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Shi Wen looked at the two little ones and felt that, no matter what, he had to give them bigger chunks of beef today.

They had worked far too hard.

And these damn sheep—if things really did not work out, he might as well pick out the troublemakers and sell them.

One man and three dogs struggled to control the flock, all of them exhausted.

Just as they were battling wits and courage with the sheep, the sound of a motorcycle came from afar.

Shi Wen and the three dogs all turned to look.

Skewell was riding his motorcycle toward them.

From a distance, Skewell shouted, "Shi Wen! Giving the sheep a medicinal bath? Need a hand?"

"It would be great if you could help." Shi Wen wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The sheep are resisting too hard. I can barely keep things under control."

Skewell parked his motorcycle beneath the wall of Shi Wen's yard and walked over. "The sheep won't go in?"

"Yeah. Mainly because they can jump so damn well. If I weren't sure these guys were sheep, I'd think I was raising a herd of goats."

Skewell burst out laughing. "It's your first time giving them a medicinal bath, so you don't have much experience. Once you've driven them through a few more times, you'll get the hang of it."

"Let's get through this time first." After shouting back, Shi Wen asked Skewell to stand between An Wa and Le Wa. "Help me block that corner. They've been picking on the little dogs."

As Skewell passed An Wa, he bent down and gave him a rub, saying fondly, "You've really worked hard."

An Wa barked loudly, "Woof!"

With Skewell joining in, they finally managed to firmly trap the flock in the pool.

Soaking in the irritating medicinal solution, the sheep bleated even louder. "Baaah! Baaah!" They sounded like pounding drums, enough to make Shi Wen's ears ring.

Only after they had soaked for long enough did Shi Wen direct Black Kid to move aside and open a gap, letting the flock jump ashore.

After getting out, the sheep ran wildly for a while in lingering terror before finally calming down and lowering their heads to graze halfheartedly.

Next, they only needed to wait until the sheep had rested, then drive them to a designated pasture.

Shi Wen did not need to handle that step himself. The three dogs were already skilled at driving the cattle out to graze.

However, the three dogs were panting heavily from exhaustion and needed to rest before they could keep working.

Shi Wen lovingly gave the three dogs water from his flask, then fed them jerky.

Only after taking care of the three dogs did Shi Wen have time to attend to Skewell.

"Thanks for all your help today." Shi Wen led Skewell toward the livestock shed. "If you hadn't come, I definitely would've been in a real mess."

Skewell smiled. "Looks like you'll need to put a roof over that pool someday."

"That's what I was thinking too. With a roof, at least they won't be able to jump out anymore."

After saying a few more words, Skewell quickly brought up the cattle. "How have your cows been lately? Anything unusual?"

"Nothing so far. They've been eating and sleeping well. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like the two pregnant cows' bellies have gotten bigger."

"Some cows do start showing early in pregnancy. We'll know once we take a look."

The two entered the cowshed.

All four of Shi Wen's cattle were in the shed and had not been driven out.

Skewell first examined Good Temper and Big One, then focused on the two pregnant cows.

He listened with his stethoscope for quite a while, then gave the cows physical examinations. "Nothing wrong. The pregnancies are very stable. You've raised your cattle and sheep well—fat and sturdy. They really look exceptional."

As he spoke, Skewell casually patted a cow's back.

He had visited so many herding families, but there were truly very few whose cattle and sheep were better raised than Shi Wen's.

Thinking of this, Skewell said, "Didn't you ask me to keep an eye out for sick cattle before? I have three households here, with five cows in total they want to sell. They all have Mucosal Disease, and they're in the middle stage. Their condition is better than the three cows you bought before. Do you want to take a look?"

Shi Wen was untying the ropes of the cow that had just finished its examination. Hearing this, he gestured for Skewell to continue. "Which households are they from?"

"One is from our town, and two are from the neighboring town. If you're interested, I'll take you to see them. You'll have to judge their actual condition yourself. I'm only making the introduction—the specifics are for you to discuss with them."

Shi Wen quickly nodded to show that he understood. "Thanks for the trouble."

Rather than wait for another day, Shi Wen released the four cattle that had been penned up and went with Skewell to see the sick cows.

They went first to the household with two sick cows.

That family was a major livestock breeder, with over a hundred cattle.

As soon as problems appeared among the cattle, the family noticed and promptly isolated them, asking Skewell to treat them.

In the end, only two had become seriously ill.

Now that the family had realized those two cows might not be saved, they wanted to sell them to Shi Wen and recover some of their losses.

When Shi Wen and Skewell arrived, the male owner came out to receive them with a face full of worry.

The man did not speak Mandarin very well, so Skewell mainly translated for him.

Skewell gave Shi Wen a rough explanation of the situation, and the owner led them straight into the cowshed to see the sick cows.

The sick cows had been isolated in a heated cowshed used specifically during winter.

The windows of the shed were very small, making the interior somewhat dim.

The moment Shi Wen entered, he smelled the distinctive stench of Mucosal Disease, mixed with the odors of fodder, manure, and urine.

He rubbed his nose, then quickly and keenly noticed that besides those smells, there was also a subtle scent resembling sour milk.

For the moment, he could not recall exactly what that smell was.

After turning a corner, Shi Wen saw a small lightbulb strung above the cattle pen with electrical wire.

The light was switched on, illuminating the small pen below.

A middle-aged or elderly woman with a headscarf was placing a large iron bucket beneath a cow's belly. She squeezed the dairy cow's swollen udder, and milk shot into the bucket in thin streams.