Chapter 13

Fu Meng chimed in, "Even brothers should keep their accounts straight. I think Shi Wen's suggestion is a good one. Neither of you loses out, and if it works out, you might even be able to do business together long-term."

Shi Wen said, "Brother Zhang, if you sold them to me at the original price, I wouldn't feel right buying them from you."

Zhang Deyuan thought for a moment. "How about this? Come take a look with me first. If you find any you like, we'll talk price. If not, we'll leave it at that."

That worked too. Shi Wen nodded in agreement.

Shi Wen locked up, left Heiwa to watch the house, and rode to Zhang Deyuan's ranch in his car.

Zhang Deyuan had already isolated the sheep with bluetongue disease yesterday. Today, the sheep in the pens weren't as crowded, and it was fairly easy to pick them out at a glance.

Shi Wen took a look and felt that the sheep in the pens were all fine.

Bluetongue disease was caused by the bluetongue virus and spread by insects, making it relatively easy to prevent and control.

Sikewell was also a highly experienced old veterinarian. With him handling it, there shouldn't be any problems.

Zhang Deyuan led the two men to the first sheep pen and began the inspection there.

These young ewes had already been shorn, making them relatively easy to examine.

Shi Wen looked over the sheep one by one and soon found a ewe with a good frame and conformation. He checked her teeth, and they were good too. She counted as a fine ewe.

Zhang Deyuan could tell at a glance that he had picked her out and handed him the spray paint.

Shi Wen didn't stand on ceremony. He sprayed a "1" on the sheep's hindquarters to mark her as the first ewe he had chosen.

Picking out fine individuals from a flock was indeed satisfying.

Especially since Zhang Deyuan didn't have just a few thousand sheep, but more than ten thousand-there were several large livestock sheds behind his house, all packed with sheep.

No wonder he had been so nervous yesterday when they said his sheep might be sick.

With more than ten thousand sheep here, the losses would be enormous if an epidemic really did break out.

Shi Wen picked the best of the best. After looking through more than ten thousand sheep, he selected seventy-eight ewes.

Zhang Deyuan had spent many years buying sheep and could tell at a glance that the ones Shi Wen had picked were the best of the best. He couldn't help remarking, "You really have a sharp eye. In a couple of years, your ranch will definitely be one of the best in the whole town, maybe even the whole city."

Shi Wen looked back with a smile. "I hope so too. Brother Zhang, shall we work out the price the way we discussed?"

Zhang Deyuan named the price he had settled on. "If you're going to do business with me long-term, how about nineteen eighty? We're brothers, so I ought to give you a discount. Nineteen eighty has a nice ring to it, too."

Zhang Deyuan was genuinely offering him a better deal, so Shi Wen was naturally happy to accept.

With Fu Meng as their witness, the two men weighed the sheep and settled the payment.

The sheep Zhang Deyuan had bought were young ewes, averaging over forty jin each. Shi Wen bought seventy-eight of them and paid out more than sixty thousand yuan in one go.

Fortunately, it was summer, and there was plenty of water and grass outside, so he didn't need to stockpile much feed. Otherwise, he would have had to borrow money.

He hoped this batch of sheep would bring in a good return and leave him a little less strapped for cash next year.

After Shi Wen bought the sheep, Zhang Deyuan asked him, "Sorry to trouble you with one more thing. Could you keep this bluetongue business quiet for me? Some people jump to conclusions at the slightest rumor, and that can easily start gossip. Don't worry, when I sell the sheep, I'll definitely have them inspected and quarantined. I'll only sell them once they pass."

Shi Wen had just received a discount, so he certainly couldn't refuse him this small courtesy.

He readily agreed. "Don't worry, Brother Zhang. I'm not one to blab."

Zhang Deyuan chuckled. "I just wanted to mention it."

Once the sheep had been handed over, Zhang Deyuan drove them straight to Shi Wen's ranch in his truck.

As before, Shi Wen put the new flock in the most distant livestock shed, keeping them penned up in isolation for a while. Once he was sure they had no infectious diseases, he would let them out.

With more sheep at home, Heiwa alone certainly wouldn't be enough.

Shi Wen took the opportunity to ask Fu Meng and Zhang Deyuan to keep an eye out for sheepdogs. He wanted local ones that weren't too expensive.

Winters were cold here, after all, and sheepdogs from elsewhere might not be able to acclimate to the local conditions. If they fell ill, both dogs and people would suffer. That wouldn't do.

Fu Meng agreed to help look, and within two days, he sent Shi Wen a video:

[You said you wanted sheepdogs. Take a look and see if these two little guys meet your requirements?]

[Someone found them and brought them to a pet hospital. They're looking for someone to adopt them.]

[Judging by their looks, I think they're purebred sheepdogs. If you're interested, contact the person arranging the adoption directly and have a look.]

Fu Meng also sent Shi Wen the pet hospital's contact card.

Shi Wen opened the video and watched it.

Two little yellow dogs were huddled together in a cage. They had big eyes, broad snouts, and thick paws. Though a little thin and weak, they were definitely purebred sheepdogs.

They seemed quite suitable.

Shi Wen opened the contact card and decided to get in touch with the pet hospital.

Chapter 13

"Star Pet Hospital-"

Following his navigation app, Shi Wen arrived at the entrance of a pet hospital. He looked up at the sign above the door, then pushed open the glass door and went in.

The instant he entered, the roomful of kittens and puppies fell quiet for a moment, then burst into an uproar. More than half the little animals in the pet shop looked toward him, barking and meowing one after another.

The puppies in particular were so excited they looked ready to tap-dance in their cages. They poked their muzzles through the bars and barked enthusiastically at him.

Seeing this, the few people standing in the pet shop all turned to look at him.

Shi Wen stood there in surprise. He hadn't expected his affinity with animals to be this strong now.

A young woman poked her head out from behind a shelf. "Hello?"

Shi Wen took out his phone. "Hello, I contacted you on WeChat. I'd like to see the two dogs up for adoption."

"Oh, it's you." The young woman tried to calm the kittens and puppies as she pointed. "The two puppies are over here. Take a look."

Shi Wen looked in the direction she pointed and immediately spotted the two puppies in a large cage on the bottom shelf.

Both puppies were local sheepdogs with yellow backs and white bellies. Judging by their size, they had probably only recently turned a month old.