Chapter 4

Hydatid disease is a disease caused by the growth and development of multiple tapeworm eggs in the brain or spinal cord of animals.

Simply put, the cow's brain or spinal cord is full of parasites.

If it were in the future, perhaps the parasites could be eliminated through examinations and craniotomies.

But this was 1928, when antibiotics had only just been invented and there were only a few X-ray machines in the whole of Yorkshire, so they had little to no way to treat the parasite.

Most importantly, humans are the ultimate host of tapeworms. Lin Weilun has been a chef for so many years that he is very sensitive to this kind of thing.

However, some people raised objections, the kind that were very angry.

"What bullshit are you talking about! Didn't your mother teach you not to comment on things you are not good at?! Shut your stupid mouth!" Ferdinand slammed the wooden pillar hard, his face flushed red, and his eyes almost spewed flames.

He suddenly turned to the side and glared at the gray-haired old man fiercely. "Ferry, is this your newly hired assistant? He's dressed like a gentleman, speaks foul language, and is as disgusting as a beggar on the street. Who in the whole of Balou Mountain doesn't know that my cattle are the best? He's slandering me here, what the hell? Can you please tell him to stay away from my cattle?!"

Old Ferry patted the farmer's arm soothingly, silencing any subsequent curses. Then, the old man turned, his gaze darting back and forth between his assistant and the cow. "Lingert, what's your evidence?"

Lin Weilun slowly pulled out the thermometer stuck in the cow's buttocks. "Dilated pupils, muscle tremors, mental confusion, foaming at the mouth, and elevated body temperature—these are all symptoms of hydatid cyst, sir."

"But these are all cases of food poisoning." Ferry shook his head. "Ferdinand's ranch is very solid. There haven't been wolves or foxes visiting in years. The probability of tapeworm infection is extremely low."

Tapeworm larvae typically live in carnivorous animals like wolves and foxes, and are then excreted through their feces. The eggs then contaminate nearby grass.

If cows eat this grass, they will naturally become parasitic.

"Did you hear that, you idiot!" The farmer, having gained support, proudly waved his fist, slapping the wooden fence and warning, "Get away from my cow! Don't try to show off your unprofessional knowledge in front of me! You'll only dirty its beautiful fur! Your mother should be ashamed of you!"

A young man who had just graduated from a warm university, a naive, foolish young man with no social experience, Ferdinand naturally believed that being questioned, threatened, and ridiculed in public would immediately make this fragile guy feel ashamed.

He'll stammer an apology and get lost, the farmer thought evilly. Maybe he'll run out in tears and never come back.

However, the assistant's eyes didn't even waver. He just sighed, as if tolerating a child who had made an error. "You said that we should be rigorous in treating life. So, did you really examine this cow carefully?"

Ferry and the farmer were both stunned.

Ferdinand gritted his teeth and began to sow discord. "Ferry, this is the assistant you found? Isn't this really the new boss you hired for yourself? How dare you tolerate him contradicting you like this?"

Before Ferry could say anything, he saw the shameless young man raise his hand and touch the top of the cow's head inch by inch.

This was a Simmental cow, with thick bones and yellow and white fur. However, it was raised in a very dirty environment, and not only did it stink, but its fur was also covered in mud and straw.

But Lin Weilun remained calm. During his time as an apprentice, he had come into contact with much dirtier things.

His long fingers nimbly touched the hard, pointed skull of the bull, not missing a single bump, until—

"I've got it," he turned to look at the old man. "Sir, food poisoning won't cause a cow's skull to collapse. If you cut this open right now, you might be able to talk to the tapeworms face to face. Those worms might come and buy this cow from you, with their eggs all over their hands."

"Besides, maybe it wasn't a wolf or a fox. Maybe it was... a dog?"

Ferdinand's smile froze on his face, and he waved his hands hastily, "We do have a dog at home, but it ran into the woods a few months ago and hasn't come back since. So what you're saying is simply impossible!"

Old Ferry did not answer this question, he took a few steps forward.

He had indeed noticed a dent in the cow's skull, but Ferdinand had initially said that cows often bumped into pillars themselves, and the dent wasn't very obvious, so the old man preconceived that it was the cow that had bumped into it.

What if.....it's not like that?

Having worked as a veterinarian for decades, rigor is engraved in almost every cell of the old man's body.

He put on his monocle and observed carefully.

