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The sheep that had been bleating fiercely quieted down somewhat when they saw Black Kid. They even seemed rather afraid of him.

With Black Kid keeping them in line, the shearing went much more smoothly afterward. Shi Wen handled the last few sheep himself.

Even though they looked a little ragged, like they had been chewed by a dog, he finished shearing them all.

By the next shearing, he should have no problem doing it alone.

Shi Wen let the shorn sheep out to graze, then came back to pack the removed wool into burlap sacks with Fu Meng.

His sheep were not particularly large, but their fleece was exceptionally thick. Once the wool was weighed, it came to a total of seventy-three jin and six liang.

Even Fu Meng was surprised. "Not bad! That's a lot of wool! Want me to take you to meet someone who buys wool? You'll probably be dealing with him often in the future."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Fu." Shi Wen agreed readily. "Take a break first. We'll go after lunch."

After lunch, the two rode their motorcycles to another town, each carrying a large sack of wool.

After riding for over half an hour, they arrived in front of a ranch.

The ranch gate was open, so Fu Meng rode straight in with Shi Wen.

Shi Wen looked around and found that this ranch had an especially large number of sheep pens, each packed with sheep. There had to be at least two thousand of them, all half-grown ewes.

The sheep were crammed together in the sheds. He wondered whether they were being fattened up, which was why they had not been let out to graze.

While he was studying them intently, Fu Meng had already started talking with the ranch's owner, Zhang Deyuan.

Fu Meng introduced them to each other.

Only then did Shi Wen learn that Zhang Deyuan was the biggest sheep trader in the area. He handled every kind of local business related to sheep.

Shi Wen and Fu Meng lifted the wool down from the backs of their motorcycles.

Zhang Deyuan opened the sacks and inspected the contents carefully.

Fu Meng said, "Freshly shorn, high-quality wool. It's still warm. I know you pay a fair price, so I specially brought my little brother here to see you."

"I'm just checking the quality." After examining one sack, Zhang Deyuan smiled and opened the other. "Shi Wen, this wool is good. It can count as first-grade wool."

Shi Wen smiled too. "All that careful raising wasn't for nothing, then."

After inspecting it, Zhang Deyuan saw that the wool was dry, consistent in quality, and free of much debris. He named a price. "First-grade sheep wool has been going for sixty-five per jin these past few days. What do you think?"

That was exactly the price Shi Wen had hoped for.

He agreed readily. "No problem."

So the three of them carried the wool over to be weighed.

It came to seventy-three jin and six liang in total. At sixty-five per jin, Zhang Deyuan rounded it up and paid Shi Wen 4,785 yuan.

Shi Wen stared at the money that had just arrived in his account, his feelings too complicated to put into words.

This was the first return he had seen from raising sheep for so long.

Once the accounts were settled, Zhang Deyuan invited them for tea and took them to wash their hands at the faucet by the wall.

The sheep pens were right next door.

Shi Wen kept glancing over there, washing his hands absentmindedly.

Watching him, Zhang Deyuan could not help asking, "Shi Wen, what are you looking at?"

Shi Wen looked up at him, somewhat hesitant.

Zhang Deyuan's heart skipped a beat. Half-jokingly, he asked, "What is it? Taken a fancy to my sheep?"

Shi Wen pointed toward the sheep pens. "A few sheep over there seem to have a problem. The ones near that sheep with the brown face that looks like it has a beard."

"No way." Zhang Deyuan's expression changed at once. "These sheep are about to be sent to market. What could possibly be wrong with them?"

Shi Wen said, "They really do seem sick, and it looks like it might be contagious. If it's convenient, you should ask a veterinarian to come take a look."

Zhang Deyuan muttered, "How could that be? I inspected all the sheep I just bought."

Hearing this, Fu Meng gave Zhang Deyuan a reassuring pat on the shoulder and tried to smooth things over. "Why not ask Skewell to come have a look? It'll put your mind at ease. You've been doing business here for so many years. If you end up selling sheep with a problem, wouldn't that damage your reputation?"

Zhang Deyuan stared fixedly at the sheep. "The main thing is, they really don't look like there's anything wrong. I inspected every one of them myself."

Fu Meng said, "Then get them checked. Just to be safe?"

Zhang Deyuan said, "I'll take another look."

After that happened, none of them felt like drinking tea anymore.

Fu Meng took Shi Wen to say goodbye.

Zhang Deyuan did not say much, but he looked burdened with worries, his expression turning gloomy.

It made Shi Wen feel rather bad.

After leaving Zhang Deyuan's place, Fu Meng comforted Shi Wen. "I wouldn't have noticed anything wrong with those sheep if you hadn't said something. But after you pointed it out, I think they do seem a little off. You're probably right."

Shi Wen sighed. "He bought so many sheep. It's normal that he'd be upset if something like this happened."

Fu Meng said, "Buying sheep always comes with risks. Otherwise, everyone would be doing big business. Don't take it to heart. Skewell is very skilled. Since it's being checked early and treated early, it shouldn't be anything serious."

Shi Wen nodded. "I was just feeling a little emotional."

Fu Meng said, "Then let's head back first. Once he comes around, he'll have to come thank you in person."

The two went home separately.

Shi Wen kept thinking about the sheep at Zhang Deyuan's place and remained distracted.

After working for a while, he simply went inside to look through his books, checking whether any common cattle and sheep diseases matched what he had seen in Zhang Deyuan's sheep.

That evening.

Fu Meng sent Shi Wen a message on WeChat.

[It's confirmed that Zhang Deyuan's sheep have Bluetongue Disease. Skewell has already dealt with it, so it's nothing serious. They just need to be isolated for treatment and disinfected.]

It really was Bluetongue Disease!

He had not been wrong.

Shi Wen finally relaxed and grabbed his phone to reply.

[Will Zhang Deyuan's losses be severe?]

[Basically, there won't be much loss. Bluetongue Disease isn't some especially terrifying illness. It'll be fine once they're treated.]

[But if you hadn't noticed it, then once the incubation period passed and the disease spread, the situation would have been much more serious.]