Chapter 104: The Eternal Dilemma: Save the Mother or the Calf?

This incident was a long and complicated one. Song Hongmei wasn’t just the head of women’s affairs in the compound—she had her hands in many matters and also oversaw the affairs of several nearby villages. In fact, many village chiefs reported directly to her.

Take Shilin Village, for example—one of the poorest in the area. Song Hongmei had long hoped to help the village lift itself out of poverty. She kept close contact with the local production brigade, encouraging labor and closely monitoring the village’s productivity.

With the New Year approaching, Song Hongmei had even used her own money to buy supplies and hand them out for free to destitute families struggling to get by, just to ensure everyone could have a joyful holiday.

Eventually, under the enthusiastic invitation of the village secretary and the village chief, she stayed for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

But the incident happened during that dinner.

At the production brigade’s cattle shed, a mischievous child threw a firecracker into the pen, startling the cows.

One of them was a pregnant cow, and it was severely frightened.

The cow panicked and ran wild, crashing into the walls and even knocking them down. In her terrified rampage, the heavily pregnant cow went into labor.

In human terms—it was a premature birth triggered by stress.

The cow bellowed in pain, crying out loudly. The members of the production brigade stood around, anxious and worried.

This wasn’t just any animal—it was a cow!

A cow was the most valuable asset of the entire production team.

When spring came, they would need it to plow the fields. That work simply couldn’t be done without a cow.

Originally, they had planned for the cow to give birth after the New Year, when the ground was still frozen and there was little farm work to be done. That way, the cow could rest and recover, give birth safely, and the newborn calf would be an extra source of labor.

That meant an additional labor force for the production brigade—something far more valuable than even an extra person.

But who would’ve thought that on the happiest night of the year—New Year’s Eve—such a disaster would strike?

Seeing that the situation was critical, Song Hongmei took charge, calmed the crowd, and ordered the team leader, Han Shi, to immediately fetch a veterinarian.

There wasn’t a vet in Shilin Village itself. The nearest one lived in a neighboring village, and getting there and back meant four hours of hiking through mountainous roads.

Still, no matter how long it would take, saving the cow, their vital labor force, was non-negotiable.

But when bad luck hits, it doesn’t come alone.

After walking for two hours through the mountains, Han Shi finally found the vet—only to discover that the man had drunk too much homemade rice wine during his own New Year’s celebration.

And this wasn’t some weak wine like Chu Yue’s homemade fermented brew. This was the real deal—high-alcohol rice wine.

The vet was completely passed out, too drunk to even respond. No matter how loudly Han Shi called, he couldn’t wake him.

Left with no choice, Han Shi hoisted the unconscious vet onto his back and trekked back through the mountains in the dark.

By the time he made it back to the village, the vet was still unresponsive, barely conscious, and clearly not in any shape to help.

Everyone’s hopes collapsed. Meanwhile, the cow’s condition was worsening. Four or five hours had passed, and the calf still hadn’t come out. Things were looking bleaker by the minute.

If this continued, the calf could suffocate in the womb, and the mother could also die from exhaustion, resulting in both lives lost.

And so, the age-old dilemma resurfaced—
Do you save the mother or the child?

Someone suggested cutting the cow open to extract the calf.

But then others argued that without the mother’s care, a newborn calf wouldn’t survive long anyway.

Some people suggested simply giving up on saving the calf and focusing on saving the mother cow first, in order to minimize losses.

But none of the villagers were veterinarians. In the face of a difficult labor, no one knew how to ensure the survival of the mother cow.

Everyone was at a loss, completely unsure of what to do.

They could only watch helplessly as the mother cow cried out in pain, her condition worsening by the minute. If the cow ended up losing both her life and the calf’s, the entire production brigade would face enormous difficulties once spring came and farm work resumed.

Han Shi, the brigade leader, was anxious and irritable. Song Hongmei, who was also witnessing everything, frowned, her expression complicated.

Just when it seemed like there was no way out, Song Hongmei happened to run into Chu Yue and Lu Zhanlin. She suddenly remembered that Chu Yue had once helped Wang Chunling deliver a baby during a difficult labor. Faced with Chu Yue’s questioning look, she blurted out:

“Sister Chu, if you can help a person deliver a baby, could you… maybe help a cow give birth too?”

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she shook her head and said helplessly:

“Ai… I must be flustered. A human is one thing, a cow is something else entirely. There’s such a big difference. How could you possibly…”

Just as Song Hongmei was speaking, Chu Yue interrupted her:

“Sister Song, I can’t guarantee anything, but I can take a look.”

Chu Yue understood what a cow meant to a village like this. She could also sense how desperate Song Hongmei was.

Back in the end times, Chu Yue had never delivered a calf before—but she had helped a tiger give birth once.

Whether it was a cow or a tiger, you wouldn’t know unless you tried.

The moment Song Hongmei heard Chu Yue’s words, her eyes lit up.

Lu Zhanlin, standing nearby, confirmed:

“You really want to give it a try?”

“Mm,” Chu Yue nodded. “If a cow is important enough that Sister Song would stay up all night on New Year’s Eve, it must matter a lot to everyone. I’m willing to try.”

Seeing her determination, Lu Zhanlin didn’t object. He immediately said to Song Qi:

“Song Qi, you take the elderly and the child back by car first. I’ll stay with Chu Yue and handle Sister Song’s situation. Once you get them to the compound, make sure they’re safely inside before leaving. Be extra careful on the road.”

“Yes, Commander Lu!” Song Qi responded. Then he asked, “Commander, what about you and Sister-in-law? It’s pretty far from here to the compound. Once I drop them off, I’ll come back to get you.”

Lu Zhanlin glanced at Chu Yue and Song Hongmei, then nodded.

And so, the group split into two.

Song Qi helped Wang Chunling walk, shielding the small child from the wind and snow as they made their way down the path out of the village. Li Jinbao, grumbling and unwilling, trailed behind. If she didn’t get in the car, she’d have to walk—and she definitely didn’t want to walk! Not to mention, her injured hand still hadn’t been treated!

Oh, and her hundred yuan…

Just thinking about it hurt more than her actual wound.

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Meanwhile, Chu Yue stayed behind. Wasting no time, she asked Song Hongmei to lead the way to the village commune.

Lu Zhanlin followed close behind.

Soon, they reached the other side of the village, where torches burned brightly against the night, casting a warm glow all around. A group of people stood gathered there.

This cow was the village’s lifeline. If the calf couldn’t be delivered, no one would sleep that night.

Han Shi, the brigade leader, saw Song Hongmei arrive and immediately came over.

“Sister Song, nothing bad happened, right?”

Han Shi was a young man in his thirties—rugged and upright. When he saw Lu Zhanlin in military uniform and Chu Yue beside him, he frowned and asked:

“And these two are…?”