The two younglings in Jiang Yanโs arms didnโt dare move an inch.
As the scent of their own kindโs flesh filled the room, they stretched their necks as if to retch, but Jiang Yan held their jaws firmly shut, not letting them even open their mouths.
They gazed up at Jiang Yan, unable to put their feelings into words.
It couldnโt exactly be called hatred.
If anything, it was utter despair.
The chickโs pale yellow down visibly dulled.
The lamb hung limply across Jiang Yanโs elbow, half-dead.
ใChick: Maybe it would be better to just die.ใ
ใLamb: Death would be preferable.ใ
Jiang Yan stirred the boiling water in the iron pot and murmured softly, โVomiting isnโt good for your esophagus.โ
โIโm only doing this for your own good.โ
โBut you donโt need to be afraid, either.โ
At this, a faint spark lit in the little onesโ eyes. They listened closely to Jiang Yanโs next wordsโ
โI estimate you have a set feeding time, so I wonโt feed you now. You can eat later.โ
Jiang Yan carefully analyzed the current situation.
Mrs. Wang had said that the condition for qualifying to raise a cow was raising the chick and lamb well, and that meant giving them enough food and patience.
So in order to graduate from the Cow-Raising course, everyone must provide the chicks and lambs with sufficient food and patience. But providing and them actually receiving that patience, or whether theyโd spit out what they ateโฆ
That would be up to the chicks and lambs themselves.
In any case, she had provided.
But to ensure that the young grew up, the spirit behind the energy field would surely arrange some deliberate tasks.
The most obvious was the Cow-Raising Code.
โWhen singing to a cow, one must maintain sincerity and patience, and must cradle the adopted chick and lamb.โ
The lyrics contained content about the chick and the lamb. So when singing, everyoneโs chicks and lambs would inevitably sense the patience and sincerity imbued in the song, which would accelerate their growth.
To counter this, Jiang Yan chose to mislead with her actions.
โCooking their kinโs corpses while singing.
This way, the calves could still sense the genuine emotion in her singing and return to normal, but the chicks and lambs would be subtly shown that her โloveโ was not the same as the love described in the lyrics.
Thus, theyโd made it through this hurdle, but the spirit would not stop there.
There would be a follow-up, such as forcing the keepers to feed the chicks and lambs.
No sooner had Jiang Yan thought this than that drumbeat, circle-dancing footstep sounded outside the doorโsoon stopping at the cowshed entrance.
Bangโ!
Something heavy was set down.
At once, there was a light, respectful knock at the door.
Tap, tap, tap.
Jiang Yan immediately looked to the calves behind her.
The calf adopted by Shen Xiaoxiao spoke:
โYou, answer the door.โ
Apart from a few with noticeably distinctive voices, the rest all sounded much the same, so Shen Xiaoxiao, who hadnโt turned around, didnโt realize she was being addressed.
A second after the words were spoken, all the calves were lazing in their nests as before, and no one could tell who had spoken.
Shen Xiaoxiao looked bewildered.
Cow-Raising Code, Rule 2: โThe cowsโ instructions are absolute; do not refuse any of their demands.โ
Jiang Yan nudged Shen Xiaoxiaoโs arm, and at once, she understood.
Startled, she sprang to the door and wrenched it openโ
โHello, Teacher!โ
Upon seeing it was Shen Xiaoxiao, Mrs. Wangโs flattering smile vanished instantly.
She gave Shen Xiaoxiao a searching look, snorted heavily, and lugged a sack of wheat bran inside.
Having dragged the corpses of the human-headed chicken and lamb not long ago, Wangโs clothes were smeared with blood, chicken feathers, and matted wool, like sheโd just eaten raw animals.
Once inside, she put on her sugary, sycophantic smile again.
โTime for supper. Will the Cow Immortals please follow me to dine.โ
One by one, the calves stood up; the green-tea calf seemed a bit ostracized by the good-smelling and the strong calf, who linked arms and led the way while the green-tea calf whistled and lagged behind, glancing around and walking with hands in its pockets.
Jiang Yan observed a moment and sawโit had no pockets, the whole act painfully awkward.
She stepped forward. โShouldnโt the Cow Immortal be accompanied by a devoted believer?โ
The green-tea calf turned. โWhat?โ
According to the code, cows had a dedicated feeder and didnโt need to be fed anything by others.
Apparently, Mrs. Wang was responsible for feeding the calves.
Jiang Yan wanted to go along and see where the feeding took place, and whether the food really was chicks and lambs in their infancy.
So she continued gently:
โIt is lonely being a god.โ
โSome cows have found companions, but thatโs nothing to be proud ofโsolitude is the norm for a cow. Yet you, you are just too alone. As your believer, I am willing to keep you company.โ
ใJiang Yan: All for the mission.ใ
ใA little flattery to better advance the task.ใ
The green-tea calf was caught off guard.
Jiang Yan checked its desiresโat the moment, all it wanted was to blend into the herd and show off its freshly polished, beautiful hooves.
So she added, โItโs so cold outside. You can put your hand on mine.โ
She demonstrated: โLike this, together.โ
The green-tea calf was sorely tempted.
Such a pose was perfect for displaying its beautiful nails, but after pondering for a few seconds, it declined. โYour kindness touches me, but if solitude is the fate of cows, I must embrace it.โ
โYou are good.โ
โYou are my truest believer.โ
With that, it left the shed. From a distance, Jiang Yan could faintly hear it exclaiming,
โโWith such a believer, what more could a cow desire?โ
โโDid you all hear? Itโs so cold, and she wanted to come out with meโarenโt you all jealous?โ
โโGood-smelling, I recall you wanted her too. Isnโt your desire even stronger now?โ
Jiang Yan, โโฆโ
Loneliness turned against loneliness.
