The young man was named Liu Sanliang.
“Deputy Director Liu, I’m here to see Director Hu,” Secretary Sun said, pointing to Lin Xun. “This is Xiao Lin. She is very skilled in medicine. I am recommending her for the veterinary station.”
Liu Sanliang, who had been impatient, immediately changed expression when he saw Lin Xun. Such an attractive female comrade, how had he never seen her before?
He narrowed his eyes. “You say this comrade has medical skills, veterinary skills even? Secretary Sun, could it be that your eyes are failing with age? She looks so delicate. How could she possibly be a veterinarian?”
Secretary Sun, annoyed at the jab, thought Liu Sanliang was becoming more arrogant, relying on his uncle in the Revolutionary Committee.
“Appearances can be deceiving. Xiao Lin is indeed capable. Our farm’s sheep losses were avoided thanks to her.”
Liu Sanliang snorted coldly. “Words mean nothing. A veterinarian must save lives. Look at the person you brought. Does she look capable? If we hire her, she will only ruin the reputation of the veterinary station. Let’s go, our station does not welcome a pretty face as decoration.”
He said this deliberately to embarrass Lin Xun and make her understand that entering the veterinary station meant first currying favor with him. As for how to do that, he thought he could possibly make her his girlfriend, and once bored, discard her.
“You!” Secretary Sun was furious, but Lin Xun stopped him. “Forget it, Secretary. Let’s go.”
She could immediately see what kind of person Liu Sanliang was. There was no reason to waste time with him. She would find Director Hu another way.
As they were about to leave, someone burst in through the door. “Quick! We need a doctor! Our team’s cow is having difficulty giving birth!”
Cows were a valuable asset in this era, worth more than three sheep. Even Liu Sanliang dared not ignore it. “Where is the doctor? Last night, the Qinghe Ranch was attacked by wolves. All the doctors went there.”
“Then you go! You are the deputy director. If you do not act, both the cow and the calf will die!”
Liu Sanliang broke into cold sweat. “I…I…”
He was deputy director, but he only held the position through connections. He couldn’t even tell male from female cattle. How could he deliver a calf?
“This is our team’s last cow!” The villagers were in despair.
The cow knelt weakly in the yard, amniotic fluid mixed with blood pooling around its legs. One onlooker said, “At this point, it probably won’t survive. Just kill it and give it a quick end.”
The villagers cried out. “No! I have raised her for three years. Please, someone help!”
The villager was heartbroken. He had raised the cow with care. It was like a child to him. Watching it die helplessly was unbearable.
Lin Xun’s expression softened. She stepped forward, but Secretary Sun stopped her. “Xiao Lin, don’t be impulsive!”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want her help. Delivering a cow was dangerous. Laboring cows could go wild, and one kick could cause serious injury. Previously, a veterinarian had been kicked by a cow and broken bones.
This cow was having a difficult birth. Its aggression could be fatal to Lin Xun’s small frame. If she were kicked, it could be life-threatening.
Secretary Sun also noted that the cow’s condition was critical. Failure would reflect poorly on her.
Lin Xun understood but she loved being a veterinarian. She believed all life had the right to survive. She would not ignore suffering out of fear.
She approached the cow. It was weak, eyes full of despair as if expecting its death.
“Are you the new veterinarian?” The villagers’ eyes lit with hope.
Liu Sanliang shouted from inside, “Are you crazy? She looks too weak to be a veterinarian. Don’t rely on false hope!”
Seeing Lin Xun’s delicate frame, the villagers’ hope faltered.
Lin Xun ignored them and placed her hand on the cow’s abdomen. “There is still hope. The calf is alive.”
The villagers were stunned. “Really?”
“Yes. I can’t say 100 percent, but at least ninety percent. If you trust me, do exactly as I say from now on.”
Dystocia is usually caused by malposition. This cow was no exception.
