In her previous life, Lin Xun had been a university student in the future, majoring in veterinary medicine. Although she had been involved in a car accident right after graduation and crossed over, in this life her mother, who had passed away early, was also a village veterinarian and had left behind many medical books. Thanks to these books, Lin Xun’s veterinary skills not only hadn’t declined but had improved significantly.
After marriage, due to the plot’s influence, she had spent all her time tormented over having children and was unable to practice medicine, so Xu Zhicheng had no idea she possessed such skills.
Where were veterinarians most in demand? Certainly in the vast northwest, where herds of cattle and sheep roamed.
Here there were numerous pastures and farms, and even many villagers raised pigs and sheep. Veterinarians were not only valued but also well-paid.
She planned to earn extra money over the years, and then, while property prices were still low, buy two courtyard houses in Beijing. When she grew older and property prices soared, she could live in one and rent out the other. Even without children, life would still be good.
Thinking of this, Lin Xun felt full of motivation.
In those days, everything required a letter of introduction. Her letter stated she was visiting relatives, but now that she and Xu Zhicheng were divorced, she could only stay three days at most. She had to find work before that.
Time was tight, and Lin Xun didn’t waste a moment. She asked the guesthouse reception about the surrounding area and set out.
In the northwest, although there were communes and production teams, people lived mainly by herding. Production teams varied in size and had thousands of livestock, including cattle, sheep, and horses.
Besides production teams, there were farms, smaller in area but busier. They not only herded animals but also cultivated vegetables and crops.
When farms or herders needed a veterinarian, they usually went to the farm office, where the most veterinarians were and the medical skills were best. There were also barefoot doctors—less formal, but capable of treating minor illnesses.
Lin Xun could not ride horses and could not follow the livestock migrations to production teams, so she decided to check the nearby farms first.
A few days ago, there was a snowstorm, but today the weather was fine. Director Xiong had the sheep driven out of the sheds to enjoy the sun.
The flocks were large, consisting of both goats and sheep. Goats were lively and often ran beyond the farm.
This happened frequently. Director Xiong didn’t worry too much. There were many people around and few wolves. As long as the sheep didn’t wander far and returned before dark, they would be safe.
When Lin Xun arrived, she saw the snow had not yet melted on the grasslands. White sheep ran about, blending with green fields and the blue sky. Sunlight warmed the scene, making it feel like a painting that relaxed the heart.
But in the next moment, she noticed some sheep behaving abnormally. Though they were eating grass, their hind legs trembled, their steps were unsteady, and they rubbed hard against the ground.
This was not normal.
Lin Xun stopped, about to inspect them closely, when Director Xiong called out: “Young comrade, what are you doing?”
Director Xiong was not Han Chinese and had learned Mandarin awkwardly to manage the sent-down youth on the farm. Lin Xun understood and said, “Look at these sheep. Something’s wrong.”
Director Xiong replied, “What’s wrong? Move away and don’t disturb my sheep while they eat!”
Lin Xun was there to find work, so she wasn’t deterred. She hadn’t fabricated her observation; the sheep were truly abnormal.
“They are staggering and unsteady. Look here—their backs and waists have lost fur, and some are severely bald. This may be scrapie.” Lin Xun pointed to a few sheep in front of her.
Director Xiong’s expression turned grim. “Nonsense! My sheep are fine. How could they have scrapie? Who are you talking to here?”
Scrapie, or “mad sheep disease,” is deadly and almost always transmitted from mother to offspring. In winter, many ewes were pregnant. If Lin Xun was correct, all the sheep would need to be culled; neither ewes nor lambs would survive.
In the resource-scarce 1970s, every sheep was precious. If scrapie appeared, not only Director Xiong but even commune leaders would be blamed.
Director Xiong waved, about to dismiss Lin Xun, when suddenly cries rang out.
“Quick! The sheep! This sheep has gone mad!”
