Chapter 20
The young veterinarian's long fingers stroked the wild pigeon's neck up and down without any hindrance.
"These are quite good. The arrowhead is broken in the lower abdomen, so there's no major bleeding. If they're fed properly, they won't die within three days. This one is not good. There are already insect eggs under the skin. Take it out and burn it immediately."
Then there are the rabbits.
"Very plump. Apparently, there's plenty of food in the forest. The fat will prevent the wound from spreading. I'll apply some styptic powder, so there's nothing to worry about. But please tell the chef that these are already old, so it's best to add sour plums to soften the meat. Wine alone won't do."
Next came the deer and the fowl.
Philip's technique was excellent. The stag was massive, its back muscles well-developed and symmetrical. Lin Weilun couldn't help but slide his hand down from the middle of the shoulder blades to the tail vertebrae, and then to the bulging legs.
The surging and passionate blood sings under the palm of the hand, and the thick blue veins jump like wild strings, exuding vitality that is ready to break free from confinement at any time.
In fact, the meat of female deer is more tender, but it is the male deer that bring diners to the hot Africa.
It's a taste that no domesticated animal can match.
It's just a pity.
The buck was so huge that there was no place to feed it if he took it back - and the blood would fill his kitchen if he slaughtered it.
Lin Weilun looked into the eyes of the dangerous-looking deer and felt like a man who had failed in a blind date.
He turned reluctantly to check the birds, and his hand stopped on an exceptionally plump, spindly-legged creature.
A long-legged rail with a ruptured liver and spleen
Touching down with his fingers, Lin Weilun found the culprit under the round belly.
The arrow shot by the Earl lodged itself in the lower abdomen. Although the arrowhead pierced the liver and spleen, it also blocked the bleeding. Coupled with the rich fat layer, the chicken, despite being injured, still had a shiny coat and was full of energy.
For example, now, when it sees a strange human approaching, it pecks at him with its sharp beak.
If Lin Weilun hadn't been quick, his fingers would probably be bleeding by now.
But inevitably, the joints were stained by grass clippings.
"Nice fat, great bones, and just the right age." He squinted his eyes, took out a handkerchief, slowly wiped his fingers, and then stretched them out to measure the pheasant's body shape.
The rail was annoyed by the audacity of the human and suddenly took another bite. However, this time, the human laughed.
What a brave boy, he deserves a reward.
Lin Weilun suddenly leaned down, blocking the view of the male servants behind him, then stretched out one hand to strangle the chicken's neck, and with the other hand, he grasped the broken arrow and thrust it in fiercely -
[A long-legged rail with severe internal bleeding]
Gold Finger reported in real time that the pheasant was digging the ground frantically with its two slender legs.
It wanted to scream, but the huge force made all the sounds suppressed.
The chosen little guy's eyes slowly rolled up, and with a "click", his courage and life disappeared together.
The veterinarian stood up, holding the twisted chicken's neck in one hand, and turned to the chattering servant. "The rest are healthy, except for this one. This one is already dying. Death was already standing over it before I arrived."
"Oh my God, how could this happen?" A servant stepped forward and took a closer look. "It really is... This one can't stay here any longer."
"We can take it to the stables," said another footman, grabbing his companion and winking. "The roast chicken would be great, wouldn't it?"
"I don't recommend you do this," Lin Weilun said seriously. His bright blue eyes seemed to be watching from behind by an angel, making every word he said sound convincing. "The chicken died too quickly. The Earl's skill is unquestionable. The position of the arrow tip shouldn't have caused massive internal bleeding. I'm afraid there's another reason for its death. You don't want to end up... because of a roast chicken?"
He didn't say the rest of the words, but his imagination was terrifying enough.
After all, everyone has heard that in faraway Africa, viruses from animals have brought extremely terrible disasters.
The two servants immediately shook their heads like rattles and even took a few steps back. "What? Oh, no, no, of course not. We have no desire for this chicken. Please take it away! Now! Immediately! It would be terrible if other game were infected!"
"Yes!" Another servant's eyes lit up as he looked at the veterinarian hopefully. "If it's not too much trouble for you... Of course, I, we can handle it ourselves, but you're a professional after all... What if we don't do a step right and it gets infected? Could you please..."
Lin Weilun looked at them deeply, then withdrew his hand. "If that's what you want. Yes, I can help you get rid of the chicken."
The servants breathed a sigh of relief. It would be troublesome if the young veterinarian really threw it to them.
Not only did they have one less task to do, but they also avoided an illness, which quickly made them happy again. "You are such a kind person!"
With the help of Gold Finger, Lin Weilun didn't stay in the barn for too long.