For a moment, Ferdinand's neck seemed to be strangled, and the anger in his eyes was quickly replaced by another emotion.

Sure enough, when the old veterinarian looked up again, his eyes had become sharp. "Ferdie, I think what Lingert said might be true. This dent wasn't caused by a collision. The blood was stained there, and the sawdust didn't penetrate the skin. This is a collapse from the inside of the brain."

Old Ferry didn't explain much else, for example, the bloodstains looked more like they were smeared on, and the placement of the sawdust mixed with mud was also very deliberate.

——As if someone hoped that he could actually treat this as a bruise.

Something around his neck tightened, and Ferdinand felt his back sweating.

The poisoned cow is not in serious condition and will recover after taking medicine for a few days. The cow's marketing will not be affected in any way - this cow is one of his most promising beef cattle and weighs at least 1,800 pounds (about 816 kilograms)!

If it was sent to the slaughterhouse in good condition, after deducting the transportation fee and slaughtering fee, he could get at least 1 shilling and 6 pence per pound, which is 135 pounds!

But if you are diagnosed with parasitic infection, those 135 pounds will drop to zero!

0!!

Oh maybe the damn government will give a little compensation, but agriculture has not been given much attention in the last two years, coupled with the low prices of imported beef from the United States and Canada, the market was quickly taken over by them.

The compensation the government is willing to give to local farmers is naturally getting lower and lower, and the application process is very cumbersome.

Then all the energy and money he spent on raising this cow over the years would be lost!

"Don't be so serious, Ferry," the burly farmer spread his hands, a hint of pleading in his voice.

"This isn't a serious problem at all. A parasitic infection? How is that possible? It's just a little calcium deficient, or something else. Can't you just prescribe some medicine for me? The beef imported from the United States isn't inspected so strictly. Don't you know? Cows with hooves full of fungus can still be sent to butchers. Please, no one will have any problems eating them."

The shoes of the two young men at home are already falling apart. They're fifteen or sixteen years old, and they still don't have a pair of leather shoes to wear outside. The kitchen light bulb has been broken for over three months, and my wife keeps complaining about it. Just yesterday, she burned her hand because of the poor night light.

It was such a big blister that I couldn't bear to apply medicine, so I could only prick it open bit by bit, apply some turpentine, and then bandage it with a cloth.

The rent for their ranch is due in ten days.

But the old man's sharp eyes did not give in. He stared at the farmer and said, "Tapeworms can parasitize humans, Ferdie. This is a serious matter. We must notify the Ministry of Agriculture and have them thoroughly inspect your entire barn, including the milk-producing cows."

"Ferdie," the old man took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, but you have to close this place temporarily."

"Bullshit, Ferry!" Ferdinand felt his voice shaking and his ears were filled with tsunami-like tinnitus. He could only cover up his uneasiness by raging.

"You know, because of the impact of cheap imported meat, there are fewer and fewer slaughterhouses willing to buy ranch beef. You've seen what's happened to us, haven't you?! My cows can't be infected. I spend over ten hours with them every day. There's absolutely no way I could let them get infected!"

"But you! Are you blind?! You actually believed this little piece of trash who hasn't even grown all his hair yet?! Is this your illegitimate child?! Is this your illegitimate child, so you just listened to him like that?!"

However, before he finished speaking, he saw the young man grinning at him like a devil. "Sir, if you don't believe me, we can check the cow dung. The dung of parasitic cows will contain worm eggs and segments. Of course, just in case, all the cows in your cowshed must be inspected. Sir——"

The young assistant turned around. "Would you mind splitting up with me? That way we can move faster."

In this era of rapid development, chemistry has long since established private laboratories in various regions, specializing in various private tests and pathogen analysis, including animal tests.

Even Dr. Ferri has a microscope in his clinic.

To check whether the cow dung contains worm egg segments, it only needs to be sent to the nearest laboratory.

Old Ferry didn't mind at all and picked up the toolbox naturally, "Then I'll go to the river to get another cow dung sample. I'll let Ferdinand go with you later." The last sentence was full of warning.

To whom, it goes without saying.

However, when he looked at the young man again, his eyes revealed deep approval and appreciation.

This child was even more surprising than he had imagined.

Careful, meticulous, rigorous, bold, and solid knowledge.

What’s even more rare is that he won’t make the wrong choice out of weak kindness.

He possesses almost all the qualities of an excellent veterinarian. Compared to him, I, with my gray hair, should have probably returned to my rocking chair a long time ago.

