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He quietly adjusted his expression.

As if he couldn't smell the stench, Sikewell calmly walked over to examine the sick cows, washed their ulcerated mucous membranes with saline, and spoke with their owners.

Shi Wen went over to help, observing the cows as he did.

Once mucosal disease set in, there was no particularly effective treatment. Medication could only alleviate the symptoms and strengthen the animal's resistance, allowing it to recover slowly.

But judging by their condition, the cows weren't improving, and the treatment probably wasn't doing much good.

The owners' family seemed to know that too.

After Sikewell switched off his flashlight and said, "I'll come back and check on them in a couple of days," the family's eyes instantly turned red. A muscle twitched in the husband's cheek, while large tears welled up in the old man's cloudy eyes.

Shi Wen didn't know how he could see so clearly at that moment. He saw the old man quickly wipe his tears with a hand whose knuckles were large and prominent, but he couldn't wipe away all the tears and watery snot.

He turned his head away, only to see the husband's despairing eyes and the wife's ashen face.

An indescribable gloom hung over the dilapidated cowshed.

Shi Wen curled his hand and weakly gripped the hem of his clothes.

For a family that made its living from herding, these sick and dying cows might have been money for living expenses, medical bills, or the children's schooling.

Unable to bear looking any longer, Shi Wen lowered his head and followed Sikewell to wash his hands.

The owners' family had suffered a heavy blow and didn't come out to see them off.

Sikewell lowered his voice. "Sick livestock can be a huge blow to a herding family. Even as a doctor, there are far too many illnesses I can't cure. You'd better give up on buying sick cows."

Shi Wen washed his hands in silence for a moment, then said quietly, "I still want to try."

"What did you say?" Sikewell stared at him, stopping mid-wash. "You don't have a fever, do you?"

Shi Wen kept his head down as he washed his hands.

He still wanted to do something.

Hua Country was so large, yet he was the only one who had awakened the Qilin Bloodline. He had already gained quite a few things and earned quite a bit of money because of it.

Although he didn't have much money in his account yet, he was actually quite well-off.

Since he had already received the benefits, he had to do something, didn't he?

People with the ability ought to do more. Otherwise, why had heaven let him awaken?

Countless thoughts swirled through Shi Wen's mind. He said quietly, "Let's buy them. I want to see if I can nurse them back to health."

Sikewell said, "Where are you going to keep them if you buy them?!"

Shi Wen had already thought it through. "I can keep them by my warehouse for now."

Shi Wen explained his plan. He could keep the sick cows by the warehouse temporarily and give his own cattle and sheep a freeze-dried, live attenuated vaccine. With the vaccine and proper isolation, there shouldn't be any problems.

Sikewell felt as though Shi Wen had been possessed. No matter what he said, Shi Wen still wanted to buy them.

At Shi Wen's request, he felt as though he too had been possessed, and actually went to ask the owners for a price on Shi Wen's behalf.

When the husband heard that Shi Wen wanted to buy the sick cows, his mouth fell open. He stared at Shi Wen. "You want to buy these three sick cows?"

Sikewell nodded.

The husband stared at Shi Wen and explained earnestly in less than standard Mandarin, "These cows are already very sick. They might die as soon as you take them home. The cow outside died from this very disease."

Shi Wen was just as earnest. "I know. I've studied it, and I can try to nurse them."

The husband thought for a moment. "Are you doing this out of kindness? There's no need. We can still manage. These cows really aren't going to make it. You'll regret buying them. My family has raised cattle for generations. It'll be very hard for them to get better."

The wife clasped her hands tightly and looked at Shi Wen, grateful and sad. "We can't cheat you."

Shi Wen said, "These three cows might not survive here with you, but there might still be some hope if I take them to my place. I want to try."

Hearing that, the husband said, "Then we need to discuss it."

The family went inside to talk it over.

Sikewell said somewhat helplessly, "If you're really going to buy them, I'll call someone over to witness it. These are three full-grown cows. The handover needs to be properly documented, so neither side can go back on the deal afterward."

Shi Wen said, "Sorry for the trouble."

Before long, Sikewell called over several respected old herders from nearby to discuss the purchase.

When the old herders arrived, they too tried to dissuade Shi Wen at first. They knew he meant well, but buying sick cows was something he really needed to think over carefully.

Shi Wen said again that he had already made up his mind.

The old herders then discussed the price with the sick cows' owners.

In the end, the owners sold all three cows to Shi Wen for three thousand each.

All three were full-grown cows weighing over six hundred kilograms each, and all were three years old. If they hadn't been sick, each one would have had a market price of at least twenty thousand.

But they were so sick that they were practically impossible to sell. If they died, the owners would have to contact the veterinary service for safe disposal, and there would be a lot of paperwork.

Since they could still sell the cows for three thousand each, the owners weren't getting a bad deal either.

With the old herders as witnesses, both sides drew up a written agreement and completed the handover, with neither side allowed to back out.

If either side went back on the deal, they would not only have legal troubles but also ruin their reputation.

After buying the cows, Shi Wen couldn't hire an ordinary vehicle to transport them for fear of contaminating it. In the end, Sikewell called someone and had a safe-disposal vehicle sent over specifically to transport the sick cows back for Shi Wen.

The warehouse at Shi Wen's home hadn't been used for years and was empty inside.

Once the sick cows arrived, Shi Wen put them in the warehouse and managed to get them settled.

Sikewell checked the sick cows again and instructed Shi Wen, "You need to keep them strictly isolated. After tending to them, you must disinfect your entire body before you have any contact with healthy cattle and sheep."

Shi Wen nodded. "I understand."

Sikewell patted him on the shoulder and sighed. "Good luck."