LAVW – Chapter 85 Can’t Count It

The crying little child didn’t care whether the little yellow cow was happy or not—he lifted his short legs and tried to run over.

Luckily, the older child reached out and grabbed the little crybaby by the back of his collar, shouting, “Don’t go!”

“There’s no adult near the cow; you might get knocked over.”

The older child remembered what parents usually taught: don’t approach cows carelessly.

Shi Qian sincerely tried to reason, “Moo, moo.”

Listen to your brother; don’t come over.

“I won’t! I won’t! I just want to touch Qian Niuhua!”

“Just one touch, only one!”

The little crybaby plopped down on the ground and began rolling around expertly.

Shi Qian watched him roll with interest.

He thought: I really want to go and give him a gentle kick, just to see if he’d roll like a ball.

The older child, being responsible, wasn’t as playful as Shi Qian. He sighed and looked around for help from the nearby village uncle.

“Uncle Aigang! Can you help hold Qian Niuhua? My little brother wants to touch it.”

“Sure, just tell him to stop crying first.”

A man’s voice came from behind Shi Qian.

Turning around, Shi Qian saw a man in his thirties sitting on a cart pulled by two cows, driving them closer.

He looked somewhat like Xu Youguang—probably Xu Youguang’s eldest son, Xu Aigang.

A cow farmer in the village, and quite skilled at driving cows.

Apart from the little yellow cow, all other cows in the production team were managed by Xu Aigang. So some jokingly called him the “Cow Captain,” with real “cow soldiers” under his command.

Seeing the little yellow cow looking over, Xu Aigang smiled: “Qian Niuhua, my calves aren’t out yet, or they’d be even cuter than you.”

Shi Qian generously replied, “Moo, moo.”

Fine, I’ll leave the calves for you—let me enjoy them soon!

Xu Aigang jumped down from the cart, helped hold the rope, and patted the little yellow cow’s head.

The little crybaby had just rolled on the ground, so his hands were muddy.

But the child’s small, warm hands felt only slightly ticklish on the cow’s body.

After being touched, the child stopped crying, then quickly reached out for a second touch before looking at the two big cows.

Without Xu Aigang on the cart, the two big cows stood obediently behind, staring this way, unmoving.

Seeing the child fixated on the big cows, Xu Aigang put on a serious face: “Alright, alright, you’ve touched the cows. Now go collect rice in the field.”

“No!”

“Then go cut cow grass.”

“No, no!”

The little child, frightened by the chores, ran off with his short legs, amusing the adults cutting rice nearby.

Shi Qian, meanwhile, curiously observed the two big cows.

They were also yellow cows, well-fed and solid in frame and muscle. But having probably worked for a while, they showed some fatigue—like people who haven’t yet gotten into the rhythm of the fieldwork.

“Moo—”

The big yellow cow made a sound, which Shi Qian could only recognize as a greeting; the rest of the meaning was unclear.

It seemed ordinary animals didn’t have such clear language systems like mystical beasts in the cultivation world.

The little yellow cow responded with a somewhat childish “Moo, moo-moo.”

Hello, big brother and big sister cows!

Xu Aigang got back on the cart and cracked his cattle whip, making a loud “pop.”

“Qian Niuhua, clear the way.”

The sound startled Shi Qian.

He instinctively stepped back, moving aside so he wouldn’t block the path, under Xu Aigang’s mischievous smile.

Shi Qian glared at the whip: “Moo, moo!”

Next time you scare me, I’ll bite you.

Xu Aigang drove the cart away with the cows.

The rice in the field had already been threshed, and strong laborers carried two baskets of wet, heavy rice along the dirt path to the side.

They carried it along the narrow ridges, then placed it by the roadside, before lifting it onto the cart to be transported to the flat ground for drying.

The lifting process was especially strenuous, with visible bulging muscles and veins on the workers’ arms.

The repeated trips of the carts pressed ruts into the muddy ground.

The deepening ruts also meant that the rice harvest was increasing.

After a while, the sun rose higher, and the workers in the fields were sweating profusely. The cloth pulled from the old shirt around Chen Niu’s neck was soaked with sweat.

Finally, it was noon.

Everyone could take a break; those in a hurry to eat hurried home.

Many passersby caught Shi Qian’s wide-eyed gaze, as he scanned their faces and hands for any clues.

Some, like Chen Niu, sat or stood under roadside trees, exchanging a few words, catching their breath, and then returned.

Others, unaware of last night’s events, asked about it.

“What happened last night?”

Chen Niu quickly said, “Qian Niuhua ran off; we were looking for the cow all night.”