The old veterinarian left, leaving only two people in the dim cowshed.

"What a shame." Lin Weilun held the empty glass bottle in his hand and spoke in a low voice, "It's obviously top-quality beef, but it can only be killed and burned, and it can't be sold for a penny. Oh, not only that, but before that, there will be a huge bill to be saddled with - Mr. Ferdinand, you know that you have to pay for the inspection of the cow dung yourself, right? How many cows do you have in total?"

He spoke carelessly, grinning, and his eyes, looking at the farmer, looked sinister in the dim light.

Ferdinand's throat felt hot and his head exploded.

His pleas received no mercy, and the taut string in his chest broke completely.

The farmer suddenly rushed over like an enraged buffalo. "You black-hearted guy... You are just trying to make money from me... You are just trying to make money from me, my money! Damn you! You should go to hell! Don't think that you are the only veterinary clinic in Denham! Get out of here!"

The glass bottle fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

The sound startled old Ferry, who had not walked far. He turned around in shock and rushed towards the cowshed.

Before he had taken two steps, he saw from afar that the elite successor he had finally found was being driven out by Ferdinand.

"Get out! Get out of my territory!" Ferdinand was furious. In a rage, he picked up the pitchfork next to him and pointed it at Lin Weilun, "Don't let me see you again! Get away from me!"

"Ferdinand!" Ferry was shocked and hurried over to stand between the two men. "Are you crazy?!"

The farmer froze when he saw the familiar white hair.

Ferry had been a veterinarian in Denham for over twenty years, enjoying a distinguished position, a good reputation, and the respect of local farmers. Few veterinarians in the area could match his skills.

But it's only "almost".

"Stop pretending here, Ferry!" Ferdinand's face turned purple as he gasped. "You did this on purpose! You just want to make money from poor people like us!"

Ferry was shocked by his shameless words. "That's a parasite, Ferdie! A parasite! If someone drinks your cow's milk, there's a good chance they'll get infected too! Are you trying to kill anyone?!"

"Bullshit! Who said my cows have parasites! There is more than one veterinarian in Denham Town! I will contact veterinarian Andre--" Ferdinand hadn't finished speaking when he saw the young man standing leisurely behind the old man, with a sarcastic look over the old man's shoulder and fell directly on himself.

It's like saying, "Trash."

At that moment, Ferdinand seemed to be hit by a hammer, and rushed over screaming with a pitchfork in his hand!

The commotion also attracted the farmer's two sons, who inherited their father's violent temper and joined the expulsion army before the matter was clarified.

One of them released the family's goose, while the other kept throwing cow dung at them.

Lin Weilun was tall and had long legs, so he easily shook the man off.

The elderly contestant who was hit and couldn’t dodge in time: …

By the time the two men ran back to the car, the old man's hands were shaking from exhaustion.

"We should call the police," Lin Weilun opened the car window calmly, "He will definitely go to jail for this." Perhaps in jail, the irritable farmer will learn respect and how to speak properly.

That mouth is so mean.

Your own predicament is not a reason to spread malice towards others.

Lin Weilun is not a polite Great British. The soul in his body comes from the vengeful 21st century, the age when people hold grudges the most.

When Ferdinand started talking big to him, he should have been prepared.

"No, no," Old Ferry squeezed his eyes shut, took off his cow-dung-stained suit jacket, and threw it on the back seat. "We have to go to the Ministry of Agriculture and report this. Ferdinand's milk is very popular and they have many regular customers. If something happens, we're finished."

Lin Weilun glanced at him and said, "You are such a kind person, but sir, we have no evidence. What if he hid the cow or killed it privately and denied it? I can't confirm whether his other cows are infected."

"It's a felony to privately slaughter cattle infected with infectious diseases." Ferry started the car, and the wind instantly dispelled the smell in the car. "If he really did that, his family's breeding rights would be permanently confiscated, and the pasture would be forcibly reclaimed from the owner of the land. Besides—"

The old man turned his head and grinned with confidence, "The Ministry of Agriculture will only trust me, not him. If I wanted to, I could even close off all the pastures in the entire Balou Mountains."

"That's the reputation of a veterinarian, Lingert. I use it so rarely that they forget what I'm capable of."

The Ford rushed past, and the wind blowing in turned into a violent sound.

Lin Weilun rested one arm on the car window, tapping lightly on the hard car body with his fingers.

“Reputation…”