The "Feed Crisis" wasn't a dramatic battle against bandits or a fire sweeping through the fields. It was a quiet, desperate race against a biological clock: Hei Feng's stomach.
The Black Bull consumed fodder at a rate that terrified Li Wei. Where the local cows nibbled daintily, Hei Feng tore through the ryegrass terrace like a harvester. If Li Wei didn't find a way to bulk up the feed, the bull would start losing weight within days, and all that expensive genetic potential would melt away.
"We go to the river," Li Wei announced at dawn, handing Da Niu a rusty sickle.
"The river?" Da Niu looked at the misty valley below. "We're fishing?"
"We're harvesting," Li Wei corrected. "Grab the cart. And bring the salt."
***
**The River Bank**
The Luo River wound its way past Willow Village, a sluggish, muddy waterway that swelled in the summer rains. Along its banks, the water was choked with a vibrant, thick carpet of green.
Water hyacinths. And wild reeds.
To the villagers, these were weeds. Nuisances that clogged the irrigation channels and trapped mud. To Li Wei, seeing them through the lens of the System, they were gold mines of cellulose and protein.
**[Resource Detected: Water Hyacinth (Invasive).]**
**[Nutritional Value: Moderate (after processing).]**
**[Use: Silage base.]**
"Start cutting," Li Wei ordered, stepping into the mud. The water was cold and sucked at his sandals. "Cut the reeds high, and pull the hyacinths out by the roots. We need the leaves and stems."
Li Jun, who had been dragged along, wrinkled his nose. "Brother, people are watching. They're going to think we've lost our minds collecting pigweed."
"Let them watch," Li Wei said, hacking at a thick clump of reeds. "When winter comes and their cattle are starving, ours will be fat. That's the only win that matters."
It was back-breaking work. The hyacinths were heavy and slimy, smelling of river rot. The reeds were tough and sharp.
Auntie Wang, passing by on the ridge with a basket of laundry, stopped to stare. "Li Wei? What are you doing? That's for pigs!"
"Not anymore, Auntie!" Li Wei shouted back, grinning despite the sweat. "We're inventing a new delicacy for the bull!"
"Crazy," she muttered, shaking her head and hurrying away. "Absolutely crazy."
By noon, the cart was piled high with wet, dripping greenery. They looked like swamp monsters, covered in mud and duckweed.
"That's enough for the first batch," Li Wei said, wiping his brow. "Back to the hill."
***
**The Fermentation**
Back at the West Slope, the next phase began.
They had dug a pit near the cowshed earlier that morning—a hole in the ground, about three feet deep and six feet wide. The soil here was stable clay.
"Line the bottom and sides with the dry straw we saved," Li Wei instructed Da Niu. "Make a nest. We don't want the greenery touching the dirt directly."
They chopped the reeds and hyacinths into small pieces using a wooden block and a cleaver. It was monotonous work.
"Why are we cutting it?" Li Jun asked, his arm sore. "Can't they just chew it?"
"They can," Li Wei explained, tossing a handful of chopped greens into the pit, "but if we chop it, it packs tighter. No air. And we're going to add the secret ingredient."
He brought out the small jar of salt they had bought. It was coarse, grey sea salt—expensive, but vital.
"Sprinkle a little over each layer," Li Wei said. "Not too much, just enough to taste. Then, we stomp on it."
"Stomp?"
"With your feet, Jun. Pack it down. Hard."
Li Wei jumped into the pit. He began to trample the greens, crushing them under his weight. The juices squeezed out, pooling at the bottom.
"The key is air," Li Wei lectured, breathing heavily. "Air makes it rot. No air makes it ferment. Like wine. We squeeze the air out, the good bacteria grow, the acid builds up, and the feed stays sweet and sour for months. The cattle will love it."
Da Niu and Li Jun jumped in. They marched around like a strange ritual, stomping the green mass into a solid block.
When the pit was full, Li Wei covered it with a layer of straw, then a layer of mud, sealing it tight. Finally, he placed heavy stones on top.
"Now we wait," Li Wei said, patting the mud dome. "Three days. If it smells like sweet vinegar, we succeeded. If it smells like a corpse, we failed."
**[System Quest Update: Silage Production initiated.]**
**[Estimated Fermentation Time: 72 Hours.]**
**[Quality Prediction: Good (High moisture content).]**
***
**The Stone House**
While the silage fermented, the final touches were put on the bunkhouse.
It was a simple structure, but to Li Wei, it represented the shift from "peasant family project" to "organized industry."
They had smoothed the rammed earth floor and built a raised wooden platform for sleeping, keeping the workers off the cold ground. A large hearth stood at one end, the chimney poking through the roof tiles.