However, he was not allowed to enter the kitchen directly, but was led by servants to the food storage room below the kitchen.
The area here is almost as large as the first floor of the old Ferry Clinic. The air is very cool. The walls above, below, left and right are covered with a thick layer of lime mortar to prevent moisture and keep the temperature low.
Lin Weilun saw several oversized cabinets standing by the wall, on which were baskets of wild lettuce, blue-purple black currants and red raspberries.
The ceramic bowl was filled to the brim with hazelnuts, and corn with hanging ears was piled up like a small hill. Next to it were baskets of yellow, plump and round eggs.
He shifted his gaze and saw the hams hanging in the air. Some of them seemed to be the hind legs of badgers, and the muscle lines on them were more wild and rough than those of domestic animals.
In the middle of the storeroom was a table covered with a tarp, on which lay a freshly slaughtered and bled steer, and some pink-beaked Aylesbury ducks.
Lin Weilun put the rail on the ground and walked over to give the "customer" on the table a quick check.
"The calves are healthy, and the ducks are good too. Mr. Philip will have a pleasant dinner tonight."
The servants breathed a sigh of relief, "This is really good news!"
"By the way," one of the servants suddenly said, "the Earl has instructed that if there's anything here you like, you can take some away. We often go to the forest, and many of the things here are gifts from the God of the Earth. He hopes you can enjoy these gifts with him."
"That's truly generous," Lin Weilun raised his eyebrows and smiled. "God will bless the Earl."
After saying that, he walked straight to the sideboard, a fox-like glint in his blue eyes.
Behind his back, two footmen made a secret bet as to whether the respectable gentleman would choose the expensive crab in the metal fish bowl or the leg of a castrated steer with its tendons still throbbing.
After all, these two are the most expensive ingredients in the pantry.
However, unexpectedly, the young veterinarian neither went to the fish tank nor walked around the table where the meat was placed.
He just glanced at it casually for a few moments before picking up a basket of orange blossoms from the sideboard.
It was brought back by the maids earlier, and when pinned in the hair or in front of the scarf, it looked like the shining sun.
"Thank the Count for me."
The male servants were obviously a little stunned, but since the veterinarian had already made the choice, they would not say anything and could only send the person out awkwardly.
When Lin Weilun left the manor, a pair of eyes hidden in the dark suddenly lit up.
"It's out, it's out!" Ferdinand patted the person next to him. "Look, the Count is so kind to the new veterinarian! He even gave him a chicken!"
Andre bit his lip angrily and turned his head impatiently, "Alright, hurry up and tell Stuart to prepare well, we don't have much time!"
"Hehehe, good, good," Ferdinand rubbed his hands together, not caring at all about his cheap companion's jealousy. "When Lingert is finished, it will be time for you to be invited by the Count again!"
After saying that, he ran happily towards the old bus in the distance, ready to implement their revenge plan.
It was a fairly simple revenge plan.
Ferdinand plans to expose the true face of the black-hearted veterinarian to the public - "Look! That Lingert doesn't know how to treat animals at all! He only treats them as food! As a veterinarian, he can't provide any help to his customers. He only cares about satisfying his own appetite!"
No matter who it is, they will be furious!
Especially if this incident happened at the Earl's banquet in the near future, the Earl's wrath would surely burn through all of Lingert's opportunities!
When the time comes, we can expose this matter loudly and report it to the Ministry of Agriculture. It will only be natural for the situation to get bigger and bigger, right?
As for how to implement this plan.
——With Andre's help, it is not difficult to select a "customer" who is sick but not easily detected.
And no one knew that in the Earl's manor, there was a maid who was responsible for cleaning the stables and was a distant cousin of Stewart's wife.
At that time, they only need to secretly transport the sick animals into the banquet kitchen, and then find an excuse to let Andre in, discover the matter and report it to the count, and everything will be solved permanently!
Ferdinand couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Perfect.
Perfect.
Such wisdom even the Holy Father would praise!
The sky gradually became gloomy.
Lin Weilun went back home immediately and temporarily stored the long-legged rail in the cellar.
The gardeners have finished their work and returned. The originally messy garden has been repainted with a layer of tender green "carpet". Creepers are entwined on the fence, and several beautiful grape racks support a small pavilion in it.
When looking through the window, it seemed as if even the wind had turned into a fresh green.
Lin Weilun was in a good mood. He looked at the time and found that his movements were really too fast.
There are still more than two hours before the scheduled outpatient consultation with Ferry ends.
Plenty of time.
He washed his hands, boiled a pot of water, and carried the long-legged rail to the yard.
In the corner of the yard, the thin chicken was plucked clean of its feathers and guts, becoming a soft and white chicken, no longer having the courage it once had.
