Chapter 333

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Hearing about the calf's condition, Chai Mi immediately put down her work and hurried to the cowshed.

When she reached the cowshed, she saw the calf lying on the ground, curled up, its eyes somewhat glazed.

Beside it was nothing but watery feces, with some streaks of blood mixed in.

"Damn, so disgusting," Chai Mi cursed.

But Chai Mi wasn't cursing the cow; she was cursing someone.

"Always messing around like a dumb calf, doing nothing useful—all of you are done for. Really, just like Song Qiushui's father, good for nothing, and yet not wronged at all, just stubborn."

Chai Xiu naturally knew Chai Mi was talking about Chai Youqing.

Feeding the cows had originally been assigned to Chai Youqing. As a result, the calf was nearly dead, and Chai Youqing hadn't said a word.

Either he was blind, or he was truly blind.

Instead, he spent all day managing this and that, butting in whenever others worked, pretending he was doing something too.

His own work, he did in a complete mess.

How to put it...

You can't make a wall out of rotten mud.

Chai Xiu knew her old father Chai Youqing's problem well; Chai Xiu was very smart, and as she grew up, she had long seen through Chai Youqing's true nature.

That was: you can't make a wall out of rotten mud.

The problem was, when nothing was wrong, if someone said something to him, he'd look wronged and act all meek, making others feel too embarrassed to say too much, but in essence, he was the kind of person who was truly incapable. It wasn't that he couldn't manage daily life; it was that he couldn't do anything at all.

And he always acted like he could do anything; if someone else did something, he'd definitely go join in.

For example, recently, Chai Mi had been preparing to fry chicken, and he pretended to chop firewood.

Why say he was pretending to chop firewood?

Because Chai Mi had tried once and knew that burning wood didn't work—you couldn't control the heat—so later they switched to gas canisters.

But Chai Youqing still chopped firewood.

People like that really made others feel helpless.

He was exactly the kind of teammate more disgusting than an AFK player, always messing things up all day.

"Sister, being angry won't help now; hurry up and figure out what to do."

"What to do? Damn it, I'm not a veterinarian, how would I know what to do?!" Chai Mi said in a bad mood.

After a while, Chai Mi calmed down a bit, then said: "I'll go to town to find a doctor; otherwise I don't know what to do either. But I can be sure, this cow definitely isn't just simple diarrhea anymore—it's enteritis. It's only been born three or four days; damn, I bet it started having diarrhea on the first day, and now it's dehydrated from diarrhea. Your dad is truly good for nothing. I really don't know what he thinks all day long. Besides being stubborn and eating, he just causes trouble."

"Okay, okay. Sister, you go quickly." Chai Xiu said.

Chai Mi sighed.

Then she went back into the house to get money, preparing to go to the town veterinary station to find someone to take a look.

Chai Mi rode the inverted donkey, the wheels rolling over the potholed dirt road, jolting her so much she felt even more irritable.

The evening wind carried a chill, blowing away neither the anxiety and anger in her brow.

In her mind, one moment it was the pitiful sight of the calf curled up and passing bloody stool, the next it was Chai Youqing's gourd-like face, good for nothing and not to be counted on for anything.

"Can't accomplish anything, but can ruin everything!" Chai Mi couldn't help but curse under her breath again. Feeding cows was simple but required care; Chai Youqing couldn't even do this well, so what could he be counted on for?

The calf passing watery stool with blood—this definitely wasn't something from just a day or two; it must have had diarrhea for a long time. Chai Youqing either was blind and didn't see it, or saw it and didn't take it seriously, thinking it would just pass if he endured it.

This cow was important property for the family, especially a newborn calf, which was precious.

And Chai Mi herself had a good feeling for this old cow; with the calf sick, her mood instantly soured.

As a result, when she reached town.

The town veterinary station was already closed.

Chai Mi glanced at the time; it was only a little past four.

"Damn it! What the hell is this? What time is it? Just closed and off work? They really don't take the rules seriously."

Normally, Chai Mi might have just let this kind of thing go, since it had nothing to do with her.

But today Chai Mi was already furious.

Chai Mi walked straight to the township reception office. When the receptionist saw someone coming, he asked: "Hello, what's the matter?"

"I want to ask, what time does the veterinary station normally close?" Chai Mi asked.

"Five o'clock."

"Then why is no one here now? The veterinary station has four or five people, right? How is there no one at all now?"

"This..." The receptionist didn't know either; he mumbled: "Maybe they went down to the countryside."

"Even if they went to the countryside, it's impossible for no one to be here." Chai Mi said in a bad mood, then ignored the receptionist and walked straight into the single-story building, going directly to Township Head Huang's office.

