Returning to the Frontier to Start a Ranch - Chapter 1

“Shi Wen, it’s time to get off work.”

“Shi Wen, you’re not leaving yet?”

Hearing the voices, Shi Wen looked up at the clock hanging on the office wall.

It was exactly 5:30pm—the official time to end work.

He let out a slightly frustrated sigh and looked up at the colleague who had called out to him, “I’m going to have to work overtime for a bit. You guys go ahead.”

His colleague gave him a sympathetic glance, “Did Boss ask you to work overtime again? Well, we’ll head out first. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” Shi Wen replied.

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the sky outside the window.

April’s weather was at its finest—the setting sun seemed to have melted, spreading across the sky in a breathtaking display of vibrant clouds. The evening breeze carried the scent of spring as it drifted in.

This tiring job…if he could end his work now, he could enjoy the spring breeze and admire the sunset.

Just then, his computer let out a soft ding, pulling him back to reality.

His eyes moved to the lower right corner of the screen, where a new email notification had popped up. The subject line read, “In regards to the management for Comrade Shi Jingbo’s Ranch.”

A personal email?

Shi Wen froze briefly. It had been a long time since he had seen his grandfather’s name.

His grandfather had passed away nearly three years ago—so what kind of email is this? And what ranch?

Shi Wen clicked on it.

The email opened on his computer, its wording formal and official.

To summarise the email, it stated that his grandfather, Shi Jingbo, had owned a ranch. This year, Shi Wen had met the conditions for inheritance. The email then asked if he wished to inherit said ranch.

If he did, he could schedule an appointment through an official service platform and go through the relevant procedures.

Instructions for making the appointment were attached below.

Since when did scam emails get this personalised?

Frowning, Shi Wen closed the email.

His parents had divorced when he was in high school, each remarrying and having children of their own. After that, he had never gone back home. During the holidays, he stayed in the school dormitory in college, and after graduation, he rented an apartment.

Three years ago, when his grandfather had fallen and passed away at home during the Lunar New Year, it was his aunt who had informed him about the grave news.

As the third generation in his family tree, he hadn’t expected to inherit anything and never bothered to ask. He had simply attended the funeral.

In the three years since his funeral, Shi Wen hadn’t had the means to visit and pay respects, only burning paper offerings every New Year.

So why was this email sent to him?

Shi Wen continued his work, but his mind was restless, and his efficiency plummeted.

After a while, he couldn’t resist reopening the email.

The service platform mentioned in the email was one he was very familiar with—it was the province’s official service platform, used for services like medical insurance and social security. He used it quite often, and it was even saved in the shortcut bar on his WeChat.

The instructions directed him to make an appointment under a subcategory called “Bureau of Anomalous Affairs”.

Taking out his phone, he followed the email’s instructions, tapping on the “More Services” option hidden on the service platform’s homepage.

There it was—Bureau of Anomalous Affairs.

There really was such a department.

He followed the instructions step-by-step, and before long, a notification popped up:
“Your appointment has been successfully scheduled. Please bring all required documents and arrive at the service center 30 minutes in advance to avoid missing your turn.”

Shi Wen stared at the notification for a long moment.

His appointment was set for 9am tomorrow. Whether this email was real or fake, he would find out at the service center tomorrow.

An appointment at the government’s service center couldn’t possibly be fake… right?

Although he felt that way, Shi Wen still couldn’t resist stepping into the hallway with his phone and calling his aunt.

She was even more surprised than he was. “What ranch? Your grandfather never owned a ranch! He worked in J Province for a while, helping someone raise cattle and sheep. It wasn’t for long either—he came back for the New Year, and that’s when the accident happened. The owner was kind-hearted and even gave us some money.”

“Your dad and your cousin already looked into everything back then, and it was all settled. Who told you otherwise?”

Shi Wen replied, “No one, really. I was just asking. Aunt, how have you been lately? Is your health okay?”

