What was the role of the first paragraph of " The Mother's Love of a Cow " in the full text?

The motherly love of a cow This was a true story. The story took place in Qinghai Province in the west, a desert area that was extremely short of water. Here, the amount of water per person per day was strictly limited to three catties, and this had to be transported by the garrison from afar. The daily drinking, washing, washing, and feeding of livestock all depended on these three catties of precious water. Humans couldn't do without water, just like livestock. They were thirsty! Finally, one day, an old cow, who had always been considered honest and loyal, broke free of its reins and forced its way into the only road in the desert that water trucks had to pass through. Finally, the water truck arrived. Old Cow used his incredible ability to recognize things and quickly rushed onto the road. The military vehicle suddenly braked and came to a halt. Old Cow stood silently in front of the car, allowing the driver to berate him and drive him away. He refused to move even half a step. Five minutes passed, and both sides were still in a stalemate. The warriors who carried water had encountered situations where livestock blocked the road for water before, but they were not as stubborn as this bull. Just like that, the man and the cow dragged on, and in the end, they caused a traffic jam. The drivers behind them began to curse and curse. The impatient ones even tried to ignite the car and drive it away, but Old Cow was unmoved. Later, the owner of the cow came looking for it. The angry owner raised his whip and whipped the skinny cow's back. The cow was beaten until its skin was torn and its flesh was torn. It cried out, but it still refused to move. Fresh blood seeped out and dyed the whip red. The old bull's mournful moo and the cold wind in the desert appeared exceptionally tragic. The soldier carrying the water cried. The driver who was cursing also cried. In the end, the soldier said," Let me break the rules once. I'm willing to accept punishment." He took out half a basin of water from the waterwheel, which weighed exactly three pounds, and placed it in front of the cow. Unexpectedly, the old bull did not drink the water that he had fought with his life. Instead, he faced the setting sun and mooed towards the sky, as if he was calling for something. A calf ran over from behind a pile of sand not far away. The injured old bull watched the calf greedily drink the water and stuck out its tongue to lick the calf's eyes. The calf also licked the old bull's eyes. In silence, people saw the tears in the eyes of the mother and son. Without waiting for their master to shout, in the silence, they turned around and slowly walked back. One night at the end of the 20th century, when I saw this heart-wrenching scene on television, I thought of the poverty and embarrassment of my family when I was young. I thought of my mother who was still working in the countryside. Like many viewers in front of the television, I shed tears.