The morning sun had barely crested the eastern hills when Li Wei was roused not by the rooster, but by a loud, rumbling snort followed by the sound of heavy breathing.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rolled off the bed. The air in the room was crisp, hinting at the coming autumn. He quickly threw on his outer robe and stepped into the courtyard.
In the makeshift stall they had constructed the night before, Goldie stood. Her head was stretched over the wooden gate, her large, dark eyes fixed on the house. She let out another low, vibrating moo.
"She's hungry," a voice rumbled from the shadows.
Li Wei turned to see his father, Li Dazhong, sitting on a stool near the well, smoking his pipe. The old man hadn't slept much, it seemed. He was watching the cow with a hawk-like intensity, as if expecting her to collapse at any moment.
"She's eating for two, Father," Li Wei said, walking over to the stall. "The calf inside her is growing fast. She needs nutrients."
Li Dazhong knocked his pipe against the well's stone rim, emptying the ash. "She looks like a ghost. If the villagers see her, they'll say we bought a corpse."
"Then we need to fatten her up before they get the chance to talk too much," Li Wei replied with a smile. "Brother!"
Li Qiang stumbled out of the main house, tying his belt. "I'm up, I'm up. I'll get the water."
"No water yet," Li Wei stopped him. "Bring the clover. The fresh cut from last night. And fetch the bran."
As Li Qiang hurried off, Li Wei entered the stall. He approached Goldie slowly, his movements calm and deliberate. He didn't reach for her head immediately. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder, letting her smell him.
"Easy, girl," he murmured.
Her coat was rough and dull, her spine protruding sharply. But her eyes tracked him. She wasn't lethargic from sickness; she was desperate for energy.
**[System Interface: Subject 'Goldie' Status Update]**
*[Parasite Load: High (Roundworm/Hookworm).]*
*[Nutrient Absorption: 40% efficiency.]*
*[Immediate Action Required: Deworming.]*
"We can't just feed her," Li Wei muttered to himself. "If we just pour food into her, the worms will take the best of it. She'll stay skinny no matter how much she eats."
Li Qiang returned with a basket of vibrant green clover and a bucket of bran mash. The moment the scent of the bran hit the air, Goldie's nostrils flared. She nearly knocked Li Wei over trying to get to the bucket.
"Whoa, whoa!" Li Qiang laughed, setting the bucket down. "She's got spirit, I'll give her that. She eats like a horse."
"Let her eat," Li Wei said, watching her plunge her muzzle into the mash. "But watch."
He pointed to her flank. As she ate rapidly, her belly gurgled audibly.
"She's hungry, but her gut is in bad shape," Li Wei explained. "Father, remember the Taoist dream? He spoke of 'invisible thieves' inside the belly."
Li Dazhong frowned. "Thieves?"
"Worms," Li Wei said bluntly. "They live in the stomach and eat the food before the cow can digest it. That's why she's so thin despite having good teeth. We need to get rid of them."
Li Dazhong looked skeptical. "Worms? Every cow has worms. It's natural. You can't get rid of them without a vet from the city, and they charge an arm and a leg."
"There is another way," Li Wei said. He walked over to the corner of the yard where he had been drying various herbs. He picked out a bundle of dried, bitter-smelling leaves. "Pumpkin seeds and Wormwood. The Taoist said if you grind these into a powder and mix it with oil, it drives the worms out."
"Wormwood is bitter," Li Qiang noted. "She won't eat it."
"She will if we mix it with enough bran and a bit of salt," Li Wei said. "We have to try. Otherwise, we're just feeding the worms, not the calf."
***
**The Village Gossip**
By mid-morning, the news had spread. The Li family had bought a cow. In a small village like Willow, this was headline news.
Neighbors found excuses to walk past the Li residence. Some carried empty baskets, others pretended to check the irrigation ditches, but their eyes all drifted towards the new addition in the courtyard.
Wang the Carpenter, never one to miss an opportunity to speak his mind, leaned over the fence while Li Dazhong was chopping wood.
