Although it was said to be a retreat, the internet at Shanwan Ranch was quite smooth, allowing everyone to do whatever they wanted without interruption. They simply treated it as a vacation with friends at a resort—and one where the four of them had the entire place to themselves.
After taking over the ranch, Chu Tingwu discovered that "Little Wang," the previous owner's assistant, had been looking for a new job while the ranch was being sold. However, after Chu Tingwu purchased it, he decided to stay and continue working for her as a part-ti assistant.
The new owner, though young, was financially well-off. Being a local, he didn't want to relocate for work. So, Chu Tingwu kept him on as her assistant, also assigning him to handle relations with nearby villages.
As for Chu Tingwu herself, she moved into the resort with Zhou Qiang and the others.
The resort within Shanwan was a small three-story hotel, more like a guesthouse. Nearby, there were traditional yurts built by local herders, who stayed there when they were out late tending to their sheep and cattle.
Even though the owner had changed, the herders continued their usual routines, showing a strong sense of self-managent. To them, the livestock was their livelihood—they could sell them or slaughter them for at, so they worked diligently.
For now, Chu Tingwu left the livestock alone.
She was experiencing a completely new and unfamiliar state of life, a feeling that the world had beco clean and clear.
First, it was her hearing.
She opened up her sense of hearing and imdiately picked up the heartbeat and breathing of those around her. Then ca the distant sounds of livestock and dogs snoring, followed by the rustling of chickens and ducks, the whisper of wind through leaves, and finally, the gentle lapping of lake waves, as if a giant creature beneath the surface was breathing.
Chu Tingwu realized, "It's not noisy at all."
Zhou Qiang, who was typing away while chewing on a cheese stick, asked, "What's not noisy?"
Chu Tingwu replied, "Your typing doesn't feel noisy."
Zhou Qiang: "?"
Her laptop keyboard was already quiet.
Chu Tingwu spent so ti pondering and soon figured it out—she didn't find the sounds chaotic or irritating because they didn't co suddenly.
Every sound had a "prelude."
When turning on a computer, there was the hum of the system starting up. Before cats and dogs started fighting, there were footsteps and the clinking of chains, along with heavier breathing. Even when watching a horror movie together, there were warnings in the comnts before the scary scenes—though that wasn't a sound, she was grateful to the thoughtful viewers.
During a live stream, Chu Tingwu munched on potato chips while playing a horror movie for her audience.
The viewers: "?"
If this kept up, they'd unfollow.
Chu Tingwu reassured them, "Don't worry... I'm actually testing sothing new for the ranch."
Although she planned to focus on livestock farming, she didn't want to put all her eggs in one basket. Chu Tingwu knew that leaving the ranch's operations to professionals would minimize losses, but she always preferred to steer the big decisions herself—most of the ti, she didn't weigh gains and losses but considered whether sothing was aningful. If it benefited others or brought her joy, it was aningful.
So, Chu Tingwu decided to livestream and discuss with her audience how to transform the ranch.
Viewers could participate through comnts or private ssages. She would take so suggestions into account, share her own ideas, and let everyone witness the ranch's evolution in real-ti.
The the was "being open to advice."
Of course, if her ideas clashed with the audience's, she would follow her own instincts.
After all, it was her ranch.
The audience thought this approach was great:
[Not bad, Master Chu. You have no competition in this niche.]
[Well, duh. To have competition, soone else would need a ranch they could modify however they wanted.]
The thought excited them. It seed that the Chinese love for farming was ingrained in their DNA. Now, with over ten thousand acres of land to transform—even if they could only participate verbally—they were thrilled. Once the transformation was complete, Master Chu would surely open it to the public, right? Right?
So were also intrigued by Chu Tingwu's current offering: "private resort bookings."
If Chu Tingwu and her three friends could book an entire resort on over ten thousand acres of land... could this service be opened to the public? It had a serene, urban retreat vibe, especially since Shanwan Ranch was just two bus stops away from the city center.
Chu Tingwu: "No, that's not possible."
How would she even price that?
She pointed to the horror movie on the screen and had the system switch to another program. As the familiar lody played, a figure draped in a red cape slowly erged in the room... At first, the audience wasn't sure what they were seeing, but once it beca clear, they were stunned:
[Wow! I knew you guys could do more than just cats and horses!]
