Chapter 12
Chapter 12: He Lied to Me!
In fact, because of Xie Changqing, not only did he have some to drink, but everyone had some to drink.
After Xie Changqing finished his sheep’s milk, watching Batu and Xie Duoduo drink with their heads down, unwilling to lift them, he couldn’t help but smile.
Though he was tired, it felt worth it.
Xie Duoduo kept rubbing her fluffy little head against his hand while drinking.
He casually patted her and smiled: “Want more?”
“Mm-hmm!” Xie Duoduo blinked her big eyes at him, full of expectation: “Aha, you’re so amazing!”
“Haha, alright, I’ll get you more.”
This family of theirs clearly should have lived well, having cattle and sheep, plus Xie Yu as a veterinarian.
But not only was Batu thin and weak, even Xie Duoduo looked malnourished.
You could imagine how negligent Xie Yu had been.
Xie Changqing came back with a full bowl, and Xie Duoduo was so happy her eyes were practically glowing green.
She held up the bowl and struggled to lift it toward Xie Changqing: “Aha, you drink too!”
“I already drank.” Xie Changqing smiled and patted her head: “You drink it, it’s all yours.”
“Wow!” Xie Duoduo’s eyes lit up, extremely excited: “Thank you, Aha!”
She was so happy—before, when they had sheep’s milk at home, she never got to drink any because Abu would always sell it all!
Xie Changqing smiled and went back to the ox cart.
He had sorted out some needed herbs yesterday, and while he had free time now, he could properly process them.
Grind what needed grinding, chop what needed chopping.
Preparing them now would save having to process them when he needed to use them later.
By the time he finished most of it, the sky had completely darkened.
Many people were too tired from the day and went straight to sleep.
Qiaoba was keeping watch by the campfire and called him over to rest: “Stop working, it’s not urgent.”
“Mm, alright.” Xie Changqing actually felt fine. Rather than tired, he was more excited.
He had never experienced anything like this before. Everything on the grassland was stimulating and fresh to him.
He sat down by the campfire and drank two bowls of water that Qiaoba handed him.
The grassland night was like a huge piece of black silk, pressing down heavily.
Wind roamed freely across the vast grassland, making low howling sounds.
With warm water in his stomach, Xie Changqing’s tired body gradually relaxed in the warm firelight.
“We went rather slowly today. Tomorrow we need to reach the edge of Wulan Maodu before sunset.” Qiaoba added wood to the fire while sighing: “There’s still a mountain path ahead that’s not easy to travel. Are you okay? If you’re tired, don’t force yourself. When the time comes, ride in the ox cart, understand?”
Once the weather turned cold, they feared sudden snow, so they had to hurry.
During this time, Xie Changqing was the one who most needed to preserve his strength.
Xie Changqing made a sound of agreement, his gaze looking toward the distance where darkness seemed to hide countless unknowns: “I’m fine, not really tired.”
Qiaoba was about to say something when he suddenly stopped.
Not far away came a slight rustling sound, as if something was moving through the grass.
He immediately became alert, his previously relaxed body taut as a bowstring.
Xie Changqing didn’t move, but his eyes stared tightly at where the sound came from.
The campfire light swayed in the wind, stretching their shadows long across the grass.
Qiaoba was more sensitive than him, frowning as he carefully tried to distinguish.
Was it a wolf pack?
Or…
After a while, he suddenly relaxed and said irritably: “Who is it! Come out!”
The rustling in the grass stopped, hesitated for a moment, then a thin figure walked out.
Qiaoba stood up, squinting to look: “Menggen?”
“Mm.” Menggen held a dagger in his hand, his eyes glowing green like a wolf cub: “Uncle Qiaoba, can you drive away Xie Changqing’s family?”
“…?” Xie Changqing, who had been sitting calmly, was confused. Wait, how did this involve his family?
Of course Qiaoba couldn’t agree to this. He sneered: “Didn’t you go to the Sixth Ranch? What does our Ninth Ranch’s business have to do with you?”
He didn’t know why Menggen had left the Sixth Ranch in the middle of the night and risked coming to find them.
But what he did know was that when Chaolu left them and took people to the Sixth Ranch, that action itself was betrayal.
“I can come back!” Menggen gripped his dagger tightly, pointing it directly at Xie Changqing: “I can be a veterinarian too. Xie, Xie Yu taught me before! I can do better than him! Drive them away, drive them all away!”
Hmm? Xie Changqing raised an eyebrow slightly, hearing something different.
Xie Yu was selfish enough that he wouldn’t even teach his own son, so how could he go out and teach Menggen?
“Is that so?” Xie Changqing crossed his arms and looked down at him contemptuously: “Then if lamb dysentery requires streptomycin injection, should it be mixed with ivermectin or albendazole?”
Qiaoba beside him looked completely baffled. What, what bacteria?
Menggen was about the same as him, his hand holding the dagger trembling: “You, you… how do you know that!”
He suddenly thought of something, his expression changing dramatically: “He lied to me!”
This shout was much more genuine than his earlier threats to Xie Changqing.
Xie Changqing understood and made a sound: “My Abu said he never taught me… you actually believed whatever he said? Haha, you didn’t think that no matter what, he’s still my Abu!”
This information was obviously something Menggen had never considered, bombarding him until his whole person seemed dazed.
“No, no no…” This was completely different from what he’d thought, even completely different from what Brother Chaolu had told him…
What was true?
Who was lying?
He didn’t understand. After staring at Xie Changqing for a long time, he suddenly looked at Qiaoba: “Uncle Qiaoba, drive them away, drive them all away!”
“Impossible.” Qiaoba looked at him coldly, mercilessly saying: “Even if Changqing couldn’t treat illness, I wouldn’t drive him away, much less keep you. Where’s your mother? Why did she let you come out alone?”
“I don’t have a mother!” Menggen roared.
After roaring, he didn’t want to say another word. Gripping his dagger, he turned and left.
Qiaoba instinctively stepped forward, but Menggen had already leaped onto his horse and galloped away, quickly disappearing into the night.
Xie Changqing and Qiaoba looked at each other, both thinking the same incredible thought: Could it be…
Xie Changqing was even muttering