Chapter 163 Late Night Call
The squeaking sound was as thin as a mosquito, but Xu Ying heard despair in it.
She trembled all over and quickly looked for the source of the "squeak".
Xu Ying followed the sound and found a large gray-brown ball of fur twitching violently next to a crack in the canal wall, with its two erect ears shaking like a dandelion in the wind.
She recognized it as an adult desert cottontail rabbit. Its body was gray-brown, but its tail was a ball of white fur, like soft cotton, so it was called a cottontail rabbit.
Adult desert cottontail rabbits are generally smaller than common domestic rabbits, but this rabbit looks particularly bloated because of its abnormally swollen abdomen.
Its mouth and nose were covered in white powder, and the hair on its hind legs was stuck together by some kind of mucus. It looked dirty and very pitiful.
“Nitrate poisoning.”
Xu Ying immediately made a judgment based on the fertilizer pollution situation and years of diagnostic experience.
She quickly put down her backpack and took out the first aid kit she carried with her.
At the same time, I exchanged the knowledge of Rabbit Language from the system.
When the cottontail rabbit saw her approaching, it instinctively wanted to run away, but it could only kick its hind legs weakly a few times.
Xu Ying noticed that there were bite marks on its right front paw, and the same white particles were embedded in the cracks of its nails - the poor little guy tried to clean the chemicals on his body, but made the situation worse.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you. I'm a doctor who treats small animals."
She whispered as she gently wrapped the towel around the cottontail's body.
The steamed bun frog in the airline box also croaked at this time, sending a friendly signal.
[Big Rabbit, this is a veterinarian. She's amazing at treating illnesses. Trust her, quack!]
[She can understand you. If you have any discomfort, tell her and she will help you. Quack!]
Although the cottontail rabbit can't quite understand quack language, it can feel the safety signal sent by the mantou frog. In the food chain, the mantou frog is a creature lower than it to the rabbit. If even creatures weaker than it are safe now, then it will be safe too.
The cottontail rabbit curled up.
[Drinking water hurts.]
"You'll get sick from drinking water, right?"
Xu Ying's fingertips trembled slightly.
She carefully placed the cottontail rabbit on a flat surface and began to examine it with a small medical flashlight.
Pupils may be slow to respond to light, a sign of neurotoxicity;
The abdomen is drum-like when palpated, with severe flatulence;
Bowel sounds almost disappear under the stethoscope, indicating that the intestines are paralyzed.
"Hold on, Bunny!" Xu Ying's tone was gentle and soft, but his movements were extremely smooth.
She used a soft brush made of camel thorn fiber to clean the fertilizer residue on the cottontail rabbit's body to prevent it from licking and poisoning. Then she took out the pre-mixed ORS oral rehydration salts from the first aid kit and fed them little by little with a dropper.
The cottontail rabbit struggled for a moment, then calmed down under her comfort.
Xu Ying knew it could understand her now: "This is glucose and electrolytes, which can help you fight dehydration."
The next step is the most critical step - activated carbon suspension.
She precisely weighed out 0.8 grams of activated charcoal powder and mixed it with saline to form a paste. “It might be a little bitter, but it’s the best detoxifier.”
She explained softly, carefully pried open the cottontail rabbit's mouth, and slowly poured the medicine in.
Just then, a pungent smell wafted over.
Xu Ying looked up and saw a strange blue foam floating upstream in the irrigation canal. She quickly took out a pH test paper and dipped it into the water. The paper immediately turned dark blue—the pH was at least 9, strongly alkaline.
"The water in the village canal has been seriously polluted."
Xu Ying bit her lip. This land must not be poisoned by chemical fertilizers again. All fertilizing activities must be stopped.
But thinking of the superstition and stubbornness of the villagers today, Xu Ying sighed.
Suddenly, the cottontail rabbit began to tremble violently in her hands, its front paws unconsciously digging the ground once, twice, three times—then pointed stubbornly in the northwest direction.
Xu Ying took out a telescope from his bag and looked in that direction. He could vaguely see the shadow of a truck a few kilometers away.
"What's there?" Xu Ying asked softly.
The cottontail rabbit's consciousness came intermittently: [Lots of bags, waterside.]
Just as Xu Ying was about to ask further questions, the cottontail rabbit suddenly stiffened all over and pretended to be dead.
Almost at the same time, she heard heavy and powerful footsteps behind her.
"Comrade veterinarian, are you still working so late?"
Xu Ying turned around and saw three men standing on the canal bank.
It was Master Wu and two other villagers.
Master Wu narrowed his remaining eye and fixed his gaze on the cottontail rabbit in Xu Ying's hand. "That cottontail rabbit is the messenger of the land god. If you touch it, you will bring disaster upon yourself!"
Xu Ying noticed that the soles of Master Wu's shoes were stained with blue particles, identical to the material floating in the canal water. She calmly cradled the cottontail rabbit in her arms and said, "I'm just conducting an ecological survey of the oasis."
"What did you pour into the irrigation canal?"
"To increase yields, we need to apply fertilizer!" A villager in brown clothes waved his arms excitedly. Xu Ying noticed a fresh chemical burn scar on the back of his hand. "What do you know, young man, who doesn't know anything about farming?"
"Last year, after using 'Fengshoubao', my family's wheat harvest increased by 30%!"
"What about this year?" Xu Ying asked calmly, "Is the soil getting harder? Is it getting drier after watering?"
The two villagers paused.
Master Wu snorted coldly upon seeing this: "Stop talking nonsense!"
"This rabbit is foaming at the mouth. It's obviously sick. It's not auspicious at all and will affect the feng shui of the village."
"Why are you trying to save it? What's there to save? You can't even save the cows in the cowshed."
Master Wu's words are very meaningful.
The cottontail rabbit in Xu Ying's arms twitched even more violently. She stopped arguing, carefully hugged the rabbit, and stood up to leave.
Master Wu sneered from behind: "Get away with your cottontail rabbit!"
When we returned to the utility room of the old house of Song Dongbai where we were staying, Assistant Liu had already cleaned it up.
As if afraid that Xu Ying would take photos and tell tales, the utility room was simple but tidy. Xu Ying became more and more satisfied with Assistant Liu.
She built a quiet recovery environment for the cottontail rabbits, making a nest out of old fabric and placing it in a dark, ventilated corner.
The activated charcoal seemed to work, and the cottontail rabbit's breathing became much smoother.
Thinking of the "harvest treasure" that the villagers had mentioned several times today, Xu Ying narrowed his eyes.
There must be something wrong with this fertilizer. We need to get a sample for testing.
Sleeping in the gloomy old house, and with his worries, Xu Ying was only in a light sleep.
Late at night, quacking sounds could be heard one after another in the old house.
When Xu Ying opened her eyes, she found more than ten steamed bun frogs singing a symphony around her.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes in confusion and yawned: "It's late at night, and you are having a chorus?"
[Stationmaster Xu, we have information!]
A steamed bun frog appeared in the crack of the wall and roared at the top of its voice:
[Stationmaster Xu, someone has quietly gone to the old cowshed where you are responsible for treating patients!]
[Go check it out!]
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