Chapter 121: Ah, How Truly Regretful I Am

“Let me take a look!” Sister Chen quickly hurried over with Lin Xiaodou.

The moment they stepped into the pigpen, a strong stench of manure assaulted their noses. Although the area had been kept relatively tidy, the nauseating odor lingered relentlessly.

“Ao ao ao!!!” Suddenly, a sharp, piercing squeal came from a distance. Focusing their gaze, they saw a sow with an unusually swollen belly lying on the ground, howling in pain. Its entire body trembled, breathing rapidly, clearly suffering greatly. At the entrance of the birth canal, a tiny, pink piglet’s head was visible, seemingly stuck and unable to be delivered smoothly.

Seeing them arrive, the flustered pig farm manager rushed over and said, “Doctor Chen, this is the sow’s first delivery. It’s been almost half an hour, but the piglet still hasn’t been born.”

Sister Chen quickly crouched down and gently pressed on the sow’s abdomen. After carefully examining the birth canal, she said, “It’s definitely a difficult labor. We must find a way to get the piglet out quickly; otherwise, it might suffocate.”

After speaking, she turned to Lin Xiaodou and whispered, “Go get that wooden box over there.”

When Lin Xiaodou brought the box over, Sister Chen expertly opened it and took out a bottle of disinfectant. She meticulously washed and disinfected her hands and forearms, then evenly applied a layer of lubricant.

Only after these preparations did she slowly and gently insert her hand into the sow’s narrow, warm birth canal.

Lin Xiaodou stood nearby, eyes wide, fully focused on everything before her. Up until now, her knowledge had come only from classrooms and books. This was her first chance to observe so closely and participate firsthand in a real operation. She was both nervous and excited, filled with anticipation and curiosity.

“Sister Chen, how’s it going?” Lin Xiaodou couldn’t help but ask.

“Hmm, quite smooth so far, no major difficulties,” Sister Chen replied calmly, smiling.

As she spoke, she reached inside the sow and, after some searching, effortlessly delivered a tiny piglet.

Lin Xiaodou quickly extended her hands to carefully catch it.

The newborn piglet was no bigger than a palm, its entire body pink and soft, like a fluffy cotton ball.

The little creature curled up tightly, evoking a surge of tenderness in her heart.

Lin Xiaodou gently poked its soft body with her finger, feeling as if she were in a dream.

She stared intently, carefully inspecting the piglet in her hands.

Suddenly, she noticed a smooth, black birthmark on its rear, which stood out strikingly.

“Little Roundy,” Lin Xiaodou said with a smile as she gently touched its head, giving it a nickname.

Perhaps hungry, the piglet kept its eyes closed but began opening and closing its mouth, making soft, pitiful little sounds.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaodou quickly and carefully brought the piglet to the mother’s belly.

The piglet seemed to recognize the familiar scent, immediately lifting its little mouth and eagerly suckling at the mother’s teat.

Thanks to Sister Chen’s skilled techniques and patient guidance, the rest of the piglets were delivered smoothly.

Looking at these plump, pink little ones, Lin Xiaodou was filled with joy.

After a busy session, the sow had given birth to a total of thirteen adorable piglets—a considerable number indeed.

The pigpen manager had stood anxiously by throughout the entire delivery. Seeing the last piglet safely born, he finally exhaled in relief, his worried heart settling.

He gratefully said to Sister Chen, “Thank you, Doctor Chen. If you hadn’t come in time, I was really afraid something bad might have happened.”

Sister Chen waved him off with a smile. “Don’t be so formal. We’re all here for these little piglets. It makes me happy to see them born healthy. If you have any problems in the future, just come to me.”

Afterward, she carefully examined each piglet’s condition.

Only when she was sure all was well did she and Lin Xiaodou leave the pigpen with peace of mind.

Sister Chen asked, “Did you remember the delivery process just now? Is there anything you don’t understand?”

Lin Xiaodou replied, “It’s okay, I remembered it all.”

Though she had zero hands-on experience, her book knowledge was strong; indeed, once she saw it, she recalled it clearly.

Sister Chen nodded but didn’t take it too seriously.

Most people were like this—the eyes understood, but the hands needed more practice.

Next, Sister Chen familiarized Lin Xiaodou with the workflow: inspecting the herd, preventing emergencies, mixing and administering medicine, giving injections, and so on. The workload was quite heavy.

After a full day’s work, they were covered in dirt, grateful for their work clothes.

In the evening, after washing up and changing, Lin Xiaodou was about to go eat with Sister Chen when they ran into Old Mr. Wang at the door.

The old man hadn’t appeared for a couple of days; it was said he’d been working day and night in the veterinary research lab.

“Going out to eat?” he glanced at Lin Xiaodou.

He hadn’t expected this young girl to cause such a stir so soon after arriving.

Lin Xiaodou smiled, “Yes, did you just finish eating?”

“Mm,” he grunted and went into the courtyard.

Sister Chen looked on, wide-eyed. “Xiaodou, did you know Old Mr. Wang before?”

Lin Xiaodou answered, “No, I just bumped into him on the first day and chatted briefly…”

She recounted that day’s events and how she had made a pot of delicious mushroom soup for Old Mr. Wang.

Sister Chen was kind-hearted and straightforward; she didn’t want to keep things hidden.

After hearing Lin Xiaodou’s story, Sister Chen nodded approvingly and gave her a thumbs-up.

“You’re really bold, girl. If you get along well with Old Mr. Wang, your job here will be secure!”

Lin Xiaodou smiled, “Just luck.”

When she went to the cafeteria again, the curious gazes around her had diminished greatly.

Everyone had heard about the veterinary station incident in the past two days and knew Lin Xiaodou had a fiery temper, so no one dared to provoke her anymore.

Especially Peng Yong, who kept his head down eating.

When he looked up and saw Lin Xiaodou, he acted as if he’d seen a ghost, immediately packing up his lunch and slipping away.

This behavior made the apprentices at the veterinary station chuckle quietly.

Zhang Guihua, sitting in a corner, watched everything with disdain.

She hadn’t expected Peng Yong to be so cowardly; she used to think he was tall and brave, but it turned out to be an illusion.

After a bitter lesson, Zhang Guihua no longer dared entertain any ill intentions toward Lin Xiaodou.

Even though occasionally a flicker of malice stirred in her heart, reality kept her too preoccupied.

That troublesome Aunt Wu had somehow started targeting her.

Wu liked to find fault with her without reason, leaving her flustered and unable to work peacefully.

Zhang Guihua deeply regretted it.

If only she had known this trouble would arise, she wouldn’t have provoked Lin Xiaodou.

Alas, she truly lamented her past choices.