“I didn’t mean that, I meant the educated youth—” the young man began, but Chen Niu shot him an angry glare.

“Tsk, if you don’t want to say, fine. I’m going home to eat.”

One person was missing. The others, unconcerned with gossip, asked Chen Niu about the threshing machine instead.

The newly arrived machine felt novel, like a giant new toy, tempting everyone to try it out—but Xu Youguang wouldn’t allow it.

Right now, everyone was busy with production; there was no time to play.

Chen Niu said, “The morning’s progress was alright. In the afternoon, once Third Brother and I are mostly done, you can come over and give it a try.”

By then, most of the work would be done, so trying it out would definitely be fine. As long as it didn’t interfere with the main tasks, Xu Youguang was easy to deal with.

Shi Qian looked at the crude threshing machine, realizing just how difficult threshing had been before.

Then he glanced at the wheel tracks on the ground.

“Moo~”

Being a cow—or being a human—was tough.

Yet people looked at the bountiful harvest with smiles, returning home tired but satisfied.

“Let’s go, Qian Niuhua.” Chen Niu untied the rope and led the little calf, which had performed well this morning, back home.

Passing two trees with edible, green leaves, Chen Niu, taking advantage of his height, plucked a handful to feed the calf.

Shi Qian’s eyes fell on a large well not far away. “Moo~”

Wash first, then eat.

“Still need washing? The leaves on the tree are clean.”

Chen Niu thought silently: the ones on the ground need washing.

But Shi Qian “mooed” twice, raising a hoof, and Chen Niu immediately ran to wash the leaves.

After washing, he brought them to the calf’s mouth. “Here you go, ancestor, eat up.”

Back home, the grandmother who had come back early had already prepared sweet potato rice and stir-fried greens, with a bowl of river fish soup made by pan-frying and then boiling the fish to a milky white broth.

Shi Qian peeked into the main room and immediately scampered back outside.

Darn it, never going near the dining table again.

He could see the food but couldn’t eat it—it was torturous.

Chen Niu watched the little calf running so fast and wondered, “What now?”

Zhang Peiyue glanced at the table. “Craving meat.”

What else could it be?

Chen Niu looked outside again. The little yellow calf was already running off to graze.

He sighed: “Qian Niuhua really knows his place. He must have been well-behaved as a calf.”

Zhang Peiyue didn’t know how he reached that conclusion, just gave him a look, and silently ate her meal.

Being sensible and being obedient had never been the same thing.

After finishing a big bowl of fish soup, both of them ate all the fish and poured the soup over rice.

Farming was exhausting, and with little fat or oil in the food, it made people extra hungry at this time.

Eat well, and your body can keep up. On the last day of the formal autumn harvest, it almost felt like a reward.

Chen Niu finished eating, tidied up efficiently, rinsed his mouth, too lazy to wash thoroughly, and didn’t want to dirty the bed. He just lay down on the little heap of straw by the calf’s bed to rest.

Shi Qian, squeezed to the side, grumbled, “Moo…”

You have your own bed.

But Chen Niu looked utterly exhausted. Shi Qian didn’t want to disturb him, so he turned and wandered around the yard.

There was a wooden bucket by the well—his drinking bucket.

As Shi Qian lowered his head to drink, he heard a knock at the door.

“Moo?”

Who’s there?

As the only one in the family who hadn’t napped, the little yellow calf trotted up to the gate and called out.

“Qian Niuhua? You ran out of the cowshed again,” came Xu Youguang’s voice.

Now Shi Qian knew someone had business to attend to. He ran back to Chen Niu’s room, nudged him with a hoof, and woke him up.

Chen Niu was in deep sleep, groggy, gradually becoming alert, and only got up when he heard Xu Youguang’s voice.

“I’m coming, Party Secretary. Just a moment.”

Stretching with a yawn, Chen Niu went to open the gate.

Not only was village Party Secretary Xu Youguang here, but another person wearing a red armband—the local security team—was with him.

Seeing Chen Niu, Xu Youguang said, “Chen Niu, it’s about last night again. Tell your grandmother, we’re heading to Captain Zhao’s place for a visit.”

“Got it.”

Chen Niu spoke a few words by the grandmother’s window, then turned and followed them out.

Shi Qian immediately followed, reluctant to leave Chen Niu’s side.

Xu Youguang said, “Chen Niu, you’ve raised a sticky cow—following you everywhere.”

The security team member looked displeased: “Why bring the lead cow? Keep it at home.”

Chen Niu explained: “Really couldn’t. This cow loves running out recently. At home there’s only my grandmother, her legs aren’t flexible, so I have no choice but to bring her along.”