A group of people had come off a bus from the county town. There were military district personnel, farm staff, and villagers, with heavy daily traffic. Normally nothing happened.
But today, as they passed the flock, a commotion broke out. A goat suddenly rampaged, charging toward the crowd.
Sheep and goats were easily startled. When one goat acted wildly, the entire flock followed in chaos.
Even the gentlest animals could be dangerous when mad. Everyone screamed in terror, running and calling for help.
The scene was chaotic. Director Xiong shouted, “Stop yelling! Quiet! Help the people! Go save them!”
Farm workers rushed over to restore order, but they were still too far. Lin Xun saw the initial rampaging male goat chasing a female comrade. The woman froze, unable to move, the goat’s horns almost hitting her stomach.
Lin Xun quickly ran forward, took off her coat, and threw it to distract the goat. As it turned, she approached from the side, grabbed its beard with one hand, held its hind leg with the other, and pinned it to the ground using her knee and leverage.
In her previous life, Lin Xun had worked with sheep in experiments. She knew their weak points.
“Are you okay?” Lin Xun asked.
The chased woman was pale. “I—I’m fine, thank you…”
“Director Lü! Director Lü! Are you okay?” a young man ran over.
Lü Yuzhi shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks to this young comrade.”
Meanwhile, the flock was calmed by Director Xiong and the farm workers. No trampling injuries occurred, though several people had been knocked down while fleeing.
“Take them all to the hospital for a checkup. The farm will cover the costs,” Director Xiong sighed.
Not long after, someone ran up. “Director, the secretary wants you to explain what happened.”
Director Xiong was baffled. How could he know? The flock had gone mad in broad daylight, with no wolves around. Impossible… Wait! Scrapie! That young comrade said it might be scrapie!
He turned to look, but Lin Xun was gone.
“The young woman just now? The very pretty one!”
Those asked looked blank. “Just now we were nearly chased mad by the sheep. Who was paying attention to the pretty girl?”
“Maybe she went to the hospital. Everyone else went there,” someone said.
“Hospital?” Director Xiong ran quickly toward the hospital.
Lin Xun was indeed at the hospital. She was uninjured, but the farm people wanted everyone checked. After finishing, she stayed to ask the farm staff about the situation.
She had not walked far when she encountered Cai Jinhua at the hospital.
Cai Jinhua had thought Lin Xun’s divorce was fake and wanted to use it to threaten her. Seeing Lin Xun still at the hospital, she assumed Lin Xun had not given up on Xu Zhicheng and had come to plead.
“You little wretch, what are you doing here? You and Zhicheng are divorced. Don’t think I’ll remarry you to him!”
Lin Xun looked at her. “Do you not understand human speech?”
Cai Jinhua was stunned. “What did you say?”
“You may not know, but the medicines and charms you forced me to take, I’ve kept. So if you open your mouth again to provoke me, I only need to show them to the hospital leadership. Xu Zhicheng won’t be able to cover for you.”
Cai Jinhua had previously thought Lin Xun was only threatening, which made her act arrogantly. Now, seeing Lin Xun’s cold eyes, she realized Lin Xun meant it.
“You!” What was going on? This woman had been loyal to the Xu family before. Why was she like this now? Was it all an act?
In the cold, Cai Jinhua broke out in a cold sweat. Only when Lin Xun left did she dare vent: “You infertile wretch. Now that you are divorced from our Xu family, who would dare take you?”
Cai Jinhua was not easy to bully. She knew Lin Xun could only stay three days at most. Once Lin Xun returned home, she could no longer use this matter to threaten them. Cai Jinhua was determined to teach this wretch a harsh lesson.
Unbeknownst to her, just across the hospital room, Lü Yuzhi, preparing to thank Lin Xun, was shocked.
Lin Xun cannot have children?
This… this is wonderful. Her son cannot have children either.
“Xiao Wang, quick, go fetch Huo Yanzhou!”