……

After hanging up, Shi Wen forced himself to focus and finish his work. Once he reported to his boss, he naturally requested leave for the next day, and received a long-winded lecture in return.

The next morning.

Shi Wen arrived early at the service center with his ID and waited.

After taking a queue number, it wasn’t long before it was his turn.

The woman behind the service window checked his ID, and then looked at her computer screen before saying, “Your grandfather did, in fact, have a ranch under his name. If you wish to inherit it, you’ll need to undergo another medical examination. Only after confirming that you meet the inheritance criteria can we proceed with the paperwork.”

Shi Wen asked, “Did my grandfather leave a will? Shouldn’t this ranch be inherited by my aunt or my father instead?”

The clerk smiled sweetly, “Your father, aunt and all other relatives did not meet the inheritance criteria. Only you have met the criteria this year. According to the order of inheritance, the ranch should rightfully go to you.”

Shi Wen hesitated, “I don’t quite understand. You said I only qualified this year?”

“According to the reports sent by the hospital, that’s correct,” the clerk replied. “From what I can see here, you briefly met the criteria in 2016 and 2017, and your medical examination last week shows that you’ve qualified again.”

Shi Wen frowned, “What exactly is this criteria?”

“It refers to meeting the standards for Divinity and Special Abilities,” the clerk explained. Seeing the confusion in Shi Wen’s eyes, she grabbed a booklet from the top right corner of her desk and handed it to him. “This is an informational guide from the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs. You can take a look.”

The Bureau of Anomalous Affairs?

Divinity and Special Abilities?

Shi Wen took a step back and glanced up at the signage in the hall.

This was indeed a legitimate government office.

And he didn’t seem to be dreaming.

“Do you have any other questions?” the clerk asked.

Shi Wen shook his head.

She gave him a standard eight-tooth smile, “If you have any doubts, you can go to the Military General Hospital in B City for a medical exam. Just inform them it’s for the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs, and they will arrange it for you.”

Not wanting to take up any more of her time, Shi Wen took the booklet and started flipping through it.

The booklet was published by the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs, detailing different types of anomalous phenomena and creatures, as well as administrative standards and benefits.

Within the human populace, a small fraction of humans have awakened special bloodlines, becoming anomalous beings, and are subsequently placed under the jurisdiction of the Bureau. They were granted certain rights but also had obligations to fulfill.

Shi Wen figured he must belong to this category.

However, he had no memory of awakening such a bloodline. All his medical checkups growing up had been normal.

Had the relevant authorities been hiding the results?

After spending the entire morning at the service center, Shi Wen scheduled a medical exam at B City’s Military General Hospital in the afternoon.

The process went very smoothly—probably because this kind of medical exam was so rare; there was no waiting line. Within just over an hour, his results were ready.

The report was thick.

Sitting on a metal chair next to the printing station, Shi Wen flipped through the report from start to finish, and discovered two previously hidden categories.

One was Divinity, and the other was Special Abilities. Shi Wen had scored 201 in the Divinity category, and 137 in the Special Abilities category. Both scores met the threshold for awakened bloodlines. The analysis at the bottom of the report stated that Shi Wen had awakened the Qilin bloodline—the bloodline of the king of all beasts.

However, both his Divinity and Special Abilities scores were quite low. The threshold for an awakened bloodline was 200 for Divinity and 100 for Special abilities—and he had only barely passed.

No wonder no one had contacted him before, and that he had never known about any of this.

Shi Wen flipped through the results multiple times. Since it was still early, he decided to return to the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs’ service center.

He was assigned to the same clerk as before.

When she saw the results Shi Wen had submitted, she smiled and said, “Mr Shi, your test results show that you have met the criteria. You are now eligible to inherit the mountain ranch in J Province, covering a total area of 3,000 mu (about 500 acres). Would you like to proceed with the inheritance? It’s tax-free, and you will receive subsidies. After inheriting the ranch, if your bloodline remains eligible, the usage period for the ranch will be extended to 40 years. Upon expiration, as long as you still qualify, you can continue renewing it indefinitely.”

