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There was a hoe in the storage room. Shi Wen took it out, sharpened it against a stone, and went to clear the backyard.

There were actually perennial low shrubs on the prairie, but they did not grow tall. Their leaves had only just begun to emerge, making them inconspicuous. In reality, though, their roots were numerous and deep, making them quite difficult to dig up.

In the backyard, Shi Wen dug out shrubs while picking up stones. Before long, he was so hot that he could not keep his jacket on and worked in only a short-sleeved shirt and long pants.

When he had cleared nearly half the backyard, Shi Wen heard the puppy barking up front. The warning in its voice made it obvious that something must have happened.

He immediately abandoned what he was doing, grabbed his hoe, and ran to the front.

When he reached the front yard, he saw Fu Meng standing outside the ranch's wire fence with someone else.

Seeing Shi Wen come out, Fu Meng called loudly, "I was just about to call you. This is Dr. Skewell, the veterinarian sent by the Livestock Office. He's here to vaccinate and tag the village's cattle and sheep."

Shi Wen hurriedly said, "I saw the notice in the group chat. Come in through the wooden gate; just slide back the bolt. Black Kid, they're guests. Don't bark."

When Shi Wen had first moved here, he had joined the village's public group chat. Whenever anything came up, everyone discussed it there. The vaccination had been mentioned in the group.

It was Shi Wen's first time meeting Dr. Skewell. He hurried forward and held out his hand to shake his, only to realize that it was covered in mud. Embarrassed, he wiped it on himself. "I was clearing land just now, so it's a little dirty."

Skewell smiled and extended his hand. "I just touched cattle and sheep. My hand might not be any cleaner than yours."

Shi Wen smiled, shook his hand, and led them into the ranch.

It was already early May, and the grass in the pasture had begun to grow. As far as the eye could see, everything was a tender green.

Various tiny wildflowers were scattered amid the green, though none were particularly eye-catching. Overall, the pasture was still a sea of fresh green.

Fu Meng looked around. "Your pasture is really nice. There are so many dandelions and wild onions—you can dig them up now."

"There really are a lot," Shi Wen said. "I dug up quite a few while clearing the land. Unfortunately, they're a little bitter, and I don't like eating them, so I fed them all to the sheep."

"That's good too. If sheep eat more of them, their meat will be especially tender."

As they walked through the pasture, they quickly spotted the flock of sheep.

Skewell examined the flock. "It might be hard to do this outside. How about driving them back to the livestock shed?"

Shi Wen immediately said, "Sure. Take a short rest, and I'll drive them over right now."

"Let's do it together. It'll be faster," Fu Meng said. "I'll take the left, Skewell the right, and Shi Wen, you drive them from behind."

The three of them headed toward the flock and slowly began herding the sheep.

The puppy stood where it was, tilting its head as it watched for a moment. It seemed to understand what they were trying to do, then barked and ran forward. It darted left and right, using its strength alone to herd the sheep into a trot toward the livestock shed.

Fu Meng had not expected such a small dog to be able to herd sheep. He exclaimed, "Last time, I said I'd help you look for a sheepdog. I didn't expect you to buy such a good dog so quickly."

Skewell added, "Your dog is excellent. It's agile and has great stamina, not to mention how clever it is. If it grows into a bigger frame, you could consider using it as a stud."

Shi Wen smiled. "It really is good. As for being a stud, we'll have to see later. It's still too young."

With the puppy helping herd the sheep, they only had to head straight for the livestock shed, saving them a great deal of trouble.

The ranch did not look very large, but it was actually not small. They walked across the prairie for six or seven minutes before reaching the livestock shed, and everyone had broken a light sweat.

Stepping suddenly from the sun-drenched prairie into the cool livestock shed, Shi Wen's vision darkened for a moment. He could barely make out the things in front of him and needed a moment to adjust.

The puppy, on the other hand, was completely unaffected. It scampered over to Shi Wen's feet, sat down, puffed out its chest proudly, and waited for praise.

Shi Wen bent down and stroked its head. "Black Kid, good job."

As he spoke, he pulled out a handful of meat pellets from his pants pocket and fed them to it.

Every dog had its own personality. Black Kid especially needed positive reinforcement. With that encouragement, it became even more enthusiastic about working.

While Shi Wen fed the dog, Fu Meng and Skewell were looking over the surroundings.

He had few sheep, and the livestock shed had been built according to proper standards. Shi Wen cleaned it every day and disinfected it every few days.

As a result, despite being a livestock shed, it was very clean inside. There was barely any smell of manure, only the faint scent of disinfectant.

Fu Meng said, "No wonder your sheep are so white and plump. You've really put a lot of care into this."

"It's mainly because I don't have many," Shi Wen said. "If I had more, I probably wouldn't be able to manage them so meticulously. Doctor, how should we do this?"

"Wait a moment. I'll prepare the medicine first," Skewell said. "Then you two just need to hold the sheep's heads."

Skewell opened the medicine case he carried with him, took out a syringe and medicine bottle, and explained to Shi Wen, "This is the Sheep Four-in-One, Three-Prevention Vaccine. It prevents sheep sudden death, sheep braxy, sheep black disease, and sheep enterotoxemia."

Shi Wen nodded repeatedly to show that he understood.

Skewell said, "I'll give the injections first, then attach the immunization ear tags. The government pays for both, so there's no charge. Once we're done, I'll just need to register them."

Shi Wen had no objections. For public safety, livestock raising would certainly be subject to supervision. He had known that before coming to the ranch.

After Skewell gave a brief explanation and saw that Shi Wen understood everything, he carried the medicine case into the sheep pen.

Shi Wen and Fu Meng went in as well.

Shi Wen and Fu Meng caught the nearest sheep, each gripping one horn.

Skewell pinned the sheep between his legs, grasped the muscles in its neck with his left hand, and held the syringe in his right. He inserted the needle at an angle and injected the medicine into the sheep's neck muscle.

The sheep gave a loud "Baa—," startling the other sheep in the shed into restless movement.

Skewell's movements were quick and steady. After giving the sheep its injection, he took out the ear-tag pliers, swiftly punched a hole in its ear, then took out an ear tag and attached it.