My abstract plant was exposed by my sister.

The next morning, Lin Muyang was woken up by Daju's barking.

He got dressed and looked down. The mouse under the beaker was still running, but it had slowed down. Big Orange was squatting next to it, staring intently at it, its furry paws occasionally poking at it, and making threatening growls.

Lin Muyang glanced at it and then ignored it. He pushed the door open and went out. It was just getting light, and there were few pedestrians on the surrounding streets, only a few sanitation workers were busy.

He bought two steamed buns and soy milk on the street, then walked towards the greenhouse behind the laboratory.

The new laboratory is located near the suburbs. The greenhouse covers an area of ​​about two acres and is surrounded by farmland belonging to the surrounding villagers. However, some of the farmland has been abandoned for a long time and is overgrown with weeds. Only a small amount of farmland has been cultivated and is used to grow vegetables.

"There's no protection around this greenhouse, and the walls are too low. It's easy for something to go wrong," Lin Muyang muttered to himself.

He walked around the perimeter, his brow furrowing more and more as he went.

The lab walls are only good for honest people; a normal person could easily climb over them. Although there's nothing valuable in the research institute, as the number of plants studied increases, it will definitely attract attention.

He squatted down and poked the soil at the base of the wall with his finger. The soil was very loose and had good drainage, making it suitable for planting.

He returned to the laboratory, consulted a large amount of information, and finally selected the trifoliate orange peel.

The trifoliate orange, also known as the tangerine, is a common hedge plant in my hometown's rural area.

The branches were covered with long, hard thorns, so thick that even a dog couldn't squeeze through them.

It blooms with white flowers in spring and bears many small, sour fruits in autumn, which no one eats. However, it grows so wildly that it can cover an entire wall, making it completely dense.

"It should grow tall, have hard thorns, and ideally be able to climb walls on its own." He conceived the idea as he walked, and by the time he reached the entrance of the greenhouse, he had a general idea.

He pushed open the door, went inside, and began rummaging through the seeds. On the shelves inside the greenhouse were more than a dozen sealed bags containing seeds of various plants.

This was specially prepared by the logistics teacher when he asked them to purchase experimental equipment; it included seeds of common plants available on the market.

He turned over the bag and found the "tartary orange peel". He shook the bag and heard a rattling sound coming from inside.

"Brother! You're up so early again!"

Xiao Kui walked in from the gate of the courtyard, carrying two bags of soy milk and a bag of steamed buns.

She was wearing a sweatshirt with the "MuKui Research Institute" logo printed on it.

Lin Muyang remained expressionless: "You've arrived."

"I come every day, you're just too early." Xiao Kui handed him the soy milk: "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Have breakfast first."

Lin Muyang took the soy milk and took a sip. Xiao Kui walked to the row of empty flowerpots, squatted down, and looked at them.

"Brother, what are you planning to plant?"

"Citrus trifoliata. It has thorns and is planted at the base of walls as a hedge."

"Will it prick me?"

"You won't get it if you go through the door."

Just as Xiao Kui was about to say something, Lin Muyang's phone vibrated. He took it out and saw that it was a message from Wu Feng (Niu Ma) with a link attached:

"Teacher Lin! I posted the test video of the Screaming Grass last night, and it's already got over three million views! The comments section is full of people wanting to buy it!"

Lin Muyang clicked on the link, which led to Wu Feng's science popularization account, "Don't Be a Beast."

Video title: "Shudu University's Screaming Grass Test: Hypnotic Sound Waves Around 30 Hz, Doubled Effect with Cola".

In the video, Wu Feng is sitting on his balcony, holding a sonic detector, with a pot of screaming plants in front of him.

He carefully poured in a small amount of cola. The leaves of the screaming grass opened slightly, and the waveform on the screen flickered. At first, there were obvious changes, but later it gradually stabilized.

He demonstrated it himself, starting off energetically, then starting to yawn after five minutes, and finally falling asleep on the table after ten minutes.

Upon waking up, she said to the camera, "I slept for two hours, a deep sleep, and I didn't dream. This is the best sleep I've had in three years."

The video has been viewed 3.7 million times and has nearly 10,000 comments.

"Where can I buy this herb?"

"Insomnia sufferers are begging for a purchase link."

"My child has trouble sleeping, could you sell me one?"

"Shudu University? Can they mass-produce them?"

"@Shudu University Official Weibo, does your school still recruit graduate students? I want to study flower cultivation."

Lin Muyang scrolled down the list one by one, his brows furrowing more and more tightly; he just found it troublesome.

Wu Feng posted another message: "Teacher Lin, many people are asking me for your contact information. I don't dare to give it to them, so I'm telling them to go to your sister's live stream."

Lin Muyang replied with a single word: "Mm".

Niu Ma: "Also... there's another hospital that wants to use your Screaming Grass for clinical trials. Do you want to check their contact information?"

Lin Muyang thought for a moment and replied with three words: "Send it to me."

Wu Feng replied instantly: "Okay, Teacher Lin!" and then sent over a bunch of screenshots and business cards.

Before Lin Muyang could even check his phone, it vibrated again. This time it was Fang Jingshan: "The principal and I will be there in twenty minutes. It's about the Screaming Grass."

"Are Teacher Fang and the principal coming?" Xiao Kui came over and saw the message.

"Hmm, it should be about the large-scale cultivation of Screaming Grass."

"Can I do a live stream?"

Lin Muyang thought for a moment and said, "Okay. But we can't photograph the contract details."

"Alright!" Xiao Kui clapped her hands excitedly and said to the camera, "Family, there's important news coming up! I'll keep you in suspense for now!"

Live chat: "What news?" "Another new product coming out?" "Could it be that Screaming Grass is going into mass production?"

Xiao Kui didn't reply, but just blinked: "Guess."

Fang Jingshan and Principal Chen arrived in less than twenty minutes.

Fang Jingshan was wearing a dark gray jacket today, and his hair was combed fairly neatly, but his eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept well.

Principal Chen stood at the gate of the courtyard, glanced at the crooked wooden sign that read "Mu Kui Research Institute," and his lips twitched.

He turned to look at Lin Muyang: "Did you write this yourself?"

"Written by Xiaokui."

Principal Chen glanced at Xiao Kui again, but said nothing.

Upon entering the laboratory, Fang Jingshan took out his phone from his pocket, opened a page, and handed it to Lin Muyang.

It's the news backend on the school's official website. There's a news release waiting to be published, titled "Our graduate student Lin Muyang has cultivated a new type of sleep-aiding plant, which has attracted social attention."

"This is a draft prepared by the school's publicity department." Fang Jingshan adjusted his glasses. "This morning, I received nine phone calls. Two were from the media, three from hospitals, one from an agricultural company, and three were to discuss cooperation."

Principal Chen added from the side, "I also received a call from the Education Bureau. They asked me if I could supply sleep-aiding plants to the public. Also, do you have enough space?"

Xiao Kui kept her camera pointed at them, but never zoomed in on their faces, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

She held up her phone, her mouth tightly shut, unusually silent.

Lin Muyang handed the phone back to Fang Jingshan: "It's far from enough. I'm preparing to conduct new experiments here. If we want to cultivate on a large scale, we need a larger area."

Principal Chen and Fang Jingshan exchanged a glance.

"The school can provide you with a plot of experimental land." Principal Chen was prepared: "There's a vacant lot behind the College of Agriculture, which used to be the experimental land for the breeding base. It's currently empty, about five acres in size."

Lin Muyang did the calculations carefully. Five acres of land, approximately 3333 square meters, if all of it were planted with Screaming Grass, each time there would be... more than 7 plants.