Chapter 120
Chapter 120
When mealtime rolled around, Jiang Yunsui ran next door again to ask Fat Chef for food.
Then she took him to the courtyard to cut grass. She was simply too small to do that sort of work herself.
When Fat Chef saw all those fresh, tender weeds, he didn’t ask any questions. He just rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
And those plump mushrooms in the courtyard? Oh, he liked the look of them very much.
Those mushrooms were ridiculously tasty.
“Should we dig up the mushrooms too?”
Jiang Yunsui was currently gripping a little hoe and huffing as she dug up mushrooms. Hearing him, she answered in a clear, crisp voice, “Yes, dig them up!”
Once the weeds were cut and the mushrooms dug up, Fat Chef took Jiang Yunsui with him to the military camp.
She wanted to see how those horses were doing.
That herd of wild horses had been penned separately in a horse paddock.
The weeds were all meant to feed the horses.
Afraid there wouldn’t be enough to go around, Fat Chef brought them to the Cook Battalion and called everyone over to help chop the grass fine, then mixed in bean dregs, wheat bran, some eggs, and crushed eggshells.
“Don’t forget to add salt!” Fat Chef shouted.
“Got it!”
Herbivores needed to replenish salt too, and the best way was to add a little salt into their fodder.
With all those things mixed together, the horse feed immediately became much more plentiful.
“All right, this much should be enough for those wild horses. Let’s go.”
Jiang Yunsui asked curiously, “Do the other horses eat like this too?”
Fat Chef nodded. “Of course they do. This here is the feed blend those horses like best.”
And this feed was made with real, solid ingredients.
They carried several buckets of horse feed to the paddock.
Jiang Yunsui could tell that the wild horses were much calmer than when they had first arrived yesterday.
There was still some leftover feed in the troughs.
Someone was also cleaning up the horse manure and the like.
When the horses saw Jiang Yunsui-especially White Horse-it immediately flicked its tail and trotted over, then clamped its lips onto her clothes.
“Neigh, neigh~”
Jiang Yunsui quickly fed it a little Imperial Flowing Essence.
Only then did White Horse settle down and stop chewing on her clothes.
Feeling a bit guilty, Jiang Yunsui patted its head.
“Be good, okay? I’m basically finding you all a job. Look, you don’t have to worry about wild beasts outside anymore, someone brings you food every day, and someone cleans the place you live in. Isn’t that great?”
“Although there’s still a risk of dying when you go onto the battlefield, there’s also a risk of dying out in the wild. It’s all the same.”
“Chow time, buddies.”
Fat Chef and the others had already cleaned out the troughs and poured in the new horse feed.
Smelling the aroma, even the horses that were still wary of people and standing far away couldn’t resist the temptation. They ran over.
After one taste, they immediately lowered their heads and started eating with gusto.
Even White Horse ran over.
It seemed they really did like it.
Fat Chef watched with a cheerful grin. He glanced at the little bit of horse feed still left in the bucket. Heh. That was a bit he had secretly set aside for his own old partner.
He had known it. The grass in Little Yunsui’s courtyard had grown especially well today, and it smelled good too. The horses were sure to like it.
Sure enough, they were eating big mouthfuls, and it looked delicious.
He had heard from the horse handlers that these horses had refused to eat yesterday.
Jiang Yunsui was happy to see it too. Eating more was good. The more they ate, the healthier they would be.
After the herd of wild horses had eaten and drunk their fill, they leisurely began basking in the sun.
“You came at just the right time. Help me hold down that black-and-white horse. There’s something wrong with its hoof, and I need to trim it.”
Jiang Yunsui was secretly giving extra food to the young horse she had nearly strangled when a very tall man walked over.
He seemed to be quite familiar with Fat Chef and the others.
He was carrying quite a few tools.
As he entered the paddock, he glanced at the horses eating their feed, and his face immediately lit up with joy.
“Well, would you look at that. They’re finally eating.”
