Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 417 Reincarnation (Part 1)

"gentlemen!"

"Let's eat first, then leave?"

"I've already asked my wife to prepare the meal!"

In a small village along the Xindu River at the western end of the Xia Kingdom, farmers are warmly inviting He Bo, who has transformed into an ordinary doctor, to stay.

He Bo nodded in agreement, "Okay."

Then he said, "Could you please bring some water? I want to tidy myself up."

The farmer quickly picked up his bucket and went to fetch water.

As he passed the livestock pen, he took a long, affectionate look at the panting cow and the calf that He Bo had just delivered.

The latter's limbs were still soft, and its whole body was wet. It was curled up on the dry grass, sleeping with its eyes closed.

The farmer, with a gentle gaze and a smile on his lips, said softly:
"What a troublemaker!"

"If it weren't for a kind person passing by, I'm afraid your mother and I would have died together!"

"I will inevitably be implicated by you!"

Because the people of Sindhu in the south raised cattle and traded with the Xia state, and because the Qin state and the Yuezhi people in the north also valued animal husbandry,
This meant that the people of Xia Kingdom did not lack oxen for plowing.

However, for ordinary families, the price of a cow is not something they can easily afford.

Moreover, in such a chaotic world,
The value of cattle has skyrocketed.

The farmers' village is nestled in a remote mountain area.
Although they were fortunate enough to escape the horrors of war,

However, they also lost the means to communicate with the outside world.

They shut themselves off, afraid to wander around, and the merchants who would occasionally drive cattle and horses and carry various goods to trade here had vanished without a trace.

Therefore,
If the number of cattle and sheep in the village wants to increase, they can only rely on their own efforts to reproduce.

to this end,

The village chief specially arranged for someone to take care of them.

The farmer and his wife,
They were the "servants" responsible for taking care of the cow.

It is conceivable that

If a cow has a difficult birth, to the point that neither the cow nor the cow can be saved,
How will a farming couple be treated in the village?

after all,

A life truly like that of an ox or a horse.
It's worth far more than the life of a human being or an animal.

"Eat more, eat more!"

While the water was still boiling, the still-frightened farmer stuffed more hay into the pen and stroked the cow that had suffered so much.

Once it was confirmed that the cow and calf were alright, and the water was boiled,
Only then did he go to entertain his benefactor.

"...You not only trimmed the hooves of the village's cattle and sheep for free, making them look much better, but you also saved the lives of two cows in the village. I really don't know how to express my gratitude."

The farmer said this to He Bo.

His wife smiled and presented him with the old hen that had been specially slaughtered and prepared for her benefactor, for him to enjoy.

He Bo smiled and said, "There's no need for further thanks."

"I also have my own purpose in coming here!"

"Besides, practicing medicine is just a piece of cake for me, there's really no need for me to do this."

He picked a thick chicken leg from the braised chicken and put it into the bowl of the child next to him.

The child glanced at him longingly, then, before his parents could stop him, he began to gnaw on the chicken leg.

The farmer was very dissatisfied with his son's rudeness and wanted to teach him "what filial piety and gratitude are!"
He Bo stopped him, saying, "Children should eat more to stay healthy."

“I don’t have much of an appetite right now, so I might as well let him eat it to avoid wasting food.”

The farmer heeded his advice, but couldn't resist giving his son, who was munching on a chicken leg and shaking his head, a light slap on the head.

After we finished enjoying the hospitality and cleared away the dishes,
He Bo then followed the farmer to the fence to check on the calves.

"He's not very energetic. He must have been cooped up in the womb." The farmer couldn't help but speak up when he saw He Bo touching the calf, but the calf didn't react at all. It just lay on the ground with its eyes closed, breathing shallowly, and even its mother wouldn't approach it.

"I'll try to feed him later. If I can't, I'll slaughter him and eat his meat. That's fine too!"

The cow had a difficult birth.
The villagers know it.

After a period of tension and anxiety, the village chief simply said to the farmers:
"We must protect the older one; it's okay to ignore the younger one."

After a period of rest, the adult ox can plow the fields. The calf, however, needs to be properly cared for for several more years until it is strong enough to pull the plow.

Which is more important and which is less important?

The village chief can tell the difference.

Hearing his words, He Bo chuckled and pinched the calf's ear, saying to it:
"Did you hear me!"

"If you're useless, you don't even deserve to eat grass. I'll drag you away and slaughter you first thing tomorrow morning!"

The calf is not particularly small compared to other types of livestock.

If the butcher were slaughtered and the meat divided, every household in the village would be able to enjoy several delicious meals!

When I think of this,

The farmers, who had initially felt some pity for the calf, began to look at it with a change in their gaze.

Strong laborers who toil hard every day,

How could I not want to eat a little more meat?

The calf seemed to sense the danger, immediately abandoned its feigned death, stood up unsteadily, walked to the cow's side, and took the food switch into its mouth, sucking hard.

But her slightly open eyes still revealed a hint of reluctance.

He Bo said to it, "Humph!"

"Now that you know how awesome it is, you still won't accept your fate?"

"There's still a long road ahead!"

The farmer asked him, puzzled, "Why do you say that?"

He Bo simply shook his head and smiled without saying a word.

As he prepared to leave, he addressed the villagers who had come to see him off, saying:
"When that calf grows up, we can whip it more often."

"Even in the womb, it was stubborn, and it remained so after birth. If it is not properly trained, it will be impossible for it to obediently work in the fields."

The village chief valued his opinion highly and said he would never forget it.

Only the calves in the pen grumbled indignantly, kicking their soft hooves in an attempt to protest such mistreatment.

unfortunately,

Its opinions have no way of being known to anyone.

The farmer, still smiling, watched it wriggle around in the pen and said to the village chief:
"That gentleman is truly a miracle doctor!"

"Just one sentence was enough to unleash such energy in this calf."

Upon hearing this, the calf angrily looked up and glared at him.

The farmer was somewhat surprised by its stare. "It can understand human speech at such a young age?"

"No wonder the master instructed us to be strict with it."

"Otherwise, such a clever calf, once it grows up, will become lazy and cunning, and it won't be easy for an ordinary person to control it."

As for the calf's "human nature"?
joke,

In the countryside, who doesn't know that cattle, horses, and dogs are the most intelligent of all domestic animals?
The calves are behaving this way now.
Farmers simply considered it a stubborn breed with exceptional talent, a standout among the cattle, not something to be regarded as a monster.

"Actually, it wouldn't hurt to kill it as a monster."

Underworld

A group of dead men pointed and talked at the reflection in the bronze mirror of the calves that were ravenously full and impotently rooting around in the pen.

King Wen of Xia said, "The lowly people of Shendu are already being treated as cattle and horses by our Xia people, which is a great privilege!"

"If he had lived under my rule, he wouldn't have been able to save his own life, let alone be born in a safe village and enjoy the care of the people for a few years!"

"It is only because the spirits were kind-hearted that they granted him the honor of reincarnation, which is why he has such a wonderful future!"

Upon hearing King Wen of Xia's remarks, Zou Yan, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but glance at him.

"Is there something wrong with what he said?"

The ghost in the seat of honor threw a fruit at Zou Yan, whose eyes were darting around, and it hit him right on the head.

Zou Yan exclaimed "Ouch!" as he recalled the time he was drowned in a pig cage. He immediately straightened his expression and dared not do anything more.

He picked up the fruit and started eating, saying righteously:
"King Wen's words are in accordance with the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people; there is nothing wrong with them!"

He Bo nodded in satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)