Chapter Sixteen: The Animal Fell Ill

The days of spring left on the calendar were dwindling, and the air that once carried a slight chill was gradually becoming tinged with a touch of warmth.

Tomorrow was the day Chisui would set off for Windbell Town to participate in the festival. Since the competition was held in the afternoon and the journey wasn’t far, they planned to leave in the morning.

In these past few days, Chisui spent her mornings accompanying Mr. Shi and Momo into the mountains to gather delicacies, her afternoons completing daily orders at home, and her evenings preparing materials needed for the competition. Occasionally, she even invited the two elder gentlemen at home to taste test. Her days were full and busy.

Because all her previous savings had been invested into upgrading the ranch’s electrical circuits and paying for electricity, Chisui had to sell many of the ingredients she gathered daily to afford meat for cooking. Yet, since these weren’t produced on the ranch itself, the prices were very low. For this reason, she even borrowed two thorn spikes from Momo.

Though the lender was unhappy, complaining about nearly losing all her hair, Chisui’s wallet was noticeably fuller, and so was the genuine smile that had recently graced her face.

She thought this smile would last until the competition ended, but just after finishing a sale, her smile faltered.

Since taking over the ranch, Chisui had done very little of the work a ranch owner should. Her days were mostly spent searching for ingredients or cooking, and to this day, there were only three little animals on the ranch.

There was a black-and-white calf gifted by Bersa, and two fluffy chicks that hadn’t yet lost their downy feathers.

In these ten days, except for the usual morning feeding before heading out, Chisui rarely entered the animal shelter. Sometimes, busy with breakfast, she would ask Momo or Mr. Shi to help feed the animals.

Particularly in the past few days, due to clear weather, she had taken the mountain goods she gathered and laid them out to dry. She would bring them out in the morning and bring them back inside at night to avoid rain. Amidst these trivial tasks, she realized she hadn’t stepped into the animal shelter in two days.

Today, when she entered the shelter with fresh hay to feed the animals, the two chicks immediately gathered around the food, but the calf that usually rubbed against her was curled up alone in the corner.

At first, Chisui thought it was sleeping, but as she approached, she saw its eyes open.

The calf lightly called out upon seeing Chisui and even licked the hand she placed on its cheek, but it paid no attention to the hay in her other hand.

Even when Chisui brought the hay to its mouth, it merely nudged the grass aside with its nose, showing no interest in eating. The calf appeared very weak.

Seeing this, Chisui couldn’t help but feel worried. When it first arrived, although shy, the calf was lively.

Perhaps it had just woken up and had no appetite.

But two hours later, when she went back in, the calf was still lying there, and the hay beside it was untouched.

Panic rose within Chisui.

She hurried over, picked up the curled-up calf, and, perhaps to comfort herself as much as the animal, whispered shakily, “It’s okay. We’ll go see a doctor.”

...

At the foot of the mountain, Bersa Ranch.

Bersa put down her stethoscope, her face, usually filled with a warm smile, now stern.

“When I entrusted the little one to you, you promised to take good care of it.”

Chisui bowed her head, feeling uneasy. “I’m sorry, Aunt Bersa, it’s my fault. Is the calf alright?”

Seeing Chisui’s demeanor, Bersa’s expression softened slightly, but her words remained blunt. “Chisui, don’t blame me for being harsh, but you’re not acting like a qualified ranch owner at all.”

Chisui had expected some scolding when she came to Bersa, but hearing such words from someone always so kind made her feel even more guilty.

Yet she knew Bersa was right; she had indeed neglected the essential duties of managing the ranch.

“I’m sorry. But can you tell me what the calf needs to get better?”

Hearing the slight quiver in Chisui’s voice, Bersa couldn’t help but laugh. After a light cough, she said, “The calf is fine. It just hasn’t been out in the sun for a long time and is feeling down. Plus, you feed it the same food every day, so it’s a bit picky.”

“Ah?”

Chisui looked up in shock, her eyes red, the tears she had held back now firmly suppressed.

She glanced doubtfully at the stethoscope hanging around Bersa’s neck.

“This... you can tell from that?”

Smiling, Bersa handed her the stethoscope and gestured for her to listen.

Though puzzled, Chisui complied, placing the stethoscope on the calf.

Almost immediately, a noisy static filled her ears, so chaotic that she frowned. Seeing Bersa’s encouraging smile, she endured the interference and continued listening.

Soon, amid the noise, a few simple words emerged:

“Hungry”

“Tastes bad”

“Bored”

“Go out”

“Go out”

“Want… to go out”

Carefully removing the stethoscope, Chisui’s feelings were complicated. First, she hadn’t expected the cause of the calf’s lethargy to be these two issues. Second, she confirmed once again that the technology of the Sky Island was peculiar indeed, capable of diagnosing animals this way.

Holding the stethoscope, after a moment, Chisui uttered a single word:

“This…”

Bersa laughed beside her. “Cutting-edge magical technology from Blue Island, a ranch owner’s best helper. That was the slogan on the ad when I bought it. Fitting, isn’t it?”

Chisui: ...

Since coming to Sky Island, she found herself at a loss for words more and more often.

After carrying the calf down the mountain, Chisui remembered there was no animal hospital in Fufeng Town. She could only rely on Aunt Bersa.

After explaining the situation, she saw Bersa take out the stethoscope to examine the calf, and this was the kind of diagnosis it was…

Now that she knew the cause, Chisui’s anxious heart settled.

“Tha—”

Before she could finish her thanks, Bersa interrupted.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to thank me. What I said earlier still stands. If you keep caring for animals like this, it simply won’t work.”

“Mm, I understand. I’ll definitely pay more attention to them from now on,” Chisui nodded quickly.

“Not ‘from now on.’ You need to change as soon as you return to the ranch. First, you must plan a grazing area for this little one. Whenever the weather is good, let it out for some fresh air. Animals that don’t see sunlight for long periods can get depressed.”

“Depressed?”

“Yes, depressed. Take dairy cows for example—if they’re in a bad mood, the quality of their milk drops. That’s a loss for any ranch.”

“Also, feeding them the same food all the time won’t do. Besides making them picky, it can cause nutritional deficiencies.”

Chisui listened attentively, nodding and taking notes in her small notebook.

Bersa was clearly pleased with Chisui’s earnest attitude. Seeing her still writing, she rummaged through a cabinet behind her and solemnly took out a yellowed sheet of paper.

“Here, this is the feed formula I currently use for my dairy cows.”

Chisui paused her writing, surprised. “You’re just giving this to me?”

“I’m a ranch owner too. I can’t stand seeing you raise cows like this. Besides, the formula’s value only shows when given to the right person. Moreover…” Bersa smiled warmly.

“This formula was taught to me by your grandfather. Now I’m passing it on to you. That’s how legacy works, isn’t it?”