Summer arrived with a suffocating embrace.
The gentle breezes of spring vanished, replaced by a still, heavy heat that shimmered over the Wasteland. The grass, which had been a tender carpet of green, shot up in the sudden warmth, growing coarse, tall, and wild. The ryegrass stood knee-high, turning the cleared patches into a jungle of green fodder.
But the heat was the least of Chen Yuan's problems.
The "Red Witch"—or *Whirlwind*, as he tried to call her—was a terror.
"No! Don't bite the rope!"
Chen Yuan danced backward, yanking the lead line. The chestnut mare snapped her jaws where his hand had been a second before, eyes rolling white with irritation. She was tethered to a heavy post in the center of the corral, sweating and pacing.
"She hates the smell of the oil," Xu Tie observed from the fence, peeling an orange. "You put that liniment on her legs, and she acts like you set her on fire."
"It's for her muscles," Chen Yuan panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "She's stiff from the trek here. And she's too proud to admit she needs help."
It had been two weeks since he brought the mare home. Two weeks of biting, kicking, and dragging. He hadn't dared to mount her yet. He was still working on "Ground Manners"—specifically, the concept of not killing her owner.
*System, status report.*
**[Subject: 'Whirlwind' (Horse).]**
**[Trust Level: 12% (Very Low).]**
**[Current State: Agitated.]**
**[Note: Subject respects strength but fears contact. Recommend desensitization exercises.]**
"Desensitization," Chen Yuan muttered. "Right."
He picked up a burlap sack—a rough, noisy object that horses usually feared. He walked towards her flank. She pinned her ears back.
"Easy."
He rubbed the sack against his own leg first, letting her hear the rustle. Then, gently, he tossed it over her back.
She exploded.
She bucked, spinning in the circle of her tether, trying to dislodge the terrifying object. The sack flew off. She snorted, trembling, eyeing it with hatred.
Chen Yuan didn't chase her. He just picked up the sack and did it again.
Again. And again.
For an hour, the Wasteland echoed with the thud of hooves and the rustle of burlap.
Finally, after the twentieth time, she stood still. Her ears flicked back, confused, but she didn't kick. She realized the sack wasn't going to eat her.
"Good girl," Chen Yuan breathed, stepping in close. He unbuckled the heavy halter. "Go eat."
He released her into the larger paddock. She trotted away, tail high, but turned back to look at him once before dropping her head to graze.
**[Trust Level increased to 15%.]**
*Slow progress,* Chen Yuan thought, wiping his grimy hands on his pants. *But progress.*
---
The physical toll of summer was intense, but the economic pressure was worse.
The war in the West was dragging on. The initial patriotic fervor in the town had faded, replaced by the grim reality of logistics. Grain prices had tripled. Salt was rationed.
Chen Yuan sat in the kitchen, looking at the family ledger. Wang Shi was counting out copper coins, her brow furrowed so deep it looked like a canyon.
"We have enough rice for two months," she said, her voice tight. "But the price of pork is insane. And the workers... Dahu and his brothers are eating us out of house and home. They need meat, Yuan. Rice alone isn't enough for that kind of labor."
"I know," Chen Yuan said. "The war procurement is stripping the market bare. The army buys everything."
"Can we buy from the army?" Father asked, sipping his tea.
"They only sell to officers," Chen Yuan shook his head. "But... we have our own supply coming."
He looked out the window, toward the Wasteland.
Hope, the Yellow Cow, was waddling slowly near the water trough. Her belly was enormous. She looked like a barrel on sticks.
"She's due any day now," Chen Yuan said. "The calf will be good. But the milk... that's the immediate asset."
"Widow Zhang is asking for more grass," Wang Shi said. "She's selling the goat milk to the Li family and the Wang family. They swear it cures the summer dampness."
"Give her what she needs," Chen Yuan said. "And increase the price. Two copper coins per bundle. The market can bear it."
"Two coins?" Wang Shi's eyes widened. "That's double!"
"Inflation, Mother," Chen Yuan smiled wryly. "Everything is double. Our grass shouldn't be cheap."
---
Three days later, the heat broke in a violent thunderstorm.
Rain lashed the Wasteland, turning the hard-packed earth into rivers of mud. Lightning flashed, illuminating the corral in stark white bursts.
Chen Yuan was in the lean-to, checking on the animals. The goats were huddled in the corner, terrified of the thunder. Whirlwind was pacing in her stall, eyes wild.
And Hope... Hope was lying down.
She wasn't resting. She was straining.
Chen Yuan froze.
"Xu Tie!" he bellowed over the roar of the rain.
The soldier appeared instantly, knife in hand. "What? Bandits?"
"The calf! It's coming!"
Chen Yuan didn't wait. He grabbed a lantern and a clean towel. He sprinted into the storm, heading for the cowshed.
Hope was on her side, her flanks heaving. A dark, wet bubble had appeared at her rear.
**[System Alert: Parturition Imminent.]**
**[Subject: 'Hope'. Stage: Active Labor.]**
"Is it too early?" Xu Tie asked, holding the lantern steady. The light flickered in the wind.
"No, she's right on time," Chen Yuan said, kneeling in the mud and straw. He ignored the rain soaking his back. "But it's a big calf. The bull was massive."