But Lin Weilun feels that chickens nowadays have become much cuter.
He returned to the kitchen and marinated the chicken inside and out with brandy. Then he sliced off the tenderest part of the chicken breast and fried it in a pan.
Don’t forget your old friends - salt and black pepper, which can make the fishy smell of chicken dissipate more quickly in the air.
Soon, a thin layer of golden chicken oil appeared at the bottom of the pot. This was the most essential part.
Lin Weilun scooped out the chicken breast slices and then added parsnips, onions, carrots, and garlic leaves. As soon as these small things came into contact with the chicken fat, they reacted violently and indescribably.
The stimulating aroma, like a goddess's veil, swirled and rose above the kitchen. Gradually, as he stir-fried the ingredients, each piece became glistening with the chicken fat.
Almost there.
Lin Weilun put the fried chicken fillet back into the pan, added bay leaves, cooked and peeled tomato cubes, chopped wild mushrooms and half a bowl of brandy, and simmered it over low heat.
"Do you want some orange peel? Or lemon zest? No, no, no." He hesitated for a few seconds and finally chose red grape jelly with a few small slices of white ginger.
As it turned out, his decision was extremely correct.
In the veterinary clinic not far away, Ferry held down the struggling short-haired cat, looked up in disbelief, and met the eyes of Mrs. Alma outside the door.
"What is he doing?" Ferry took off his mask, his face furrowed. "He finished his outpatient consultation and instead of coming back to help, he went home to cook?!"
"Oh my God!" The old woman holding the duck stood by the door, breathing in the aroma blowing in from outside with Alma. "Is it roast pork chops? Or apple pie?"
"No, no, no, it should be fried smoked sausage!" The half-bald man pinched the beak of the screaming hen in his arms and shook his head with an intoxicated look on his face. "My mother loves to make smoked sausage. When I was a kid, I ate so much that my stomach burst out!"
"Who said that? This is definitely the smell of fried mutton fat!" The burly man was the tallest and the most direct.
He opened the door to the clinic and completely immersed himself in the wonderful aroma. "I once delivered hay to Mr. Philip's horse, and that was the same smell wafting from his kitchen that day! I even got a small bowl of roasted mutton fat! I'll never forget this delicious taste!"
"I think it should be fried veal steak." Alma turned around and asked old Ferry in the clinic loudly, "What do you think, sir? Or maybe it's a duck leg? Or some other part of the duck?"
Veins popped out of Old Ferry's forehead as he swatted away the short-haired cat's furious claws and pushed the anesthetic in. He then took off his mask and wanted to yell, "Alma, go get that damn guy back!"
But when a certain smell mixed with the breeze forcefully penetrated his nasal cavity, broke through his throat, and slid into his empty, shriveled stomach, his mouth stopped moving.
"Chicken, chicken breast or chicken legs or something..." The old man closed his mouth as soon as he finished speaking because he saw a familiar figure walking slowly across the street.
The man had a basket hanging on his arm and a tray in his other hand, and he quickly walked to the door of the clinic.
He was startled by a few pairs of burning eyes, but soon, a perfect smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.
"I made some brandy-braised chicken fillet and orange blossom cake. Do you want to try them?"
Old Ferry heard the cheers coming in, and the customers crowded around him like a holy priest.
"Yes, it's made with freshly picked orange blossoms and some fresh Risbon sugar. What? Fluffy? Egg whites will help you with that. Yes, be sure to beat them until they resemble a small snow mountain. Oh, sir."
He handed over the basket and tray, put on his work clothes, and pushed the door open.
The sunlight shone on his head and into his eyes, as if reflecting a halo on the blue sea.
"I'm sorry, sir."
Old Ferry watched him wink at him and heard his deliberately soft voice, "I originally wanted to make lunch for you and Mrs. Alma, but I didn't know there would be so many customers at this time. It seems I can only add more bread for lunch today. But it doesn't matter."
He seemed to chuckle, "I left some for our dinner. I just hope you're not too hungry."
Oh, damn.
On this ordinary afternoon, old Ferry scratched the fat cat in his hand, and suddenly a regret arose in his heart that he had not felt in more than twenty years.
Why didn’t I give birth to a daughter?
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The author has something to say: Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, I’m back.
The surgery was quite successful, and my body is recovering little by little. I estimate that I will be able to resume daily updates in less than two days. Sorry, my dears, because I need to recuperate after the surgery, so I shamelessly canceled my plan to get to know you. I am really sorry that I made you wait for so long. In all my years of writing, this is the first time such a situation has occurred. I will definitely not do it again in the future. Thank you to everyone who has waited until now. I am grateful and bow to you!
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