bookrandom Chapter 533 Let's give it a try
Chapter 533 Let's give it a try
Li Xiangyang looked at the quiet wolf cub in his arms and stroked its head. "It's probably not a big problem. After all, dogs are domesticated wolves. Let's go back first; this little guy's leg needs to be treated as soon as possible."
The two men went to great lengths to build a sled and carried their prey back.
On the way back to the village, the wolf cub nestled quietly in Li Xiangyang's arms. Occasionally, it would open its eyes to look around, then continue dozing off. Its little paws would occasionally scratch at Li Xiangyang's clothes, just like a puppy that had just turned one month old.
After dragging the prey to Wang Ergou's house, Li Xiangyang took the wolf cub to Doctor Qian's house.
As soon as I reached the courtyard gate, I heard Dr. Qian's voice from inside: "Who is it?"
"Dr. Qian, it's me, Li Xiangyang."
"Come in, the door's unlocked."
Li Xiangyang pushed open the door and entered, only to see Doctor Qian tidying up the herbs that had just been dried in the yard. Doctor Qian was taken aback when he saw what Li Xiangyang was carrying.
"This is... a wolf cub?" Doctor Qian approached and examined it. "What happened?"
"I encountered this while hunting today. It has a problem with its leg, and I would like to ask you to take a look," Li Xiangyang explained.
Dr. Qian adjusted his glasses and carefully examined the wolf cub: "Bring it indoors; the light will be better there."
Once inside, the wolf cub sensed the unfamiliar presence and whimpered uneasily, but showed no intention of attacking.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," Dr. Qian reassured her while examining the little one. "This little one is quite well-behaved."
After examining the patient for a while, Dr. Qian identified the problem: "The bones in the left hind leg are slightly misaligned, likely due to an injury sustained at birth, which has become fixed over time."
"Can it be cured?" Li Xiangyang asked nervously.
“This is a critical period for bone development, there’s still hope,” Dr. Qian thought for a moment. “However, it requires bone setting and then immobilization for a period of time.”
Li Xiangyang looked at the little wolf cub on the table and felt a pang of pity.
But the thought that if it wasn't treated, it would have to live with a limp for the rest of its life, made the tough decision: "Treat it, it absolutely must be treated."
Dr. Qian nodded and began preparing his tools. He first prepared a dose of anesthetic and fed it to the wolf cub.
"This medicine works very quickly; it will fall asleep in no time. We can set its bones while it sleeps, so it won't be in too much pain when it wakes up."
Sure enough, the wolf cub soon fell into a deep sleep. Dr. Qian gently began to set its bones, while Li Xiangyang watched nervously from the side.
"Alright." Dr. Qian straightened up and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Now we need to immobilize it with a wooden board; it will take at least a month."
He found some thin wooden boards, carefully secured the wolf cub's legs, and then tied them tightly with strips of cloth.
"It can't move around too much for the next month, especially not on this leg," Dr. Qian instructed. "You need to check the straps every day to make sure they're not loose, and massage other parts of its body to prevent muscle atrophy."
"I understand, thank you," Li Xiangyang said sincerely.
"Don't mention it, we're all from the same village." Doctor Qian waved his hand. "But are you really planning to raise this little thing? Wolves are not like dogs; they are wild and difficult to tame."
"Let's give it a try," Li Xiangyang said gently, stroking the still-sleeping wolf cub. "If we really can't tame it, we'll figure something out later."
Dr. Qian smiled. "You're a soft-hearted child. Alright, the medicine will last for another hour. You should take him home quickly. He might be a little unsettled when he wakes up, so you'll need to comfort him."
Li Xiangyang carefully picked up the wolf cub, thanked Doctor Qian, and left.
Back home, Li Xiaoyun was busy in the kitchen. Hearing the noise, she poked her head out and asked, "You're back? How was the harvest today?"
"Great, we killed a big wild boar," Li Xiangyang said as he walked into the house. "But we also brought back a little guy."
When Li Xiaoyun followed her in and saw what was happening, her eyes widened in surprise: "This is... a wolf?"
“Yes, it’s a wolf cub. It has a problem with its leg, and I’m thinking of raising it to see how it goes,” Li Xiangyang explained.
Li Xiaoyun was a little worried: "Raising wolves? Is that safe? What if they hurt Wangchen?"
"It shouldn't be that bad. It's so small. If it's raised with Xiao Hu, it'll probably start thinking of itself as a dog," Li Xiangyang said with a smile.
Although Li Xiaoyun was still a little worried, seeing Li Xiangyang's insistence, she stopped objecting: "Then you have to keep a close eye on it, make sure it doesn't hurt anyone."
"Don't worry." Li Xiangyang spread an old blanket on the kang (a heated brick bed) and carefully placed the wolf cub on it. "I'll make it a den first, you can continue with your work."
Li Xiaoyun nodded and went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Li Xiangyang found a small wooden box, lined it with dry grass and old clothes, and made a simple little nest inside.
While they were busy, the wolf cub suddenly woke up. Opening its eyes and seeing its unfamiliar surroundings, it immediately began to whimper warily.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," Li Xiangyang said softly, reaching out to stroke its head.
The wolf cub instinctively tried to back away, but the braces on its legs made it difficult to move and it almost fell. It looked at its legs in confusion and let out even more urgent whimpers.
"Be good, don't move. Your leg has just healed, you can't move it around." Li Xiangyang said patiently, slowly reaching out his hand towards it.
The wolf cub seemed to remember Li Xiangyang's scent. Although it was still a little nervous, it showed no intention of attacking.
Li Xiangyang gently stroked its head, found some milk, diluted it with water, and fed it to the animal.
"Drink slowly, don't rush," Li Xiangyang said softly.
As if understanding, the little wolf cub would occasionally scratch Li Xiangyang's hand with its tiny paws, very gently, as if it were being affectionate.
"They seem quite well-behaved," Li Xiaoyun observed from the side. "Maybe they really can be tamed."
Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "I hope so."
Just then, Li Wangchen's voice came from outside: "Is Dad back?"
"You're back, you're inside," Li Xiaoyun replied.
Li Wangchen skipped and hopped into the house, and upon seeing the little wolf cub on the kang (a heated brick bed), he immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Wow! A puppy!"
As she spoke, her little hand reached out to grab the wolf cub.
The wolf cub was already nervous because of the unfamiliar environment, and when it was suddenly touched by a strange little human, it instinctively shrank back.
"Woo—" The little wolf cub let out a low whimper, trying to dodge, but the fixation plate on its legs made it difficult to move, and it stumbled and almost fell off the kang.
Seeing this, Li Wangchen became even more excited, thinking the wolf cub was playing with him, and tried to grab it even tighter: "Don't run away!"
"Ooh—" The little wolf cub cried out even more urgently as it was pinched, a wild glint flashing in its eyes.
"Wang Chen, stop!" Li Xiangyang quickly pulled his son away and carefully checked on the wolf cub.
The little wolf cub huddled in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), trembling slightly, watching Li Wangchen warily, and making low, threatening noises.