Shi Wen asked, “According to the handbook, this ranch was allocated to my grandfather by the government?”

“Yes,” the clerk confirmed. “This ranch was assigned by the state, and some of its facilities were also built with government support. After Mr Shi passed away, none of his descendants met the eligibility requirements, so your family was not notified. It was only after you took your medical examination this year, and only after your results showed that you had met the minimum criteria, were we then able to inform you.”

Shi Wen was stunned.

The clerk noticed his expression and handed him a printed slip of paper, “This contains information about the ranch. If you’re interested, you can go take a look first.”

Shi Wen took it, “Thank you.”

“Mr Shi,” the clerk flashed a smile at him, “If you don’t use your special abilities, your bloodline will degrade. At the moment, you are the only person in Hua Nation who has awakened the Qilin bloodline. Although it’s faint, I still recommend that you give it a try. Also, please review the confidentiality agreement and related explanation.”

As she spoke, she handed him another booklet.

Shi Wen nodded and thanked her again, “Alright.”

It was Friday, and his job had weekends off, meaning he wouldn’t have to work for the next two days.

After getting home, he paced back and forth for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth and booked a flight to J Province.

The address the clerk gave him was in the outskirts of a small town, under the jurisdiction of N City in the J Province, over 130 kilometers from the city—far away from any tourist areas.

Before today, Shi Wen had never even heard of this city, let alone this ranch.

After getting off the plane, Shi Wen first arrived at the small town, then took a taxi to the ranch. Surprisingly, he found his grandfather’s ranch with ease.

Outside the ranch stood an old wooden sign, with the words “Shi Family’s Ranch” scrawled across it in rough handwriting—undoubtedly his grandfather’s own brushwork.

Shi Wen stood in front of the sign for a moment. When he looked up again, he felt an unexpected sense of familiarity towards the ranch before him.

He took in the sight.

The ranch was fenced in with mesh wire, with a wooden gate at the entrance.

It was not yet May—the grass on the ranch grew sparsely. From a distance, a faint layer of green could be seen, but up close, it was all dry stubble.

After observing for a while, he pushed open the wooden gate and stepped inside.

Spanning over 3,000 mu, the ranch was vast. Because the land was mostly flat, the cluster of buildings within was visible even from the entrance.

Shi Wen walked toward the buildings. Along the way, he could still make out faint traces of old paths, with dried cow dung scattered along both sides.

After walking for a while, Shi Wen finally reached the front of the building structures.

Before him was a large courtyard, reminiscent of the traditional Northeastern-style courtyards. Behind it was a single row of……livestock sheds?

The courtyard gate was also wooden, secured with wire mesh. Shi Wen reached out, unhooked the wire, pushed the gate open and stepped inside.

On either side of the courtyard were the remains of vegetable gardens, but they had long since been overtaken by nature. The overgrown, withered grass reached up to his calves.

Shi Wen approached a glass window, wiped away a layer of dust from the outer pane, and peered inside.

Through the window, his eyes landed on a familiar-looking big tea mug sitting atop a table. Beside the mug lay an old lighter.

The sight instantly brought back memories of his childhood—of the days he had spent living with his grandfather.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but it was accompanied by a wave of bittersweet nostalgia.

“Hey—”

Just as Shi Wen was looking through the window, a voice called out, “Where did you come from? This is private property. You can’t just walk in.”

Shi Wen turned around.

A tanned young man, dressed in a leather jacket and rain boots, was riding a motorcycle towards him. The man stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.

Shi Wen greeted him, “Hello, I’m Shi Jing Bo’s grandson, Shi Wen.”

As he spoke, the young man stared at Shi Wen and muttered to himself, “The chin does resemble a bit.”

Shi Wen smiled in response.

The young man introduced himself, “I’m Fu Meng, I live in the neighboring village. Are you coming back to take over the ranch?”

Shi Wen gave a vague response, “Something like that.”

