The freezing rain drummed against the clay tiles of the shed, a relentless, monotonous rhythm that seemed to vibrate inside Chen Yuan's skull. It was the kind of rain that didn't just wet the ground; it turned the world into a slick, dangerous sheet of ice.
Inside, the air was thick and humid, smelling of wet wool, straw, and the metallic tang of impending birth.
Chen Yuan knelt in the straw behind Hope. His knees were soaked, his hands trembling not from cold, but from adrenaline. He had stripped off his outer coat, rolling up the sleeves of his rough cotton shirt.
"How is she?" Xu Tie asked, standing by the cow's head. He was holding a lantern, the flame shielded by a glass chimney, casting long, dancing shadows against the wooden walls.
"Restless," Chen Yuan murmured, placing a hand on Hope's flank. He could feel the muscles contracting—hard as stone, then relaxing. "The contractions are close. Two minutes apart."
Hope let out a low, guttural moan. She shifted her weight, trying to rise, then thought better of it and sank back into the straw with a heavy sigh. Her eyes were wide, the whites showing, rolling slightly in panic.
"Easy, girl," Chen Yuan soothed, moving to her side. He stroked her neck, feeling the pulse hammering beneath the skin. "I'm here. Xu Tie is here. You're not alone."
*System, monitor fetal position.*
**[Subject: Hope.]**
**[Status: Active Labor - Stage 1 (Dilation).]**
**[Complication Detected: Calf is large. Position is slightly posterior (backwards).]**
**[Risk Level: Moderate. Manual intervention required.]**
Chen Yuan cursed softly under his breath. "The calf is backwards, Xu Tie. Or at least, not coming out nose-first."
"Is that bad?" Xu Tie asked, his voice tight.
"It means it's harder. The legs might be bent. We have to help her."
Chen Yuan washed his hands in a basin of warm, soapy water mixed with the expensive liquor he had bought for the New Year—a makeshift antiseptic. He lubricated his arm with lard.
"I'm going in," he said.
He approached the cow's rear. Hope swished her tail, splattering fluid.
"Talk to her, Xu Tie. Keep her head down."
Xu Tie moved to Hope's front, kneeling in the muck. He grabbed her ears and began speaking in a low, rhythmic tone, a soldier's cadence. "Steady, beast. Steady. Breathe. Look at me."
Chen Yuan took a deep breath and inserted his hand into the birth canal.
It was a tight, hot, crushing sensation. He felt the slimy membrane, the warm fluid. He pushed deeper, his arm straining against the muscular walls. He felt a hoof. Hard and sharp.
He felt around. One hoof. Then... a hock.
"It's a breech," Chen Yuan gritted out. "Back legs first. The tail is tucked."
He tried to push the calf back slightly to straighten the legs, but the contraction hit.
Hope screamed—a sound that was terrifyingly human—and bore down.
The force was immense. It nearly crushed Chen Yuan's arm.
"Don't fight it!" Chen Yuan shouted, his face contorted in pain. "Let her push!"
He quickly grabbed the hoof that was presenting. He looped a soft rope around it.
"Contraction passing!" he gasped, pulling his arm out slightly. "I need to loop the other leg. When the next one comes, we pull. Together."
"I'll pull," Xu Tie said, moving to the rear, grabbing the rope Chen Yuan had attached. "I am stronger."
"No, you hold the lantern," Chen Yuan corrected. "I know the angle. I have the system... the feel."
He lied. He just knew he couldn't let the calf slip back in.
Another contraction. Hope strained, her whole body shuddering.
"Now!" Chen Yuan yelled.
He grabbed the hoof and pulled downward, towards the cow's hocks, creating the arc that would clear the pelvic bone.
"One, two, pull!"
He pulled with everything he had. His back screamed. His boots slid in the straw.
Slowly, agonizingly, the second hoof appeared. Then the hocks. Then the thighs.
"He's coming!" Chen Yuan shouted. "Keep pulling!"
The calf was huge. It was slick and purple.
Hope gave one final, tremendous heave, and the calf slid out in a gush of fluid and straw.
It landed on the ground with a wet thud.
Silence.
The only sound was the rain on the roof and Hope's heavy panting.
"It's not moving," Xu Tie said, his voice hollow.
Chen Yuan didn't answer. He scrambled to the calf's head. It was covered in a thick, white membrane. The nose was clear, but the calf wasn't breathing.
