Chapter 35

A five-figure bank balance—so heartwarming it almost brought tears to his eyes.

Now that he had money, Shi Wen contacted Zhang Deyuan, saying he wanted to buy a few cattle and asking whether he had any suitable channels.

As soon as Zhang Deyuan received Shi Wen's message, he called. "Shi Wen, what kind of cattle do you want to buy? Do you have a target in mind?"

Shi Wen said, "Dairy cows. Local brown cattle will do. I don't have much money on hand, so if the price is cheap, I'll see whether I can buy three to five."

There were only two dairy cows on the ranch right now. That was far too few.

For such a large ranch, not buying a few more dairy cows to fill it out would be a terrible waste.

After hearing his requirements, Zhang Deyuan said, "Dairy cows really aren't cheap. You get what you pay for, and dairy cattle prices have been high lately. I'm afraid it'll be hard to find a bargain."

Shi Wen said, "Brother Zhang, help me keep an eye out. If it really doesn't work, I'll go to the big bazaar and take a look."

Zhang Deyuan said, "Why not buy from local farmers instead? There have been quite a few sick cattle lately. Just from what I've heard, several people have bought sick cattle."

People could end up buying sick cattle? Shi Wen asked, "Have a lot of cattle been getting sick lately? What illnesses are they?"

Zhang Deyuan said, "Mucosal Disease, Bluetongue Disease, Brucellosis... all of them. The rain has been on and off these days, so livestock get sick easily. Skewell has been treating illnesses and dealing with sick livestock these past few days. He's been so busy he hasn't had a moment to rest."

"Dealing with them?" Shi Wen pressed. "Safe disposal? Burning them? Burying them?"

"More or less. Livestock that die from illness can't be left on the ranch or outside. They must be brought back and dealt with, or they'll cause secondary contamination. Not just Skewell—I've helped out quite a bit these past few days too. If you want to buy cattle, it would be better to wait a few days until the weather clears up."

Shi Wen's mind raced as he asked, "Would anyone sell sick cattle? Would they be much cheaper?"

Zhang Deyuan froze. "Sick cattle?"

Chapter 16

Shi Wen held his phone.

On the other end, Zhang Deyuan's voice suddenly rose. "How did you even come up with the idea of buying sick cattle?"

Shi Wen had brought up buying sick cattle only because the conversation had led him there.

But once the words were out, he felt the idea was genuinely feasible.

He had been raising livestock for nearly two months now, and it wasn't as though none of them had ever fallen ill.

It was just that whenever an animal got sick, he could spot it immediately and treat it with medicine in time.

Since he had taken over the entire ranch, nothing had gone wrong so far.

Even Big One, the sick cow he had bought before, had visibly improved after he raised it for a while. Flesh had filled out its once-prominent bones, and its coat had grown glossy.

After all, he was Hua Nation's only Qilin Bloodline. Shi Wen could sense that he possessed a special talent for caring for livestock.

Perhaps he really could take good care of sick cattle.

Besides, livestock dying of illness was an enormous loss for any family.

If he bought sick livestock at a low price, the sellers could recover at least some of their losses. He, meanwhile, could buy livestock more cheaply and save on costs. It was a win-win situation.

Shi Wen briefly explained his idea.

Zhang Deyuan still disagreed. "I know young people have their own ideas, and you really have raised livestock well. But buying sick livestock isn't a trivial matter. You may not have seen animals that are truly seriously ill. When it gets bad, an entire ranch has to be shut down and disinfected. Ten years of earnings might not be enough to cover one year's losses."

Shi Wen said, "Probably not. I'll inspect them before buying. If their condition is especially terrible, I won't buy them."

Zhang Deyuan said, "Even if you inspect them, where will you isolate the livestock after bringing them back? What if they infect your other animals? What if they contaminate the entire pasture? Shi Wen, I'm not trying to throw cold water on you or stop you from making money. Sick livestock are really hard to handle. One careless mistake can cost you dearly."

Shi Wen sighed softly. "I know. If you didn't truly regard me as a brother, you definitely wouldn't say this to me. I'll think about it some more."

"You'd better not think about it at all." Zhang Deyuan sighed too. "Young people should keep their feet on the ground. Earning steady money is more important than anything."

Afraid that Shi Wen would act recklessly, Zhang Deyuan even told Fu Meng about it.

Fu Meng was dumbfounded as well. He had not expected Shi Wen to have such an idea.

Big Brother Fu Meng personally came to Shi Wen's door to have a heart-to-heart with him, doing his best to talk him out of it.

After getting the idea, Shi Wen looked up a great deal of information, and instead became even more convinced that this path was workable.

Before long, Skewell learned about it too.

Skewell said to Fu Meng, "Young people do tend to lack a clear understanding of things. Once he sees more, he'll understand."

Skewell found Shi Wen and suggested that he work as a veterinary assistant for a while and observe more before deciding.

Shi Wen did not refuse the helping hand extended by this senior, so in his spare time between herding, he followed Skewell to visit different households and treat livestock as a veterinary assistant.

That day, Shi Wen wore rubber boots and a long coat, carrying a medicine case as he went to a herder's home in the neighboring town to treat a sick cow.

Skewell said to Shi Wen, "I've already come twice. Their cow has Mucosal Disease. Be careful later."

"Mucosal Disease?" Shi Wen recalled what he had read about it. "Isn't the mortality rate for Mucosal Disease fairly high?"

Skewell nodded gravely. "After onset, the mortality rate can reach ninety percent."

Shi Wen's heart sank at once.

They drove to the entrance of the herder's home.

The gate outside the ranch was not locked, only lightly fastened with a latch.

Skewell led Shi Wen straight through the gate and toward the herder's home deeper within the ranch.

Before they reached the house, Shi Wen heard the sound of a vehicle approaching.

He turned toward the front side and saw a dark-skinned middle-aged man driving a three-wheeled truck down from the mountain. A middle-aged woman sat beside him in the cab, while an elderly woman sat in the cargo bed next to a dead cow lying on its back with all four legs in the air. Flies buzzed around the carcass.