The morning after Founder's arrival dawned with a new texture. The air, usually carrying only the scent of dew and woodsmoke, now held the warm, grassy smell of bovine breath and the rich, earthy odor of fresh manure. For the Lin family, it was the perfume of progress.
Lin Yan was the first at the pasture fence. Founder stood in the center of the three-mu expanse, looking monumentally confused. He had finished his first night under the stars on this unfamiliar ground, away from the herd of his birth. He let out a plaintive, low moo that echoed off the hills.
"He's calling for his mother," Lin Xiao whispered, appearing at Lin Yan's side, his face creased with sympathy.
"He's calling for what he knows," Lin Yan corrected gently. "Now he needs to learn us." The system's integration period glowed in his mind: Day 1 of 30.
The routine began. While the women prepared breakfast, Lin Yan, Lin Tie, and Lin Xiao approached the calf's pen within the pasture. Founder backed away, his eyes wide. Lin Yan carried a wooden bucket with a handful of their precious cracked wheat. He poured it into the trough, then stepped back.
"Patience," Lin Yan murmured. "Everything with patience."
Founder's hunger eventually overcame his fear. He approached, snuffled the grain, and began to eat, one wary eye on the humans.
This became the rhythm of the first week. Feeding, watering, and simply being present. Lin Yan spent hours sitting on a stump just outside the pen, speaking softly, letting the calf grow accustomed to his voice, his shape, his scent. He taught Lin Xiao to do the same. "We are not predators. We are the bringers of food, of safety, of scratches."
He used his points carefully. He invested 30 in 'Intermediate Bovine Health Diagnostics'—a deeper understanding of vital signs, parasite loads, and nutritional balance. He spent another 20 on 'Basic Fencing and Pen Design' knowledge, knowing their current split-rail fence was more psychological than physical for a growing bull.
The family adapted around their new cornerstone. Lin Zhu, using the fencing knowledge Lin Yan shared, began reinforcing the perimeter with extra posts and diagonal braces. Lin Tie's strength was now directed not just at foraging, but at hauling stone to create a proper, hardened base around the water trough and shelter to prevent mud.
Wang Shi and the girls incorporated new tasks. They boiled linseed oil into a gelatinous supplement for Founder's coat. They sorted the hay, setting aside the softest, leafiest clover for the calf. The ranch was no longer a side project; it was the organizing principle of their lives.
On the fifth day, the first real challenge arose. Lin Yan, on his morning inspection, noticed Founder was lying down more than usual, his ruminations slow. A quick system-assisted check revealed a slight bloat and a temperature a fraction too high. The calf was stressed, and his gut flora, used to his mother's milk and mountain grasses, was rebelling against the change.
"He needs green, but gentle greens," Lin Yan diagnosed. He sent Lin Xiao to gather dandelion leaves and wild mint—herbs to soothe digestion and stimulate appetite. He himself mixed a poultice of charcoal from the fire (to absorb gas) and salt, which Founder reluctantly licked from his hand. Most importantly, he reduced the grain supplement and ensured the calf had constant access to the clean, mature hay that was easier on his system.
For two days, they nursed him. Lin Yan slept in the shelter, listening to the calf's breathing. Wang Shi prepared medicinal teas. It was a gentle crisis, a test of their nascent knowledge.
On the third morning, Founder met Lin Yan at the gate with a clear, bright eye and a demanding moo. His appetite was back. The bloat had subsided.
[Integration Milestone: First Health Challenge Overcome.]
[Trust Increased: 'Founder' now associates Host with care and relief from discomfort.]
[Points Awarded: +15.]
[New Skill: Basic Veterinary Herbalism for Ruminants.]
The victory was small but profound. They had not just bought an asset; they had successfully stewarded a life through vulnerability.
This quiet triumph was noticed. Village life was a fishbowl. The sight of the Lin men tending so carefully to a single calf, the smell of medicinal herbs from their hut, the obvious recovery of the animal—it all fed their growing reputation. A young couple from the south end of the village, struggling with a sick goat, hesitantly approached Wang Shi for advice. She shared dandelion and plantain knowledge freely. No payment was asked, but a week later, the man left a bundle of sweet river reeds at their gate, perfect for thatching repairs.
Old Chen watched this quiet exchange of influence with a simmering gaze. His power had been built on controlled scarcity. The Lin family was building theirs on shared, generative knowledge. It was a direct threat.
He made his move not with confrontation, but with bureaucracy. A week after Founder's arrival, the village head, an old man easily swayed by Chen's influence, made an announcement at the village well: "The communal woods and the marsh reeds are for the sustenance of all. To ensure fairness, households taking more than five bundles of wood or two cartloads of reeds per week for non-essential construction must now contribute a labor day to maintaining the village drainage ditches."
