After the acupuncture, Little Potato had fully woken up.
As soon as it opened its eyes, it tried to climb off the bed, wagging its tail furiously at Granny Wen.
Then, with its wet, big, grateful eyes, it looked at Shen Ran.
Although the pup had been in a semi-conscious state after being bitten by the snake and couldn’t see clearly who saved it, its nose recognized her.
“Woof woof!”
[Evil woman, I’m sorry! From now on, I won’t call you evil—I’ll call you Fragrant Woman! You hold me so sweetly; I love being in your arms!]
Shen Ran: …
Previously, when the original owner had a bad mood, Little Potato happened to pass by and got scolded harshly. The little dog had held a grudge ever since, secretly calling the original owner the “evil woman.”
This accident, however, completely changed its impression of her.
Little Potato was a very obedient pup.
It wagged its tail to the others in turn, thanking everyone.
Because the pup’s condition was still unstable, Grandpa Sun decided it should stay at the station for observation, just in case.
As for Granny Wen, Qin Lie drove her home, with Shen Ran naturally accompanying them.
Just as the three were about to leave, a middle-aged man rushed in.
“Grandpa Sun! Come quick! Something’s wrong with my pigs—they’ve been vomiting and having diarrhea all morning and can barely stand!”
At the station’s entrance, a man pulled a cart holding four or five large pigs, all groaning.
Next to one of the mother pigs cuddled a small, pink piglet.
Grandpa Sun: “Director Zhang, why bring a piglet? Does it have a problem too?”
Director Zhang shook his head. “No, it just insists on staying with its mother. The moment I pick it up, it squeals.”
Grandpa Sun quickly examined the pigs.
“It’s probably just upset stomach. I’ll give some anti-diarrhea medicine and glucose.”
Suddenly, the pigs began vomiting uncontrollably, some with traces of blood.
Grandpa Sun’s expression darkened.
If it were just a simple upset stomach, it wouldn’t look this severe. They had likely eaten something poisonous.
“Did you feed them anything unusual this morning?” Grandpa Sun asked.
Director Zhang scratched his head. “Nothing different—just the usual mixed feed, some pig grass…”
[And some little green fruits, lots of them!]
A soft squeak came from the piglet on the cart.
Shen Ran, who had been walking out, paused and looked at the piglet nestled in its mother’s arms, eyes wide with worry.
Grandpa Sun frowned. “If we don’t know what they ate, this will be difficult.”
Even the Sun family’s ancestral veterinary skills weren’t all-powerful. They could detect poisoning but not identify the exact toxin.
“Let’s try acupuncture first. Maybe it will relieve some symptoms.”
As Grandpa Sun spoke, Shen Ran couldn’t help speaking up.
“Grandpa Sun, it looks like that piglet understands the situation. Maybe I can take it back to the pig farm for a walk—it might help us figure out what went wrong.”
“Eh?” Grandpa Sun froze.
Everyone else exchanged glances, puzzled.
A piglet understanding the situation? And a walk could reveal anything? Was she joking?
Qin Lie frowned in disapproval. “Shen Ran, stop messing around. Let’s just go back.”
It was almost noon; if they hurried, maybe they could finalize the divorce by the afternoon.
Shen Ran ignored him, looking instead at Director Zhang.
“You’re in charge, right? If you trust me, let’s give it a try. We’ve got a car, so it won’t take long.”
Before Zhang could respond, Granny Wen interjected:
“I trust Ran! If it weren’t for her, Little Potato might already be dead in that alley of fallen leaves!”
She recounted the earlier events to Zhang, adding:
“Little Potato is usually shy around strangers, but it stayed calm in Ran’s arms. She clearly has a way with animals, so maybe the piglet will respond to her too.”
Shen Ran added:
“I grew up in a small mountain village and spent a lot of time outdoors. Animals respond well to me, and I understand their habits. I just want to see if I can help.”
Her words were convincing. Director Zhang nodded.
“All right. Let’s take the piglet back and see what’s going on.”
Amazingly, the piglet, which had previously refused to leave its mother, immediately crawled into Shen Ran’s arms after she gently patted its head.
Even Qin Lie, who had been scowling, softened slightly.
Could it be that Shen Ran wasn’t stalling the divorce? She really had this ability?
Their question was answered when Shen Ran, holding the piglet near the pig farm, discovered dozens of Solanum nigrum berries—also called black nightshade.
These berries are toxic. The green, unripe ones are especially poisonous.
Livestock that eat them can experience mild effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, or in severe cases, respiratory paralysis and hemolysis.
Grandpa Sun knew this plant well.
Seeing that the pigs had eaten it, his face went pale.
“Zhengfei, quickly—induce vomiting with soapy water to get the berries out of their system!”
Then he rushed to fetch glucose, injecting it into the pigs.
Seeing the grandfather and grandson flustered, everyone else pitched in—holding the pigs, fetching supplies, cleaning up vomit.
An hour later, the pigs’ conditions stabilized.
Director Zhang wiped sweat from his forehead and bowed to everyone.
“Thank you! Thank you for saving our livestock. I represent the farm in expressing our gratitude!”
It was now noon. Zhang had other farm matters and sent a piece of pork as thanks before leaving in a hurry.
Shen Ran and the others were about to leave when Grandpa Sun spoke:
“This pork is the result of everyone’s effort. I still have some noodles—why don’t we have lunch together?”
Granny Wen smiled, raising her hand: “You all worked hard. I’ll cook the noodles. Take a rest.”
Ten minutes later, a pot of golden pork noodles was served, generous bowls for everyone.
Sitting down, they dug in with gusto.
And indeed, food earned through hard work tastes especially good.