Chapter 118 (continued)

The only ewes available for mating now are the same 105 ewes from last year.

The lambs born this year are too small, only six months old. The ewes we bought from Red Blossom Ranch are also too small, only a little over six months old.

Pairing them up now would affect their growth and development, so we can only consider it next year when they are one year old.

There are two adult breeding rams on the Shi Wen. One is Eight Treasures, a breeding ram we bought last year, and the other is Wanderer breeding ram we adopted last year.

Pairing two rams with about a hundred ewes is a relatively small workload, and we shouldn't see a repeat of last year's tragedy where the rams were exhausted and became very thin.

However, with so many rams, it's time to carefully select which ram to mate with.

Shi Wen with his hands on his hips, watching the adult ewes in the sheepfold, clearly aware of their condition.

It seems he doesn't need to learn; he can instinctively determine which ram is best suited for each ewe.

He twitched his ears, drove the ewes out onto the corridor, and then separated them into two groups, herding them into two separate sheepfolds.

One of these two sheepfolds is for Eight Treasures sheep, and the other is for Wanderer rams.

He painted red and blue paint on Eight Treasures chests of the Wanderer rams, so that when the two rams mounted the ewes, the paint on their chests would stick to the ewes' hindquarters, allowing him to determine whether the ewes had mated.

The workload was relatively small this year, and the breeding of these sheep went very smoothly.

Within just one week, all the ewes had been mated.

Based on past experience, Shi Wen asked Sikewell to bring his equipment to examine the ewes.

Sikewell arrived the day after receiving his invitation.

Shi Wen was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up tightly over his head. He also wore an extra beanie to prevent the hood of the sweatshirt from being blown off by the wind or falling down accidentally.

Sikewell looked at him, who was dressed so warmly, and couldn't help but cast a curious glance at him. "Autumn hasn't even arrived yet, is it necessary to dress so warmly?"

Shi Wen sniffed and said, "It's a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings, so you should dress warmly to avoid catching a cold."

Sikewell: "You young people are dressed really strangely. Alright, take me to see your sheep."

Shi Wen took him to see it.

Upon seeing this, Sikewell exclaimed, "Your sheep are doing very well; they're better than last year!"

Shi Wen, "Really? It's gotten bigger, and its fur color is different from before."

"Yes, apart from that, she looks to be in very good condition." Sikewell grabbed a ewe by the ear and pulled it closer to examine it. "Those ears, those eyes, that body, those hooves... wow, she's really well-proportioned, almost exactly like the ones in the textbook, no, even more perfect than the ones in the textbook."

Shi Wen, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Sikewell: "Why not? When we were learning about fat-tailed sheep, the ones in the books weren't so standard-sized, they weren't that big, and they didn't have such thick fat on their rumps."

Sikewell patted the ewe's rump as he spoke, "Look at all this fat. If we render it into oil, we could definitely make a whole basin of lamb fat."

Sikewell was delighted. "Speaking of which, we need pictures of fat-tailed sheep for advertising purposes. Could you perhaps use one of your fat-tailed sheep as a model?"

Shi Wen didn't care at all. "As long as you're not afraid they're pregnant, then go ahead and take pictures."

Sikewell pulled the ewe a little further away to examine her and said, "It's fine, she's still young, it's not very noticeable."

Shi Wen, "Then you make the arrangements. As long as the ewes aren't overworked, I have no objections."

Sikewell: "That's impossible. I'm a proper veterinarian, how could I be so unreliable?"

Shi Wen discussed the specifics with Sikewell and set a time. On the day the promotional photos were to be taken, he specially left his cattle and sheep behind so that the photographer could take pictures.

Accompanying Sikewell was a local young woman. Shi Wen had seen this woman before when he was invited by the villagers to a wedding banquet, and the two had exchanged a few words.

The photographer clearly knew about Shi Wen's family situation; she greeted them politely as soon as she entered, saying, "Thank you for allowing us to take photos. We're very grateful for your help."

Shi Wen laughed and said, "You're welcome. I'm happy to help. What do you want to film? Just let me know if you need my cooperation."

Photographer: "Let's take the ewe to the pasture outside for the shoot, while the weather is nice."

Shi Wen had no objections. "Which ewes do you fancy? I'll bring them."

I've been living here for a while Shi Wen and I really hope I can help with local development.

The authorities needed photos of his sheep for promotional purposes, and he cooperated fully.

Under his control, the ewe was exceptionally obedient, giving the photographer the movements and expressions he needed almost perfectly.

The photographer, in high spirits, photographed the ewes and then asked to photograph the rams and cows.

Shi Wen cooperated.

We were supposed to shoot for only one afternoon, but we didn't finish even when it was almost dusk.

The little ones in the family saw that it was getting dark and drove the livestock back.

The sight of thousands of pigs, cattle, and sheep slowly walking towards the livestock shed was truly awe-inspiring. The photographer couldn't help but raise his camera and snap several photos in quick succession.

From robust sheep and pigs to gentle cows, from fat-tailed sheep to fox cubs, all are captured in the photographer's lens.

The photographer especially favored the dogs that ran over with their heads held high and chests puffed out, taking several large photos of them.

After the shoot, the photographer smiled sheepishly and said, "There are some parts that we didn't discuss beforehand that we could shoot. I won't send them out; I'll print them out and bring them to you."

Shi Wen, "Okay. If you want to use it, you can discuss it with me."

"I understand, thank you." The photographer raised his camera. "Thank you for your hard work today, along with your pets."

Sikewell wasn't so polite. "Alright, we'll head back now. Contact us again if anything comes up."