*System, status!*
**[Subject: Newborn Calf.]**
**[Status: Respiratory distress. Fluid in lungs.]**
"Clear the airway!"
Chen Yuan grabbed a handful of straw and roughly wiped the membrane from the calf's nose and mouth. He stuck his finger into the mouth, clearing the mucus.
Still nothing.
"Breathe, you little bastard!" Chen Yuan yelled.
He grabbed the calf by its hind legs—hoisting its rear end up, letting gravity help drain the fluid from the lungs. He swung it gently.
*Swish. Swish.*
He lowered it and slapped its ribs hard.
*Whack!*
The calf jerked.
*Cough.*
A spurt of fluid came out of its nose. Then, a wheezing intake of breath. Then a weak, shivering *mooo*.
Chen Yuan slumped back into the straw, exhausted. "He's alive."
* * *
The work wasn't over.
The calf was weak. The premature birth and the difficult delivery had taken a toll. He lay shivering on the wet ground, his skin steaming in the cold air.
Chen Yuan looked at him. The calf was gray. Not the yellow-brown of the local cattle, but a distinct, slate-gray. Even newborn, his skin looked loose, hanging in folds around his neck and shoulders. And there, on the shoulder... a small, distinct bump.
A Brahman.
"He looks like a monster," Xu Tie said, staring at the gray, wrinkled skin. "But a strong monster."
"He needs to stand," Chen Yuan said, ignoring the exhaustion. "He needs to drink. The first milk... Colostrum. It has antibodies. If he doesn't drink within an hour, he will die."
Chen Yuan helped the calf stand. The animal's legs were long and spindly, trembling violently. He fell twice.
"Come on, son," Chen Yuan grunted, lifting the calf's weight. "You have a destiny. You can't die in a shed."
He guided the calf's mouth to Hope's udder. Hope, exhausted and in pain, tried to kick him away.
"Easy, Mother," Xu Tie said, holding her leg. "Let him eat."
It took patience. Chen Yuan had to milk a few drops onto his finger and let the calf suck it, teaching him the taste. Finally, the calf latched on.
He drank greedily.
"That's it," Chen Yuan whispered, sitting back on his heels. "Drink. Grow strong."
He looked at Xu Tie. The veteran's face was covered in sweat and muck, but he was grinning.
"First calf of the ranch," Xu Tie said.
"First Brahman calf of the Dynasty," Chen Yuan corrected. He looked at the calf. "I'll call him 'Challenger'. He survived the storm."
* * *
By dawn, the rain had stopped.
The world outside the shed was transformed. The snow was gone, washed away by the freezing rain, leaving behind a landscape of brown mud and dripping trees. The river was roaring, breaking up the last of the ice.
The family came up the hill early, alerted by Little Stone who had been sent down for hot water.
They crowded into the shed.
"A calf!" Little Ming shouted, running forward.
"Careful!" Chen Yuan caught him. "He's weak. Don't scare him."
Wang Shi looked at the gray, wrinkled animal. "It looks... ugly. Why is his skin so loose? Is he sick?"
"It's his breed," Chen Yuan said, too tired to argue. "It helps him regulate heat. He will grow into it."
"He's standing," Chen Hu noted, impressed. "Born last night and already standing."
Liu Shi brought a basket of warm buns and a pot of ginger tea. "San Lang, drink. You look like a ghost."
Chen Yuan took the tea. The warmth spread through his frozen limbs. He leaned against the fence, watching Hope lick her new son. The bond was instantaneous. The mother's aggression was gone, replaced by fierce protection.
"We need to move them to the clean pen," Chen Yuan ordered. "The mud here is too deep. And keep the dogs away for a few days. The scent of blood and birth attracts predators."
"I'll build a fire outside," Chen Dazhong said, rolling up his sleeves. "Smoke keeps the wolves back."
* * *
The birth of Challenger marked a turning point.
For the next week, Chen Yuan barely left the shed. He monitored the calf's temperature, ensured he was nursing, and treated Hope with warm bran mash to help her recover.
The calf grew visibly stronger. His shaky legs firmed up. He started exploring the pen, bumping into walls with his large head.
Chen Yuan observed the "Brahman" traits manifesting.
