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After they finished washing the dishes together, Shi Wen was too full to sit still and simply invited Yan Kexing out for a walk.

There were stars and a breeze outside, and the ranch was wide open. They had not seen the sunset that evening, but going out to look at the stars was nice too.

Yan Kexing accepted his invitation.

The two walked outside.

Shi Wen looked up and saw bright stars covering the entire sky. The sky seemed to be turned upside down, as though it were about to enclose them together.

In the distance, the mountain range lay dimly outlined, while the snow atop the peaks, which never melted year-round, glimmered faintly.

Walking in an environment like this, even without saying anything, was enough to make one feel at ease.

But Shi Wen was not the silent type. Whenever he was with Yan Kexing, he always had plenty to say.

Shi Wen introduced the ranch to Yan Kexing, from the old livestock sheds left behind by the old man to the long silage pits, from the warehouse that had yet to be renovated to the cornfields. The three-thousand-acre ranch had plenty of work to be done and plenty of projects to develop if he was to run it alone.

After listening to his introduction, Yan Kexing asked, "How long do you plan to take to accomplish what you have in mind?"

Shi Wen said, "Three years. I plan to spend three years building up the ranch's infrastructure and gradually bringing in the livestock I want to raise."

Yan Kexing commented, "That's no small amount of pressure."

Shi Wen was fairly optimistic. "It's actually not too bad. I'm a professional rancher, after all. In three years, the whole ranch should be able to move up a level."

Yan Kexing said, "In your situation, it's fine if you have sufficient funds. If your funds are lacking, though, you'll inevitably be constrained in what you can do."

Shi Wen knew that as well. "There's nothing to be done about that. I can only take it slowly. I'm pretty capable when it comes to livestock farming, and the money should come back in this year. I should start turning a profit."

"Since that's the case, if you won't accept a loan from me, would you accept a bank loan?" Yan Kexing looked at him. "I think it would be better for someone in your situation to borrow a sum of money first and get the ranch built up."

It was not as though Shi Wen had never considered it. "A loan requires collateral. I have the forty-year right to use this ranch, but it isn't a standard lease. It's subject to regulations and difficult to use as collateral. The banks won't recognize it."

Yan Kexing said, "So you're not opposed to taking out a loan. You're just constrained by reality?"

Shi Wen nodded. It was not as though he truly wanted to keep doing things on such a small scale. Reality simply did not allow otherwise.

Shi Wen said, "With my lineage, once the ranch gets on track, it'll be pretty hard for me to lose money."

Yan Kexing walked slowly beside him. "I have a friend who runs a local bank. It really would be difficult to borrow from a major bank. Local banks tend to act more boldly and have a more aggressive style. Given your current situation, you still have a good chance of getting a loan from a local bank. If you need it, I can introduce you to him and act as your guarantor."

Shi Wen listened in silence, then said, "Aren't you afraid I'll fail and run away?"

Yan Kexing said, "My judgment isn't that poor."

Hearing that, Shi Wen's eyes grew hot, and he nearly cried.

This was the second time Yan Kexing had taken the initiative to offer him help after trying to lend him money.

Since he had started college, not even his parents, let alone ordinary friends, had treated him this well.

He turned his head slightly, hiding behind the cover of night as he murmured, "You're far too good to me."

Yan Kexing raised a hand and gently patted his shoulder.

Shi Wen sniffed. "Let me think about it for a few days and take stock of my current situation. Can I give you an answer in a few days?"

Yan Kexing said, "All right. I'll wait for your answer."

Chapter 21

Shi Wen considered it seriously for several days before finally deciding to accept Yan Kexing's goodwill and meet his friend from the bank.

With Yan Kexing's guarantee, Shi Wen's loan process went very smoothly.

For the first round of loans, he borrowed a total of seven hundred thousand.

Together with the three hundred thousand subsidy he had applied for, this year's livestock farming funds should be enough.

With money in hand, Shi Wen felt much more at ease and had more drive to pursue his work.

For the next while, he only needed to manage the ranch properly and raise his livestock. He no longer had to worry about money.

That day, the sun was already high in the sky before Shi Wen worked with the dogs to drive the sheep out of the livestock shed.

Instead of driving the sheep toward the pasture they had often used recently, he drove them to the large pool beside the house.

He had filled the pool with water early that morning. It had now warmed beneath the sun, and the insecticide he had added gave off a somewhat pungent smell.

It was only in the past couple of days that Shi Wen discovered horseflies had bitten some of the sheep on their rumps. After finding several maggots in the wounds, he remembered that it was time to give the sheep a medicated bath.

Fu Meng had specifically recommended the medicated bath powder. He said that although this brand of insecticide smelled a little harsh, it worked very well. After using it on the sheep, it could not only prevent bites from insects and flies, but also drive away parasites.

The sheep at home had grown out their wool a little again. It was curly and tangled, with plenty of parasites hiding inside. Shi Wen had no better option and could only use something stronger.

Shi Wen was absolutely giving the flock a medicated bath for their own good.

The sheep, however, did not appreciate it.

They smelled the medicine from afar and desperately ran away to the side, bleating as they ran and kicking up clouds of dust across the ranch.

Shi Wen and the three dogs tried to surround them from four directions, but they still could not contain the flock. There was even the risk of getting bitten or rammed by the sheep.

Although Shi Wen knew his sheep had always been somewhat fierce, he had not expected them to be this fierce.

They stopped in front of the pool and loudly went, "Baa—" "Baa—," refusing to go down no matter what.

Shi Wen waved his whip and drove them toward the pool, but they could still leap two meters into the air and jump directly onto the pool's edge from the other side.

They did not dare ram Shi Wen, but when facing the three dogs driving them, they truly dared to lower their heads and charge. Because of this, they frightened off the dogs' attempts to surround them several times.

Black Kid was better off. Black Kid was relatively large and had herded livestock since he was young. The flock was fierce, but he was fiercer. After pouncing on and biting several sheep, no sheep dared flee in his direction anymore.

Le Wa and An Wa were a little smaller and lacked enough authority. When sheep ran toward them, they bit and barked, while also having to watch for openings to dodge. Before long, they were panting heavily from exhaustion.