Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 144 He is a ruthless person
After the medicine was administered, Chen Fan did not leave immediately. Instead, he asked Station Chief Zhou and the others what rural veterinarians needed to learn.

Without saying a word, Dr. Wang turned around and ran to the archives, bringing out a set of textbooks for him. "This is the veterinary training textbook. You can take a look at it first. The formal course will not start until after the 15th of the first lunar month."

After thanking him, Chen Fan picked up the book and flipped through it, and was immediately surprised.

To his surprise, besides the injections, diagnosis, and prescriptions he had previously guessed, he would also have to learn how to give livestock acupuncture and massage?
The books the veterinary station had given him before, even the ones on traditional Chinese veterinary medicine, were mostly about herbs; they didn't really cover acupuncture or massage.

Faced with his question, Station Chief Zhou gave a wry smile and said, "Using traditional Chinese veterinary medicine to treat livestock is the most suitable method chosen based on the actual situation across the country. Not to mention in the past, even now, there is a severe shortage of Western doctors all over the country. There aren't even enough doctors to treat people, let alone livestock."

Furthermore, Western medicine requires a large number of industrially produced pills and medicines, but with insufficient production capacity and technology, it is naturally impossible to take care of so many places across the country.

Therefore, at Mr. Li's urging, relevant experts delved into the traditional medical practices long used in rural areas, namely, traditional Chinese veterinary medicine.

He gave a wry smile as he spoke, “Western medicine is lacking, but there are plenty of traditional Chinese veterinary medicine practitioners. Just find a few skilled livestock breeders, give them a short training period, and they can start working. Not to mention someone like me who originally came from a traditional Chinese veterinary medicine background. So, nowadays, the vast majority of veterinarians across the country use traditional Chinese veterinary medicine methods for treatment, with Western medicine playing an auxiliary and supplementary role.”

Chen Fan suddenly realized, but he was still a little curious, "Do livestock have acupoints too?"

Seeing that Chen Fan also had something he didn't know, Station Chief Zhou burst into laughter. He then took out a long cloth bag from his body, unfolded it, and laid it on his arm. Inside were long needles.

Station Chief Zhou walked over to the water buffalo, gestured for the two commune members guarding it to move aside, and said with a soft smile, "I just heard your analysis of the buffalo's condition, and the medicine you used was also appropriate, so I have a better understanding of the situation. There happen to be a few acupoints that can dispel evil and strengthen the body, so I'll demonstrate them for you."

Then he said to a veterinarian next to him, "Go and get some mugwort."

The man immediately turned and ran into the house.

Station Chief Zhou pulled out a silver needle that was more than half a foot long, wiped it twice with an alcohol swab, then pressed it on the water buffalo, and then, holding the needle, inserted it precisely into the buffalo.

The needle, more than half a foot long, did not bend at all and pierced the cow's body steadily.

Immediately afterwards, he gestured with his hands on the cow's body, seemingly to locate the acupuncture points. Once he found them, he inserted a needle.

Before long, a row of silver needles were stuck into the cow's body.

At this moment, the veterinarian also brought over the mugwort.

Station Chief Zhou picked up a piece of mugwort and held it up to Chen Fan. "These mugwort pieces have been processed. If you put them on the end of a needle and light them, they will have a good effect."

Then, the mugwort was fixed to the tips of the silver needles one by one, and then lit with a match. Smoke immediately filled the back of the water buffalo, and the smoke was only one or two centimeters away from the skin of the water buffalo.

Chen Fan quietly walked up to the water buffalo, squatted down, and asked in a low voice, "Does it hurt?"

At this moment, the water buffalo was much more energetic, unlike before when it didn't even have the strength to speak. It raised its head and looked at Chen Fan curiously, then mooed, "It doesn't hurt."

He paused for a moment, then twitched his ears, and said, "Comfortable."

His eyes revealed a satisfied expression.