Xu Youguang didn’t comment.

In his view, last night Chen Niu had cleared his name, and now dragging him over could affect the fieldwork.

The other party looked displeased but didn’t speak further.

Having convinced them, Chen Niu reached to pat the little calf.

But his hand found nothing.

The little yellow calf had already gone ahead, wagging her tail, walking energetically, nearly catching up with Xu Youguang.

Chen Niu: …

Use it and ditch it.

Zhao Kang’s house wasn’t far, about a ten-minute walk.

Shi Qian noticed that Zhao Kang’s house was actually quite close to the female educated youth’s residence, with only a few households in between. There was a small slope here, and the scattered layout made it less obvious.

At Zhao Kang’s, more than just Chen Niu had been called—there were five or six in total.

All were young men from the nearby two villages, none older than thirty.

Chen Niu joined the line of unmarried men.

Shi Qian saw that standing with the single men wasn’t a problem, so he followed Chen Niu to the end of the line.

They were tired from work, it was midday, some had just eaten, some hadn’t, so being dragged here wasn’t pleasant.

But seeing multiple “cows” among the suspects, two married men opposite said, “Look, you’re with the little yellow calf now.”

“Qian Niuhua, come over, stand at the useless end!”

Chen Niu boldly stretched out a leg to block the little yellow calf’s path.

Shi Qian: …

I never intended to go.

Others muttered: “So getting married is a big deal?”

“Exactly. By the time I reach your age, the kids are already running around.”

“Alright, alright, enough chatter,” Xu Youguang called out. “Listen to Captain Zhao, cooperate, finish quickly, those who need to rest can go back to rest.”

Zhao Kang glanced at the newly arrived Chen Niu and said, “We’ve got a pretty good understanding of the other situations. Everyone, please cooperate and take off your shirts.”

Everyone knew what was going on, so the men immediately took off their shirts, revealing the well-toned upper bodies shaped by years of farm work.

Zhao Kang and the others stepped forward to examine each person, checking their bodies and hands carefully.

In the end, they singled out three people.

One was a married man who looked a bit dissatisfied. “Why are you picking me? My home is so far away. I had no idea what happened last night because I was asleep—and I have a wife!”

Zhao Kang said, “Your wife wasn’t home last night, was she?”

“She’s at her mother’s house resting for the baby. I asked the village chief for leave.”

Xu Youguang nodded. “Right. His wife took leave. And according to reports, he doesn’t have much contact with Lin Zhiqing; their marriage seems fine.”

So this man could be ruled out for now.

The other two were young men. One had scratch marks on his hands and chest. His chest, in particular, was pale with scratches, very noticeable, and made his face flush red when looked at.

The other was Chen Niu, with small scratches on his arm. He’d been scratched by a tree branch in the river the night before, and a close look revealed the marks were different from scratch marks made by someone else.

Shi Qian looked at the flushed young man a few times, sensing something odd about his reaction.

He seemed embarrassed, not guilty as if caught doing something wrong.

When asked, the young man blushed and said, “My partner scratched me.”

“Which one?”

“Aren’t you unmarried?”

“I told the team leader and the village chief; you can go check.”

“We’re getting married soon, just busy right now.”

The young man secretly told Xu Youguang and Zhao Kang his partner’s name so they could verify it.

Xu Youguang looked at the name and glanced at the young man. “Got it.”

He then reminded everyone, “Don’t blabber nonsense or speak about others’ private matters.”

“Yes, village chief.”

Everyone knew Xu Youguang’s style—he liked to handle things practically and didn’t want rumors spreading about people’s private affairs.

Finally, it was Chen Niu’s turn. He simply said, “These marks on me are from a branch, not scratches from someone else.”

“And last night, he was busy looking after the cattle, so he wasn’t involved,” Xu Youguang added frankly. “No need to drag him in; it’s a waste of time.”

Zhao Kang pondered briefly and left only the two young men; the others were dismissed.

Then he pulled Xu Youguang aside.

“Village chief, it’s just these few people. I guess you probably have an idea. Which one do you think it is?”

Xu Youguang was taken aback. “How would I know? Isn’t this your job?”

“I think neither of these two seems like it,” Zhao Kang said.

“Are there any other suspects? None? Then we can only trust that some clues are hidden and gradually uncover the truth based on what we have. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right. I’ll cooperate,” Xu Youguang said, a bit troubled. “At a time like this, I’m anxious not to waste time.”

“I understand. Let’s be considerate of each other.”

Zhao Kang continued, “For now, it’s just the two. First, we need to see if the first one’s alibi checks out and if he can be ruled out. Chen Niu’s timing does seem like he couldn’t have been involved, but his cattle behaving strangely at that time is suspicious. Village chief Xu, it just so happened to be that time; I have reason to doubt him.”