"Dazhong!" Wang called out. "I heard you bought a beast! Come, let me see this investment!"
Li Dazhong paused, wiping sweat from his brow. He knew what Wang was doing. He laid down the axe. "It's a working cow, Wang. Nothing fancy."
Wang peered into the stall. Goldie had finished her mash and was now methodically tearing at the clover. She lifted her head, chewed loudly, and stared back at Wang with doleful eyes.
Wang's face twisted into a mix of pity and amusement. "Oh, Dazhong. Oh, dear. Did you look at the animal before you handed over the silver? It's a skeleton! It has no meat on its bones! It looks like it's about to keel over and die!"
A few other villagers passing by stopped to snicker.
"My grandfather had a cow like that," one commented. "Died in the winter. Wasted all his savings."
"She looks sick," another muttered. "Probably why she was cheap. The seller knew she was done for."
Li Dazhong's face remained impassive. He was a man used to swallowing insults. He knew that words were wind, and results were the only thing that mattered.
"She's resting," Li Dazhong said gruffly. "She'll plow the fields in the spring. You'll see."
"Plow?" Wang laughed. "That thing? A strong gust of wind will knock her over! You should have bought a good mule, Li. At least a mule eats less."
Just then, Li Wei stepped out of the house, carrying a bucket of water mixed with the herbal dewormer. He ignored the crowd at the fence and walked straight into the stall.
"Excuse me, Uncles," Li Wei said politely, not looking at them. He placed the bucket near Goldie. He had mixed a generous amount of salt and bran to mask the bitterness of the wormwood.
Goldie sniffed it. She hesitated, smelling the sharp scent of the herb.
"Come on, girl," Li Wei whispered, scratching her favorite spot behind the ears. "It's good for you."
The saltiness tempted her. She took a tentative lick, then another. Finding it palatable enough, she began to drink greedily.
Wang shook his head. "Giving it medicine already? You're throwing good money after bad, boy. Sell it to the butcher while it still has some hide left."
Li Wei turned to face the fence. He didn't look angry. He looked confident.
"Uncle Wang," Li Wei said, his voice projecting clearly. "This cow is pregnant. She's carrying a calf. When the calf is born in spring, and the mother is healthy again, we'll talk about who made a bad investment."
The laughter stopped.
"Pregnant?" Wang blinked. "That bag of bones?"
"That's right," Li Wei said. "And the calf will be strong. Because we're going to feed her the best grass in the village."
He turned back to Goldie, blocking out the whispers. The villagers moved on, shaking their heads. To them, the Li family had fallen for a scam. A pregnant, healthy cow for two taels? Impossible.
***
**The Cowboy Way**
Inside the stall, Li Wei wasn't just feeding her. He was grooming her.
He had found an old, stiff brush used for scrubbing clothes. It wasn't a proper curry comb, but it would do.
He began to brush Goldie's flank in firm, circular motions.
"What are you doing?" Li Chen asked, sitting on the gate, swinging his legs. "Brushing a cow? They don't need brushing."
"They do," Li Wei said, working through the matted fur. "It removes the dead hair and dirt. It stimulates the skin, makes the blood flow better. It helps her relax."
He moved to her neck, scratching vigorously. Goldie leaned into the brush, her eyes half-closing in pleasure. She stretched her neck out, groaning softly.
"See?" Li Wei smiled. "She likes it. It's also how you build trust. An animal that trusts you is easier to manage. In the future, when we have a herd, we can't be chasing them. They need to come to us."
"A herd..." Li Chen looked at the single, scrawny cow. "It's hard to imagine."
"It starts with one," Li Wei said. He worked his way down her legs. He paused at her hooves. They were overgrown and cracked. "Chen'er, get me the small hoe."
"Okay!"
While Li Chen fetched the tool, Li Wei continued the brushing. This was the foundation of the 'cowboy' culture he dreamed of. It wasn't just about riding horses and shouting; it was about husbandry. About knowing the animal. The connection between man and beast.
When Li Chen returned, Li Wei carefully picked up Goldie's front hoof. She tried to pull away.
