The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

The farmer patted the old man's shoulder lightly. "Uncle, I overheard this on my way here. They said there might be important guests coming tonight. Anyway, like everyone else in the village, please be careful tonight." After saying this, the farmer strode away, leaving the old man standing there alone in fear.

Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying exchanged a glance and followed Nong Han back to the village.

As promised, the farmer arrived at Old Zhang's house in the south of the village and chatted for quite some time.

He's only been in the village for a few days, but he's already gotten along quite well with the villagers.

Getting to the point, Old Zhang led the farmer to the stinky pigsty and found the piglet that had been lying on the ground all day, looking sullen.

Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying were outside the pigpen. Lu Xiaosan asked, "Little Golden Retriever, have you taken the pigs to the vet?"

Wen Ying smiled and said, "I've seen it."

"So? Do you think he can cure this piglet?"

"I don't know, after all, the pig I treated isn't cured yet," Wen Ying replied.

Lu Xiaosan said "Oh," and then turned to the pigsty, "Then we've got something to watch today."

Inside the pigpen, the farmer first looked the piglets up and down, then wandered around the pen, pondering, "It shouldn't be a problem with the living environment, but rather a problem with the pigs themselves."

He leaned down next to the piglet and saw it widen its eyes and squeal softly. It was clear that the piglet was afraid of the stranger in front of it and wanted to run away.

But it was too weak to get up and could only lie on the ground and let it play with it.

The farmer first checked the pig's hair, then looked inside its eyes and saw that they were bloodshot. The piglet was also breathing rapidly.

The farmer picked up the piglet's excrement and smelled it before drawing his conclusion.

Inside the pigsty, the farmer smiled at Old Zhang and said, "Uncle Zhang, I think your son... ah no, this pig must have heatstroke."

Old Zhang asked in confusion, "Heatstroke?"

“That’s right. This pig’s limbs are weak and its body temperature is extremely high. In addition, its eyes are bloodshot and its breathing is rapid. Its feces also show that it has recently lost its appetite. Therefore, I deduce that it has heatstroke,” the farmer said seriously.

Lu Xiaosan exclaimed from outside, "Look, that's what you call professional." He acted as if it was all his own achievement.

Wen Ying said, "That's right. Doctors can't be careless in the slightest. If they're not careful, the patient's condition will not only worsen, but their life may also be in danger."

Looking over again, I saw Old Man Zhang standing there, looking completely helpless. "Then... what should we do?"

"Give this piglet to me, old man," the farmer said.

Old Zhang's face lit up with joy. "Then... I'll leave everything to you, hehehe."

"No problem, no problem, then I'll take it to get treatment." The farmer said as he picked up the piglet.

The piglet wanted to resist, but was powerless to struggle.

Wen Ying patted Lu Xiaosan excitedly and said, "Follow him, I want to learn how to treat piglets."

The two followed him cautiously, only catching up when he was almost out of sight, to ensure their safety.

And so, after going around in circles, they ended up in a reed field behind the village.

These vast expanses of reeds are as tall as an adult. Walking into them is like entering a maze; not only can you not find anyone, but you can also get lost yourself.

"Oh no, these reeds have grown too tall, I can't find him anymore."

"Never mind, let's get out of this reed field first."

The two rushed in one direction and slowly saw light ahead.

Lu Xiaosan was overjoyed and darted out, but he landed face-first in the rushing stream.

"Ah!" Lu Xiaosan jumped out and shouted, "There are fish in the water! There are fish!"

Once Lu Xiaosan calmed down, he angrily said, "How could I not find a monster?" After saying that, he took out his Buddhist beads from his pocket.

Following the directions of the prayer beads, the two traveled along the stream.

Lu Xiaosan couldn't help but ask, "Why did this guy come to the stream?"

Wen Ying's eyes darted around. "Perhaps they want to use the stream water to cool the pigs down."

Lu Xiaosan walked along with some doubt, and after a while, he suddenly smelled a strong fragrance coming from afar.

So, as if he had been given a navigation system, Lu Xiaosan pulled Wen Ying and headed towards the source of the scent.

Soon they saw the farmer from before by the river. He had set up a grill, and the piglets on it were sizzling and dripping with oil. The wronged souls had already drifted away with the smoke.

Wen Ying exclaimed in surprise, "So... this is the method he used to treat the piglets?"

The farmer was licking his lips as he constantly turned the piglets on the grill. His skillful and experienced movements suggested that this was no first time he had done this despicable thing.

Lu Xiaosan watched from outside, his mouth watering. He wanted to rush out, but Wen Ying stopped him, saying, "Be careful, let's wait and see."