Seeing that it was truly effective, Chen Fan's interest grew, and he pestered Station Chief Zhou to teach him the skills of acupuncture for livestock.

Station Master Zhou had always intended to get him involved, so he naturally wouldn't refuse. He used the water buffalo as an example and explained to him in great detail the acupoints and functions on the buffalo's body.

Of course, right now, just to pique Chen Fan's interest, he speaks in a simple and easy-to-understand way, without going into too much detail, basically just glossing over things in a sentence.

But all Chen Fan wanted was a single sentence.

As Station Master Zhou explained, his veterinary experience points soared, quickly reaching LV2 (20/50), and graduation was just around the corner!

Meanwhile, two commune members who had brought their water buffalo to see a doctor were whispering amongst themselves.

"Captain, isn't he Chen Fan from Lujiawan? Gan Laibao from Ganjiacun is the one who sold the foal to him."

"It was him. That kid is a tough guy. He clearly doesn't know how to treat livestock, but he just flipped through a book and cured that little horse. At the time, a mule from the Victory Brigade was also being treated here. That mule had the same problem as the little horse. If he hadn't happened to come by, the mule probably wouldn't have survived."

"You know, intellectuals are really something. They can diagnose illnesses just by flipping through a book. We were lucky to run into him today, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to save this cow."

"Lujiawan is so lucky; they can even find a Wenquxing (a star associated with literature and scholarship) while fetching water. Why don't we have such good luck?"

"Last year, Team 9 did manage to pull someone out of the water, but unfortunately it was an educated youth who went into the water to catch fish without permission. They were all educated people, but the difference between people is greater than the difference between a person and a dog."

The overwhelming resentment sent a chill down Chen Fan's spine from not far away.

He looked at the water buffalo again, and in less than an hour, the water buffalo's condition had clearly improved.

Station Master Zhou taught the acupoints once, and also gave the water buffalo a full-body acupuncture and massage. Afterwards, he let out a long sigh and said with a smile, "Based on my experience, this buffalo should be past the critical period. If we continue to treat it according to this prescription, it will continue to improve."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan stood up and said, "It's getting late, and I have to rush back to work. I'll come back to learn from you again next time I have time."

Station Master Zhou laughed heartily and said, "Welcome, welcome. You can come to my place anytime."

Chen Fan greeted everyone else one by one before putting on his straw hat and raincoat and leaving the veterinary station.

As soon as Chen Fan left, Station Chief Zhou rushed to his office to make a phone call. He finally got through to the county animal husbandry bureau and quickly recounted the day's events, concluding with...
"In our Nanhu Commune alone, three cases of hypothermia in buffalo have occurred in just over a month. Please take this very seriously. The veterinarians at the other communes in our county are at about the same skill level as me. I can't treat this, and they certainly can't either. It would be best to organize a temporary training course to teach this treatment method..."

After leaving the veterinary station, Chen Fan suddenly realized that he hadn't bought any piglets yet.

I originally planned to buy piglets this morning, but I got so engrossed in drinking with Master Zhu and the others that it just wouldn't stop. It's already one o'clock, so I'm afraid they're already closed.

The breeding station is right next to the veterinary station; you just need to go through a small iron gate.

Undeterred, Chen Fan ran over to take a look, and sure enough, the small iron gate was closed... Wait a minute.

He suddenly realized that the door was unlocked.

He carefully pushed open the iron gate and called out, "Is anyone home?"

There was a single-story house in a small courtyard. As soon as Chen Fan finished speaking, someone inside the house replied, "Who is it?"

Chen Fan immediately pushed open the iron gate and went inside, shouting, "Master, are there any more piglets?"

A man wrapped in a cotton-padded coat and wearing a large hat came out and said impatiently, "If you wanted to buy something, why didn't you come earlier? If I didn't have something to do today, you wouldn't have bought anything at this hour."

As he spoke, he walked inside. "How many do you want to buy? Do you have a letter of introduction?"

Do you need a letter of introduction to buy piglets?

