Mountains and Seas is a moving ode to the shared life of mountains and sea.
The story begins with a heartfelt promise between two boys: Zhou Zihan, a boy from the coast, and Li Dashan, a boy from a mountain village, exchange tokens, a seashell and a bundle of pine needles, and vow to “bring the sea to the mountains.”
Years later, Zhou Zihan's father, Zhou Lianfeng, a PhD in Chinese medicinal herb cultivation and identification, brings a national scientific research project to the Daba Mountains, hoping to help farmers through technology. But he encounters a crisis involving counterfeit seeds. Local herb farmer Li Guoxiang comes to the rescue with a traditional skill passed down through generations, identifying seeds by touch. Together with the villagers, he saves the project, and the bitter fragrance of fritillaria fills the mountain valley.
But a local bully manipulates purchases, forcing prices down and cheating the farmers. Zhou Lianfeng and Li Guoxiang stand together against him, exposing the scheme with evidence and a joint petition. At last, police sirens sound, and justice reaches the remote mountain village.
The next generation has grown up, too. Zhou Zihan opens an e-commerce livestream studio on a mountaintop, while Li Dashan operates an agricultural drone to survey the clouds. Technology brings the mountains and sea closer, and a bloodline mystery buried for half a century is finally solved: Zhou Lianfeng and Li Guoxiang are brothers who were separated long ago. In the season when fritillaria blooms, they reunite in front of a seedling greenhouse. Amid the crackle of firecrackers, their shared blood and their bond with the land come together.
The novel centers on the idea of “mountains and seas thriving together.” Knowledge, like a sea breeze, nourishes the mountains; the land, like a network of roots, reaches toward the ocean. In the end, love, family ties, and hope all flourish together amid green hills and clear waters.
