Chapter 15: Human Affection

The man leading the big black ox was a middle-aged fellow, bare-chested, revealing a shriveled, dark, and lean body... The villagers, for the most part, all looked like this: tanned to a deep black by the sun, yet with hardly any flesh on their bones, appearing dry and emaciated.

"Fourth Uncle," Li Mu called out.

The dark-skinned man smiled at Li Mu and said, "Am I your first customer, then? Ha ha, Mu boy, help me take a look—does this ox refuse to work because of its hooves? By the way, how much does it cost to trim them? Tell me first, so I can fetch the money from home."

Li Mu had already considered this, and smiling, shook his head, "The village has helped my family so much, and Fourth Uncle, you're still helping us repair our house, aren't you? How could I possibly charge for trimming the village livestock's hooves?"

The man was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily, his gaze toward Li Mu full of satisfaction.

"All right, you're a good lad! Since that's the case, your uncle won't stand on ceremony. Hurry, take a look at this beast."

Li Mu nodded and went over at once.

The big black ox, led by Fourth Uncle, looked rather listless and restless. Li Mu reached out to stroke its head, and it immediately seemed more spirited, its earlier anxiety gone.

Quite a few villagers had come to watch... With farmwork idle, everyone had nothing much to do. Hearing that Li Mu was going to make a living by trimming hooves, a novelty in the village, they all came to see for themselves.

So as soon as Li Mu made his move, everyone stared wide-eyed.

"This Mu boy really knows what he's doing! That ox was so agitated just a moment ago, and with a single touch, it's calmed right down?"

"How strange!"

One after another, eyes grew round with astonishment.

Then, when Li Mu commanded, "Lie down," the big black ox obediently lay down on the spot, leaving the villagers utterly dumbfounded.

Such a huge black ox, calmed with a mere gesture, and obeying the command to lie down? Did Mu boy really possess such skill?

Seeing the surrounding people's shocked expressions, Sixth Aunt beamed with pride, her face blossoming into a smile.

"So, does anyone still say I exaggerated before? Our Mu boy's knack for training livestock—who in any of the neighboring villages could match it?"

The villagers shook their heads.

Not only could no one match it; they'd never even heard of such a thing.

There were tales of skilled fighters who could subdue oxen and horses barehanded… but that was brute force, coercion. Like Li Mu now, with a mere word, able to command the big black ox… no, they'd never heard of anything like it.

"I've seen the county's cattle doctor… even he doesn't have such a method!" someone exclaimed, eyes wide.

Livestock are not like people—they don't know reason. Once ill or injured, they become restless and irritable, and even their owners can't get close.

These animals are powerful and can easily injure people. The county's cattle doctor kept a large group of apprentices just to hold down the beasts during treatment, preventing them from lashing out.

But now… nothing was as effective as Li Mu's approach.

The villagers were all astonished.

Li Mu carefully examined the ox's hooves, then said to Fourth Uncle, "Fourth Uncle, all four of this ox's hooves are too long—they definitely need trimming. Its restlessness is likely due to discomfort from the hooves."

The big black ox's four hooves were already deformed and coated with a thick layer. Standing on the ground, all four legs appeared lame.

"All right, do your thing," Fourth Uncle said, thoroughly convinced by Li Mu's skill.

"Good," Li Mu replied, and without further ado, went inside to fetch the dagger Ninth Aunt had given him the other day, and began trimming the ox's hooves on the spot.

First, he shaved off the deformed parts one by one, then held each hoof and carefully shaped it.

The dagger was indeed sharp; the hard hooves fell away like wood shavings, easily sliced off.

For each hoof, he hollowed out the space between the two toes, then removed the excess, trimming them neatly and beautifully.

Throughout the process, Li Mu continued to instruct the ox to cooperate, and the beast was docile to the extreme, obediently following every command.

The villagers were all the more amazed.

Thanks to the ox's cooperation and the dagger's sharpness, and since this was only a straightforward trimming, the whole affair took barely half an hour.

Afterward, the ox's four hooves were clean and tidy.

The villagers watched, wide-eyed and delighted.

When Li Mu finished the last hoof, he was about to have the ox stand up. Sixth Aunt hurriedly asked, "Aren't you going to put wooden pads under the hooves?"

She remembered the pads vividly.

Li Mu smiled, "No need—the hooves aren't damaged, just needed trimming, so there's no need for pads."

He patted the ox's head. "Get up, walk around."

The big black ox rolled over and rose to its feet.

Its four hooves landed firmly, and the ox paced around, snorting loudly and shaking its head, its earlier restlessness completely gone.

With four clean, neat hooves, the whole ox seemed to exude a different aura!

"It really works!"

"Amazing—what a difference!"

"Just now it looked lame, but now… it seems so much more lively!"

The villagers crowded around, marveling and clicking their tongues.

Fourth Uncle circled the ox for a long while, grinning from ear to ear.

"Good lad, you truly have some skill! I was about to take it to the cattle doctor, but it was just a problem with the hooves?"

"Why didn't we notice before that livestock hooves need trimming, just like people's nails?"

"Mu boy is clever!"

The villagers showered praise.

Their gazes at Li Mu had changed as well.

Li Mu kept smiling.

The villagers' feelings were simple and genuine, but to be fair, such kindness carried a hint of practicality.

Li Mu was cared for now thanks to his parents' reputation.

His parents had lived in the village all their lives, building up goodwill among the people.

Now, while he was still young, the villagers could look after him for the sake of his parents.

But this would not last forever.

As he grew older and the memory of his parents faded, those favors would eventually wane.

Now, however, things were different.

He had mastered a skill, could help the villagers, and had a way to make a living.

To put it plainly, he now had something others needed.

Kindness and favors are built on mutual help—they become stronger that way.

Take without giving, and kindness soon fades.

Li Mu, having lived two lifetimes, understood this well.

Previously, he could only rely on others.

Now, he had something to offer in return.

Those relationships, naturally, became firmly rooted.

One could say that even if Ninth Uncle and the others stopped supporting him, he could survive on his own in the village.

This was a great leap forward!