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Shi Wen suddenly realized that the milky smell was the smell of milk.

Shi Wen asked in surprise, "The sick ones are dairy cows?"

Before the man of the house could answer, Skewell explained first, "Yes. Dairy cows are the most commonly raised livestock around here, and they're already in their lactation period."

The man of the house said something earnestly to Skewell in his own ethnic language.

Skewell translated, "He says his cows produce excellent milk—fragrant, rich, with a faint sweetness. It tastes better than the milk from most other households."

Shi Wen looked at the woman milking the cow and hesitated. "Do you still want this milk? Isn't the cow sick?"

Although Mucosal Disease was not a zoonotic disease, it was a febrile, acute infectious disease. Once a cow fell ill, the milk it produced would certainly be contaminated.

According to the books, milk like this definitely could not be consumed.

Skewell explained, "Even if nobody drinks it, it still has to be milked. If the milk stays in the udder, it can easily cause swelling and inflammation."

Only then did Shi Wen understand. "So that's how it is."

Skewell translated Shi Wen's words for the man of the house as well.

The man of the house said a short passage to Shi Wen.

Skewell told Shi Wen, "He says his cows are very good. They're only six years old. If you buy them and cure them, they can continue producing milk. They're already pregnant too. Take care of them for a few more months, and they'll give birth to calves."

Shi Wen had noticed that the cows were pregnant, and they had likely been pregnant for some time.

But at this moment, pregnancy was not necessarily an advantage.

Their pregnancy meant they would be harder to care for.

Shi Wen was quite interested in the family's cows and stepped forward to inspect them carefully.

Both cows were six-year-old dairy cows in their prime. They had both been artificially inseminated in May and should give birth around February next year.

That was assuming their Mucosal Disease could be cured and the calves could be saved without miscarriage.

With both cows this sick, it was hard to say whether the calves in their bellies could be kept.

Shi Wen circled the two cows, examining their builds, teeth, hooves, and skeletons—everything he could inspect.

Seeing him hesitate for so long, the man of the house grew somewhat anxious. He kept saying that his cows were good and that Shi Wen would not lose out by buying them.

In the end, Shi Wen asked Skewell to translate that he was willing to buy the two cows.

The man's brow relaxed somewhat, but when he heard Shi Wen offer three thousand per cow, he objected.

Skewell translated for him, "He says even dairy cows that aren't pregnant can sell for three thousand. His two cows are carrying calves, so they should cost at least four thousand each. Breeding and care cost money too, so you should add a little more."

Clearly, this family had already asked around about Shi Wen and knew the price he had paid for other people's cows before.

Shi Wen did not agree with that reasoning.

A pregnant cow might make it seem as though he was getting a bargain.

But pregnant cows were relatively weak and much harder to care for. Even with his prior experience, he could not guarantee that both cows would survive.

Besides, this household raised cattle professionally and was among the wealthiest families in the entire town.

If they had been poor, Shi Wen would not have minded taking a small loss to quietly subsidize them.

But this family was far wealthier than he was, while his own life was already tight. He certainly could not pay extra.

After bargaining back and forth, they finally agreed that the family would sell the cows to Shi Wen for thirty-three hundred each, sixty-six hundred for both.

Just like last time, the family invited a respected elder from nearby to serve as a witness. They drew up a written agreement, exchanged money and goods, and agreed that no matter what happened later, neither side would regret the deal.

After the transaction, the cow owner's family also gave Skewell a red envelope as a fee for making the introduction.

After running around with Skewell all day, Shi Wen bought another three sick cows.

Those three sick cows were also pregnant females, all in their lactation period.

Skewell said this was the normal situation. The three full-grown but unbred cows Shi Wen had bought before were comparatively rare.

By the end of the day, Shi Wen had bought a total of five pregnant dairy cows.

The five cows were brought back and kept in the old warehouse on the ranch as usual.

He had already disinfected the old warehouse, so it could be put back into use.

The cattle and sheep at home had also been vaccinated against Mucosal Disease, so they were relatively safe.

Shi Wen was fairly confident about caring for the five sick cows.

Early the next morning, Shi Wen got up yawning, grabbed a coat from beside the bed, draped it over himself, and headed outside.

Everything was silent, with the morning star hanging at the horizon. When he opened the door, it creaked, as though waking the ranch's dawn.

Shi Wen lifted his foot and headed toward the warehouse.

As he walked, faint footsteps came from behind him.

He turned to look and saw that Black Kid had followed him at some point. Meeting his gaze, Black Kid wagged its tail and trotted up to him.

Shi Wen bent down, rubbed Black Kid's neck, and pressed his forehead against its head. "You little rascal, why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

Black Kid did not answer. It only stuck out its pink tongue and affectionately licked his palm.

Shi Wen rubbed Black Kid again. "Then let's go. We're milking the cows."

When Shi Wen reached the outside of the warehouse, he took down the rubber gloves hanging from the window and put them on, then carried an iron bucket inside.

The sick cows were inside, and Black Kid was still only half-grown, with weak resistance. Shi Wen would not let it enter and shut it outside the door.

The warehouse was a little dark, so Shi Wen turned on the light.

The light startled the five cows awake.

The five cows mooed weakly, their calls rising and falling. At least they were making some noise, proving they were not too weak.

Shi Wen checked on the cows one by one, cleaning them and applying medicine.

He had bought five adult cows this time, spending a total of sixteen thousand five hundred. That was no small sum for him. He hoped they would all survive.

After tending to the cows, Shi Wen placed the iron bucket beneath the belly of the cow at the far end, sat on a small stool, and somewhat awkwardly began milking it.