Chapter 10
The next day, the first thing Lin Weilun did after waking up was to go see the piglets.
Alma held up the notebook and took notes for the other animals as usual.
"Oh, it's so cute, isn't it?" The wife was almost overwhelmed by the cuteness of the newborn piglet. "Look at the way it tilts its head back to drink milk, it's cuter than an elf. Is this from the Kun family? How was his little Narcissus last night?"
"Eleven piglets were born, and they are all healthy." Lin Weilun gently wiped the milk from the corner of the piglet's mouth with his thumb. The white liquid flowed into the lines of the skin, and the tip of his nose was filled with the fragrance of milk.
He sniffed slowly and smiled, "This is the last one. As you can see, it's not like its brothers and sisters."
"Poor little thing, he'll be fine." Alma was so soft-hearted that she teased him through the cage, "Don't worry, you'll be able to go home soon."
go home.
Indeed, back to the beginning.
Breakfast was sweet fig and chestnut bread, with spinach, cheese and meatballs as a side dish.
Mrs. Alma demonstrated the restaurant's oven. Lin Weilun mixed crushed chestnuts, black sesame seeds, eggs, milk and flour into long strips, and then baked them at high temperature to create an intoxicating aroma.
Alma didn't even care that her fingers were almost burned. When the bread came out of the oven, she couldn't wait to tear off a small piece, blow it back and forth, and then put it in her mouth.
Instantly, she was enveloped by a deep well of happiness. The sweet, unsweetened chestnut scent crept upward through her nose, making her feel dizzy, as if she had stepped into chestnut heaven, enveloped and lifted by soft clouds.
"Try this." Lin Weilun had just put the cheese and meatballs on a plate.
His technique is amazing, and each meatball is as perfect as if it was pressed out by a machine.
The cheese and spinach highlight the colors of the forest, and the meat filling brings heat that steams in the forest.
Alma held her breath and gently crushed a small piece with a fork. The melted cheese immediately flowed out like a golden spring.
Who could say no? No one.
When the meatballs are crushed by the lips and teeth, the juice of the meat filling mixed with cheese boils and rolls in the mouth, and the green vegetables bring the refreshing feeling that can only be found in the countryside, making every inch of the taste just right, not too greasy, and not burdening the tongue.
Chewing slowly, letting the juice continuously wash over her throat, Alma felt as if the whole world had disappeared, leaving only her mouth, feeling the complex taste that came over her layer by layer like waves.
"You really should be a cook," the housekeeper said, losing control of her tongue and completely prostrating herself on the breakfast table. "Being a veterinarian is a complete waste of talent! I bet Earl Philip would be willing to pay a cartload of pounds for it!"
Lin Weilun smiled easily. He scooped a spoonful of figs. This was the last dessert. It was just a salad made by crushing lavender flowers, mixing them with verbena and lemon juice, but it brought the purest natural fragrance.
Alma even tied her apron a little too short because she was considering changing her host family.
But young Lingate would definitely not be willing to spend money to hire her. He couldn't just work for free without getting paid, right?
It's okay to not have a salary...if I can eat every day...
Alma!
The butler slapped his head hard and said, "Wake up! Damn it!"
"Please bring over any dirty clothes you have in the future." Alma finally couldn't help herself and said sincerely, "And shoes, sheets, and so on. Oh, and I'll help you tidy up the house and make sure you live in a clean place!"
Lin Weilun did not refuse. He thanked him politely and looked across the street through the open window.
The main door of the Fox and the Hound tavern was closed, and the back door near the alley was slightly open. Lundin's round belly was exposed, and the fat chef was caught off guard by the aroma in the air.
His dejection instantly turned into some kind of inexplicable greed.
He followed the smell into the alley… It smelled so good… It was that smell again… Who was it? Who was it?
Lin Weilun closed the window tightly.
Maybe it was because of the good food, everything went smoothly at the clinic the whole morning.
The new veterinarian had just become a big hit, and every client who came was interested in him.
Some are well-intentioned, some are malicious.
But emotions are sometimes the least important, especially after a new veterinarian demonstrates unparalleled diagnostic and treatment skills.
"I always thought it was infected with parasites, but it turns out to be a bacterial liver infection!" The middle-aged man, who openly and covertly looked down on Lin Weilun for being too young, happily hugged the dog, which was obviously getting better, and said, "Mr. Ferry prescribed medicine for it twice before, but it didn't work. I didn't expect the diagnosis was wrong! Mr. Lingert, you are amazing!"
"How could you swallow belladonna? I thought your stomach was leaking!" The little boy patted the donkey's head. The new veterinarian had just used paraffin to flush out the poison that the donkey had accidentally ingested, saving the exhausted gray animal.
