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In less than half a minute, the entire procedure was complete.

Once the sheep were released, they darted back into the flock.

Shi Wen reached out and caught the second sheep, while Fu Meng helped him hold it still.

Skewell swiftly changed the needle, drew up more medicine, and prepared to vaccinate the next sheep.

In under half an hour, all thirty-seven sheep had been vaccinated and fitted with ear tags.

Shi Wen asked, "That's it?"

Skewell said, "You still need to register them. You should also keep an eye on these ear tags. Sometimes, when sheep get close to wire fences, their tags can catch on the wire. If they struggle, their ears can easily tear. If their ears get injured, remember to treat them promptly, or they'll become inflamed and get maggots."

Shi Wen knew a little about that too. Once a sheep had a wound, flies could easily lay eggs in it, and then maggots would grow in the wound. If left untreated, the maggots would gnaw at the wound, multiply frantically, and spread everywhere. In severe cases, they might even eat an entire sheep.

As a beginner, he had no choice but to guard against such a terrifying problem.

He had already bought fly-repellent medicated oil and planned to apply it to the sheep within the next couple of days.

Shi Wen shut the sheep pen gate and led the two of them out.

His house was right beside the livestock shed. Since they needed to register the sheep, it would be more comfortable to do it at his house, where they could at least sit on chairs.

Shi Wen had also cleaned the house thoroughly. It did not look like a bachelor's home at all.

Shi Wen invited them to sit at the dining table, then brought out fruit and tea.

He did not have any cow's milk or goat's milk at the moment, so the tea at home was not milk tea, just ordinary tea.

If he wanted milk tea, he would have to wait until next year at the earliest.

Neither Fu Meng nor Skewell minded.

The three sat at the dining table as Skewell recorded the breed, age, origin, health condition, and other details of Shi Wen's sheep.

After they returned, dedicated staff would enter the information into the computer. In the future, Shi Wen would also be able to check on his sheep through a specialized app.

Shi Wen opened both the front and back doors, letting the wind pass through the house.

Once the registration was finished, Fu Meng looked toward the backyard. "You were clearing the backyard today?"

"Yeah. It hasn't been planted for years, so I need to till it deeply and disinfect it, then leave it for a few days before planting vegetables. Brother Fu, does anyone sell vegetable seedlings at the market? Which street are they on? How come I didn't see any?"

"I don't think there are any vegetable seedlings. The supermarket does have vegetable seeds, though. Why buy that stuff? If you want some, just come take some from my place. If you buy fake vegetable seeds outside, you might plant them for a whole year and still not know what you'll end up growing."

Shi Wen was surprised. "There are fake vegetable seeds too?"

"Foreign vegetable seeds. Take tomatoes, for example. Our tomatoes are old local varieties, sandy and sweet. If you buy seeds elsewhere, the tomatoes you grow can easily turn out bland and hard. They're completely different, so we call them fake vegetable seeds."

Skewell cut in, "Leafy greens can be like that too. The ones bought elsewhere are hard as rocks and won't soften no matter how long you cook them. They don't taste good."

Hearing that, Shi Wen immediately changed his mind. "Then, Brother Fu, I'll come by your place this afternoon to get some. When will you be home?"

"You can go now. My wife and the others are home."

Shi Wen smiled. "I'll go this afternoon instead. I can chat with you then. I won't keep you now."

"Works for me. I'll go with Skewell to vaccinate the other households' livestock first."

Chapter 7

Shi Wen worked solidly in the backyard for the entire day and cleared more than half a mu of land.

That was thanks to the fact that it had been cultivated before. Aside from a few shrubs, there were no other tough obstacles.

If he had been clearing untamed land outside, the same area would have taken at least eight or ten days.

By evening, the sky was filled with vivid, blazing sunset clouds.

Shi Wen ate a simple bowl of noodles, took a shower, grabbed a box of chocolates and a box of gummy candy, then rode his motorcycle to Fu Meng's house.

Fu Meng's home was in the village.

Most households in this resettlement village did not have ranches. When people grazed livestock, they had to drive their cattle and sheep to the grasslands outside. If they had many animals, they also had to take them into the mountains to graze.

It was summer now, and quite a few families had driven their cattle and sheep deep into the mountains to the summer pastures, leaving the village somewhat empty.

Shi Wen rode his motorcycle down the village road, went straight to Fu Meng's door, and knocked.

A woman's voice came from inside. "Who is it?"

The voice drew closer and closer. Before Shi Wen could answer, the large iron gate creaked open, and a kind-looking middle-aged woman poked her head out from behind it.

Shi Wen was still thinking about how to greet her.

The woman smiled first. "You're Shi Wen, right? I'm Fu Meng's wife, Chang Qingqing."

Shi Wen quickly greeted her and offered the gifts. "Hello, Sister-in-law. I came to see Brother Fu."

Chang Qingqing tried to refuse. "You came to visit, so why bring gifts?"

"They're for my nephew and niece."

While they were talking at the gate, Fu Meng lifted the door curtain and came out. "Shi Wen, you're here. Come in and have some tea."

As he spoke, Fu Meng explained to Chang Qingqing, "He wants to plant some vegetables but has nowhere to buy seedlings, so I told him to come take some from our place."

"What seedlings do you need? I'll go sort some out. They're all piled up in the backyard."

Shi Wen hurriedly said, "Anything is fine. Sister-in-law, just give me a few of whatever seedlings you have extra."

"Alright, I know what to do. You two go have tea."

Fu Meng invited Shi Wen into the living room and picked up the thermos to pour him tea. "We only have salty milk tea here. I don't know whether you're used to it, so give it a try."

"Thank you, Brother Fu." Shi Wen held the cup in both hands and took a sip. "It's more fragrant than what I drank in the city."

Fu Meng laughed. "Right? Homemade stuff naturally uses more real ingredients than what they sell outside."

Shi Wen asked, "Is this made with cow's milk or goat's milk?"

"Today's is cow's milk, but goat's milk works too. Quite a few ewes gave birth to spring lambs this spring, so there's plenty of milk now. We can even spare some to make milk curds and dried cheese." As he spoke, Fu Meng topped up Shi Wen's cup with another half cup of milk tea. "Drink more if you like it."

Shi Wen smiled. "It's really good. I'll see if I can raise some cattle this year and start milking them next year."