The day was bright and sunny, and Li Xiang was in his backyard stacking straw.

The rice straw had been dry for a while, but he’d been too busy to stack it.

It was actually a skilled task. You couldn’t just throw it together and expect it to turn out well.

Stacking straw required at least two people working in tandem: one person on top of the stack and another on the ground.

The person on the ground would forcefully toss up bundles of straw, and the person on top would catch and place them. There was a real art to stacking it so it was firm and wouldn’t collapse.

A skilled person could build a remarkably sturdy stack, one that would stay standing even if mischievous kids dug a large hole at its base. A poor job, however, might topple over after a few days in a strong wind, or if a passerby or an animal bumped into it.

Li Xiang remembered that when he was a child, every household had a straw stack in front of their home. When the weather turned cold, he and his friends would play in them every day. Sometimes, they would build a "secret base" between two stacks and do all sorts of childish but fun things.

This beautiful sight was rare now. It was probably because fewer people were farming; most had gone to the cities to work, as those jobs were now the main source of family income.

In their place were professional cooperatives and large-scale farmers who used balers to roll the straw into large, round bales. These were left at the edges of the fields. Since they were uniform in size, neatly shaped, and tightly packed, they were much more convenient to transport.

When Li Xiang played PUBG Mobile, he loved hiding behind those straw bales.

Rice straw used to be worthless, but now it was often subject to a "frenzied rush." People would reserve it before the rice was even harvested. At one point, some Japanese buyers even came to collect it, offering a high price of 2,000 yuan per ton.

That was equivalent to 2 yuan per kilogram, not much lower than the price of rice itself.

The Japanese bought it mainly to raise cattle—specifically, "Wagyu" beef.

Japan’s Kobe beef is extremely expensive, famous for its "snowflake" marbling—fat that is so evenly distributed it resembles exquisite marble patterns. This kind of beef is tender and juicy, a top-grade delicacy for steaks.

And rice straw has been a key component of cattle feed since ancient times. It’s only natural for cattle and horses to eat grass. In the winter, what else is there to eat but dry straw?

According to research, Kobe cattle can digest up to 50% of the rice straw. After the straw arrives in Japan from China, it is mixed with other concentrated feeds in specific ratios. This mixture is then evenly fed into the cow’s four stomach compartments to ensure uniform digestion and absorption, which might be one of the secrets behind the Wagyu’s exquisite marbling.

Li Xiang, of course, wouldn’t sell his small amount of straw. It was much better to keep it for starting fires in the winter.

Before burning firewood, which is difficult to light, you first need to use straw as kindling.

He didn’t need any help either. "Flying" up and down by himself, he quickly finished the stack. He built it in a cylindrical shape, then "constructed" a cone on top, making the whole thing look a bit like a Mongolian yurt.

The straw stack looked nice, but it was also a fire hazard. When he was a child, straw stacks in the village often caught fire, sometimes even burning down houses. So, the adults always warned the children never to play with fire or set off firecrackers near them.

Li Xiang had learned his lesson. He deliberately cleared a firebreak at least three meters wide around the stack, and he’d built it far away from the house.

As the weather was turning cooler, Li Xiang took some straw and laid a thick layer in both the doghouse and the cats’ nest. This was this year’s new straw, carrying a faint scent of rice, which the dogs and cats loved.

Of course, Li Xiang changed the straw bedding regularly, about once every three to five days. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Thanks to Li Xiang’s meticulous care, his cats and dogs were thriving. They were full of life, and their fur was like satin—glossy, smooth, and wonderful to touch. Plus, they rarely shed.

In contrast, some of the other dogs in the village were filthy. Dahuang and Er Huang were disgusted and didn’t want to play with them anymore. A few times, other dogs came calling, only to be chased away disdainfully by Dahuang.

Unless, of course, it was a pretty little female dog that came over.

Yes, both of Li Xiang’s dogs were male.

Li Xiang had just jumped down from the straw stack when Cai’Er arrived. The young lady was standing at the back door with a backpack on, a wide smile on her face.

She was growing up, after all.

When she was little, she would run over to Brother Li Xiang’s house every day without a care. But now, with a young woman in the Jiang Family coming of age, she had to be more mindful. Hence, the backpack!

’Right, she’s here to get tutoring from the only remaining college student in the village.’

If it was for the sake of studying and getting into a good university, no one would say anything.

In truth, Cai’Er wasn’t worried about it, but she didn’t want to make things difficult for her parents.

"Let’s do your homework here in the backyard pavilion. The light inside is too dim, it’s not good for your eyes," Li Xiang said, beckoning to Jiang Cai’Er as he brought out the various snacks he had prepared earlier.

"Wow~ Am I here to do homework or to eat snacks?" Jiang Cai’Er’s eyes curved into crescents.

"You can eat while you work," Li Xiang said. He was quite pleased with his pavilion. It was made entirely of bamboo that had been fire-treated to prevent pests and mold, and he had also reinforced the table and chairs inside.

The only thing was, now that the weather was getting colder, the seats felt a bit chilly on your bottom.

"Hold on, I’ll go get some cushions." Li Xiang felt the seat, then thoughtfully went back inside and returned with two cushions.

His backyard was the only presentable part of his property right now. It had a "cascading waterfall," a pavilion and swing, and neat rows of vegetable patches. The vegetables he’d planted earlier had all grown in, lush and green. In terms of aesthetic appeal, they were no worse than the ornamental flowers and plants in the big cities.

If Li Xiang wanted to plant flowers, he had plenty of empty space to do so. He did have a plan to plant some next year, after the weather warmed up in the spring.

"Brother Li Xiang, are we still going to film a sequel to our Saintess short video series?" Jiang Cai’Er asked after working on her exercises for a while.

Li Xiang replied, "Of course we are. It’s just that I haven’t figured out the script yet, and we’re short on people. Think about it, the next part is attending the Martial Arts tournament in the Central Plains. We’ll need Sect Leaders from various sects, along with their Holy Sons and Holy Daughters. There are only two of us, where are we supposed to find all those people?"

Li Xiang had actually considered asking some of the village elders to participate. Given their age, they could play old Daoist masters or elderly nuns, just like how his own grandmother had made a cameo as Granny Jin Hua of the Miao Village.

But finding young people was harder. The village was almost entirely populated by children. Besides Jiang Cai’Er in high school, it seemed there was only one boy in middle school. The rest were all in elementary school or were still toddlers.

Hearing Li Xiang’s thoughts, Jiang Cai’Er raised an eyebrow. She puffed out her chest proudly and said, "If you’re short on people, you can come to me!"

Li Xiang paused. "What do you mean?"

Jiang Cai’Er said, "I can bring my classmates over. They’re so jealous that I get to film short videos."

"If you can do that, that’s a great idea!" Li Xiang praised. Jiang Cai’Er’s classmates were all high school students in the prime of their youth—they would be perfect for playing the roles of the arrogant Holy Son and Holy Daughter.

The two of them hit it off and agreed on the spot. Jiang Cai’Er immediately went to round people up.