Xie Zhinuan said she would take good care of it, and she did, with great care and attention.
Taking advantage of the warm weather, she brought it to the creek for a bath, scrubbing and washing thoroughly, secretly giving it spiritual spring water to drink, and taking it out for walks.
After only four or five days, the villagers noticed that the mule's eyes seemed to shine a lot brighter, as if it had grown taller, and it was very obedient to Xie Zhinuan.
A few days earlier, it had to be led, but now it would follow Xie Zhinuan around willingly, even playing in the creek with Routuan and waiting for Xie Zhinuan to wash it.
The villagers marveled that this was not simply raising an animal, but nurturing a child, with more painstaking care than Xie Zhinuan's.
What did the mule eat? Tender corn, and even the cornstalks needed to be washed in the creek, sun-dried before eating.