It was a clever, targeted rule. The Lin family had been hauling deadfall and reeds constantly—for coop repair, for the cattle shelter, for future projects. The rule would force Lin Tie or Lin Zhu to spend a day a week on ditch labor, draining their productive capacity. "Non-essential" was the key word. Old Chen's definition would surely include a "palace for chickens" or a "shed for one calf."
Lin Dahu received the news with a grim face. "He means to hobble us. To keep our hands too busy to build."
Lin Yan, however, saw it as a perverse opportunity. "Then we make our construction essential. And we get better at hauling."
He used his remaining points. He bought 'Basic Cartwright Principles' (25 points) and 'Draft Animal Harnessing' (20 points). He now had a total of 90 points left, a strategic reserve.
That afternoon, he and Lin Zhu pored over the salvaged timbers from their old lean-to and the best of the deadfall. Using the new knowledge, they designed a simple but vastly improved two-wheeled cart. It was lighter, with a pivoting front axle for easier turning. Lin Zhu's clever hands brought the design to life, his joinery making it strong.
"But an ox or a horse to pull it… that's years away," Lin Zhu sighed, admiring their handiwork nonetheless.
"For now, we pull it ourselves," Lin Tie said. "But with this, one trip can carry what used to take five. We reduce our 'non-essential' hauls to stay under the limit."
The cart also became a village curiosity. Others saw its efficiency. Lin Zhu, with a nudge from Lin Yan, offered to show others how to build one, in exchange for a share of their gathered wood or a future labor favor. It was another subtle shift—from being recipients of village resources to being providers of useful innovation.
The true breakthrough in the integration period came in the third week. Founder, now clearly comfortable, had begun to exhibit playful behavior—kicking up his heels in the morning, trotting along the fence line. One evening, as Lin Yan sat on his stump, the calf approached the pen's edge. He stopped, his head lowered. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, he pushed his broad forehead against the rail where Lin Yan's hand rested.
It was an invitation.
Lin Yan, his heart in his throat, slowly raised his other hand and scratched the spot between Founder's emerging horn buds. The calf's eyes half-closed in pleasure. He let out a deep, rumbling sigh that vibrated up Lin Yan's arm.
[Integration Milestone: Voluntary Contact Initiated by Livestock.]
[Bond Solidified: 'Founder' recognizes Host as herd leader/primary caregiver.]
[Integration Period: Accelerated. Estimated successful completion in 5 days.]
[Points Awarded: +25.]
From that day forward, Founder was no longer just livestock. He was part of the fabric of the place. He would follow Lin Yan from one side of the pasture to the other. He learned his name. The rhythm of the ranch now included his deep, contented chewing, his soft groans of satisfaction when scratched, the thunderous gallop he'd break into for no reason other than joy.
On the twenty-fifth day, Merchant Huang sent his steward, Li, to check on his investment. The man stood at the fence, watching as Lin Yan called Founder. The calf lifted his head from grazing and trotted over, nudging Lin Yan's shoulder for a scratch.
Steward Li's professional detachment cracked into a genuine smile. "I have seen many animals, young master Lin. Few are so… content. The grass is good. The animal is better. Master Huang will be pleased."
His report would cement the partnership. The Lin Ranch had delivered on the first, most crucial promise: they could keep valuable livestock alive and thriving.
That night, the family celebrated the end of the integration period with a special treat—a thin egg custard sweetened with a drop of wild honey. As they ate, the sound of Founder settling for the night, a heavy, comfortable thump followed by a sigh, drifted through the open door.
Lin Dahu looked around at his family, their faces lit by the single oil lamp. "We have an animal that a merchant owns half of. We have a cart we pull ourselves. We have rules made to slow us." He paused. "And we have more hope in this room than I have ever known. Our roots are going down. Deep. Into our own land."
Lin Yan nodded, looking out at the dark pasture. The mission in his mind glowed, complete.
[Mission Complete: 'The Herd's Foundation.']
[Reward: 100 Points. 'Pasture Management' Module (Integrated).]
[New Mission Unlocked: 'The First Harvest.' Generate first significant income from ranch assets beyond eggs (hay sale, livestock product, etc.)]
He had 190 points. The 'Pasture Management' knowledge flowed into him—grazing rotation schedules, soil replenishment cycles, multi-species foraging benefits. It was the blueprint for making three mu support thirty, and then three hundred.
The rhythm was set. The roots were deep. They had navigated sickness, social pressure, and the fragile trust of a thousand-pound creature. The ranch was no longer an idea. It was a living, breathing, chewing reality. The path ahead was still steep, but for the first time, they stood on their own ground, looking up at it together.