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Shi Wen them checking on the two sows.

They may have had a large number of litters, and their bellies were still quite big after giving birth to several piglets, indicating some stress. Other than that, they are quite healthy and there are no signs of dystocia.

Shi Wen looked around, touched the floor, and said to Yan Kexing, "We might need to start the boiler; it's getting a bit cold."

Yan Kexing: "I'll go burn it."

Shi Wen, "Bring me some hot water on your way back, no rush."

Yan Kexing: "Okay."

The two split up.

Shi Wen stayed in the livestock pen and, seeing that the sow was doing well, went to get a towel to wipe the newborn piglets clean of amniotic fluid, blood, and other debris. This would help keep them warm and better adapt to the world.

The piglet grunted and whimpered in his hands; its soft belly felt like a hot water bottle filled with water, only a little cool, not as warm as a hot water bottle.

The two sows were giving birth to piglets one after another, Shi Wen went to get some honey water to help them regain their strength.

Whether they heard the noise or smelled the blood, the little creatures all rushed over and stood guard outside.

The ones who rushed over were mainly Heiwa. Little Fox, White Tiger Shi Suo only glanced at them before going back. As sheepdogs, Heiwa and his dogs had a natural instinct to maintain order and stayed outside to keep watch.

Shi Wen turned around and saw a bunch of dogs squatting outside. He said to them, "Don't worry, the two sows are in good condition this time. They should give birth by the first half of the night. You guys go back and rest."

Heiwa let out a soft "woof," meaning he didn't want to leave.

The other dogs stared intently at Shi Wen, equally unwilling to leave.

Shi Wen could tell what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions, so he said, "Then you can stay here a little longer, go back to sleep at ten o'clock, you still have to go out to herd the livestock tomorrow."

Heiwa barked again, as if in agreement.

Not long after, Yan Kexing brought in hot water.

Shi Wen washed her hands and towel with hot water and continued cleaning the piglets.

The boiler is now running, and the livestock shed is warm and cozy, so there's no need to worry about the piglets getting sick or catching a cold.

The two men kept watch until midnight, until both black pigs had given birth to all their piglets.

Both black pigs had a large litter; one gave birth to thirteen piglets, and the other to fourteen. Perhaps because they had drunk honey water, both sows were in good condition and still had the energy to nurse their piglets after giving birth.

The piglets nestled under their bellies, and even though they were only recently born, they had already learned to compete for milk.

I checked on the piglets from Shi Wen, and they were in good condition, all healthy piglets above the passing grade. If they nurse well, they should all survive.

I'll have to check again tomorrow. If any piglets aren't getting enough milk, I'll have to squeeze out some goat milk and feed them.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing stayed up late, and both of them overslept the next day.

Newborn piglets need special care, and the work on the ranch can't stop either. For a time, Shi Wen was even busier than before.

Fortunately, Heiwa and the others were helpful, Shi Wen was able to keep up with the workload.

The quarantine period for the musk deer ended quickly. Shi Wen personally tagged them with ear tags and, after confirming that they were in good health, drove them up the mountain.

Although Shi Wen's mountain is relatively low and has more animals, many of the plants on his mountain have been fertilized and taste much better than wild plants.

After the five musk deer went up the mountain, they became visibly happier. They were no longer afraid of Yan Kexing and spent their days nibbling away until their bellies were round.

The goats were used to nibbling away, and even with five more musk deer, Heiwa and the others had no trouble at all; they just had to shoo them away when they were nibbling on the fruit trees.

Shi Wen has been busy taking care of the black piglets lately, and the sheep piglets are almost a month old, so his focus is on the pigs.

For a while, he didn't pay much attention to what was happening on the mountain.

That day, as usual, he was busy in the livestock shed when he suddenly heard an angry "woof woof" coming from afar.

He stood up straight, listened carefully for a while, and realized that it was Heiwa others' warning sounds as they drove the livestock away.

With so many livestock on the ranch, the sheepdogs can usually manage them, but occasionally things go wrong, like the livestock chewing on fruit trees if you're not careful.

Don't even mention the sheepdogs causing trouble Shi Wen himself would also cause trouble.

This was perfectly normal. Shi Wen for a while, Shi Wen noticed that Heiwa and the others' cries had stopped, so he turned his attention back to them.

Unexpectedly, after Heiwa and the others herded the livestock back in the evening, Heiwa and the Wolf King both came to bite Shi Wen's pants, and the other puppies followed behind, wagging their tails and nudging Shiwen Shi Wen forward, clearly having something to tell him.

Shi Wen completely bewildered and was about to ask when he felt his pants were about to fall down.

He quickly grabbed his pants. "Don't nudge me, hey, and don't bite my pants. Just lead the way where you want to take me."

Upon hearing this, Heiwa and the others raised their paws and ran a few steps forward, then turned back to look at Shi Wen and urged, "Woof woof woof!"

Shi Wen sighed, got on his motorcycle, and followed in tacit agreement.

Shi Wen thought they would reach their destination soon, but they kept walking north and led him to the place where the saxaul trees were.

He glanced at it and quickly realized what had happened—Cistanche deserticola had sprouted from the roots of the Haloxylon ammodendron tree.

The Cistanche deserticola plants were thick and long, and looked to be of very good quality. The only drawback was that some of the plants had been gnawed on, leaving ugly gaps at the top, and the gnawed areas had oxidized and turned black.

The Cistanche deserticola in their yard has always been quite good. He just harvested a batch last month, and he didn't expect new Cistanche deserticola to grow so quickly.

Shi Wen examining the gnawed areas on the Cistanche deserticola and combining them with the nearby footprints, it was clear that this was the work of the musk deer.

No wonder I heard Heiwa and the others calling this afternoon.