Chapter Seventeen: The Handsome Man

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The woman took a step back in fright, clutching Jiang Qiyu’s arm tightly, her voice trembling: “He… he hasn’t mutated, has he? We should leave quickly!”

Jiang Qiyu shook her head, drawing a dagger as she cautiously approached the man. The stench of blood was so overwhelming it nearly made her faint, but she gritted her teeth and knelt down to check on him.

“Usually, when there’s this much blood, the person won’t mutate—they just die straight away,” Jiang Qiyu replied without looking up, reaching out to sense the man’s breath. It was faint, barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz. “Besides…” she paused, her gaze falling on the man’s face, “he’s actually quite handsome.”

Though she was certain the man wasn’t likely to survive, driven by compassion and the fact that even unconscious, his face was pleasing to the eye, Jiang Qiyu decided to do something. She retrieved a first aid kit from her space, briefly treated the man’s gruesome wounds, then gave him some water and food.

The man’s eyelids twitched before slowly opening. His eyes were stunningly beautiful, like fine amber—clear and deep, sparkling with a strange light in the dim surroundings.

“Your eyes…” Jiang Qiyu was momentarily stunned and, compelled by some impulse, gently brushed the man’s cheek. “They remind me of a cat I had when I was a child. Very pretty.”

The man’s gaze was somewhat dazed, as if not fully awake. He looked at Jiang Qiyu and hoarsely asked, “Do you like cats?”

Jiang Qiyu’s fingers froze mid-air. She recalled how, as a child, she had secretly kept a stray cat, only to have her father mercilessly throw it out when he found out. She had cried bitterly, and her mother hadn’t comforted her but instead scolded her for being foolish and causing trouble for the family.

“I do,” Jiang Qiyu said thoughtfully, withdrawing her hand and lowering her eyelids to conceal the complex emotions beneath. In truth, she had never truly kept a cat; that stray was the only pet she had ever owned.

She stood up and turned to leave.

“Thank you,” the man said softly, watching her retreating figure.

Jiang Qiyu didn’t look back, merely waving her hand.

After she left the container, the woman immediately approached, nervously asking, “How is he? He hasn’t mutated, right?”

The woman visibly relaxed and, unable to contain her curiosity, asked, “What does he look like?”

Jiang Qiyu thought for a moment and said, “He looks decent, just a bit battered.”

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Back at the villa, Jiang Qiyu barely had time to catch her breath before a commotion erupted in the yard.

“No! Absolutely not! All these chickens, ducks, and geese must be free-range! Keeping them penned up will make them sick!”

“Free-range? Are you crazy? This yard is so big; if you let them run wild, you won’t be able to catch them!”

Jiang Qiyu pushed open the gate and saw chaos in the yard. The native chickens, geese, fish fry, and two calves she had bought were all tied up, looking listless and dispirited.

Chen Ping and Li Ming from the breeding team were fiercely arguing.

“I’m a professional!” Chen Ping pointed to his nose. “I’ve worked at a breeding farm before! These poultry and livestock must be free-range! Keeping them penned makes them ill!”

“Sick? I think it’s your brain that’s sick!” Li Ming retorted defiantly.

Jiang Qiyu then noticed a crooked, makeshift shelter in the corner of the yard. It barely shielded from wind and rain and was clearly unsuitable for the animals.

Zhou Yun timidly raised her hand and spoke softly, “Well… the shelter is a bit too low; the calves can’t even get inside. Also, chickens, ducks, and geese have different habits—they shouldn’t be kept together. Separate shelters are necessary.”

Jiang Qiyu interrupted the quarrel and asked, “Zhou Yun, have you raised these animals before?”

Zhou Yun nodded, “My hometown is rural. I’ve helped with farm work since I was a child—I’m very familiar with these animals!”

Jiang Qiyu then looked at Chen Ping. “What about you?”

Chen Ping stammered, “I… I’ve worked in a breeding farm…”

“Working there and raising animals yourself are different,” Zhou Yun said.

Jiang Qiyu sighed. It seemed the breeding team needed to be reorganized…

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After some thought, Jiang Qiyu said, “Here’s the plan: Zhou Yun, you’ll take charge of the breeding team. Chen Ping, Li Ming, and Yang Tao will follow your lead.”

Zhou Yun was overwhelmed, “Me… can I really?”

“Of course,” Jiang Qiyu encouraged her. “I believe you can do well.”

Chen Ping was displeased, “Why should she be leader? I have more experience than her!”

“Experience doesn’t equal ability,” Jiang Qiyu said coolly, casting him a glance. “Your so-called experience is just working at a breeding farm, while Zhou Yun grew up in the countryside and knows the habits of these animals better.”

Li Ming chimed in, “Yeah, Chen Ping, none of your methods are effective. Look at these chickens, ducks, and geese—they’re all listless.”

Chen Ping wanted to argue but fell silent under Jiang Qiyu’s gaze.

Jiang Qiyu turned to Zhou Yun. “Do you need anything?”

Zhou Yun nodded gratefully. “Not for now, thank you, boss! I won’t let you down!”

Jiang Qiyu smiled and left the yard.

Zhou Yun took a deep breath, then faced Chen Ping and Li Ming. “Alright, let’s get to work! Chen Ping, rebuild the shelters for the chickens, ducks, and geese separately—no mixed housing. Make sure they’re well ventilated and warm.”

She then addressed Li Ming, “Li Ming, expand the calves’ shelter, add more dry straw, and fence the area to prevent them from wandering off.”

Chen Ping’s face darkened, clearly unhappy with Zhou Yun’s orders, but under Jiang Qiyu’s authority, he begrudgingly began gathering scattered wooden boards to build new shelters. Li Ming, though uncertain about Zhou Yun’s reasoning, was obedient and silently shouldered his hoe, heading toward the calves’ shelter.

Zhou Yun rolled up her sleeves and started sorting the scattered wood, bamboo poles, and straw neatly. She picked up a sturdy wooden stick, marking the ground to plan the locations of the chicken, duck, and goose coops along with the expanded calf pen.

Next, she tied several thick bamboo poles together with hemp rope into a triangular frame—the foundation of the chicken coop. She fixed wooden boards onto the frame to form walls and layered thick straw on top for insulation. At the entrance, she designed a small door for easy access.

The duck and goose coops were built similarly, differing only slightly in size.