Chapter 7

Shi Wen knew a little about that too. Once a sheep had a wound, flies could easily lay eggs in it, and maggots would hatch in the wound. If left untreated, the maggots would feed on the wound, multiply wildly, and spread everywhere. In severe cases, they could eat the whole sheep.

As a novice, he had to guard against this frightening problem.

He had already bought a fly-repellent oil and planned to apply it to the sheep in the next couple of days.

Shi Wen closed the sheep pen gate and led the two men out.

His house was right next to the livestock shed. It would be more comfortable to do the registration inside, where they would at least have chairs to sit on.

Shi Wen had also cleaned the house thoroughly. It looked nothing like a bachelor's home.

Shi Wen invited the two men to sit at the dining table and brought out fruit and tea.

He didn't have any cow's or sheep's milk at home for the time being, so the tea was ordinary tea, not milk tea.

If he wanted milk tea, he would have to wait until next year at the earliest.

Neither Fu Meng nor Sikewell minded.

The three sat at the dining table while Sikewell recorded the sheep's breeds, ages, origins, health conditions, and other details.

Once they returned, someone would enter the information into a computer. After that, Shi Wen would also be able to check on his sheep through a dedicated app.

Shi Wen had opened both the front and back doors, letting the breeze blow through the house.

When the registration was done, Fu Meng looked toward the backyard. "Were you working on the backyard today?"

"Yes," Shi Wen said. "Nothing's been planted there for years, so I need to till it deeply and disinfect it, then leave it for a few days before planting vegetables. Brother Fu, does anyone sell vegetable seedlings at the market? Which street are they on? How come I didn't see any?"

"I don't think there are any seedlings, but the supermarket has vegetable seeds," Fu Meng said. "Why buy those? Just come to my place and get some. If you buy fake vegetable seeds elsewhere, you could spend a year growing them and still have no idea what you'll end up with."

"There are fake vegetable seeds?" Shi Wen asked in surprise.

"Seeds from elsewhere, I mean," Fu Meng said. "Take tomatoes, for example. Ours are old local varieties, with a sandy texture and a sweet flavor. If you buy seeds elsewhere, the tomatoes you grow tend to be bland and hard. They're completely different, so we call them fake vegetable seeds."

Sikewell chimed in. "Leafy greens are sometimes like that too. The ones bought elsewhere are hard as a rock, and no matter how long you cook them, they won't soften. They don't taste good."

Hearing that, Shi Wen changed his mind at once. "Then I'll come by your place this afternoon to get some, Brother Fu. When will you be home?"

"You can come now if you like," Fu Meng said. "My wife and the others are home."

Shi Wen smiled. "I'll come this afternoon. Then I can have a chat with you too, and I won't hold you up now."

"That works," Fu Meng said. "I'll go with Sikewell to vaccinate the sheep at the other households first."

Chapter 7

Shi Wen worked hard in the backyard all day, clearing more than half a mu of land.

That was thanks to the land having been cultivated before. Aside from a few shrubs, there were no other tough roots or stumps.

If he had been clearing wild land outside, it would have taken him eight or ten days to clear the same area.

By evening, the sky was filled with vivid, fiery clouds.

Shi Wen had a quick meal of noodles, took a shower, and brought a box of chocolates and a box of gummies. Then he got on his motorcycle and headed to Fu Meng's house.

Fu Meng's house was in the village.

Most households in the resettlement village didn't have ranches. When people went out to graze their livestock, they had to drive their cattle and sheep to the grasslands outside. If they had a lot of animals, they had to take them into the mountains.

It was summer, and many households had driven their cattle and sheep to the summer pastures deep in the mountains, leaving the village a little empty.

Shi Wen rode his motorcycle along the village road, went straight to Fu Meng's gate, and knocked.

A woman's voice called from inside. "Who is it?"

The woman's voice drew closer, and before Shi Wen could answer, the large iron gate creaked open. A kind-looking middle-aged woman poked her head out.

Shi Wen was wondering how to greet her.

The woman smiled first. "You're Shi Wen, right? I'm Fu Meng's wife, Chang Qingqing."

Shi Wen hurriedly greeted her and offered her the gifts. "Hello, Sister-in-law. I'm here to see Brother Fu."

Chang Qingqing tried to refuse. "You didn't have to bring anything!"

"They're for your son and daughter," Shi Wen said.

As the two of them stood talking at the gate, Fu Meng lifted the door curtain and came out. "Shi Wen, you're here! Come in and have some tea."

Then Fu Meng explained to Chang Qingqing, "He wants to grow some vegetables but has nowhere to buy seeds or seedlings, so I told him to come get some from us."

"What seeds or seedlings do you want?" Chang Qingqing asked. "I'll go get them ready. They're all piled up in the backyard."

"Anything's fine," Shi Wen said quickly. "Sister-in-law, just give me a few of whatever seedlings you have to spare."

"All right, I know what to get," Chang Qingqing said. "You two go have some tea."

Fu Meng invited Shi Wen into the living room and picked up a thermos to pour him some tea. "We drink salty milk tea here. I don't know if you're used to it, but give it a try."

"Thanks, Brother Fu." Shi Wen held the cup in both hands and took a sip. "It's more fragrant than the kind I had in the city."

Fu Meng smiled. "Right? It's homemade, so of course it has better ingredients than what you get elsewhere."

"Is this made with cow's milk or sheep's milk?" Shi Wen asked.

"Today it's cow's milk, but sheep's milk works too. Quite a few ewes had spring lambs, so there's plenty of milk now. We even have enough to spare for milk tofu and casein curds." Fu Meng poured Shi Wen another half cup of milk tea. "If you like it, have some more."

Shi Wen smiled. "It's really good. I'll see if I can start raising cattle this year and aim to start milking them next year."

"I was just going to talk to you about the big cattle and sheep bazaar," Fu Meng said.

"Bazaar" meant a market. Several ethnic groups lived together in the area, and some words came from minority languages.

Shi Wen nodded, motioning for Fu Meng to continue.

"Everyone in the village has agreed to visit the big cattle and sheep bazaar on the twenty-first," Fu Meng said. "There'll definitely be more cattle and sheep there than at our market, so you might find something suitable. Want to come along? If you do, I'll pick you up that day."

"Yes! I was just thinking of going sometime, so that worked out nicely. Sorry for the trouble, but please take me along."

"All right, then get up early on the twenty-first," Fu Meng readily agreed. "If you find suitable cattle, I'll help you transport them back too, so you won't have to find a vehicle."