Chen Fan was stunned for a moment, then ran over and whispered, "Master, I know Master Zhu from the food station and Director Zhou from the veterinary station next door. I forgot to bring my letter of introduction today. Can I bring it another day?"

The man turned to look at him, his eyes full of suspicion. "You know Master Zhu and Station Master Zhou?"

The breeding station and the veterinary station were not only next to each other, but also frequently had business dealings, so he naturally knew Station Chief Zhou. As for the food station, it wasn't much different. The breeding station was responsible for providing piglets, while the food station bought back adult pigs. They were practically the two ends of a chain, so they could be considered family. Not to mention, he often went to the food station to buy meat from acquaintances.

So Chen Fan's mention of these two people was spot on.

Chen Fan immediately nodded and smiled, "I was supposed to come in the morning, but Master Zhu dragged me out for a big drink, and then I went to the veterinary station next door to chat with Station Chief Zhou for a while, so it got late."

Upon hearing his words and smelling the alcohol on him, the man's expression immediately softened, and he asked with a smile, "Which team are you on?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Chen Fan, Team 6 of Lujiawan."

The man turned around abruptly, his face beaming. "Oh, you must be Chen Fan. You're here to buy pigs, right? I just bought two litters of piglets yesterday afternoon. Come, come, let me show you."

At that moment, his attitude was so enthusiastic that he was definitely a contender for the title of model worker.

The pigsty is naturally not inside this house, but in the back yard.

The two half-built brick and tile houses made Chen Fan's eyes twitch. The conditions were even better than the educated youth settlement where he lived!

Then look inside the pigpen, where a dozen or so piglets are huddled together for warmth, looking quite cute with their round, plump bodies.

Just then, a bleating sound came from the side. Chen Fan immediately ran over to take a look and his eyes lit up. There were actually two little lambs.

Chen Fan turned around, took out a pack of cigarettes, opened it, took one out and handed it over, "What's your name, Master?"

When the man saw that the cigarette box was decorated with peony patterns, his smile became even more genuine. "My surname is Sun, you can just call me Old Sun."

Chen Fan, of course, wouldn't immediately call him Old Sun. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Master Sun, what's the price of piglets now?"

Without hesitation, Mr. Sun replied, "7.5 yuan a head, it's the same price."

Chen Fan then pointed to the lamb, "Where's the lamb?"

Master Sun looked at him in surprise, "You still want to buy sheep?"

Before Chen Fan could speak, he looked at the two lambs and said, "These are from the Shengli Brigade we got last time. One is male and the other female, from two different families. We've been raising them for almost a week. If you want them, I'll give them to you for 7 yuan each, but..."

After thinking for a moment, he still advised Chen Fan, "Raising sheep is hard work and not worth it. The mutton is cheap and can't be sold at a good price. They also eat a lot of grass, otherwise they wouldn't have been unable to sell for so long. If you want to raise sheep, you should think it over carefully."

Chen Fan immediately said, "I've thought it over. I want two pigs and two sheep."

Seeing Chen Fan's decisiveness, Master Sun didn't say anything more, but looked at him with a puzzled expression, "You didn't bring anything with you? What are you going to take back?"

Chen Fan's face froze instantly, then his eyes darted around and he pointed to the next room, "I'll go borrow a basket from Station Master Zhou."

Master Sun couldn't help but chuckle. "You're really something. This is the first time I've ever seen someone come to buy piglets empty-handed. Never mind, I'll find you a stick and two baskets to put them in. Bring them back to me next time. Otherwise, if Old Zhou finds out you're going to borrow them from him, he'll laugh me to death."

So Chen Fan took out 29 yuan, picked up the borrowed baskets, with a piglet on one end and a lamb on the other, and strode back.

I searched for ages for the prices of piglets and lambs, and finally found them on two parking tickets because I didn't have a letter of introduction and bought them without permission...￣□￣｜｜
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(End of this chapter)