You can even do monkeys!?
And not just any monkey—this was the legendary Monkey King, modeled after the classic animated film *Havoc in Heaven*. Chu Tingwu explained, "The ranch's current activities are too simple, so I thought we could try outdoor movies."
Not the kind projected onto a screen, but a naked-eye AR experience. She had two ideas: dayti indoor performances and nightti outdoor shows. Since naked-eye AR didn't work well in daylight, nightti performances could also encourage visitors to stay overnight.
The system chid in, "Like a fireworks display."
Chu Tingwu: Elents... hmm...
Well-executed naked-eye AR could be even more captivating than fireworks. And since it was outdoors, there was no need to skimp on scale like with concert holograms—it could be a massive viewing experience.
Excited fans suggested interactive giant projections.
For example, placing a projected stone lion at the entrance—eye-catching and eco-friendly, with the option to turn it off during the day.
Chu Tingwu: ...But why would a ranch entrance have a stone lion? It's not a royal palace.
The interactive aspect, however, was worth keeping. AI could generate control modes, and Chu Tingwu mused, "I think we could combine AI avatars with the ranch's security system."
As she lounged on the couch, Chu Xiao was in the kitchen cooking, with Shao Lingwu assisting.
Though Chu Tingwu was the best cook among them, they had agreed to take turns... and if the food was bad, they'd just order takeout.
Shao Lingwu was clearly worried about his cooking skills.
But Zhou Qiang wanted to ask him: What's the point of learning from Chu Xiao? He only knows how to make noodles—three als a day, all different kinds of noodles!
Should she get rid of this aspiring noodle chef to enjoy a couple of decent als? Zhou Qiang wondered.
Chu Xiao walked out with a bowl of hand-pulled noodles: "So, we need to add more to the surveillance system?"
Chu Tingwu: "I'll buy the materials and assemble one to test first."
Though the previous owner had been reluctant to invest, the ranch did have surveillance caras—most of which were broken. The caras were mounted on windmills, which also generated power. The new caras Chu Tingwu ordered not only had surveillance capabilities but also infrared recognition and positioning, now including projection technology.
—The infrared recognition was for the (yet-to-be-acquired) cattle and sheep. Since they planned to scale up the operation and had such a great environnt, they couldn't rely solely on experienced herders.
Human energy was limited, but machines were not. So, tagging the livestock with ear tags to monitor their condition and temperature, along with a positioning system to prevent them from wandering off, would be more efficient than hiring more staff.
Chu Tingwu loved the current sense of tranquility and decided to reduce the number of ranch managers.
As for the virtual projection and positioning, so of the projection equipnt would definitely need to be buried underground or installed in other locations to ensure the projections could land accurately.
The materials arrived quickly, and Chu Tingwu didn’t waste the available labor. She enlisted Zhou Qiang and the others to help. Zhou Qiang was in charge of reading the blueprints, Chu Xiao handled the hands-on work, and Shao Lingwu took care of cooking noodles and preparing lunch for the cats and dogs.
The cat, of course, was Three-Five-Five, and the dog was a local mutt.
This dog, nad "Egg Yolk," was a ten-year-old native dog. After being rescued by a staff mber at the resort hotel, it had been living there ever since. Over ti, the staff changed several tis, but there was always soone who would feed Egg Yolk. However, after so conflicts arose, the staff mbers left, the managent was fired, and Egg Yolk started mooching als from the herders, managing to keep itself well-fed and glossy.
So, even though the hotel had changed hands again, Egg Yolk remained dignified. It didn’t wag its tail imdiately when Chu Tingwu and the others arrived. The dog was calm and composed, not panicking at the sight of horses or cats, showing the deanor of an old, experienced dog.
...That was until it tried to sneak a bite of Three-Five-Five’s food and got smacked.
Three-Five-Five only shared its food with Chu Tingwu. As for the dog? Not a chance.
And so, the rivalry between the cat and the dog began. They both looked down on each other but considered themselves too mature to fight. Instead, they stood at the doorway, arguing.