This calf was not just โteaโโit could be slick, too. She felt as if the tables had been turned on her.
The cowshed door swung closed, leaving only five people and a pile of chicks and lambs.
Mrs. Wang had left half a sack of wheat bran by the door; the twins were already rummaging through it, and Yu Renwan fished out a slip of paper.
There werenโt many requirements listed:
Chick and Lamb Feeding Code
Dear students, arenโt the chicks and lambs adorable? Each yearโs new student at Wuhai receives two younglings. There will be a surprise when they grow up! Experience the joy of raising them!
1. Please feed all the wheat bran to the chicks and lambs within half an hour.
2. There must be no wheat bran left in the roomโplease keep it neat and clean.
3. They will only eat food given by their own keeper.
4. No one may leave the cowshed until the sack is empty.
5. Once finished, you may go. Your accommodations are in the hay sheds next to the cowshedโany vacant room may be occupied.
Shen Huanhuan finished reading the slip in thoughtful silence.
After a moment, she said quietly, โThis oneโs pretty simple.โ
โJiang Yan already cooked a big pot; we can soak the wheat bran in it to soften it, then mix in the meat and feed it to the chicks and lambsโฆโ She tapped the first item, โIt only says to feed the wheat branโit doesnโt forbid adding extra ingredients.โ
โAs for the third rule,โ Shen Huanhuan mused, โI have a feeling the chicks and lambs will die if they donโt eat anything at all, but theyโll only eat what their own keeper gives them. The other team hasnโt come back yetโฆโ
Jiang Yan said, โHalf an hour should be enough for them to return.โ
Shen Huanhuan: โLetโs just feed half the wheat bran for now, and leave the rest for them. If theyโre not back in twenty minutes, we can decide what to do.โ
Jiang Yan nodded.
She rose slowly, took a pinch of wheat bran, and approached the chicks and lambs.
As Shen Huanhuan had said, if the little ones ate nothing at all, theyโd starve, and they still needed to be kept alive for now. So she started by feeding her younglings some proper food.
A scant dozen grains were pecked down with excruciating slowness, like a last meal before execution.
Jiang Yan did not waste empathy on their moods.
She returned to the bag of wheat bran, scooped a heaping spoonful, and walked to the pot where the chicken and lamb corpses had been boiled.
She quickly soaked the wheat bran, picking out any large meat chunks so the younglings wouldnโt choke.
The chick tried to dash away.
But Jiang Yan was quicker; she caught it before it got half a meter.
Locking eyes with the terrified bird, she pried open its beak and stuffed the wheat bran mixed with chicken into its mouth.
โAhโโ
The beak was crammed full at once.
It collapsed to the floor, utterly refusing to swallow. Jiang Yan frowned and tried several times, but the bird wouldnโt take a second bite. She decisively stood up.
She headed for the door.
Shen Xiaoxiao called, โJiang Yan, we canโt leave till the bagโs empty!โ
โItโs all right,โ Jiang Yan said.
โItโs the chick thatโs going outโnot me.โ
โThey said no food can be left in the room. Iโll have it spit the food outside.โ
She knelt by the door, pressed on the chickโs belly, and poked its head out.
โIf you wonโt swallow, then spit it out.โ
The chick looked ready for death.
โOtherwise, Iโll force it down your throat.โ
The chick shuddered all over.
Hastily, it stuck its head out and spat as hard as it could. โPtooey, ptooey.โ
The bran came shooting outโstill with a stray feather.
Jiang Yan was very pleased by this efficiency, so she squatted by the door, feeding the chick, then lamb. In ten minutes, the wheat bran piled up outside the threshold in four little mounds.
Seeing the methodโs success, everyone followed suit. Soon, there were four neat piles outside the door.
The man whoโd been crouched in the corner came over as well. He took a handful of wheat bran for his mother sheep, scattered some on the floor; his chick gobbled up what was on the ground.
Soon, twenty minutes had passed.
Jiang Yan glanced outside.
She caught the echo of hurried footsteps not far away.
As she stood, Lan Lin burst in.
She pushed the door so hard it nearly broke. Without a word, she set a lamb corpse by the cowshed floor, fighting her expression as she tried to breathe steadily.
Zhang Du carried Yi Liang on his back outside the door.
His lips were quivering, as if heโd witnessed something not only tragic but terrifying beyond words.
Jiang Yan quickly understood.
She looked down at Yi Liang on his back.
Already dead.
The death was beheading; a thin bloody line traced his neck, as if something exceedingly fine had sliced it through.
Mint Candy brought up the rear. She was deathly pale, clutching more chick corpses.
Mint Candy murmured, โThe sheepfold code was stuck to the ceiling. Yi Liang was worried you were waiting and ran ahead, so he discovered the code first.โ
โIt was so highโฆ He just wantedโฆ just wanted to tear it down to read, since the print was tiny. He just wantedโฆโ
Jiang Yan asked, โSo how did he die?โ
Mint Candy couldnโt continue; her mouth opened and closed, but words would not come.
Lan Lin took over: โThis is the sheepfold code.โ
She gave Jiang Yan the slip of paper.
Jiang Yan lowered her head.
Sheepfold Code, Rule 1:
โTo ensure other classmates can also read this code, do not alter its placement.โ
Sheepfold Code, Rule 2:
โDo not look up.โ