The boy said excitedly, "Thank you so much, Mr. Lingert! Otherwise I would have lost my birthday present!"
Alma was equally surprised.
Six customers were booked in the morning, along with their pets - this was the number Ferry left for Lingert after careful consideration, which was already far more than the average number of newly trained junior veterinarians.
But look, less than two hours have passed and Linget has finished all his work, and even has time to receive unexpected visits from customers.
The girl in the green dress was wrapping a dirty gray rabbit in a scarf. When she saw the tall man, her face suddenly turned pink like a strawberry cake.
"Please, are you Mr. Willenlingert?" The girl lowered her head shyly and handed the rabbit forward. "I found this in the woods while picking mushrooms. It looks so pitiful. Could you please help...take a look at it? My name is Jenny, I...I work at the flower shop on Oak Street..."
Outside the open door, several girls of similar age laughed and jokingly asked, "Jenny, why are you stuttering?"
"Jenny, haven't you been talking about Mr. Lingert all night?"
“Jenny, why is your face redder than the sun?”
Alma looked at them from afar, smiling knowingly and gossipingly.
In summer, handsome guys are always more likely to be favored.
"The skull is cracked," Lin Weilun touched it with his hand, then immediately retracted it, saying calmly, "This rabbit must have hit a tree or something else at high speed, causing the skull to crack. Plus, it was delivered so late, so I'm afraid I don't have any good news."
Jenny looked extremely sad, her shoulders shaking and tears welling in her eyes. She looked so delicate, like a petal covered in dew. "Mr. Lingert, please tell me...is there really nothing you can do? The little rabbit is so pitiful."
Lin Weilun carefully pinched the rabbit's chest and hind legs again, and his bony fingers slowly stroked the rabbit's back.
Those hands were very long. Jenny looked at the hands so close to her, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat.
"I do have a suggestion." A voice suddenly came from above.
"What?" Jenny looked up happily. She secretly decided that no matter how much Mr. Lingert offered, she would agree. As long as... as long as she could see him a few more times...
Lin Weilun wiped his hands clean, looked into the girl's eyes and said, "Stew."
Jenny was stunned.
Alma was stunned.
The group of sisters who were making a fuss were completely stunned.
"But be careful about the heat," Lin Weilun advised earnestly. "This rabbit is old. If the heat is too strong or it is stewed for too long, it will affect the taste. Of course, marinating it and then frying it is also a good idea."
I don’t know if it was because of fear, but the gray rabbit died instantly.
The clinic was as quiet as a tomb.
After a moment, the girl's eyes were completely red, and this time they were really red.
She tried to open her mouth several times, but nothing came out. Finally, she whimpered and ran out of the clinic holding the dead rabbit.
"Asshole!" Someone outside cursed, "Can't you find a better reason to refuse?!"
Alma turned her face away and remained silent.
...I'd better go make some tea.
Have a good rest day and don't think too much.
The incident passed quickly and the clinic was once again shrouded in tranquility.
"It's hard to believe..." the butler took a sip of rose tea and said in a disingenuous tone, "I'm actually free to drink tea on Tuesday morning..."
It turned out that she was always busy with old Ferry.
She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she felt that Lingert was very quick in seeing things. The young man seemed to have some kind of magic that allowed him to tell what was wrong with an animal at a glance.
But how could this be possible? Alma was amused by her own outrageous idea and quickly added some hot milk to her tea.
The comfortable break came to an abrupt end when Mr. Ferri returned.
"It seems I haven't given you enough 'homework' yet."
The old man was dusty and his usually sharp eyes had become a little cloudy. With the fatigue that only comes from a long journey, Lin Weilun noticed that the suitcase that Mr. Ferry had left with was missing.
"I guess he was taken to London," Alma put away her dusty coat and glanced at the young man. "Last night was Bowen Ferry's birthday. Oh, that's Mr. Ferry's son. He's an outstanding talent, the youngest food inspector in the National Health Department."
The wife's tone was like she was talking about someone else's child, but someone manically shattered the praise.
"Humph, isn't it just that he's lucky? Who the hell is he to be called excellent?" The old man took off his bow tie and went upstairs angrily.
In the heated clinic hall, Lin Weilunhe and his wife looked at each other, and both saw confusion in each other's eyes.
Why is he angry? He should be happy.
This time when Ferry went to London, he was indeed celebrating his son's birthday.
The boy was engaged, but when he entertained his parents at the Starry Sky Hotel, his wife was not with him.
"You should move here as soon as possible," the promising young inspector said flatly as he cut into the steak. "Dad, what's so special about that shabby place? I'm already registered with the highest food department. If people knew my father was still hanging around with dirty livestock, Bowen Ferry would immediately become the laughing stock of everyone."
Ferry snorted coldly and threw away his knife and fork. "Is this the reason why your fiancée refused to dine with us?"