Township Head Huang was on the phone; seeing Chai Mi come in, he gestured for her to sit first. After a while he hung up, walked over, and even poured a cup of tea: "Isn't this Chai Mi from Sanjiacun?"

Township Head Huang knew Chai Mi; last time when Chai Mi's third child had a full-month celebration, he had also gone to give gift money.

"What brings you here?"

"Nothing much. I was just passing by and thought to buy some medicine from the veterinary station, but there wasn't a single person. So I came to ask—where did they all go? Are they on holiday or what?" Chai Mi said calmly.

Township Head Huang immediately frowned tightly: "Alright, I know about this. Sorry for the inconvenience..."

Chai Mi didn't stay long inside; she came out in two or three minutes, and only then calmed down: "I guess I got a bit heated just now, but... let's just leave it at that."

Chai Mi then went straight to Veterinarian Old Zhang's home. Old Zhang was a well-known old veterinarian in town; although his temper was a bit stubborn, his skills were excellent.

Moreover, this Old Zhang is also somewhat related to Chai Mi's family.

As for the actual relatives, it seems the Chai family has a sister of the same generation as Chai Mi who married into Old Zhang's family. That person and this Old Zhang seem to be some not-too-distant relatives.

After that it's just eight pole-lengths can't reach, but still a bit of a biased relative.

Knocking open Old Zhang's courtyard gate, Old Zhang came out wearing an old jacket and holding a tobacco pipe bowl in his mouth. Seeing it was Chai Mi, he narrowed his eyes: "Chai Mi girl? It's almost dark, what's up?"

"Uncle Zhang, urgent matter!" Chai Mi didn't bother with pleasantries, speaking at flying speed, "The little calf born three or four days ago at home has diarrhea with water and blood streaks, listless to the extreme, lying on the ground with eyes staring straight! My dad... sigh, it probably started diarrhea a few days ago, he didn't take it seriously, didn't notice, only discovered it was serious today!"

Hearing this, Old Zhang's brows knitted into a knot: "Watery diarrhea with blood? A three-or-four-day-old calf? Aiya! This is a life-or-death matter! The calf is small, can't withstand the tossing! Your dad... sigh!" He obviously had also heard of Chai Youqing's "abilities", sighed, "Wait, I'll get my things!"

Old Zhang moved nimbly, went back inside and shouldered his wood medicine box polished shiny with oil, and also carried a thermos with warm water inside. "Go, hurry and take a look! This calf is severely dehydrated, on the way we have to think of a way to pour some water in first to replenish it."

The return trip was even more urgent than the trip there. Chai Mi drove extremely fast, Old Zhang sat in the inverted donkey's cart bed, protecting his medicine box and thermos while sighing: "Your family's calf, I'm afraid it's got 'calf dysentery' (neonatal calf diarrhea), this disease is treacherous, if not handled well it'll be lost. Especially with the delay, even harder to treat. Your dad ah... really..." He didn't say the rest, but the meaning was clear.

Chai Mi gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound, the fire in her heart surging up again.

She could even imagine Chai Youqing right now possibly still wearing a blank or wronged look, the more she thought the more stifled she felt.

Finally home, in the cowshed, Chai Xiu was using a rag dipped in warm water, carefully wiping the calf's mouth and nose. The calf still lay curled up, breathing weak, occasionally twitching.

Old Zhang jumped down from the cart bed, walked over quickly, squatted down and examined carefully: flipped open the eyelids to look, felt the ears and nose, then pried open the mouth to look at the tongue coating and oral cavity, finally carefully checked the excrement and the situation around the anus. The calf seemed to have no strength left even to struggle.

"Dehydration too severe, must replenish fluids urgently!" Old Zhang's expression was grave, but his movements didn't stop in the slightest. He opened the medicine box, took out IV tubes, saline bottles, and some medicinal powders and liquids.

"Child, go boil some more water and let it cool! Chai Mi, help me hold it down!"

Chai Mi hurried forward, pressing down hard on the calf's weak body. Old Zhang's technique was deft; he first shaved a small patch of hair on the calf's neck, disinfected, then skillfully inserted the needle into the vein, starting to push warm saline. The calf only gave a weak moan.

"First replenish some water and electrolytes, stabilize a bit." Old Zhang said while pushing the injection, "Looks like acute enteritis caused by viral or bacterial infection, that's calf dysentery. Delayed too long, the intestines are damaged and bleeding. Just fluids won't do, still need anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, protect the intestinal mucosa."

He prepared the medicinal liquid, injected it at another spot. Then he took out a small bottle, poured out some white powder, motioned for Chai Xiu to bring warm water to mix it. "Come, lift its head a bit, slowly pour it in, careful not to choke it."

