In a cybernetic farming society, on a 99.6-mu chive estate numbered 007, the estate owner Zheng Qian, his successor Zheng Kun, and head gardener Shanshan rule through the Blessing System, contribution-point algorithms, the Chive Daily, and other means. They weave lies such as “gardeners are the chives’ second parents,” “grow freely and share in prosperity,” and “harvesting promotes healthy growth,” coaxing the chives into being harvested again and again. At last, one day, Qing Feng, an old chive, awakens. Together with Cui Hui, a leader of the new generation, Qing Feng leads the chives in fighting humanity and overthrowing the gardeners’ tyranny. After the gardeners flee, the estate falls into a power vacuum. Qing Feng forms a chive alliance and tries to establish self-government, but the effort fails, and Cui Hui seizes power. To consolidate control of the estate, Cui Hui invites humans back to help manage it. With new slogans and scams such as the “Gene Optimization Act,” the “Chlorophyll Bank,” and the “Museum of Broken Roots,” harvesting and exploitation continue. At last, a torrential rain destroys the estate. New chives begin to sprout, while outside the walls, another harvest is in the making. We are all chives. On the one hand, we receive the sunshine and rain of powerful technology, struggling to survive in a world defined by algorithms. On the other, we contribute the fruits of our labor to the “estate owners,” waiting to be harvested again and again, quietly resisting exploitation as we endlessly replay our fateful cycle of love and hate with capital.
