he rhythm of life in the Chen household settled into a grueling, but predictable, cadence.
Days were spent in the fields or the Wasteland; nights were spent by the hearth, weaving the endless supply of cattail leaves into waterproof cloaks. The "Cloak Business," as Wang Shi called it, had become the family's financial heartbeat. Twenty cloaks a week. Reliable. Steady. It paid for the rice, the oil, and the salt, and it slowly, painfully slowly, began to replenish the savings jar that Wang Shi guarded like a dragon.
But for Chen Yuan, the cloaks were a side note. His focus was on the mud.
Three weeks had passed since the interest payment. The Wasteland was transforming.
Where once there had been an impenetrable thicket of thorns and reeds, there was now open ground. The family, fueled by the promise of shared profit and the memory of the debt collector's sneer, had cleared nearly two acres.
It was backbreaking work. The soil was heavy clay, and the root systems of the thorns were deep and spiteful.
"Pull!" Chen Hu roared, gripping a thick root.
Chen Yuan, Xu Tie, and Chen Shan threw their weight back against the rope. With a wet sucking sound, the root ball emerged from the earth, clods of mud flying.
"Burn it," Chen Yuan panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. The air was thick with the smell of smoke from the brush fires they set to dispose of the debris.
"Careful with the wind," Xu Tie cautioned, limping over with a bucket of water. His injury had healed into a stiff tightness, but his endurance was terrifying. He worked twice as hard as any of them to compensate. "Don't let the fire jump to the willow copse."
Chen Yuan nodded, kicking dirt over the smoldering embers. He looked at the newly cleared earth. It was raw, brown, and ugly. But to him, it was a blank canvas.
**[Land Assessment: Cleared Area 2.3 Acres.]**
**[Soil Preparation: 40% Complete.]**
**[Recommendation: Introduce earthworms and organic compost to improve soil aeration before winter seeding.]**
*Earthworms,* Chen Yuan thought. *Another thing to find.*
He walked over to the drainage ditch they had dug. It was working. The standing water had receded, leaving damp, workable soil. In the distance, near the lean-to, the herd was waiting.
*Herd.* It was generous to call it that.
Nanny 01 stood in her mobile pen, looking significantly larger than she had a month ago. Her belly swayed as she walked, her breathing heavier. She was close.
"How is she?" Chen Yuan asked, crouching near the pen.
"Restless," Xu Tie said, coming to stand beside him. "She's been pawing the ground all morning. And she's making that noise again."
A low, guttural bleat escaped the goat's throat. Not a cry of pain, but of discomfort. She turned her head, looking at her flank.
**[System Alert: Parturition Imminent.]**
**[Subject: Nanny 01. Cervical Dilation: Stage 1.]**
**[Estimated time to delivery: 6-12 hours.]**
Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. This was it. The first expansion of the herd. The first return on the investment that had nearly torn his family apart.
"We need to prepare," Chen Yuan said, his voice tight. "I need warm water. Clean cloth. And iodine, if we can find any, or strong liquor."
"Liquor?" Xu Tie raised an eyebrow. "For the goat?"
"For the navel cord. To prevent infection." Chen Yuan stood up. "And I need to stay here tonight. I can't leave her alone."
"I'll tell your mother," Xu Tie said. "I'll bring your bedding and some food."
---
The afternoon sun crawled across the sky. Chen Yuan sat on an overturned bucket near the pen, watching.
Nanny 01 had stopped eating. She paced in tight circles, lying down, then standing up again. Her tail was raised, twitching.
*Come on, girl,* Chen Yuan thought. *You can do this.*
He reviewed the System's instructions in his mind. *Presentation first—two hooves and a nose. If you see one hoof, or just the head, it's a breach. You have to reach in.*
He had washed his arms up to the elbows. His fingernails were scrubbed raw. He felt a strange mixture of excitement and terror. This wasn't a spreadsheet. This wasn't a transaction. This was life, struggling to enter the world.
As dusk fell, the goat let out a sharp cry and collapsed onto the straw in the shelter. Her flanks heaved. A bubble of fluid appeared.
"She's starting," Chen Yuan whispered.
He moved closer, keeping his voice low. "Easy. Easy."
The contractions rippled through her body. She strained, her teeth bared.
Chen Yuan peered closer. Inside the translucent sac, he saw something dark.
*A hoof.*
Then another hoof.
And then, a wet, glistening nose.
"Good," Chen Yuan breathed. "Perfect position. Push, girl. Push."
He didn't interfere. The System had warned against pulling too early. The natural pressure was needed to stretch the birth canal.
For twenty minutes, the goat strained. Sweat beaded on Chen Yuan's forehead, mirroring the animal's exertion.
Finally, with a rush of fluid, the head slipped out. The front legs followed.
"Almost there!"
Chen Yuan reached in, gripping the slippery legs. He pulled gently, synchronizing with the goat's contractions.
*One... two... three... PULL.*
With a wet slide, the kid tumbled out onto the straw.
It was motionless. A wet, alien bundle of limbs.
Chen Yuan didn't hesitate. He cleared the membrane from the kid's nose and mouth. He rubbed its ribs vigorously with a clean cloth.
"Breathe," he commanded. "Breathe!"
The kid twitched. A cough. Then, a weak, sputtering *maaah*.
Chen Yuan let out a breath he felt he had been holding for three months. He checked the sex.
"A male," he said, grinning broadly. "A buck."
He placed the kid in front of Nanny 01's face. The mother turned, her tongue rough and pink, licking her son dry.
