Chapter 276 Postpartum Care for Dairy Cows

"Uncle, I really have to thank you properly this time. This dairy cow looks like a good one at first glance."

Although Chen Yang didn't know how to judge a good dairy cow, the one in his yard had a shiny coat and looked energetic. This cow couldn't be bad.

"You brat, you're finally back. Do you think your Uncle would get you a bad one for the things you asked me to do?"

"But it wasn't just me this time; General Manager Ye Xuejun also put in a word. Otherwise, the director of the factory office wouldn't have been so accommodating."

"And the remaining five hundred yuan has been returned to its owner."

Buying the dairy cow cost fifteen hundred yuan. This price wasn't low, and yet, it was only possible by leveraging the connections of Ye Xuejun and Wang Jianguo. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sold it at all.

In this era, one only needed to think a little to know who could afford to drink milk.

Only the state-run dairy farm in Feishi, Anhui Province, had dairy cows and could produce milk.

The more than six hundred dairy cows at the Feishi state-run dairy farm represented the total number of dairy cows in the entire Anhui Province. One could imagine how precious these cows were.

"Uncle, I truly thank you again this time."

"Uncle is staying for dinner today. Since you've finally come to my place, you can't leave hungry."

Chen Yang knew he owed Wang Jianguo and Ye Xuejun a considerable favor. Since they had come all the way to his home, it would be improper not to keep them for a meal.

"You brat, you didn't say you were going to have a good meal here today. I won't leave until I'm stuffed!"

Wang Jianguo joked without caring about his image, which made Chen Yang very happy.

For them to say this meant they didn't consider him an outsider. Otherwise, they wouldn't joke so casually.

"Mom, Dad and I have already cut the meat. Please prepare a few more side dishes for drinking, and tidy things up. Let Uncle and Wukang stay for dinner today."

"Erni, I've brought her back with Dad. Pan Di is still at school alone and has nowhere to go, so I brought her back too. Make sure not to forget about her and Erni when you're cooking."

Chen Yang handed the meat he bought that day to his mother-in-law. Liu Chunmei, upon hearing that Chen Yang had brought Shen Pandi back, felt a bit worried but couldn't ask too much with guests present.

"When your father gets back, have a drink with Director Wang. Wukang, you boy, don't drink too much. You still need to drive Director Wang home later."

Knowing that her sister's son could hold his liquor, Liu Chunmei specifically cautioned Zhao Wukang, fearing that they might get too drunk to drive back.

Today was Little New Year's Eve. Lunch could be eaten out, but dinner had to be at home for Little New Year's. There was no reason to celebrate Little New Year's at someone else's house. Liu Chunmei was also afraid that the men might get carried away with drinking and cause trouble later.

"Auntie, don't worry. I won't drink today. I guarantee I'll get Director Wang home safely."

Zhao Wukang quickly replied. Today was Little New Year's, and he also had to go home for the holiday.

"Yangzi, while we have some time, let me teach you how to milk a cow. I specifically learned this skill from the workers at the dairy farm, waiting to teach it to you."

"These dairy cows are very precious and need to be well taken care of. If you're too rough or too gentle, they won't produce milk, and all this money will be wasted."

Hearing Wang Jianguo's words, Chen Yang dared not be careless. The dairy cow had been bought, but caring for it and milking it were technical skills that needed to be learned thoroughly. Otherwise, the fifteen hundred yuan would have been spent in vain.

Wang Jianguo and Chen Yang were in the yard. He planned to demonstrate while explaining the key techniques of milking to Chen Yang, making it easier for him to learn.

Coincidentally, many villagers were still watching with curiosity in Chen Yang's yard.

After all, the farmers of Shenjiaba had never seen a cow like this in their lives.

At this moment, Shen Futang also returned after dropping off the donkey cart. Looking at the big dairy cow at home, he marveled, "Goodness, a cow weighing over a thousand pounds, how much grass and grain must it eat a day? Raising this cow alone will be enough to wear me out."

"Futang, what kind of dairy cow did your family buy? Can people drink the milk it produces?"

"Futang, your cow has a large frame. Can it plow fields? When spring comes next year, if you lend us your cow to plow fields for our team, we'll definitely treat it well and offer it sacrifices like a living Buddha."

Seeing Shen Futang return, a group of old farmers became excited and couldn't stop teasing him.

"Go away, go away! This is a golden cow, meant for plowing fields."

"It's a dairy cow, do you understand? A dairy cow."

"It's specially for producing milk. People who drink this milk will grow strong and tall."

Shen Futang didn't actually know how precious this thing called a dairy cow was, but his son-in-law had spent a lot of money on it, so it was indeed a golden cow.

In the past, babies grew up being fed milk by their mothers. If there wasn't enough milk, they would mix in some rice gruel.

However, milk was still milk. If a mother had no milk, it would definitely be better than rice gruel. This thing could save lives.

Babies around six months old could manage with rice gruel, but newborns, without milk, could die. In this sense, this dairy cow could be considered a golden cow.

"What does this milk look like? Let us have a look, so we can broaden our horizons."

It was almost the New Year, and in the bitter cold winter, the ground was covered in ice. There was no work to be done, so a group of old farmers, idle and with nothing else to do, loved to join in the fun.

They were still a bit unfamiliar with Chen Yang and didn't dare to joke around much.

However, with Shen Futang, an old friend they had known for decades, they had no reservations.

"Uncle, it's a good time for you to show off your skills and let them have a look."

With so many people watching, Wang Jianguo was going to teach anyway. It might as well be a spectacle. In those days, there were rarely any unusual events.

"Haha, since everyone wants to see, I'll put on a show."

"Yangzi, milking is a physically demanding job. It won't be done in a short while. You need to get a stool. See, place it to the right of the cow, about one-third of the way from its hindquarters. Sudan Novel Network.

Then, face the cow's hind legs at an angle. The stool should be slightly lower than the cow's udder, which is the right height for you to work and also to some extent prevent the cow from kicking you."

"And you need to prepare a good bucket to collect the milk. The bucket should be placed between your legs so that the cow doesn't kick it over or splash dung and urine into it."

"Finally, you need to pay attention. Before milking, it's best to use something... I forget what it's called, but the dairy farm has it, and we don't. I asked, and you can put some oil on your hands to prevent hurting the cow."

"You have to use your thumb and index finger to first press the base of the teat, then press with the other fingers. See, the milk is coming out."

Wang Jianguo had clearly learned some tricks and immediately squeezed out a bowl of white milk.

The crowd of onlookers, seeing the snow-white milk, their eyes widened.

"This milk smells so good. I can almost smell the milky aroma from afar."

The man who had called the dairy cow a golden cow earlier swallowed hard. Now, everyone looked at Chen Yang's family with envious eyes.

Drinking fresh white milk every day, even the wealthy landlords of the past didn't live this luxuriously.

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