Chapter 22 (continued)

He stood amid the flowers, wondering if he was still dreaming.

Otherwise, how could he be seeing a sight like this?

It was stunning!

After standing there in a daze for a while, he took out his phone and searched online for the name of the flowers.

According to the internet, they were wild chive blossoms.

He crouched down and compared the blossoms with the pictures online. Sure enough, they were wild chive blossoms, the flowers of the Mongolian chive.

Unlike ordinary cultivated chives, they were smaller and thinner, but they had put out long stalks with little clusters of flower buds on top.

Shi Wen crouched down and casually plucked one.

The wild chive blossom gave off a slightly sweet, pungent scent, with a distinctive note somewhere between scallions and chives.

The dogs heard Shi Wen opening the door and ran out of the livestock shed. Heiwa and Le Wa wagged their big tails enthusiastically. "Woof, woof!"

An Wa couldn't be bothered to bark or wag a tail.

Heiwa turned to look at An Wa, who timidly drew back and only then joined in. "Woof, woof."

The barking was very halfhearted, much like that of a dog on the job.

Shi Wen petted each dog on the head. When he got to An Wa, he cupped the dog's head in both hands and squished the whole face forward. An Wa's originally delicate, handsome features immediately took on a peculiar look.

Shi Wen laughed out loud.

An Wa whined in protest and raised a paw to bat at Shi Wen.

Shi Wen let go and rubbed the dog's neck.

Shi Wen took out his phone and snapped a picture of the dogs standing among the wild chive blossoms. He also used the wide-angle lens to photograph the vast swaths of blossoms across the ranch, then posted the pictures to his WeChat Moments.

He had barely posted them when Fu Meng gave the post a like and commented: The chive blossoms on your ranch are blooming beautifully!

Shi Wen was about to reply when Fu Meng called.

Fu Meng's voice came over the phone. "Hello, Shi Wen? The chive blossoms over here have bloomed too. Your sister-in-law made some pickled chive blossom sauce, and we're slaughtering a sheep for lunch. Come over and have some lamb."

Shi Wen thought for a moment. "Sure. What time?"

Fu Meng laughed heartily. "We're stewing the lamb at home, so it doesn't matter if you're a little early or late. Just come around mealtime. It'll be a good chance for you to taste the sheep we raised this year."

The two chatted briefly, then hung up.

Shi Wen went back inside and brought out milk and mixed rice to feed the dogs.

All three dogs had strong stomachs and suffered no ill effects from fresh milk, so Shi Wen gave each of them an extra bowl of it with their morning and evening meals.

Besides fresh milk, Shi Wen prepared vegetables, large chunks of meat, and white rice for them every day. They ate better than he did.

Ever since Heiwa came to the ranch, Shi Wen had stopped throwing meals together so carelessly. Whether or not the food tasted good, every meal had to have vegetables and meat to give the dogs extra nutrition.

Although the dogs still had some growing to do before reaching adulthood, any one of them would have made a fine sight out in public: a beautiful puppy with a glossy coat and a mighty bearing.

After feeding the dogs, Shi Wen drove the forklift to move hay for the cattle and sheep.

When it rained, parasites in the soil could be splashed up and cling to plants. Livestock that ate grass wet with rainwater risked becoming infected with parasites.

Grazing on rain-wet grass could also give sheep diarrhea.

So when the pasture was too wet, herders generally didn't drive their livestock out to graze, choosing hay instead more often than not.

Shi Wen had seven pregnant cows, so he was even less willing to take the risk.

He worked through much of the morning before finally finishing his chores on the ranch.

A little after eleven, he knocked on Fu Meng's door with a box of pastries in hand.

Fu Meng's wife, Chang Qingqing, came to answer it. When she saw the pastries, she chided him, "You could have just come over. Why do you always have to be so polite?"

Shi Wen said, "They're a local specialty a friend gave me. I brought them over for you to try."

"You should eat them yourself, have something to fill you up when you're hungry." Chang Qingqing looked at him. "Why do you look like you've lost weight again this month?"

Shi Wen raised an arm to show her and said with a smile, "No, I haven't. My muscles have just gotten firmer."

Shi Wen went into the courtyard, where Fu Meng was stewing meat in a corner.

A large iron pot had been set up for the occasion, with thick logs blazing beneath it and milky-white broth rolling steadily inside.

As the broth bubbled, the rich aroma of meat drifted throughout the courtyard.

Shi Wen took a deep breath of the fragrant air. "How long has that meat been stewing? It smells incredible."

Fu Meng said, "We slaughtered it a little after seven this morning and put it on to stew after eight. It's been cooking ever since, so it's ready to eat whenever we are."

Fu Meng squatted beside the pot and smiled at Shi Wen. His son and daughter were leaning over his left and right shoulders, and both children seemed a little shy when they saw Shi Wen.

As they spoke, Chang Qingqing came over with a stainless steel tray and scooped the steaming meat from the pot onto it.

Shi Wen hurried over to help.

The pot of stewed lamb at Fu Meng's house was packed full of large chunks of meat, with not a single side ingredient in sight.

Shi Wen held the tray while Chang Qingqing ladled the meat onto it.

The large chunks of meat had been stewed until tender, and they jiggled as they were lifted out. One look was enough to tell how soft and tender yet springy they were.

There was so much lamb that Fu Meng and Shi Wen ended up carrying the tray into the dining room together.

Chang Qingqing carried in a large bucket of milky-white broth, bringing the children with her.

Once inside, they didn't waste time on pleasantries. They washed their hands and went straight to eating meat and drinking broth.

Shi Wen first took a sip of broth.

The lamb broth was rich, white, and savory, with just the right amount of salt and pepper. Its flavor was hearty and robust. With one sip, there was nothing but the full, savory taste of meat.

As soon as he swallowed, beads of sweat broke out on the tip of his nose.

He couldn't resist taking another sip.

Fu Meng spooned a large chunk of meat into Shi Wen's bowl. "Don't just drink the broth. Eat some meat."

Shi Wen hurriedly held out his bowl with both hands to receive it.

Chang Qingqing placed a large bowl of green chive blossom sauce in front of Shi Wen and gestured for him to spread some on his meat. "Try our homemade chive blossom sauce. It's delicious with lamb. We slaughtered the sheep especially for this sauce."

Shi Wen glanced at the sauce in surprise, a little puzzled. What was so appealing about this green, pasty sauce?