Assistant Xiao Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, his fingers trembling slightly as he flipped through the leather-bound logbook Limeng had left behind.
Once an apprentice at a Liyue Harbor grain shop, he was now in charge of guarding this plot of "Chisui Double-Resistant No. 3" corn, which carried the hopes of countless people. Squatting beside a cornstalk nearly two meters tall, he carefully compared the patterns on the leaves with the hand-drawn diagrams in the notebook.
"Xiao Chen, look at this ear! It's so plump and heavy, a truly wonderful sight!" On a nearby ridge, a white-haired veteran farmer straightened up, his calloused hands affectionately brushing the full corn husks, his dark brown face breaking into a network of wrinkles as he smiled.
Chapter 48