Egg Yolk, however, was very fond of Chu Tingwu. It was patient with all humans and their young, not even getting angry when herder children tugged at its ears. It only barked when its tail was pulled—just like how Chu Tingwu had taken over the ranch, she had also taken over Egg Yolk. If they had a al, Egg Yolk would have one too.
Thus, Egg Yolk returned to its little den behind the hotel, close to the trash bins but with a cushion and a rain shelter.
When Chu Tingwu climbed up the windmill to install the first comprehensive probe, Egg Yolk followed, wagging its tail, though it kept a safe distance from Three-Five-Five. As she climbed, she realized that the three of them—her, the cat, and the dog—had ford a perfect straight line.
The wind high up was refreshing.
On the ground, it felt slightly warm, but the breeze carried away the heat. She gazed at the distant yurts, watching the herders drive their cattle across the hills. The cattle scattered across the pasture like black dots, and a streak of sunset gathered on the hillside before disappearing behind the trees, leaving the water surface glowing golden-red.
Chu Tingwu looked down and saw Egg Yolk and Three-Five-Five running circles around the windmill. She leaned on the railing, watching them, and soon broke into a smile. Then, she vaulted over the railing and leaped down from the height, landing right between the cat and the dog.
Egg Yolk: "Woof woof woof!"
The usually composed dog was startled by the mischievous little cat.
Chu Tingwu skipped back to the hotel and announced loudly, "There’s going to be a storm tonight."
She had sensed the approaching storm.
Sure enough, by evening, raindrops the size of beans began pounding against the windows, and the entire hotel seed to sway in the wind and rain. Chu Tingwu, however, didn’t shut off her heightened hearing before the storm hit. Instead, she felt like she was enjoying a rock concert brought on by the storm.
At first, the thunder did make her instinctively nervous. Beside her, Three-Five-Five’s ears twitched, and the cat seed a bit listless. But as Chu Tingwu gradually adjusted, she began to detect a strange rhythm in the storm’s arrival.
Thud—
Thud!
Thud!!
Her friends, however, were a bit worried about her. Concerned that her sensitive hearing might be affected, the four of them gathered in the living room, with Zhou Qiang even bringing out noise-canceling earplugs.
Chu Xiao pondered, "It’s true. You can hear wild wolves running a kiloter away in the reserve."
That kind of hearing was practically superhuman.
Shao Lingwu, who also had sensitive hearing, could sowhat relate. But he knew Chu Tingwu’s hearing was far more acute than his. After so thought, he decided to open the dusty piano in the lobby.
For him, the best way to counter the noise was to focus on another sound.
Like music.
Chu Tingwu didn’t mind their concern. So, after everyone expressed their care in different ways, she listened attentively. As the music began, she naturally shifted her focus to the lody, without deliberately shutting off her hearing—
Thud—thud-thud—thud!
A rhythm that was different from the storm but harmonized perfectly erged—it was Shao Lingwu’s impromptu performance.
The sound of the piano strings and the chanical workings blended seamlessly with nature, not feeling out of place at all. As she listened, the external noise seed to quiet down—or perhaps the storm had simply lessened.
Chu Tingwu was deep in thought. When Shao Lingwu paused, she stepped up and signaled that she wanted to try too.
Chu Xiao glanced at Zhou Qiang: "Does she play the piano?"
Zhou Qiang looked back at Chu Xiao: "She’s your aunt. Why are you asking ?"
Chu Tingwu pressed the first key.
The first few notes were clumsy, clearly showing her inexperience. But soon, her playing beca smoother. As the piece neared its end, Shao Lingwu raised an eyebrow:
Not a single wrong note.
Chu Tingwu knew she hadn’t made any mistakes either. After finishing, she declared loudly:
"I have perfect pitch now!"
Perhaps it was because she had embraced and unleashed her abilities that she realized she could rember every note, just as she could rember scents of strangers, and replicate them perfectly through her hearing.
But the other three weren’t impressed.
Chu Xiao, who had always had a photographic mory: "Oh."
Zhou Qiang, who had exceptional short-term mory: "Nice."
Shao Lingwu, with his absolute pitch: "Huh?"
Chu Tingwu: "..."
What boring humans. The cat’s not playing with you anymore.
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