“Yes, that makes sense.”

Soon, Xu Guozi helped bring the young man’s partner for verification. After checking, the marks on her body were indeed caused by the young man.

That left only Chen Niu as the remaining suspect.

Shi Qian stayed with Chen Niu until the end and saw that suspicion had fallen back onto him.

Shi Qian looked at Chen Niu: “Moo-moo.”

You unlucky fellow.

Chen Niu didn’t understand, patting the calf’s head: “What’s wrong? Be patient a little longer.”

Xu Youguang and Zhao Kang were quietly discussing nearby, with the accountant listening as a witness.

At this point, Chen Niu had motive, had marks on his arm that weren’t from a scratch, and the timing seemed off—but just appearing at that time was strange in itself.

Finally, with no other options, Xu Youguang asked his young daughter to bring Lin Nanyin.

He also asked Chen Niu to explain the situation with his cattle again.

Chen Niu looked at the little yellow calf, and it stared back.

Shi Qian: “Moo-moo.”

No panic.

In front of everyone, Shi Qian couldn’t openly hint to Chen Niu, so he leaned slightly toward him.

Chen Niu felt: the calf suddenly felt heavy.

He had an idea and bent down to tentatively pick up the calf.

Shi Qian, being picked up: …

Should I say you’re smart or not?

Well, let’s just go with it.

After all, Shi Qian also wanted to find the real culprit; their goals were aligned.

Only by redirecting suspicion away from the wrong Chen Niu could they continue searching for the real “culprit.”

After holding the calf, Chen Niu said to Xu Youguang, “Village chief, you know about the previous cattle incident, right? It was handled personally by Aigang. You call him over, and you’ll see I’m telling the truth.”

“I know about that. You’re serious?”

“Serious.”

Xu Youguang looked at Zhao Kang, who then called his men to bring Xu Aigang.

Lin Nanyin arrived first, but to avoid alarming her, they waited for Xu Aigang.

Shi Qian watched Xu Guozi lead Lin Nanyin, noting how well the two girls seemed to get along—life felt strangely wondrous.

Sometimes an accident, like the famous butterfly effect, can have huge consequences.

People with no relation at all can end up entwined in unexpected ways.

Chen Niu also secretly watched Lin Nanyin. He saw the caution and fear in her eyes, which made him feel even worse.

It really wasn’t him!

He could never have treated Lin Nanyin like that; he didn’t even have the courage to get close.

Soon, Xu Aigang arrived as well.

“Dad, Captain Zhao, what’s the matter?”

Xu Youguang said, “We wanted you to take a look at Qian Niuhua. See if you notice any difference from last time.”

Xu Aigang didn’t understand why this had to do with a cow.

But since his dad had asked, and Zhao Kang said he should help take a look, he went along with it.

Xu Aigang approached the calf from the front and observed it carefully.

On closer inspection, he really did notice some differences. Excited, Xu Aigang asked Chen Niu, “Chen Niu, what have you been feeding it recently? The skeleton—look at it now, it’s improved a lot.”

“Before, it could already reach around a thousand jin. Now, looking at it, easily a thousand two or three,” Chen Niu replied.

“Wow, it’s visibly sturdier, even if it’s subtle.”

“Come here, Qian Niuhua, let me hug you.”

Shi Qian: “Moo.”

Stop saying it so weirdly.

It’s not like it’s going to do something to me—it’s just a weigh-in.

Xu Aigang tried hugging the calf.

Being a strong young man, he could lift the little yellow cow off the ground with effort.

Once he did, he realized how heavy it was. Xu Aigang said in surprise, “Last time Qian Niuhua weighed an exact two hundred jin, I remember clearly. Now it must be at least two hundred forty or fifty, so heavy.”

Xu Aigang stared at Chen Niu: “Chen Niu, what did you feed it? Tell me quickly!”

Chen Niu said, “Aigang, a few days and it gained forty or fifty jin. I’d have to go to Beijing as an expert. How could I stay here?”

“Just last night, Qian Niuhua suddenly ate a lot, and even went out to nibble a patch of sweet potato leaves.”

“I really can’t explain exactly why. I’ll leave it to you, Aigang, professional cattle-raiser, to figure out.”

Whatever explanation Chen Niu offered, his little calf was just remarkable.

Things that couldn’t be explained were strange, but not too strange. In the countryside, many things were inexplicable, and people were used to accepting them as “peculiar phenomena.”

Even Chen Niu himself didn’t think it was odd, which was why he could speak about it openly.

