Chapter 38

Skewell froze. "That shouldn't be happening. I'll go take a look."

Speaking of which, Shi Wen was puzzled too. "I don't know what's going on either. Maybe I used the wrong medicine?"

Shi Wen led the two of them behind the warehouse to check on the two sick cows.

Skewell took one look and burst out laughing.

Tang Duohai glanced over and laughed too.

The two exchanged looks, their laughter growing louder.

Shi Wen instinctively sensed that something was off, but he had no idea what it was. He could only stand there in a daze, assaulted by their laughter. "What exactly is going on?"

"You silly boy." Skewell shook his head. "They're in heat."

Shi Wen blurted out, "So soon?!"

Tang Duohai patted Shi Wen on the shoulder, flashing a mouthful of white teeth as he laughed even more heartily.

Skewell stopped laughing and explained, "Cattle are non-seasonal estrous-cycle animals. They can go into heat year-round. They're dairy cows to begin with, and they haven't been spayed, so going into heat is perfectly normal. But it also proves that these two dairy cows are recovering. That's why they've entered a normal heat cycle."

Neither of them had expected that he was raising cattle without knowing cows went into heat. They looked at him with good-natured teasing in their eyes.

Shi Wen felt a little embarrassed. "So that's how it is."

Skewell said with a smile, "Congratulations. You managed to save these two dairy cows."

Shi Wen hurriedly nodded and asked how he should care for cows in heat.

Skewell gave him a rough explanation. It was nothing more than improving their nutrition and keeping them clean.

Afterward, Skewell said, "It's too late for this cycle. When they go into heat again next cycle, you can consider breeding them."

Shi Wen nodded repeatedly. "A cow's heat cycle is a little over twenty days, right?"

Skewell said, "Our local Brown Cattle have an average heat cycle of twenty-three days. Use that time to nurse them back to better health, and think about how you want to breed them."

Seeing Shi Wen's half-comprehending expression, Skewell reminded him, "I mean your breeding options. You need to decide whether to use artificial insemination or find a bull. Once you've decided, you can breed them after they've recovered properly."

The cows going into heat meant the ranch would soon have a new generation.

Even though one cow had just died from illness, Shi Wen could not help feeling happy.

After all, he had spent only nine thousand yuan on all three cows. Even with one dead, getting two prime breeding cows for nine thousand yuan was still an incredible bargain.

Skewell gave Shi Wen a lesson on breeding arrangements, then declined his invitation to stay for a meal. He drove away with the cow's carcass, the contaminated manure, hay, and other materials.

Shi Wen watched the truck leave, then went to check on the two cows again.

Though they had not fully recovered and still smelled bad, he felt entirely relaxed.

Today was almost the most relaxed day he had had in quite some time.

Although he had acted very decisively when buying the cows, he had not been without worries. If he lost the gamble, not only would his nine thousand yuan go down the drain, but he would look like a complete joke.

Fortunately, he had not lost.

Properly disposing of a cow weighing more than six hundred kilograms was an extremely troublesome task.

That evening, after Tang Duohai finished the day's work, he got off work and went to play cards with his friends.

His friends had already played several rounds. Seeing him arrive so late, one of them complained, "Damn, you're not even enthusiastic about cards now? Won enough these past two days, did you?"

Tang Duohai handled his cards. "Bullshit. I worked overtime today, disposing of a dead cow. I just got home, took a quick shower, grabbed a flatbread in my mouth, and rushed over."

One of his friends casually asked, "Whose cow died?"

"Shi Wen's." Afraid they would not know who he meant, Tang Duohai added, "That handsome new guy at the ranch."

"I know. The one who bought three sick cows, right? Three cows for nine thousand yuan. I thought he might have gotten a bargain, but one died so quickly. Can the other two make it?"

At that, a subtle smile appeared on Tang Duohai's face. "Why wouldn't they? The other two are almost better already and just went into heat. You have no idea—today, he even dragged Doctor Skewell over and asked what had gone wrong. Hahahaha."

Everyone imagined the scene and could not help laughing along.

After laughing, they could not help discussing it again:

"That guy's luck is seriously good. Two out of three cows survived."

"I think he's genuinely capable. Without some real skill, who would dare do something like that? No amount of money would be enough to cover the losses."

"I think so too. He came from a big city, so maybe he learned a thing or two before."

"It's a shame he came too late. If he'd arrived a few months earlier, maybe the good cow from my family could have been sent to him and saved."

Shi Wen had no idea that his existence had sparked a major discussion throughout the pastoral area.

He was busy preparing to breed the cows.

Over this period, he had looked up plenty of information and gained some experience in caring for cows. It was the perfect opportunity to put it into practice.

Before long, the two cows at home entered their next heat cycle.

Shi Wen invited Skewell over to artificially inseminate them.

Skewell had not seen him for several days. When he returned to the pasture, he turned his head and looked around. "Your pasture really changes by the day."

Shi Wen said, "It's July. Of course the grass is growing fast."

"I remember you have several silage pits on your ranch. When are you planning to make silage?"

"After the two cows get pregnant. In a few days, probably. I'll likely need to hire a few people then—I can't handle it all alone."

As he spoke, Shi Wen led Skewell toward the warehouse.

Skewell asked, "The cows are still being kept in the warehouse?"

"They just recovered from their illness, and they're in heat again. They'll be artificially inseminated soon, so it's safer to keep them in the warehouse for now. Once their condition stabilizes, I'll move them to the cattle shed."

"Come to think of it, I thought you'd find a bull for breeding."

Shi Wen shook his head. "My two cows only just recovered from Mucosal Disease. If I use a bull, the owner might have concerns. It wouldn't be good if it caused any disputes."