"Easy," Li Wei soothed, holding firm. "Just a trim."
He used the small hoe to chip away the excess, cracked hoof wall. It was delicate work. If he cut too deep, she would go lame. But the system provided the anatomical knowledge he needed.
*[Hoof Maintenance: Essential for joint health and mobility.]*
"What are you doing to her feet?" Li Qiang asked, returning with more water.
"Her hooves are too long," Li Wei grunted, chipping off a piece of dry horn. "It's like walking in shoes that are three sizes too big and broken. It hurts her joints. We trim them, she walks better, she grazes better."
Li Qiang watched, fascinated. He had seen oxen his whole life, but he had never seen anyone give a cow a pedicure.
"You treat this cow better than Father treats his plow," Li Qiang remarked.
"The plow doesn't have a calf inside it," Li Wei replied, letting go of the hoof. Goldie stamped her foot experimentally, then put her weight on it. She seemed to stand a little straighter.
"There," Li Wei wiped his hands on his pants. "One down, three to go."
***
**The Results**
Two days later.
The effect of the dewormer had been... violent. The family had to clean the stall thoroughly, but the results were visible in the manure. The parasites were gone.
Now, three days after the purchase, Goldie was a different animal.
She stood in the pasture Li Wei had fenced off near the river. She wasn't just grazing; she was *attacking* the clover.
"Look at her," Li Hua whispered, watching from the fence. "She looks... shiny."
It was true. The brushing and the nutrition had given her coat a slight sheen that hadn't been there before. Her belly, while still tucked up from starvation, looked slightly fuller.
Li Wei sat on the grass, chewing on a straw. He watched her closely.
*[System Alert: Deworming Successful. Nutrient absorption restored to 85%.]*
*[Current Weight: 320kg. Target Weight for Calving: 400kg.]*
She had a long way to go. But the fear in her eyes was gone. She looked peaceful.
"Wei," Li Dazhong approached, holding a ledger. He looked troubled. "We spent a lot on the feed. The bran, the salt... and the herbs. We are running low on cash again. The egg money is good, but... we need a big sale."
Li Wei nodded. He knew the financial strain.
"The chickens are ready for meat," Li Wei said. "Not the layers, but the extra roosters. And the ones that aren't laying well."
"Meat chickens?" Li Dazhong asked. "People don't eat young roosters often. They wait for old hens."
"These aren't normal roosters," Li Wei said. "They are heavy. And the meat... it's different. Tender. I need to get a sample to the restaurant in town. Not the buyer, the Chef."
"Chef?"
"Chefs buy ingredients," Li Wei said. "Merchants buy bulk. We don't have bulk yet. We have quality. We need to sell quality."
He stood up, dusting off his pants.
"Father, I'm going to catch a few roosters. I want to take them to the 'Fragrant Pavilion' in town. The one the Magistrate eats at."
Li Dazhong's eyes widened. "The Fragrant Pavilion? That place is expensive. They won't talk to a farmer."
"They will if I bring them the best chicken they've ever tasted," Li Wei said confidently.
He looked back at Goldie, who was now lying down in the grass, chewing her cud contentedly.
"We have the cow. We have the grass. Now we need the cash flow to keep them both alive through the winter. It's time to sell."
Li Dazhong looked at his son. The boy was talking about high-end restaurants and chefs as if he knew them personally. The 'Taoist dream' excuse was wearing thin, but the results were undeniable.
"Take Eldest Brother," Li Dazhong sighed. "And... don't let them look down on you."
"I won't, Father."
As Li Wei walked towards the chicken coop, the system flashed again.
**[New Quest Unlocked: Market Penetration.]**
**[Objective: Sell first batch of premium meat to a high-end establishment.]**
**[Reward: Unlock Knowledge - Breed Improvement (Phase 2: Selecting for Traits).]**
The pieces were moving. The ranch was no longer just a dream of green fields; it was a business, struggling and fighting for every inch of growth. But for the first time, Li Wei felt the momentum shifting in his favor.