Chapter 105: Foul Stench: A Chapter with Smell

Song Hongmei gave a quick introduction, “This is Commander Lu Zhanlin, and this is his wife, Chu Yue. Chu Yue knows medicine—she might be able to help deliver the calf.”

“Her?” Han Shi’s thick eyebrows shot up, and his disbelief came out without thinking.

In his eyes, Chu Yue was a delicate, dainty girl—especially standing beside Lu Zhanlin, she looked even more frail. From a rural perspective, she probably couldn’t even lift a hoe, let alone help deliver a calf. She might not even have the strength to carry a child.

So it was no surprise Han Shi was so shocked and dismissive of her.

Chu Yue could sense the contempt in his gaze but didn’t bother arguing. She simply said calmly,
“Whether I’m capable or not, we’ll only know if we try.”

With that, she pushed past the crowd and headed toward the center.

“You… you… you… be careful—” Han Shi tried to stop her, not out of bad intent but because the situation at the center was truly terrible. He was afraid this soft, pampered young woman wouldn’t be able to handle it.

But Lu Zhanlin immediately stepped in front of Han Shi, blocking him completely. He wouldn’t let Han Shi even touch Chu Yue. With a cold, low voice, he said,
“Please allow my wife to give it a try.”

Song Hongmei quickly added,
“Chu Yue has helped deliver babies before back in the compound—she has experience.”

Delivering a human baby was nothing like delivering an animal.

Especially not a cow this massive!

Han Shi was both anxious and angry, thinking these people were completely out of their minds. If the calf couldn’t be delivered and the cow died in the process, these folks could just walk away—but he would have to deal with all the villagers’ complaints.

Amid all the skeptical stares, Chu Yue finally saw the cow struggling through a difficult labor. And along with the sight came an overwhelming stench.

This area was near the collapsed cattle shed, which already smelled terrible. On top of that, the cow had been frightened and in labor, leading to incontinence—urine and feces were all over the ground. It was filthy beyond words.

Any ordinary woman would’ve covered her nose and turned away in disgust.

But Chu Yue’s eyes were focused only on the cow lying on the ground.

The mother cow was massive, easily the size of two or three grown men. Being late in her pregnancy, her belly was stretched taut by the calf inside, making her appear even larger and more bloated.

The cow was rolling her eyes, her breathing weak—more exhaling than inhaling.

A very bad sign.

What’s more, cows usually give birth standing up, which helps the calf come out more easily. But this cow was clearly too weak to stand, now lying on her side with her bloated belly pressed against the ground—making the already difficult labor even worse.

Under the disbelieving stares of the villagers, Chu Yue carefully avoided the cow dung and walked to the mother cow’s side. She checked the cow’s condition, reaching out to feel its body temperature.

Thankfully, it wasn’t the worst-case scenario. The cow was weak but hadn’t lost body heat yet, which meant there was still hope.

Chu Yue then walked to the cow’s hindquarters and looked inside.

“Zhanlin, flashlight,” she called out.

Lu Zhanlin quickly pulled a flashlight from his pocket and handed it to her. Chu Yue turned it on and aimed the beam into the cow’s birth canal.

The cow had been in labor for a while, and the birth canal was already open. Reaching inside, Chu Yue could even feel the calf’s head.

The surrounding villagers, recognizing this stage of labor, whispered to each other in confused tones.

“What’s going on? Who is this? We’re in the middle of trying to deliver a calf—what’s a little girl like her doing here? What help could she possibly be?”

“This is ridiculous! Bringing a woman to a place like this—it’s bad luck!”

“Captain, huh? Where’s Captain Han? This woman was brought here by Captain Han? Someone speak up and explain what’s going on…”

When they saw the military uniform on Lu Zhanlin, many of the complaints and chatter quickly died down. Then, when they saw Chu Yue reach her hand into the cow to examine the birth canal, they were completely dumbfounded.

“She… she knows how to help deliver a calf? She can actually get the baby cow out? Stop joking around.”

“I just reached in myself earlier. I could feel the calf’s head, but no matter how hard I pulled, it just wouldn’t come out!”

“What are we supposed to do now… if the calf isn’t delivered and the cow dies, what will happen to our village…”

Amidst the sighs and worry, Chu Yue withdrew her hand from the cow’s body after assessing the situation.

Song Hongmei anxiously asked, “Well? Chu girl, can it be done?”

Chu Yue nodded solemnly. “There’s still hope. I’ll do my best.”

She wasn’t doing this just for the villagers—it was also out of compassion for the cow. All living creatures have a soul. After surviving ten years in the apocalypse, Chu Yue felt this more deeply than most.

Like the time she had once helped a tigress give birth. As fierce as that wild animal was, after one of her cubs died from weakness, the grieving mother let out painful growls and then, astonishingly, took in a human orphan. She gently cared for the human baby, feeding it her milk and keeping it alive.

A mother’s love can surpass the law of the jungle.

Chu Yue wanted to give her all to save this suffering cow—and the calf not yet born.

When Han Shi heard what Chu Yue said, he rushed over and asked, “Comrade, really? You can really help a cow give birth?”

Chu Yue replied firmly, “I know that both the mother cow and the calf are incredibly important to all of you—they represent the hope of the whole village. With Sister Song here and my partner by my side, I wouldn’t make empty promises. I just hope we can deliver the calf safely.”

After hearing her speak, Han Shi’s earlier hesitation and doubt suddenly felt laughable. He stood awkwardly to the side.

Lu Zhanlin asked, “What do you need us to do?”

Chu Yue said, “Bring up the wooden frame. Everyone, lift it together. We need to get the cow on her feet—she can’t give birth lying down.”

Around them were wooden frames and ropes, clearly prepared in advance—these tools were often used during livestock births.

Someone still doubted her. “Captain Han, are we really going to take orders from some little girl? Who knows if she even knows how to deliver a calf?”

Han Shi scowled and snapped, “If we don’t let her do it, then what—you want to try? You know how to deliver a cow? Stop talking nonsense! Do as she says! Get the wooden frame!”

With that shout, those who had doubted Chu Yue began to move.

The cow had already collapsed. She was huge and heavy—it wouldn’t be easy to get her on her feet again, no matter how many people tried.

After securing the wooden frame, seven or eight men pushed together. Lu Zhanlin personally joined in to lift, but even with all their strength, it wasn’t quite enough. The cow still couldn’t stand.

Chu Yue shouted into the cold wind, “Everyone, follow my count! Pull together on my command—united effort will do it. One-two! One-two! One-two—!”

“One-two! One-two! One-two—!”

Song Hongmei stood at the side, raising her voice to join Chu Yue in shouting the rhythm.