Lin Xun had the villagers tie the cow to prevent it from thrashing. Then she approached from behind. She was shocked when she saw a small tail beneath the cow.
The onlookers murmured: “Wow! This cow has two tails. Is it a monster?”
“Stop talking nonsense. That’s the calf’s tail.”
“The tail is out. The calf is probably doomed.”
Like humans, cows must usually come head first. Any other position is difficult, and the tail had been exposed for a while, meaning the calf was suffocating.
The villagers were terrified, but Lin Xun could see movement in the cow’s abdomen. The calf was alive.
“Prepare hay and water. Feed the cow!” Lin Xun instructed.
Then she turned to Secretary Sun. “I need rubber gloves.”
“Right!” They rushed to the commune office to get them. Liu Sanliang shouted angrily, “What are you doing? This is the office. You can’t just barge in!”
A villager kicked him. “Go away! You incompetent doctor! I’ll report you to the leadership!”
The villagers were frantic. Thinking of their dying cow, Liu Sanliang’s stinginess angered them. They kicked him repeatedly.
Secretary Sun joined in discreetly, muttering, “One kick is mine, the next is for Xiao Lin.”
Lin Xun didn’t know this. She focused on correcting the calf’s position.
Wearing gloves, she inserted her hand into the birth canal, found the calf’s hindquarters, and gently pushed it back.
The tail gradually retracted. When fully gone, everyone gasped, “It really went back in!”
“Quiet!” Secretary Sun shouted. The crowd immediately fell silent.
Lin Xun moved slowly inside the cow, finding the calf’s hind legs and rotating counterclockwise.
She moved gently to avoid injuring the cow but worked quickly, aware of the risk of suffocation. Her heart raced, cold sweat forming on her forehead.
Finally, the calf’s hind legs reached the birth canal. Lin Xun asked, “Has the cow finished eating hay?”
“Yes!” the villagers shouted.
Now strong, the cow could push effectively.
Lin Xun commanded, “Four people, hold the cow still!”
Four stepped forward.
She instructed Secretary Sun, “Wear gloves. Hold the calf’s hind legs. Pull slowly. Follow my commands. Stop when I say stop.”
“Okay!”
Lin Xun kept one hand inside the birth canal to protect it, while massaging the cow’s abdomen with the other to stimulate labor.
After five minutes, the well-fed cow began pushing. Lin Xun shouted, “Start! Pull!”
Following her direction, Secretary Sun pulled gently.
“Slowly, slowly!” Lin Xun guided me. When the calf’s hind legs were about ten centimeters out, she paused, letting the cow breathe and recover before continuing.
After three back-and-forths, the crowd erupted in screams, “It’s out! The head is out!”
With a breech birth, the calf’s head comes last. Lin Xun quickly wiped mucus from its nose and mouth. The calf struggled, moving on its own.
“It’s moving! It’s alive! The calf is alive!”
“I’ve lived a long time but never seen a breech calf delivered alive.”
Lin Xun placed the calf before the cow. Exhausted, the mother licked her calf slowly.
As the saying goes, “A newborn calf fears no tiger.” Unlike humans, even nearly suffocated calves regain energy quickly when licked by the mother, sniffing at the hay.
The villagers cried openly. “Comrade! Thank you! Without you, our cow wouldn’t have survived!”
Even the onlookers were amazed. They had not expected such a delicate and pretty female comrade to be so skilled.
“Comrade, what’s your name? Can we come to you when we need a veterinarian?”
“And me! My cows will give birth soon too. Are you working at the commune?”
Nearly every household had livestock. Giving birth is a matter of life or death, especially in winter. A skilled doctor is invaluable.
Liu Sanliang was furious. Were these people crazy? Someone like Lin Xun delivering a calf successfully was mere luck. She thought she could work at the commune? Not unless she pleased him. Otherwise, she would never enter the commune.
He shouted, “Who said she works at the commune? As long as I am here, someone like her will never work here!”
“Then you can leave now!”