Xu Aigang shook his head quickly. “Don’t ask me. I can’t explain it. But it has gained a lot of weight—quite a marvel.”

The little yellow cow’s abnormality, in a way, confirmed that Chen Niu was doing things right.

Now, besides the motive, Zhao Kang had no concrete evidence to suspect Chen Niu, so he had no choice but to let him go.

Xu Aigang left first, taking the lead.

Chen Niu followed, dazed, with the little yellow cow.

He realized he was actually the last suspect, which meant the local security team hadn’t caught anyone all day.

Not a single suspect.

Pathetic.

As Chen Niu thought this, he noticed the little yellow cow tugging at the corner of his shirt.

Shi Qian dragged him toward Zhao Kang’s window to eavesdrop.

He also thought Zhao Kang was incompetent—he kept suspecting, but kept holding onto Chen Niu, who clearly couldn’t be involved, and didn’t gather more people.

The previous suspects were all tall guys like Chen Niu, standing in obvious contrast to Lin Nanyin.

Shi Qian thought this height range was strange. If the culprit were really that tall, Lin Nanyin probably couldn’t have struggled at all.

Chen Niu hesitated only a second before following the little yellow cow to the other side and started eavesdropping.

If anyone passed by, they might think he was committing theft with a cow.

Zhao Kang’s window was open; the wooden sash tilted outward, letting the voices flow outside.

It was mostly Zhao Kang speaking—explaining from the information they had so far: the suspect’s height range, possible injuries on hands or arms, how they had been checking, who had been ruled out, and finally, their frustration at having no leads.

“Right now, we have no clues. Anyone who fits the profile has already been ruled out,” Zhao Kang said, holding his small notebook in frustration.

Xu Guozi said, “Brother Zhao Kang, why not ask your master to come?”

Zhao Kang’s master was an experienced old policeman from the county, a veteran investigator. Xu Guozi had heard he was very skilled.

Zhao Kang replied, “My master does have more experience, but honestly, there’s nothing more we can do. We just don’t have enough information.”

Lin Nanyin felt guilty.

She had been too timid, remembered only fear and struggling desperately, so she hadn’t provided any useful information.

She lowered her head, saying nothing.

Xu Guozi noticed her behavior and snapped at Zhao Kang, “If you knew everything already, why would we need you? You tell me, I could find them myself.”

“I’m not arguing with you,” Zhao Kang said, looking at Xu Youguang. “Uncle, what do you think we should do next?”

Currently, there were only two options: close the case, or extend the investigation and expand the search.

But the longer they waited, the harder it would be to find the person. After all, this era had no surveillance, no auxiliary tools.

To find them, they had to seize this golden time.

Xu Youguang felt he couldn’t make the decision alone. He looked at the person involved and gently asked, “Nanyin, the situation is as Captain Zhao explained. After checking, nothing fit. What do you think we should do? I’d like to hear your ideas.”

Lin Nanyin felt confused. She realized that with only the limited information she provided, finding the culprit was nearly impossible—a needle in a haystack.

After today’s chaos, many people had already been involved, which was troublesome.

She fiddled with her clothes and said softly, “Maybe… maybe we should just let it go.”

Her voice was barely audible.

But outside the window, the voices were loud.

Chen Niu was furious: “How can we just let it go!”

Shi Qian thought: impulsive men, huh.

But this impulse was the right one.

They absolutely couldn’t let it slide—next time it could be Lin Nanyin’s life.

Shi Qian stepped forward, replacing Chen Niu at the window: “Moo.”

Then they continued checking.

Xu Youguang, who had been listening every day to his eldest son Xu Aigang talk about the cows, thought to himself: aside from everything else, Chen Niu really is teaching these little calves quite well.

He had been eavesdropping for a long time without making a sound.

No one was visible, but upon hearing Chen Niu’s commanding voice, everyone inside the house fell silent for a moment.

Even Lin Nanyin herself was somewhat surprised.

For Chen Niu to speak like that meant… last night, that person definitely wasn’t him. Moreover, he was defending her.

The little calf that appeared next was also serious-faced, leaving everyone stunned once again.

It seemed… they weren’t even as capable as a cow.

Yet some had a different opinion. The red-sleeved assistant who had brought Chen Niu over mumbled, “You talk so confidently—but what would you do? How else could we find them?”

Hearing that, Chen Niu became anxious. Unfortunately, the window was too low for him.

So he shouted, “Wait here!”

Then he hurried toward the door, trying to go around and enter the house.

Shi Qian, left behind, was confused: ?

The little yellow calf had no choice but to chase after him on its own.