Chapter 167: Chapter 167: The Vulture’s Thank-You Gift!

Village Chief Miao: “That’s right. Tomorrow morning, you assemble everyone and get that yellow-haired Xu girl out of our village quickly. The village needs to gather funds to order a new batch of fertilizers. We can’t delay making money.”

Miao Zhong: “But uncle, the village is getting worse. Even the water is toxic. People might get sick. What will we do in the future?”

Village Chief Miao: “Are you stupid? With all this money in hand, we can move to the city! Why stay as village chief? The money from these cheap fertilizers is enough for my retirement!”

“I have a relative running a private clinic in the county. Once I introduce the village idiots to their doctors, we’ll make more money.”

…

Just this big chunk of dialogue was explosive enough, not to mention Master Wu counting money in his house while bragging to his wife on the phone about how feudal and superstitious the village is—it’s really easy to make money off fools.

All the villagers present were infuriated, their faces turning green with anger.

Village Chief Miao, Miao Zhong, and Master Wu were surrounded by the crowd they had gathered, scared half to death.

The villagers circled them, demanding explanations.

When Xu Ying led two cattle out from the backyard of the old house, the Yin couple saw the cows she was leading, which were clearly in better condition than yesterday. They quickly apologized to Xu Ying: “Doctor Xu, we’re sorry for what we said earlier.”

“You’re the one truly helping us.”

The villagers exchanged guilty looks and eventually apologized to Xu Ying one by one.

“Sorry, Doctor Xu, our attitude was terrible.”

“How could the vet sent by the officials be subpar? We were just deceived by Miao Zhong’s nonsense.”

With the culprit of the village’s troubles identified and the villagers’ trust gained, handling the subsequent issues became much easier.

Xu Ying submitted the investigation report to the organization, leaving the rest to the professional environmental remediation teams.

She then took the Steamed Bun Frog, the Cotton-tailed Rabbit, and other small animals back to the rescue center headquarters for blood tests and physical exams.

*

Operating room.

The smell of disinfectant filled the air.

The cold white glow of the surgical light was precise, slicing through the silence of the examination room like a scalpel.

Zhuo Yi assisted Xu Ying from the side. She had immense respect for the young girl’s medical skills. Every communication with her brought new insights, even though she only graduated half a year ago; she handled treatments like an experienced pro.

This must be the kind of “recent graduate with three years of intern experience” that companies look for!

Xu Ying put on medical gloves and gently parted the feathers of the little Vulture.

Its skin appeared an unhealthy blue-gray, the crop was swollen, and its breathing was rapid yet weak.

She leaned closer with her stethoscope, her ears twitching slightly.

Following the fertilizer poisoning treatment in recent days, the little Vulture had narrowly escaped death, but there were still many health issues. Born with poison, this poor little one was truly unfortunate.

“Low body temperature, dehydration, and neurological tremors…”

Xu Ying quietly announced her conclusions, her fingers sliding down the side of the little Vulture’s neck, feeling its tense muscles, “Are you scared?”

The little Vulture half-opened its eyes, its beak slightly ajar, letting out an almost inaudible “click.”

To Zhuo Yi, it sounded like the unconscious moan of a bird, but Xu Ying’s fingers paused for a moment.

［Pain… So scared…］

“Don’t be afraid. Your mom and dad are on the roof with you, and we will help you through this.”

“You need to get healthy and grow into a strong, proud little Vulture.”

Her voice was soft yet firm, as she deftly adjusted the IV drip rate.

Zhuo Yi handed over warm saline solution. Xu Ying used gauze to wipe the sticky eyelids of the Vulture. Its eyelids trembled, instinctively trying to dodge, but she held its head steady.

“Don’t move.” Her tone was calm yet commanding. “I know you don’t like it, but you need to bear with it.

Xu Ying retrieved two sterilized feathers from the small cart, gently brushing them over the little Vulture’s head and body.

“These are your mom and dad’s feathers, strong and potent.”

“Live on! Your feathers will gradually become as lush and resilient as theirs.”

The little Vulture’s claws twitched, but then slowly started to relax.

During the gavage, its crop spasmed from the irritation, secreting a mix of mucus and toxins from the beak.

Xu Ying didn’t flinch but calmly wiped it away with gauze, her fingers steadily maintaining the angle of the feeding tube.

“Hang in there.” She whispered, smoothing the down sticking up from pain on its body. “You’ll feel better once it’s out.”

The data on the monitor gradually improved, but the critical phase was not over.

Xu Ying pulled up a low stool to sit beside the incubator. Her lab coat sleeves stained with medication, strands of hair slipping from behind her ears, yet she didn’t tidy up, only watching the Vulture’s rising and falling chest intently.

Zhuo Yi urged her to rest, but she shook her head: “It needs continued observation. Its body temperature might fluctuate.”

At three in the morning, the little Vulture opened its eyes in a daze, locking eyes with Xu Ying’s tired but focused gaze. Her fingertips tapped against the glass of the incubator, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“See, little one? I told you, you’d make it through.”

Outside, the night broke into dawn, with white light seeping at the horizon.

Inside the examination room, the heart monitor’s rhythmic beeping finally stabilized.

After three days of treatment, the little Vulture had officially passed the critical stage. It only needed to stay for another week of observation before it could be discharged with its parents!

The other egg, yet to hatch, also showed signs of cracking.

With the experience of treating this little Vulture, the next baby Vulture from the egg will receive systematic care, avoiding the initial chaos faced!

As the sun shone brightly that morning, Xu Ying was buried in paperwork when she suddenly heard a dull thud outside the window—

Like someone had dropped a sack of potatoes onto the ground.

She looked up to see a goofy, fierce-looking bird face outside the window.

Vulture Brother tilted his head, his golden eyes glaring like brass bells, claws gripping the windowsill like a mafia boss demanding protection fees.

Behind him, the slightly smaller Vulture Sister was anxiously hopping in place, a shiny object in her beak, resembling an accomplice eager to sell stolen jewels.

Inside the incubator, the little Vulture fluffed up its feathers at the sight of its parents, chattering like a broken wind-up toy.

As Xu Ying opened the window, she was blustered with sand—ah, these two must have arrived with a personal dust storm!

Vulture Brother awkwardly hopped forward a few steps, dropping a stone with a thud.

Wow! A Gobi Jade the size of an egg rolled onto Xu Ying’s desk.

The Gobi Jade, a vivid orange-red like candied hawthorn, its surface gleaming with an oily sheen, clearly a piece polished for centuries by fine sands.

Vulture Sister also approached, carefully spitting out the agate clutched in her beak.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep