Chapter 378: An Unintentional Act

When Zhou Yimin heard that the old cow had eaten something unclean, he looked around, hoping to spot anything unusual.

Soon, he noticed some hay that was different from the usual feed for the old cow. He immediately asked, “Dawan, did you bring this hay in?”

In the cow shed, usually only Zhou Dawan would take care of the old cow, as the villagers had other tasks and didn’t have time to come by unless instructed by the village head.

Zhou Dawan was the one responsible for the cow shed, and if something went wrong, he would be in trouble.

Zhou Dawan followed Zhou Yimin’s pointing finger and saw the wild grass. He quickly shook his head, “I didn’t bring this into the cow shed.”

“It’s winter now, and when feeding the old cow, we generally use dry hay, occasionally mixing in other things. Since we fed the cow something different a couple of days ago, we’ve been using only dry hay.”

Feeding cows with dry hay has many benefits, especially in winter and drought seasons. Dry hay has a very low moisture content, making it easy to store and transport. It’s also richer in energy and protein, and easier for cows to digest and absorb. The high fiber content extends chewing time, stimulates saliva production, balances the rumen’s acidity, and improves the cow’s utilization of proteins in the feed.

Hearing this, Zhou Yimin felt puzzled, “When we came over, we didn’t bring any fresh grass in. Since it wasn’t you, then someone else must have brought this and fed it to the old cow.”

“Yimin, are you saying someone intentionally poisoned our village’s old cow?” The village head immediately guessed what Zhou Yimin meant.

What was baffling was that Zhoujia Village had a good relationship with the surrounding villages. Why would this happen?

Wait, when outsiders enter the village, the security team usually notices, but yesterday, only Lin Guohuai came, and there was no grudge between them. Lin wouldn’t do something like this, especially since he worked for the commune and wouldn’t break the law.

Could it be someone from the village? Only people from the village could do this without leaving a trace.

Then, the thought struck him—could this grass be from the greenhouse?

It was so cold now, and the only place in the village where there was fresh grass was the greenhouse. It seemed like someone from the village had brought it.

“Dawan, think back. Besides you, who else came to the cow shed yesterday?”

Zhou Dawan thought carefully and recalled, “I think your grandson, Xiao Yi, came to the cow shed.”

When the village head heard this, it felt like the sky was falling. But to get to the bottom of the situation, he called his grandson Xiao Yi over.

Xiao Yi was still at school in the village. When his grandfather called him, he was a bit confused but happy to skip class. He quickly came to the cow shed.

The village head, with a serious tone, asked, “Xiao Yi, did you come to the cow shed yesterday?”

“I came yesterday, what’s wrong, Grandpa?” Xiao Yi was a bit confused as to why his grandfather was asking in such a serious manner but answered honestly.

Hearing this, the village head’s last hope was dashed. He anxiously asked, “Xiao Yi, tell Grandpa, did you feed these grasses to the old cow?”

With a tense look, he stared at Xiao Yi, worried he would hear the answer he most dreaded.

Unfortunately, the truth came out. Xiao Yi explained, “I found this fresh grass in the greenhouse yesterday. Didn’t you say, Grandpa, that we should eat more fresh vegetables for nutrition?”

“I saw that Uncle Dawan always fed the old cow dry hay, and I was worried it wasn’t nutritious enough, so I found some fresh grass to feed the old cow.”

Xiao Yi proudly looked at his grandfather, hoping for praise.

Hearing this, the village head was a mix of anger and amusement. The culprit had been found, and the reason was to improve the cow’s nutrition, not to poison it. However, he was still upset and felt like he might need to hit his grandson.

Zhou Yimin quickly stopped him, “Village head, Xiao Yi just meant well. The old cow is fine, let’s let it go this time.”

“Xiao Yi, next time you feed the old cow, make sure to ask Dawan first about what’s safe to feed and what isn’t.”

“The old cow got sick because of the grass you fed it yesterday.”

Xiao Yi, feeling scared, asked nervously, “Sixteenth uncle, is that really true?”

He didn’t understand why, even though he followed his grandfather’s advice, things turned out this way. The more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt, and soon he started crying.

“Now that we know who did it, let’s disperse.”

Zhou Yimin sent the people still at the cow shed away, leaving only Zhou Dawan, the village head, Xiao Yi, and Dr. Li.

It was mainly to prevent outsiders from getting jealous and doing this on purpose. But now that they had figured out it was a well-intentioned mistake by a child, there was no need to make a big deal of it.

The village head, angry, said, “Why are you crying?”

This was truly embarrassing—who would have thought the culprit would be his own grandson?

Dr. Li and Zhou Yimin tried to calm him down, advising the village head not to be angry.

Meanwhile, Zhou Dawan stood aside, slowing his breathing, trying not to upset anyone or get scolded, since no one in the room was someone he could afford to anger.

The village head, after hearing Dr. Li and Zhou Yimin’s comforting words, had calmed down, but he still didn’t know how to explain the situation to the village.

“Dr. Li, how much do I owe you for the treatment? I’ll pay now.”

Since his grandson had caused the trouble, it wasn’t right for the whole village to pay. He wouldn’t do something like that.

“Two yuan,” Dr. Li said directly.

“And there’s some medicine. Feed it to the old cow a little each day, and in a couple of days, it should be fine.”

Then, Dr. Li took some medicine from his bag, explained how to give it to the old cow, and left.

It seemed that Zhoujia Village had gained something from this visit. Although Dr. Li wouldn’t spread the story, other villagers might.

Zhou Yimin squatted down and spoke softly to Xiao Yi, “Xiao Yi, if you’re interested in taking care of the old cow, after school, you can come to learn from Dawan about how to feed the cow, what to pay attention to, and other knowledge.”

“But you can’t just feed the cow anything you find like you did this time, or things like this will happen.”

Xiao Yi, hearing Zhou Yimin’s words, slowly stopped crying and asked, “Sixteenth uncle, can I really do that?”

“As long as you study well, I believe your grandfather won’t stop you,” Zhou Yimin promised.

(End of Chapter)