Qin Hu sat on the edge of the sleeping platform, running his hand over the rough wood. He looked at Li Wei.
"It's been a long time since I had a roof that didn't leak," the soldier said quietly.
"It's yours," Li Wei said. "You and Da Niu. You're the vanguard of Cloud Hill Ranch. You live where the work is."
Da Niu was already inside, arranging his few belongings—a spare shirt, a wooden bowl—in the corner. He looked at the walls, solid and thick. He looked at the door that closed tight.
"I can lock it?" Da Niu asked, holding up a simple wooden latch.
"You can lock it," Li Wei nodded. "That's your space, Da Niu. Your private space."
The concept was foreign to the boy, who had slept in barns and alleys where anything could be taken at any moment. He pushed the latch back and forth, *click-clack*, mesmerized by the sound of security.
"Tonight, we sleep here," Qin Hu declared. "The cowshed is too close to the new bull. I want eyes on Hei Feng."
***
**The Bull and the Fence**
Speaking of Hei Feng, the bull was not happy about the move.
He stood by the fence, pawing the ground. He had seen An grazing peacefully, but he wanted more room. He wanted the grass on the other side of the fence—the grass Li Wei was saving for rotation.
He lowered his head and rammed the fence post.
*THUD.*
The whole structure shook.
Li Wei, who was carrying a bucket of water, froze.
Hei Feng stepped back, shook his head, and hit it again. *THUD.*
The post held, but it groaned.
"He's testing us," Li Jun gulped.
"He's bored," Li Wei corrected. "And he has too much energy. We plowed the fields, but he didn't work today. He needs a job."
"He's a breeding bull!" Jun hissed. "We don't make breeding bulls pull plows!"
"Not plows," Li Wei said, his eyes gleaming. "Logs."
He pointed to the pile of heavy timbers they had cut for the next expansion of the fence. They were too heavy for the men to carry easily.
"Qin Hu!" Li Wei called out. "Bring the harness!"
Ten minutes later, Hei Feng was yoked to a sled loaded with three massive logs. The bull snorted, feeling the weight.
"Walk!" Li Wei commanded, tapping his flank.
Hei Feng pulled. The sled groaned against the dirt, then slid forward. The bull's muscles bunched and rippled. He pulled it easily, his aggression channeled into raw power.
He moved the logs from the bottom of the hill to the top in two trips, work that would have taken the men a whole day.
When he was done, Li Wei unyoked him and gave him a fresh bundle of alfalfa.
Hei Feng ate calmly. The destructive urge was gone. He had worked.
"A working ranch," Qin Hu observed, leaning on his crutch. "Animals that work eat better, sleep better. You treat them like soldiers."
"They are soldiers," Li Wei said, watching the bull. "Soldiers against poverty."
***
**The Vinegar Smell**
Three days later, the silage pit was ready.
It was a tense moment. If they had done it wrong, the feed would be toxic. Hei Feng would get sick, and they would be ruined.
Li Wei took a deep breath. He ordered everyone back, just in case of gas, and pried open the mud seal.
A puff of steam rose from the pit.
Li Wei leaned in and sniffed.
It didn't smell like rot. It didn't smell like the river. It smelled sharp, tangy, and slightly sweet.
"Vinegar," Li Wei exhaled, his shoulders sagging with relief. "It's perfect."
He scooped out a handful of the now olive-green, pickled grass. He walked over to An first. She sniffed it, her nostrils flaring. Then, she took a tentative bite.
Her ears perked up. She dove back in, gobbling it down.
Li Wei took a scoop to Hei Feng. The bull sniffed it, licked it, and then devoured it.
"They love it!" Li Hua cheered, clapping her hands.
"High nutritional value," Li Wei said, watching his herd eat the cheap, scavenged weeds transformed into high-grade feed. "The protein content is actually higher than dry hay because we preserved the juices."
**[Quest Complete: The Feed Crisis.]**
**[Reward: 'Grass Gen II' Seeds (Perennial Ryegrass variant).]**
**[Description: Faster growth, higher sugar content, drought resistant.]**
A small pouch appeared in the System inventory space (a spatial pocket about the size of a shoebox). Li Wei pulled it out. Inside were seeds that glowed faintly with a green light before settling into normal-looking grains.
He held the seeds tight in his hand.
This was the next step. The next evolution.
He looked at his family—dirty, tired, but smiling. He looked at his workers in their new house. He looked at his bull, strong and fed.
The ranch was broke, but it was running. The gears were greased with sweat and mud.
"Tomorrow," Li Wei said, looking at the empty terrace waiting for planting. "We sow the Gen Two seeds. And then… we get ready for the summer."