“This batch of wild horses is adapting really well.”
“Old Ma.”
The others greeted him one after another.
Jiang Yunsui poked her head out curiously.
So this man’s surname was actually Ma.
“Did you bring this fodder? Logically speaking, you were the ones who caught them. They shouldn’t be giving you the time of day.”
Fat Chef patted his round belly and said with a grin, “See, this is where you don’t understand. The horse feed we brought is good stuff. Don’t believe me? Give it a smell. Fragrant, isn’t it?”
Old Ma really did grab a handful and hold it up to his nose.
“Whoa! What a rich, fresh grass scent. No wonder they like it so much. Where did you get this grass?”
“It’s gone. This is all there is.”
Old Ma looked deeply regretful.
“The other horses would definitely like this grass too.”
“Right, let’s deal with the matter at hand first. Something probably got lodged in the left hind hoof of that black-and-white horse. I’ll treat it. You all help me hold it down.”
“The other horses’ hooves need to be taken care of too. And the fleas and ticks on them. Once they’ve settled down, we’ll take them all for a proper wash.”
“Sure thing. Let’s do it.”
When they went to catch the black-and-white horse, the other horses immediately grew restless at the sight.
White Horse was even angrier. It charged forward, ready to fight them.
“Wait, wait a second. Don’t thrash around. They’re helping.”
Hearing Jiang Yunsui’s voice, Old Ma let out a surprised sound.
“When did this little kid get here? How come I didn’t notice?”
Then he saw Jiang Yunsui tugging on that troublemaking White Horse’s ear, and White Horse actually did not lose its temper. He was stunned.
No, seriously? That tiny little thing was this fierce?
Seeing Old Ma’s shocked expression, Fat Chef chuckled and sidled over.
“Well? That’s my darling granddaughter. Cute, isn’t she?”
Old Ma was even more shocked.
“Your granddaughter? You old bachelor who doesn’t even have a wife, where did you get a granddaughter?”
“Hey, hey, hey! Why are you attacking me like that?”
“So what if I don’t have a wife? I can still have a granddaughter without having a son.”
“She’s not just your granddaughter. She’s ours too.”
The men all wore proud expressions.
Old Ma: “…”
Look at how full of yourselves you are. I thought she was your real granddaughter.
Still, for these old fellows to have a granddaughter like this was pretty nice too.
With Jiang Yunsui there, the black-and-white horse cooperated very well afterward.
Still, Jiang Yunsui nearly talked herself dry before she managed to lower the horses’ guard.
She was dying of thirst.
Fat Chef handed her a ladle of water.
The little girl held the big ladle in both hands, buried her small face in it, and gulped it down.
Fat Chef said, “I’ll make you milk tea when we get back.”
Jiang Yunsui nodded. “Okay.”
After drinking the water, she squatted to the side and watched Master Ma trim the black-and-white horse’s hoof with eyes full of curiosity.
A wooden splinter was embedded in the hoof, and the hind hoof had already started to ooze pus.
Master Ma used his tools to trim the uneven hoof, then pulled out the splinter.
When the splinter came out, it must have hurt, because the horse panicked and tried to run.
Jiang Yunsui quickly hugged the horse’s head and fed it a bit of Imperial Flowing Essence to soothe it.
Old Ma threw the wooden splinter away, then went to prepare the medicinal solution. He placed the bleeding hoof inside to soak.
“If this horse’s hoof isn’t treated properly, the next time it runs into danger, wolves, bears, or something like that, it’s going to lose its life.”
After all, the longer this went on, the more the hoof would rot. Once it could no longer run, it could only wait to die.
White Horse was very clever. It seemed to understand something and walked over to rub against the black-and-white horse’s neck, comforting it.
After that, the horse behaved very obediently.
“All right. Once this hoof heals, I’ll tidy up its other hooves too.”
“Little one, help me hold that horse next. It has too many ticks on it. If this keeps going, they’ll suck it dry.”