Countryside Livestream: My System Can Grow Anything in the World

After being laid off, Lin Zhou, a migrant worker in Shanghai, heads back to the impoverished mountain village of Kaoshantun with just 37 yuan and 56 cents, only to unexpectedly bind himself to the "Rural Revitalization Livestream System."

The old house leaks? The System lets him exchange for a folding bed. The land is barren? A soil-enhancing solution makes the black earth gleam. The villagers can't find buyers? He livestreams sales on his phone, and the free-range eggs and fresh peanuts sell out in minutes.

His humble livestream starts with just 12 viewers. Before long, a million online fans are following along as he grows out-of-season vegetables, builds solar greenhouses, and paves a winding mountain road. First, people accuse him of using growth hormones; then he makes the trending list with his inspection reports. He starts out fighting alone, but soon villagers young and old join forces to build rural tourism.

On camera, he's the local-accented "village chief streamer," digging wild vegetables, picking wild fruit, and teaching viewers to identify crops. Behind the camera, he uses the technology and resources exchanged through the System to quietly transform his isolated hometown.

When white-collar workers in the city camp out in his livestream to grab organic vegetables, and investors come knocking with money in hand, Lin Zhou smiles as he stands in the golden rice fields. It turns out that if you build your hometown up, you really can grow a whole world.