on the plot of land at the foot of Hot Spring Mountain.

But this year, Li Xu planned to develop it properly.

Back at the beginning of spring, he had specifically instructed Wang the Third to cultivate seedlings and prepare the land so they could plant more rice.

The rice grown in that area had special medicinal properties, capable of treating anorexia, which made it extremely valuable.

Thanks to the careful preparation of the land by Wang the Third and his wife, the field had more than doubled in size, and the total planting area was now about one *mu*.

Li Xu was very satisfied.

The increased planting area meant a higher yield of medicinal rice, which could be used to treat more patients with anorexia.

Not only that, but it was also time to plant the watermelons in Zhouzhuang, which was next to Wangjia Gou.

Li Xu planned to go check on them tomorrow as well.

The black-rind watermelons were a key ingredient for making Watermelon Frost.

Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory had long since halted production of its Watermelon Frost due to a shortage of raw materials.

Therefore, the watermelons from Zhouzhuang were also very important this year.

...

The next day, Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic hung up a sign that read, "Closed Today."

Li Xu and Song Sisi traveled light, heading straight for Hot Spring Mountain.

When they arrived at the edge of the rice paddy at the foot of the mountain, Wang the Third and his wife had already neatly arranged bundles of vibrant green seedlings along the ridges and were about to enter the field to begin transplanting.

A sense of nostalgia washed over Li Xu at the sight.

Without a word, he took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pant legs, and prepared to get into the paddy to work.

Seeing this, Wang the Third hurried forward to stop him. "Oh, Doctor Li, you can leave this rough work to us. You should just rest on the side."

Li Xu smiled and waved his hand. "Uncle Wang, there’s no need to be so formal. I used to help my parents transplant rice seedlings when I was a kid. This work is tiring, but it’s also a kind of fun.

Besides, this isn’t ordinary rice; it’s a precious medicinal ingredient.

By planting them with my own hands, I can better experience their growth process. That will give me my own insights for studying their medicinal properties."

Seeing that Li Xu was already in the field, Song Sisi also took off her shoes and socks, rolled up her pant legs, and jumped into the paddy with him.

Although the spring temperatures had risen, the water was still a bit chilly.

The cold, muddy water submerged her ankles.

Song Sisi let out a cry of surprise.

"Li Xu, the mud is so cold!"

Song Sisi trod carefully through the mud.

"You’ll get used to it in a moment."

Li Xu said, expertly taking a handful of seedlings from Wang the Third. He bent at the waist and began planting them one by one into the mud.

His movements were a bit rusty at first, but he quickly got the hang of it.

Song Sisi, however, was much better than him.

Li Xu had moved from the countryside to the city with his father when he was in his early teens.

Song Sisi, on the other hand, had helped her family plant rice all the way through high school.

Her movements were fluid, and she was much faster than Li Xu.

The sun shone brightly overhead.

Sunlight scattered across the shimmering water, reflecting the four of them as they worked busily.

Wang the Third and his wife were quick and experienced, planting a large section in no time.

Although Li Xu and Song Sisi were slower, they both completed their tasks meticulously.

The field was filled with cheerful laughter, creating a vibrant scene of spring planting.

With four people working on one *mu* of land, they were highly efficient.

In less than half a day, all the seedlings were neatly planted in the field. The tender green shoots swayed gently in the breeze, promising a bountiful harvest to come.

After they finished planting, they washed their feet and put their shoes and socks back on.

Li Xu then had Wang the Third drive him and Song Sisi to the nearby village of Zhouzhuang in his three-wheeled vehicle.

Upon arriving in Zhouzhuang, they could see a field of freshly transplanted watermelon seedlings from a distance, looking lush and green.

Zhou Xiaolin was squatting in the field, inspecting the growth of the watermelon seedlings.

He was delighted to see Li Xu approaching and hurried over to greet him.

"Doctor Li, you’re here!"

Zhou Xiaolin greeted him enthusiastically. "The watermelon seedlings are all planted! All the farmers who signed contracts with the Harvest Agricultural Cooperative last year are taking this very seriously. They’re strictly following the cooperative’s requirements. We’re definitely going to have a bumper crop of black-rind watermelons this year!"

Looking at the neat rows of promising watermelon seedlings, Li Xu nodded in satisfaction. "Good. A high yield is necessary to produce more Watermelon Frost. But we must also maintain quality, as that affects the medicinal efficacy."

"Don’t you worry, Doctor Li. We’re all using traditional farming methods—natural manure, no chemical fertilizers. I guarantee they will be the highest quality watermelons."

Zhou Xiaolin vowed, patting his chest.

As they were speaking, Li Xu suddenly noticed a van with "Sanjin Pharmaceutical" printed on its side slowly driving into the village.

He raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "Zhou Xiaolin, what’s going on with that?"

Zhou Xiaolin glanced at the van and explained, "Oh, those are people from Sanjin Pharmaceutical. There were a few families in our village who thought the cooperative’s contract was too restrictive, so they didn’t join us. Later, they signed contracts with Sanjin Pharmaceutical. Now they’ve all switched to growing black-rind watermelons, too. They say Sanjin Pharmaceutical is buying their harvest."

Upon hearing this, Li Xu laughed.

’So Sanjin Pharmaceutical has its eye on the raw materials here, too.’

The soil in Zhouzhuang was special, producing black-rind watermelons of exceptional quality—the ideal ingredient for high-grade Watermelon Frost. Last year, it was precisely because of his highly effective Watermelon Frost that Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory’s reputation had grown even stronger. Sanjin Pharmaceutical’s main business was Watermelon Frost, so they must have realized this as well, which was why they had come to poach resources.

’But,’ Li Xu mused, ’they probably never imagined that all the prime plots of land suitable for growing these watermelons have already been contracted to the Harvest Agricultural Cooperative. The few remaining farmers have limited planting area, and their land probably doesn’t meet the optimal standards. The watermelons they grow won’t be very effective for making Watermelon Frost. Sanjin Pharmaceutical is going to outsmart itself this time. Their wishful thinking is unlikely to pay off.’

After bidding farewell to Zhou Xiaolin, Li Xu and Song Sisi headed back.

On the way, Li Xu’s phone buzzed with a message from Qinling Wang Baimu.

He opened it and saw several photos.

The photos showed the mountainsides around Bailingyu Village densely planted with foxtail grass.

The foxtail grass was thriving, swaying gracefully in the spring breeze—a vibrant, verdant sea of green.

Li Xu smiled at the sight.

Foxtail grass was the key ingredient for making Mao Duddu Eye Drops. It looked like this year would be another good harvest.

...

Meanwhile, on the eastern side of Zhouzhuang, next to a field of newly planted watermelon seedlings,

Ji Qinglian, the regional manager for Sanjin Pharmaceutical, was looking at a farmer named Zhou Dafu with great anticipation.

Zhou Dafu was one of the few farmers who had not signed a contract with the Harvest Agricultural Cooperative.