Chapter 107: He Even… Likes

Found it!

Chu Yue’s eyes lit up with a spark of joy.

One, two…

She had felt both of the calf’s front hooves, and carefully guided them underneath its head, positioning it in a way that would allow for a safe and smooth delivery.

If this were a human birth, a more familiar term for what she was doing would be:
“correcting the fetal position.”

Only when the fetal position is right can labor proceed safely.

One hand holding the calf’s head, the other gripping its front hooves, Chu Yue began pulling the calf out again after having pushed it back in just moments earlier.

But as soon as she managed to make some progress, the birth canal became blocked again.
No matter how she pulled, nothing budged.

Earlier, even just getting the head through was impossible—now, with two front legs added to the mix, it was clearly even harder.

Beads of sweat started forming on Chu Yue’s forehead.

One side was the cold air and falling snow—
The other was her body, drenched in sweat.

She couldn’t even spare a hand to wipe it away. Tilting her head back, she shouted:
“Rope! I need a birthing rope!”

Everyone around her was stunned yet again.

First it was the wooden rack, now it was a birthing rope—these were both essential tools during a cow’s labor, things only seasoned veterinarians would typically know about.

It was understandable when she asked for the wooden rack earlier—it had been lying right there in the middle of the courtyard. Anyone could have seen it.

But this? A birthing rope?
The average person wouldn’t even think that cows needed a rope to give birth—let alone what it was for.

“…Rope! I’ll go get it!”

After a long pause, one villager finally snapped out of their daze and ran off to get the rope.

Soon enough, the birthing rope was handed to Chu Yue. She fed it into the cow’s birth canal, looped it around the calf’s head, then threaded it back out through the canal.

The next step was simple—
Pull. With. Force.

Originally, Chu Yue had planned to do it herself. With her inner spiritual spring to support her, she might have had just enough strength.

But at that moment, someone stepped up beside her.

It was Han Shi—the very man who had previously doubted her, and who had later spoken up in her support.
“Let me.”

“Okay, here,” Chu Yue said, handing him the rope.

Chu Yue kept her hands inside, closely monitoring the calf’s position, making sure the head and front hooves came out together.

Each had their role.

Han Shi pulled on the rope with all his might, while Chu Yue’s eyes stayed sharp and focused.

As the calf was inched out bit by bit, the mother cow became more and more restless from the pain.
“Moo—! Moo—!” She cried out repeatedly, her large body shaking, causing the wooden rack to tremble along with her.

If the cow collapsed right now, all of Chu Yue’s earlier work would be for nothing.

She looked urgently toward Lu Zhanlin.

Lu Zhanlin understood at once and shouted in a low, commanding voice,
“Don’t panic! Everyone hold steady!”

That one sentence was like a stabilizing anchor, instantly bringing control back to the chaotic scene.

Chu Yue then instructed Han Shi:
“A little more to the left—pull—keep pulling—”

Pull after pull…
Bit by bit…

Everyone’s hearts were lodged in their throats, each person focused solely on doing their part. No one even noticed how much time had passed.

By the time someone finally looked up—
The sky in the east had already begun to lighten with dawn.

They had been at it for a very, very long time.

“It’s out! It’s out! It finally came out!”

Song Hongmei looked at the newborn calf as it landed on the ground with a weak cry, and her eyes couldn’t help but turn red — they were brimming with tears.

Though it wasn’t a human baby, it was still a life — and a very important one for the entire village.

Han Shi’s arms ached from exhaustion, but more than that, he was filled with disbelief. His stunned eyes shifted between the newborn calf, Chu Yue, and finally his own hands.

She did it. He did it. They really did it!

The mother cow was alive. The calf was alive.

The villagers were all wide-eyed, shocked into silence, staring at the newborn calf.

The calf was quite large, its eyes still shut, fur matted and damp — but the sight of it made everyone so overjoyed they momentarily forgot something crucial.

It was Chu Yue who reminded them:

“Get straw! Quick, bring straw! The calf can’t be allowed to lose its body heat!”

The mother cow struggled to move its post-birth body closer, sharing its warmth with the calf, and even extended its tongue to lick the afterbirth from its baby.

Chu Yue finally let out a deep sigh of relief as she watched this.

She reached out and gently patted the mother cow’s head — What a great mother. Your baby is finally here.

Lu Zhanlin walked over to Chu Yue. This breathtaking, nerve-wracking New Year’s Eve was finally over.

The first half of the night had been a festive, joyful New Year’s dinner — then everything had slammed into an emergency brake. The second half was a blur of driving in the middle of the night, Wang Chunling, and now even delivering a cow — more exhausting than a full day at work.

Although Chu Yue still looked surprisingly energetic, Lu Zhanlin asked with concern, “Are you tired?”

“Not really,” Chu Yue shook her head. She had just saved two lives — that filled her with a sense of fulfillment that outweighed any fatigue. She simply wrinkled her nose in disgust and said, “It just stinks. I’m completely covered in it.”

Han Shi hadn’t been eavesdropping, but he was close enough to overhear her complaint.

He immediately shouted, “Hot water! Get hot water! Let Comrade Chu wash up!”

After a night of tension and chaos, the usually stern production team leader finally had a smile on his face. He walked up to Chu Yue and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

“Comrade Chu, thank you! Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, the loss to our production team would’ve been huge! I was right to trust you! You… you’re the most capable female comrade I’ve ever met!”

“Captain Han, you’re too kind.”

In his excitement, Han Shi reached out, wanting to shake Chu Yue’s hand.

But both of them were reeking, especially their hands. And with Lu Zhanlin’s icy, warning stare from the side, a chill ran down Han Shi’s back.

In the end, Han Shi’s hands didn’t so much as graze Chu Yue.

He quickly turned and continued calling out, “Hot water! More hot water! And get steamed buns! Stuffed buns — are there any meat buns? Bring everything! Comrade Chu saved the cow! We have to thank her properly!”

“Coming right up, Captain Han!”

Someone responded loudly, their voice filled with energy.

At that moment, daylight had fully broken. The dark, snowy shadows of night had vanished, and golden morning sunlight peeked through the clouds.

It was the first day of the new year, and the light bathed Chu Yue and Lu Zhanlin.

Hot water was quickly brought over — though it was a middle-aged man who delivered it. He brought only the water and a towel for drying, forgetting to bring soap or soapberry powder.

Chu Yue began scrubbing her hands over and over again. But no matter how many times she washed, the stink clinging to the crevices of her fingers wouldn’t go away.

Instead, her hands — soaked for so long in the hot water — had started to wrinkle.

Chu Yue wrinkled her dainty brows and sniffed her fingertips again. Still smelled. Her brows knit even tighter.

This whole scene played out before Lu Zhanlin’s eyes.

At that moment, Chu Yue was no longer the calm, capable woman who could do anything. She looked more like a spirited, young girl — lovely and full of life.

And no matter which version of Chu Yue it was…

He liked them all.