Chapter 17

That morning, after driving the cattle and sheep out of the livestock shed to graze, Shi Wen returned to check on the sick cows in the storeroom.

The three sick cows had been at his home for over a week. Two had clearly improved and could already stand.

When they saw him, one of the recovering cows let out a long moo and walked over to the railing, wanting to sniff him. The other paced in place, looking quite lively.

The cow that had been gravely ill, however, had grown worse. It lay on the hay and barely reacted to the sound of him entering. Its eyes were extremely cloudy, and flies buzzed around it. It looked close to death.

Wearing a mask, gloves, a long coat, and rubber boots, Shi Wen examined the sick cows one by one.

The sores on the lips of the two recovering cows had scabbed over, while the gravely ill cow's sores had grown increasingly raw.

Shi Wen could tell that the gravely ill cow could not be saved.

He only had the Qilin Bloodline. Even a Qilin itself probably could not have done much.

Shi Wen stroked the sickest cow's head through his glove and sighed silently.

The sick cow beneath his hand blinked with difficulty, its eyes almost entirely lifeless.

After checking the cows, Shi Wen brought in fresh grass from outside and mixed in concentrated feed and mineral powder. Once he had carefully prepared the feed, he gave it to the three cows.

After feeding them, he began cleaning the pen.

The cow dung, urine, and contaminated hay all had to be cleared out. Then he disinfected the floor with slaked lime and put down clean hay.

While Shi Wen was busy working, the sickest cow's breathing grew louder and more labored.

Shi Wen put down the broom, walked over, and knelt on one knee, gently placing a hand on the sick cow.

Pale pink saliva flowed from the cow's mouth and nose, and its eyes lost their luster. Under Shi Wen's care, it slowly stopped breathing.

Shi Wen had expected it, but he still felt a heaviness in his chest.

He took off his gloves, walked outside the storeroom, and called Sikewell to tell him that one of the sick cows had died.

Sikewell was the town's official veterinarian and was also responsible for disease prevention, so he had to be notified.

After hearing him out, Sikewell said, "I'll bring someone over to take care of it right away."

"Okay," Shi Wen said. "I'll wait for you at home."

After hanging up, Shi Wen felt his pocket.

At a time like this, he really wanted a cigarette, and he really wanted someone to talk to.

Unfortunately, his pocket was empty, and the person he wanted to talk to was busy.

Sikewell arrived quickly.

A young man came with him, and they drove a truck up to the storeroom entrance.

Sikewell introduced him to Shi Wen. "This is my assistant, Tang Duohai. Where's the dead cow? Let me take a look."

Shi Wen nodded to Tang Duohai and replied, "It's in the storeroom. I can't move it."

Shi Wen led them inside. The dead cow lay motionless on the ground, flies buzzing around it, a thick, foul smell filling the entire storeroom.

To avoid disturbing the two cows that had recovered, Shi Wen had led them behind the storeroom and tied them up.

Sikewell crouched down and examined the dead cow with gloved hands. After confirming that it was dead, he had Tang Duohai take photos and asked Shi Wen to fill out a form and upload the information.

Once that was done, Tang Duohai drove the forklift down from the back of the truck and used it to load the cow's carcass.

Cows that died of illness had to be taken to a designated location and buried deep for sanitary disposal.

The government paid for the entire process; Shi Wen only needed to cooperate.

After loading the carcass into the truck bed and sealing it, Sikewell and Tang Duohai stayed to clear out the remaining feed, manure, and other waste from the storeroom, then disinfected it thoroughly.

The three of them worked for half the morning before they managed to get it cleaned up.

Sikewell stood up and pounded his lower back. "How are your other two cows doing?"

"They've gotten better," Shi Wen said. "They're just a little agitated. Their mucous membranes are congested and swollen, and their genitals are still oozing blood."

Sikewell paused. "That shouldn't be happening. I'll take a look."

Shi Wen was puzzled about that too. "I don't know what's going on either. Maybe I used the wrong medicine?"

Shi Wen took the two men behind the storeroom to check on the sick cows.

Sikewell took one look and burst out laughing.

Tang Duohai took a look and laughed too.

The two exchanged a glance and laughed even louder.

Shi Wen instinctively sensed something was wrong, but he didn't know what. He could only stand there in confusion, enduring their laughter. "What on earth is it?"

"Silly boy." Sikewell shook his head and said, "They're in heat."

"So soon?!" Shi Wen blurted out.

Tang Duohai patted Shi Wen on the shoulder, flashing a mouthful of white teeth as he laughed even harder.

Sikewell stopped laughing and explained, "Cows have nonseasonal estrous cycles. They can go into heat all year round. They're dairy cows and haven't been spayed, so it's perfectly normal for them to go into heat. But it also shows that these two cows have recovered enough to enter heat normally."

Neither man had expected him to be raising cattle without knowing that cows went into heat. They looked at him with good-natured amusement.

Shi Wen felt a little embarrassed. "So that's what it is."

Sikewell smiled. "Congratulations. You've saved these two dairy cows."

Shi Wen quickly nodded and asked how to care for cows in heat.

Sikewell gave him a general rundown: improve their nutrition, keep them clean, and so on.

When he was done, Sikewell said, "It's too late this cycle. When they go into heat again next cycle, you can consider breeding them."

Shi Wen nodded repeatedly. "A cow's estrous cycle is a little over twenty days, right?"

Sikewell said, "Our local brown cattle have an average cycle of twenty-three days. You can use the time to get them back into shape and consider how you want to breed them."

Seeing Shi Wen's half-comprehending expression, Sikewell reminded him, "I mean your breeding options: artificial insemination or finding a bull. Once you've decided and they're in good condition, you can breed them."