Chapter 377: The Old Cow Falls Ill

The next day, as usual, Zhou Dawan arrived early at the cattle shed. He was shocked to find the usually lively old cow lying on the ground, listless, with its eyes lacking the usual gleam.

Even when Zhou Dawan brought some grass to the old cow’s mouth, it merely sniffed it and didn’t eat. Instead, it turned its head away.

This made Zhou Dawan panic. The old cow was a treasure of the village, and if something happened to it, the village head would surely not spare him.

He ran through the village, searching for the village head, and finally saw him by the chicken coop. Zhou Dawan rushed over.

“Village head, there’s a big problem!”

The village head looked at the out-of-breath Zhou Dawan and immediately sensed that something was wrong. He quickly asked, “Dawan, is something wrong with the old cow?”

Out of breath, Zhou Dawan replied, “The old cow is lying on the ground.”

Upon hearing this, the village head immediately understood that the old cow was in trouble. Without waiting for further explanation, he hurried towards the cattle shed.

Seeing this, Zhou Dawan felt helpless. He hadn’t even caught his breath, and now he had to run again. He had no choice but to follow, knowing that if he wasn’t there when the village head asked, he’d be blamed. It would be even worse than being wrongly accused like Dou E.

The village head, now moving with the speed of a lightning bolt, reached the cattle shed in no time.

Zhou Dawan had not expected the village head to run so fast—he could barely see the “tail lights” anymore.

As they entered the cattle shed, they saw the old cow lying motionless on the ground. Upon seeing this, the village head’s heart ached. This was the old cow! It had always been treated with the best care, never slacking off on any work that required strength, always pulled by a donkey cart unless absolutely necessary.

If the donkey knew, it might even want to thank the village head for its cushy job.

The old cow didn’t make any sounds but had a slight rise and fall in its belly. It appeared to be in a great deal of discomfort.

“Zhou Dawan, where are you?”

Hearing the village head call his full name, Zhou Dawan knew this was serious. Normally, he’d be called “Dawan” or “Xiao Wen,” but when his full name was used, the gravity of the situation became clear.

He quickly ran inside.

“I’m here, village head.”

“The village trusted you to care for the old cow. Is this how you repay the village?” The village head spoke with stern seriousness.

Zhou Dawan felt more wronged than ever, thinking he was being unfairly blamed. “It’s not like that! The old cow was fine yesterday, but when I came this morning, it was lying on the ground. I don’t know what happened either!”

The village head understood this was not the time for blame and quickly said, “Hurry and find Dr. Li!”

“And ask Yimin to lend you a bicycle, it will be faster that way.”

Zhou Dawan was at his wit’s end. He hadn’t even rested properly and now had to run to find the vet.

Seeing Zhou Dawan standing still, the village head grew angry. “What are you standing there for?”

Zhou Dawan had no choice but to run to Zhou Yimin’s house. Fortunately, it was early, and when he arrived, Zhou Yimin had just gotten up. He quickly explained the situation.

“You need to ride to find Dr. Li right now!”

Zhou Yimin, realizing the severity of the situation, didn’t waste time talking and immediately told Zhou Dawan to get on the bicycle.

After more than half an hour’s ride, Zhou Dawan finally arrived at Dr. Li’s house.

It seemed he was lucky, as Dr. Li was home. Dr. Li was the only veterinarian in the area, and villagers from miles around would seek him out when their animals fell ill.

Zhou Dawan anxiously entered. “Dr. Li, our old cow at Zhoujia Village suddenly got sick. It won’t eat, looks listless, and is lying on the ground. Could you please come take a look?”

Dr. Li understood the seriousness immediately. “Alright, I’ll go with you now!”

He packed his medical kit, slung it over his shoulder, and followed Zhou Dawan out.

When they left the house, Zhou Dawan noticed Dr. Li paused, staring at a bicycle parked in front of the house. He was puzzled. Since when did Zhoujia Village have bicycles? He hadn’t heard anything about this.

But there was no time to ponder, and he hurriedly hopped onto the back of the bicycle.

The two of them rushed back to Zhoujia Village, another half-hour journey. Once they arrived, they immediately headed to the cattle shed.

By now, a crowd had gathered around the cattle shed. If it weren’t for the village head sending most of them away, the entire village would have probably surrounded the shed.

“Dr. Li, you must save our old cow!” The village head saw Dr. Li and grabbed his hand as if he were a lifeline.

Zhou Yimin couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. This scene reminded him of something from a drama or movie from the future.

Dr. Li felt a little awkward but didn’t know exactly why. “Don’t worry, village head. I’ll do my best.”

He set down his medical kit, crouched down, and began to carefully examine the cow’s eyes, nose, and mouth.

Then he put on his stethoscope and spent a long time listening to the cow’s abdomen and heart, gently pressing on its belly.

“Zhou Dawan, when did you first notice the symptoms?”

The crowd turned to look at Zhou Dawan. If anyone knew the old cow well, it would be him.

Under the collective gaze, Zhou Dawan hesitantly recounted what he had noticed that morning.

Dr. Li listened carefully, making sure not to miss any symptoms, as an incorrect diagnosis could lead to serious consequences.

“How has the old cow’s appetite and digestion been recently?”

Zhou Dawan answered honestly.

Dr. Li, after hearing this, began to get an idea of what was wrong. To confirm his suspicions, he carefully examined the cow again and found that, indeed, it was exactly as he had thought.

“The old cow must have eaten something bad recently, causing some indigestion and a mild fever. But don’t worry, it’s not too serious.”

With that, he took out a syringe from his medical kit, prepared the medication, and expertly gave the old cow an injection.

The village head looked at Zhou Dawan with a serious expression. “Dawan, did you feed the old cow some bad grass?”

If it was Zhou Dawan’s fault, it seemed that the job of feeding the old cow would have to be reassigned.

There were many villagers eyeing this task. It wasn’t too difficult, but once learned, it was much easier than doing manual labor for points.

Feeding the old cow was also worth points, and not a small amount, which was why so many people wanted the job.

This task was decided by lottery, and Zhou Dawan had drawn the short straw. That was why the other villagers had quieted down.

(End of Chapter)