"Dad," Bowen impatiently took a sip of wine, the expensive brandy sliding across his lips and tongue, the rich aroma from France intoxicating him, "Susanna's father is an honorable congressman! Without his help, I can't even step onto the first step of the National Health Ministry! If I don't tell her that you own a medical clinic, she won't even look at me! How dare I let her meet you now!"
"Oh, so you think I've embarrassed you, huh?" Ferry took off the napkin from his neck and said in a cold tone, "But don't forget, it was those filthy beasts who paid for your Oxford education! And your ticket to London!"
Mrs. Ferry looked at her son, then at her husband, and her eyes slowly turned red.
"Don't do this..." she whispered, pulling her husband's sleeve, "Don't..."
Unfortunately, a woman who has been trapped at home for many years has little influence and no one can stop attacking her, no matter how stubborn or arrogant a man is.
"Dad, don't forget that the government has gradually abandoned agriculture." Bowen leaned back, his blue eyes already filled with an unsympathetic, superior look. "Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada are all England's new allies. Imported, cheap meat is far more competitive than local meat. Do you know the enormous wealth that Congressman can accumulate from this business? Farmers and ranches have been eliminated by the times. Veterinary medicine only has a future for pet enthusiasts in big cities, not people like you... um..."
"What bullshit are you talking about!" Old Ferry was so angry that he almost fell backward. He couldn't help but raise his voice, attracting many disdainful glances. "A country without agriculture as its foundation can't go far! Sooner or later, the Queen will regret her neglect today! I spent all this money, and what did I give away?! Is your money or your worthless status the only thing you can see?!"
"Please speak softly, Father. Your son has a hard time navigating high society." Bowen bowed slightly to the people around him in apology before sighing deeply. "England is inherently noble. We are the most traditional gentlemen of our time. Gentleman, do you understand? There's nothing wrong with the government's decision. By discarding those low-class scum who wallow in the mud, the upper class will rise higher and further."
"Please think about this: other countries can only survive under the shining sun that never sets. This is the real decision-making power. We are the ones who hold their lifeline. Look—"
The young judge nodded at the steak braised in red wine on his plate. "Italy, France, India, Hungary, the best of every country have flocked to this land. They looked up to the back of Great Britain and willingly bowed their heads to serve here."
"These things are not qualified to replace our farmers!" Old Ferry felt like there was a fire in his chest. He was as angry now as he was happy when he learned that his son was admitted to Oxford.
This kid's head is filled with stench! He's lost even the most basic of thoughts! All he can think about is maintaining his own status and how to stand on the same side with that congressman!
"Do you really know what life is like for the lower classes in England?!" Old Ferry's eyes were practically spitting fire. "Farmers need the government? Bullshit! It's the government that really needs the farmers!"
If we rely entirely on imports for food, it would be like putting a knife on Great Britain's neck!
But the stupid government is scrubbing the blade of this knife with its own hands!
"You are too extreme, but you cannot deny that there are certain countries which are suited to doing certain things which are not suited to doing in England. Like this restaurant—"
Bowen pushed the swan egg salad toward his elderly father and scooped a spoonful of creamed scallops for him. "If it weren't for the French, how would we know that cuisine could have so many styles? This is a collaboration and also an innovation. We are on the crest of the wave. Only by discarding the redundant and inferior parts can we create new glory. Of course..."
He lowered his voice. "This could completely burst our coffers, Dad. Think about it, I can work with the Congressman to build a British pound empire that belongs only to us."
Old Ferry was almost laughing with anger. He picked up the steak with a fork, as if he was picking up his son's empty and stupid head. "That's it? A French chef? The cooking tastes worse than the new assistant in my clinic! You only care about making money for yourselves, but you have no idea that giving up today will become a knife stabbing us tomorrow! England will be hit hard by this!"
Bowen Ferry looked at the other person with pity, feeling that his father had started to make up stories to refute him.
"I am saving you, Dad," he sighed, "saving you from being swept away by the tide of the times. You can wash off that disgusting animal smell, sell your shabby clinic, and move in with Mom. I will hire three servants and a French chef for you. Believe me, no son can do better than me. Dad,"
At this point, Bowen's tone finally cooled, and a shadow shone in his eyes, which resembled the old man's. "You don't want me to be spurned by Susanna, lose everything I've worked so hard to gain, and then go back to that disgusting town with you and roll in the mud together, right?"
There was the sound of something being kicked angrily from behind the door, as well as the heavy breathing of an old man.
Lin Weilun thought about it and put down his hand that was about to knock on the door.
He heard Mr. Ferry calling someone ungrateful and ungrateful, and then everything slowly calmed down until dusk.
In the sky, the setting sun is as red as blood.
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