Chai Mi and Chai Xiu cooperated, carefully pouring the medicinal liquid bit by bit into the calf's mouth. The calf seemed to even have difficulty swallowing.

"Tonight is critical." Old Zhang wiped his hands, brows tightly locked, "Whether it can survive, depends on its own fortune now. For the next few hours, you need someone watching, every three or four hours, give it one dose of this powder mixed with water, small amounts frequently. Water must be warm. See if it can diarrhea a bit less, if its spirit can return a little. If... if by dawn there's no improvement, or diarrhea gets worse, then... sigh." Old Zhang shook his head, didn't continue.

Chai Mi's heart felt heavy.

If this calf is gone, the loss isn't small, and more importantly, it represented a new hope, just like that ruined by Chai Youqing's negligence.

"Thank you Uncle Zhang, troubling you to make a trip in the middle of the night." Chai Mi took out money, "Your consultation fee and medicine fee..."

Old Zhang waved his hand, only taking a cost price: "Alright, let's not talk about this. Saving people and saving beasts are both duty. You take good care of it, I'll come again early tomorrow morning to check." He packed up his medicine box, gave a few more instructions on precautions, then left amid Chai Mi's repeated thanks.

Seeing Old Zhang off, only the two sisters and that barely-breathing little calf remained in the cowshed.

The calf's eyes were half-closed, kept calling "mama mama", the old cow also kept turning its head back, calling heart-rendingly.

Appearing exceptionally pitiful.

"Sister, Dad he..." Chai Xiu looked at Chai Mi's tense profile, spoke softly.

"Don't mention him to me!" Chai Mi cut her off, voice carrying irrepressible anger, "Seeing him makes me mad! Let him feed a cow and he feeds it into this state, besides causing trouble what can he do? If this calf really dies, I'll see what he uses to pay for it!" She squatted down, picked up the warm medicinal water Chai Xiu had prepared, carefully brought it to the calf's mouth, "Come, drink a bit more..."

She knew her sister scolded fiercely with her mouth, but her heart actually felt even worse.

Chai Mi was tired with sore waist and aching back, leaning against the cowshed pillar for a brief rest, when the courtyard gate sounded.

It was Su Wan and Chai Youqing returning.

Su Wan saw Chai Mi and her sister in the cowshed, didn't go into the house to change clothes, just came over directly: "What happened?"

Chai Xiu said: "The calf is going to die."

Chai Mi coldly glanced at them, didn't stand up, didn't speak, gaze falling back on the calf.

Su Wan walked lightly to the cowshed side, looking at the situation inside, face full of shock: "Chai Mi... what happened to the calf?"

Chai Youqing also came over, took a look, said: "I saw the calf drinking milk this morning, how come by evening it's no good?"

Chai Mi got angry the moment she heard Chai Youqing speak, directly questioned: "Dad, come. I'll ask you, we swear to heaven, did you see the calf biting the big cow's teat drinking milk and swallowing it down? Or is it just what you imagined, you actually didn't see it at all?"

Chai Youqing said in a low voice: "I was watching from far away, didn't see clearly if it actually ate into its mouth."

Chai Mi almost laughed from anger: This is Chai Youqing.

This damn didn't see is didn't see, still damn stubbornly arguing!

The calf pretended to drink milk, should be because its body hurt unbearably, just staying by the old cow.

Already diarrhea with blood, where the hell would it have strength to drink milk.

Su Wan said softly: "Chai Mi, why are you still swearing to heaven with your dad? What is this for?"

"What am I doing? Let him feed the cow, the cow's almost fed to death, he doesn't even know?" Chai Mi said in a bad tone: "If the calf's illness had been discovered earlier, it wouldn't have become this serious, right."

Su Wan also saw the little calf was indeed weak beyond measure, feeling like it could die any moment, also dissatisfied gave Chai Youqing a white look, then said: "These past two days I even asked him, he said the little calf was lively and jumping."

"That's right, almost lively and jumped to death......."

"Ai......" Su Wan sighed, then asked: "Then did you find a vet or something to look?"

Chai Mi didn't turn back, voice hard: "Seen, said it's 'calf dysentery', dehydration too severe, intestinal bleeding, whether it can survive tonight depends on its own fortune. Uncle Zhang coming again tomorrow morning."

She paused, tone carrying a sting, "Thanks to my dad's blessing, the calf had diarrhea for several days, hard as it was no one discovered it, dragged out like this."

Chai Youqing's head drooped even lower, lips moved, wanting to say something, finally only letting out a mosquito-like hum of defense: "I... I saw it the day before yesterday was a bit loose, I... I thought the weather cooled, little calves are all like this... so didn't... didn't take it seriously..."