That makes sense, but people may be willing, but their stomachs may not. Helpless, Lu Xiaosan could only eat the sesame seed cakes she had just bought from the shop, imagining that what she was eating was roasted pig.

The farmer was leisurely soaking his feet, while a reddish tinge appeared on the meat. Lu Xiaosan and the farmer exclaimed at the same time, "It's done!"

Lu Xiaosan could no longer hold back. He threw down the half-eaten sesame seed cake in his hand and rushed toward the roast suckling pig.

In the blink of an eye, the farmer's eyes suddenly sharpened, as if he had keenly sensed something. He immediately rushed towards Lu Xiaosan's direction.

Wen Ying shouted, "Watch out, he's coming!"

The two simply brushed past each other without even glancing at one another.

Lu Xiaosan was aiming for the pork on the grill, while the farmer was aiming for the half-eaten sesame seed cake that Lu Xiaosan had thrown away.

Nong Han caught the sesame seed cake before it hit the ground, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Luckily, I made it in time."

Nong Han returned to the grill and scolded Lu Xiaosan, "Hey! Brother, how can you be so wasteful? Don't you know how long we've been working on this one pancake behind the scenes?" As he spoke, he started eating the pancake in his hand.

Lu Xiaosan rubbed his hands together, his eyes fixed on the roast suckling pig, and replied perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, but it's still far inferior to this fragrant pig."

The farmer shook his head and sighed, "Ignorance, ignorance! Do you know how much effort and time we have to endure from the moment the wheat seed is planted in the field until it blossoms and matures? How can this be compared to a suckling pig that can be cooked in one roast?"

This statement is made with an air of righteous indignation, as if the suckling pig was roasted by Lu Xiaosan and the cakes were bought by him.

Lu Xiaosan's mind was entirely focused on the roast suckling pig, so he replied perfunctorily, "Oh, right, right."

Wen Ying smiled and said, "Roasting suckling pig isn't as simple as you think. The sow has to be pregnant for a hundred days before giving birth to piglets. And then raising them to adulthood takes a lot of manpower and energy."

The farmer snorted, "How can crude reproductive practices compare to the fruits of human wisdom?"

Lu Xiaosan laughed again, "In that case, how about I give you two more flatbreads in exchange for this roast suckling pig?"

The farmer raised his hand and shouted, "No!"

Lu Xiaosan laughed loudly, "Look at your serious, silly look just now, it was all fake all along."

Nong Han then said, "Brother, you misunderstand. What I mean is that this half-cake is enough. You can keep the rest for yourself, as long as you don't waste it."

Lu Xiaosan was overjoyed. "Okay, okay, no problem, no problem. From now on, I will never waste food again." After saying that, he tore off a small pig leg and put it in his mouth to gnaw on.

Nong Han smiled with satisfaction, "That's very good, but I have two more conditions."

Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying were both taken aback. "What are the conditions?"

"First, I hope you will not mistake me for a monster and keep following me."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaosan continued to eat the roasted pork with gusto, saying, "No problem, no problem."

"And the second one?" Wen Ying asked.

The farmer smiled, took out a letter from his pocket, and said, "The second condition is that you deliver this letter to the old Yang family house at the entrance of the village on your way back. There is an old paulownia tree in front of the house, so it is easy to spot."

Wen Ying helped Lu Xiaosan take the letter and asked, "Then, who should this letter be given to?"

The farmer said, "You'll find out when you get to the Yang residence." After saying that, the farmer lay down on the ground, looking as if he was about to fall asleep.

Seeing Lu Xiaosan devouring the food, he licked his lips and couldn't help but say, "Brother, if you can't finish it, just leave it there, and I'll take care of it for you."

Lu Xiaosan wiped the grease from his mouth. "How could that be? Didn't I just promise you that I wouldn't waste food anymore?"

The farmer laughed heartily, "Good, very good."

"Come here, little golden retriever, I've saved the meatiest parts for you."

"This... is too oily... I'd rather have some pancakes..." Wen Ying politely declined with a smile.

"No way! I have to fatten you up today!"

After Lu Wen and Lu Xiaosan finished their meal, Lu Xiaosan asked the farmer, "By the way, you told that old man not to go out tonight. What will happen in the village tonight?"

The farmer lay on the ground, half-asleep, and mumbled, "Hehe, you'll know when you get to the Yang residence."

Lu Xiaosan looked up and saw that the sun had already set behind the mountains, leaving only a faint red glow in the sky. Night was about to fall.