**[Birth Successful.]**
**[Subject: Kid 01 (Male).]**
**[Status: Healthy. Vital signs strong.]**
**[Genetic Trait Activation: Enhanced growth rate (Minor). Enhanced marbling potential (Latent).]**
The System confirmed it. The kid wasn't just a goat. He was a *better* goat. The optimized grass, the care, the selection—it was working.
But the work wasn't over.
"One down," Chen Yuan muttered, watching the goat's belly. "Is there another?"
Sometimes they had twins.
He waited. The goat seemed to relax, focusing entirely on cleaning her newborn. But then, a moment later, her flanks tightened again. She let out a low groan.
"Oh, you're not done?"
Chen Yuan moved back to her rear. Another bubble. Another set of hooves.
Twenty minutes later, a second kid hit the straw. Smaller, darker.
A female.
"Twins," Chen Yuan laughed, the sound ringing out in the quiet night. "A buck and a doe. Xu Tie! We have twins!"
---
The celebration in the Wasteland that night was small, but it felt grand.
Xu Tie had brought a pot of hot porridge and a bottle of cheap rice wine. Chen Yuan sat by the pen, watching the two wobbly figures try to stand for the first time.
"Twins," Xu Tie said, shaking his head. "That's good luck. The villagers will say you've been blessed by the Earth God."
"It's not luck," Chen Yuan said, though he was smiling. "It's nutrition. That grass... it gave her the energy to carry two."
He looked at the buck. He was already trying to nurse, bumping his mother's udder with his head.
"He's aggressive," Chen Yuan observed. "Good appetite."
"And the doe?" Xu Tie asked.
"She's smaller. We need to watch her. Make sure she gets enough milk."
Chen Yuan poured a small cup of the wine. He raised it to the goat, who was now lying contentedly, her kids tucked against her warmth.
"To the herd," Chen Yuan said.
"To the herd," Xu Tie echoed.
They drank. The wine burned, warm and grounding.
"What now?" Xu Tie asked. "You have three goats. Your family has money for rice. What is the next move?"
Chen Yuan looked at the cleared land behind them. The dark, waiting earth.
"Winter is coming," Chen Yuan said. "The grass growth will slow down. We need to make hay while the sun shines—literally. We need to cut and dry the grass we have now, store it for the cold months."
"And the town?"
"I'll go tomorrow. The Widow Zhang has been selling the milk. I need to collect my share. And I need to check the market prices for breeding stock." He paused. "And... I need to find a cow."
"A cow?" Xu Tie looked at the goats. "We have goats."
"Goats are for milk and brush clearing," Chen Yuan said, his eyes distant. "Cows are for meat. Real wealth. I want to start with one. A local cow. Cheap. Maybe old. But I can use her... to experiment."
"Experiment?"
"The System says I can improve the breed. I want to try. But I need a cow first."
"You aim high, Chen Yuan," Xu Tie said, refilling the cup. "Most men would be content with survival."
"Survival is boring," Chen Yuan grinned. "I want to thrive."
---
The next morning, Chen Yuan returned to the village, tired but buzzing with energy. He walked with a spring in his step, the image of the newborn kids fresh in his mind.
As he entered the courtyard, he found Wang Shi waiting. She didn't look angry. She looked... calculating.
"Twins?" she asked. "I heard from Hu."
"Yes. A male and a female."
"The female... can she produce milk later?"
"Yes. In about a year and a half."
"Good." Wang Shi nodded. "That means we have assets. Three goats. The cloaks. And the grass."
She handed him a small pouch.
"What is this?"
"The profit from the milk," Wang Shi said. "The Widow Zhang sold the surplus. She gave me the share. I took the liberty of deducting the cost of the salt and the jar."
Chen Yuan weighed the pouch. It was light, but it was real.
"How much?"
"Thirty coins. For three days."
Thirty coins. Just from milk.
"That's more than I expected," Chen Yuan admitted.
"People pay for quality," Wang Shi said. "The Widow is smart. She tells everyone the milk comes from the 'Magic Grass Ranch'. Your reputation is growing."
*Magic Grass Ranch.*
Chen Yuan liked the sound of that.
"Keep the money," Chen Yuan said, pushing the pouch back. "Put it in the family fund. Or... save it for something special."
"I'm saving it," Wang Shi said bluntly. "For Little Ming's books. The cheap copy you couldn't buy? The seller dropped the price. I bought it yesterday."
Chen Yuan froze. "You... you bought the book?"
"I did." Wang Shi looked away, her ears turning red. "The boy... he works hard. And... well, you did good with the goats. It seemed right."
She walked toward the kitchen, then paused.
"Don't let it go to your head. We still have a debt. And winter is coming."
"Yes, Sister-in-law."
Chen Yuan watched her go. The air in the kitchen seemed lighter. The heavy, suffocating tension that had defined the household for months was dissipating, replaced by the busy, productive energy of a team.
He walked to the main room. Little Ming was sitting at the table, a worn, water-stained book open in front of him. He was reading silently, his lips moving, his eyes wide with wonder.
*The Book of Songs.*
Chen Yuan leaned against the doorframe, watching his brother. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to.
He simply stood there, listening to the quiet scratch of the boy's finger on the page, the clatter of pots in the kitchen, and the distant sound of the rooster crowing.
*This is it,* he thought. *This is why I'm here.*
Not for the System. Not for the money.
For this quiet moment of peace in a hard-won life.