He checked the presentation. Two hooves. A nose.
"Normal presentation," Chen Yuan sighed in relief. "But tight. Very tight."
Hope lowed, a sound of pure agony. She pushed. The calf moved an inch, then slipped back.
"She's exhausted," Chen Yuan said. "She doesn't have the strength."
He stripped off his jacket. He rolled up his sleeves.
"I have to pull."
"Pull?" Xu Tie looked horrified. "You'll kill her!"
"If I don't, they both die," Chen Yuan said grimly. "Grab the lantern. Hold it steady."
He wrapped the towel around the calf's hooves for grip. He positioned himself, one foot braced against Hope's hind leg.
"Come on, girl. Push with me."
He waited for the next contraction. Hope strained, her muscles trembling violently.
*NOW.*
Chen Yuan pulled. He didn't yank; he pulled with a steady, rotational motion, mimicking the natural path of the birth canal. He used his legs, his back, every ounce of strength he had gained from months of farm work.
The calf slid forward. The head emerged. Then the shoulders—the widest part.
Hope screamed.
"Almost there!" Chen Yuan grunted, his teeth clenched. "One more!"
He heaved. The shoulders popped free. With a sudden, slippery rush, the rest of the calf tumbled out onto the straw.
It was huge.
It was covered in thick, white slime. It wasn't moving.
Chen Yuan didn't hesitate. He cleared the membrane from the nose. He grabbed a handful of straw and rubbed the calf's ribs vigorously.
"Breathe! Breathe, you stubborn ox!"
He slapped its flank.
*Thump.*
The calf jerked. It coughed, spewing fluid. Then, it took a deep, shuddering breath.
*Maaa.*
It wasn't a moo. It was a low, rumbling grunt.
Hope turned her head, licking her new baby frantically.
Chen Yuan sat back in the mud, his chest heaving. He looked at the calf.
It was monstrous. Bigger than any newborn calf he had seen in the village. Its legs were thick, its chest broad. And its coat... it wasn't the yellow of its mother. It was a deep, dusty brown, almost black in the dim light.
**[Birth Successful.]**
**[Subject: Calf 02 (Male).]**
**[Genetic Mutation Detected.]**
**[Traits: 'Iron-Bone' (High density), 'Rapid Growth' (Dominant), 'Disease Resistance' (High).]**
**[Breed Analysis: Improved Mountain Strain x Local Yellow Cow. F1 Generation.]**
"Look at him," Xu Tie whispered, holding the lantern closer. "He's a monster."
"He's perfect," Chen Yuan corrected.
He watched as the calf—wobbly but determined—struggled to stand up. It fell twice. Three times. Finally, on the fourth attempt, it found its footing. It stumbled toward its mother, seeking milk.
"He's strong," Xu Tie noted. "Like a bull."
"We'll call him 'Iron'," Chen Yuan decided. "Little Iron."
He stood up, his knees aching, covered in mud and birth fluids. He was exhausted, soaked to the bone, and smelled terrible.
But as he watched the calf nurse for the first time, drinking the life-giving colostrum, Chen Yuan felt a surge of triumph that no amount of money could buy.
*We have a herd,* he realized. *A real herd.*
Goats. Cows. A horse.
And now, the first fruit of his breeding program.
---
The storm passed by morning. The sun rose hot and fierce, drying the mud almost instantly.
Word spread through the village like wildfire.
"Chen Yuan's cow gave birth!"
"The calf is huge! They say it's the size of a month-old lamb!"
"It's a sign! The gods are blessing the ranch!"
By noon, the fence outside the Wasteland was lined with curious villagers. They stared at the brown calf bouncing around the corral, kicking its heels in the air.
Even Steward Liu's spies were there, watching and counting.
Chen Yuan stood by the gate, drinking a cup of tea. He looked calm, but inside, he was calculating.
The calf would need months to grow. But the *idea* of the calf was powerful now.
He walked over to where Zhang Dahu was mending a fence.
"Dahu."
"Yes, Boss?"
"Spread the word," Chen Yuan said, loud enough for the bystanders to hear. "Tell the butchers in town. Tell the restaurants. Next year, we won't be selling grass. We'll be selling beef. The best beef in the prefecture."
He looked back at Little Iron, who was butting heads with one of the goat kids.
"High-quality beef. Worth its weight in silver."
---
That evening, the Chen family held a feast.
It wasn't a festival, but it felt like one. They slaughtered an old rooster—a rare luxury. They cooked rice until it was fluffy and fragrant.
Chen Yuan raised his cup to the family.
"To Hope," he said. "And to Iron."
"To the herd," Little Ming added, his eyes shining. He had written a poem about the birth, titled "The Storm and the Bull". It was rough, but full of spirit.
As they ate, Chen Yuan felt the vibration of a hoofbeat outside.
He walked to the window. In the moonlight, he saw Whirlwind. The crazy mare. She was standing at the fence, looking at him.
She wasn't agitated. She wasn't kicking. She just stood there, ears pricked forward.
"Alright," Chen Yuan muttered. "Tomorrow, we try again. Maybe we go for a ride."
He turned back to his family, the warmth of the room wrapping around him.
The war was raging. The taxes were high. The landlord was plotting.
But in the Wasteland, life was winning.