**[Subject: Challenger (F1 Brahman Cross).]**
**[Age: 1 Week.]**
**[Health: Excellent.]**
**[Traits:]**
* *Heat Tolerance (Passive).*
* *Insect Resistance (High).*
* *Heterosis (Hybrid Vigor): Growth rate +15% compared to local calf.*
The mud was a problem, though. The spring thaw turned the East Hill into a quagmire.
"Boss," Little Stone said, slipping and falling face-first into the mud while carrying a bucket. He got up, spitting dirt. "I can't walk. It's like glue."
"We need stone paths," Chen Yuan muttered. "Or wooden walkways."
But stone and wood cost money. Money that was currently tied up in the Bacon venture and the spring planting preparations.
"Cousin Bao," Chen Yuan called out.
Bao, who was leaning on a shovel nearby, looked up. "What?"
"You complained about the work being boring," Chen Yuan said. "I have a new job. The village road is ruined. I need to bring stones from the dry riverbed. I'll pay three coppers a day, plus meals."
"Carrying stones?" Bao frowned. "Again?"
"If you have a better idea to fix the mud, I'm listening."
Bao looked at the mess, then at his boots, which were sinking. "I'll get the cart."
* * *
Two weeks later, the first green shoots of spring appeared.
The grass in the pasture—the Ryegrass—woke up. It wasn't the lush carpet of autumn, but it was green. It was life.
Chen Yuan stood by the fence, watching Challenger take his first tentative bites of the fresh grass. The calf was now two weeks old. He was robust, his gray coat shiny.
Hei Tan, the Black Bull, stood in the adjacent pasture, watching his offspring. The bull let out a low rumble.
"They are talking," Xu Tie said, joining Chen Yuan.
"Teaching him the ropes," Chen Yuan smiled.
"The ranch looks alive," Xu Tie observed. "The sheep are lambing next month. The grass is growing. The storm passed."
"It did," Chen Yuan agreed. "But spring brings its own problems."
"What problems?"
"The Steward wants more soil. The restaurant wants more bacon. And the vet from the county is coming to check on the herd. I need to register the birth."
He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a birth certificate for livestock, required by the magistrate to prevent theft and to track taxes.
"I have to write 'Breed: Local Yellow Cattle' on this form," Chen Yuan said, tapping the paper. "But looking at Challenger... no one will believe he is a local cow."
"He looks like a rock spirit," Xu Tie agreed.
"If the officials ask questions... I'll tell them it's a mutation. A gift from the heavens."
He chuckled. In this era, superstition was a shield.
"San Lang!" a voice called from down the hill.
It was Chen Hu. He was running up the path, waving his arms.
"San Lang! Letter! From the Prefecture!"
Chen Yuan's heart skipped. "From the Steward?"
"No! It's from the Military Academy! For Ming!"
Chen Yuan froze.
The Military Academy? No, that wasn't right. Ming was studying for the Civil Service Exam.
He ran down to meet his brother.
"What do you mean?"
"It's from the Prefecture School!" Chen Hu panted. "The headmaster! He saw Ming's calligraphy—those couplets we wrote for New Year? The one we sent to the City Lord's Manor? The Lady liked them and showed the headmaster! He wants Ming to take the entrance exam for the Prefecture School!"
Chen Yuan grabbed the letter. It was sealed with red wax.
He broke it open.
*To the household of Chen Yuan,*
*Your brother, Chen Ming, has shown promise in the literary arts. The Prefecture School is accepting applicants for the spring term. If he passes the examination on the 15th of the Third Month, he will be admitted as a probationary student.*
The Prefecture School. It was the stepping stone to the Imperial Academy. It was where the sons of merchants and minor officials studied.
The cost would be high. The competition fierce.
But it was the path out of the mud.
Chen Yuan looked up at the sky. The clouds were breaking. A ray of sunlight hit the hill, illuminating the gray calf and the green grass.
"Brother Hu," Chen Yuan said, his voice shaking slightly.
"Yeah?"
"We have a month. Ming needs a tutor. He needs books. He needs good clothes for the exam."
He thought of the bacon money. The soil money. The calf.
"Go tell Mother. Start sewing. I'm going to the city."
"Where?"
"To hire the best tutor Ming can get," Chen Yuan said, his eyes burning with determination. "Even if I have to sell my horse to do it."
He wasn't going to let his little brother stay a farmer. Not if he could help it.
The spring was here. And with it, a new battle began.