Fu Meng replied, “It’s good that you’re back. At the time, your grandfather had just started raising sheep just before the accident. After that, I helped handle the sheep. It’s a real shame.”

The two of them chatted for a while, then Fu Meng suggested, “You haven’t had dinner, right? Come to my place. If you decide to stay, we’ll be neighbors soon.”

Shi Wen, not quite used to this level of enthusiasm, smiled and replied, “Thanks, but I bought a late-night ticket and need to rush back. I’m afraid I won’t make it.”

Fu Meng asked, “What time is your flight? Did you drive here?”

“No, I’ll take a taxi later.”

“It’s hard to get a taxi around here. Let me give you a ride to the town. Once we’re there, it’s easy to get a cab.”

Fu Meng was very friendly, not only offering to drive Shi Wen to the town but also giving him a thorough tour of the ranch.

He pointed out the various areas, such as where the livestock sheds were, where the farmland was, and even where the ditches ran. Fu Meng knew every inch of the place.

During their conversation, Shi Wen found out that Fu Meng was the village head of the settlement.

It turned out that the old man’s ranch was part of the village, which explained why Fu Meng had come over so quickly after Shi Wen arrived.

Fu Meng continued, “Spring’s already here. If you want to raise cattle and sheep this year, you better get a move on. The ranch needs some repairs, the ditches need clearing, and the spring lambs² are growing up. In a little while, it’ll be hard to find good lambs to buy.”

Shi Wen quickly nodded, “Alright, thank you, Fu-ge³.”

Fu Meng replied, “No need for such formalities. We’re neighbors. If you move here, things will be more lively around here.”

After touring the ranch, Fu Meng drove Shi Wen to the town on his motorcycle so he could buy a ticket to N City.

Shi Wen was heading to N City to catch a flight back.

With Fu Meng’s help, Shi Wen’s trip to the ranch went much more smoothly than he had imagined.

He found himself developing a much stronger fondness for the ranch than he had anticipated.

On Monday, Shi Wen returned to the service center.

He was assigned to the same clerk as before.

When she saw the materials he handed over, she quickly processed his inheritance paperwork.

Once everything was done, she handed him the documents and a separate printed sheet with important notes. She reminded him, “Mr Shi, once you inherit the ranch, do your best to not neglect it. If you don’t engage in related industries, your bloodline may deteriorate. Every three years, your bloodline needs to be rechecked. If you don’t meet the criteria, the ranch will be reclaimed. All the best!”

Shi Wen understood this condition. After all, it was a benefit, and it was normal for there to be many restrictions. Moreover, the foundation for him receiving this benefit was his bloodline; if the bloodline deteriorated, everything would naturally be reclaimed.

A bit excited, Shi Wen looked up and smiled, “I understand. Thank you.”

The staff member returned the smile, “You’re welcome. Congratulations, we look forward to hearing good news from your ranch.”

After confirming that all the necessary paperwork for the ranch was completed, Shi Wen handed in his resignation at the company, arranged to cancel his lease with his landlord, and gradually sent his belongings to the small town near the ranch.

The small town didn’t offer home delivery for parcels. Everything had to be picked up from the designated delivery points.

Half a month later, Shi Wen appeared at the ranch again.

However, this time, he didn’t have to resort to climbing through the fence. With the key he received from a staff member of the J Province Bureau of Abnormal Affairs, he walked straight through the front gate.

In the half-month absence, the grass on the ranch had grown even greener, and the soil felt more damp.

He walked along the long path and entered the front yard, using the key to open the house door.

As soon as the door opened, the musty smell and the scent of dust hit him.

Shi Wen looked at the old furniture and the various belongings left behind by his grandfather.

From now on, this would be his home.
————————————————————————————
Footnote:

1. Crop stubble is the leftover straw, leaves and stems of plants after harvest. It can also refer to the chaff and straw that comes out of the harvester.

2. Spring lamb refers to a young lamb that is between three and five months old.

3. In such instances, I will translate Brother as ge.