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We currently have 1,057 roosters and 1,210 hens, which is fairly balanced.
Sikewell stood up and stretched. "Ugh, my back is so stiff."
Tang Duohai flexed his hands. "My hands are almost cramping up too. I've never castrated so many chickens in one day before."
Shi Wen sighed, "Who says otherwise?"
Shi Wen carried the chickens to each of the small cubicles to settle them, Sikewell and Tang Duohai came over to help.
Tang Duohai sniffed. "Why does your chicken coop smell like milk?"
"Because of this?" After putting the chicken down, Shi Wen grabbed a handful of feed from the nearby trough and showed it to them. "I add milk to our feed."
Tang Duohai leaned closer and sniffed. "It really is milk! Mixing milk into chicken feed is such a luxury?"
"Chickens fed this way are stronger, their meat is more tender, and it's also better for fattening them up," Shi Wen explained. "It's not something we invented; chickens in the Bressee region are raised this way, and the information says that chickens raised this way are more plump and tender."
Sikewell: "I know that. It's said that you should start adding dairy products to the chickens' feed when they are 35 days old, right?"
Shi Wen, "Yes, we also need to carefully blend various grains to create the right chicken feed. Our chicken feed includes corn kernels, millet, and beans."
Tang Duohai: "Wouldn't that mean the cost would be very high?"
Shi Wen nodded. "Yes, if I can't sell them for a good price, I'll lose money raising these chickens."
Sikewell patted him on the shoulder. "While everyone else's chickens are losing money, yours are definitely not. For one thing, I can already smell the aroma of chicken."
Shi Wen could smell the aroma too, and said with a smile, "Then let's go over and have some food."
They left the chicken coop and headed towards the main courtyard.
Shi Wen, they wanted to rush over, but halfway there they realized Sikewell was there too, so they scattered in a swarm.
The Wolf King, in particular, who received a lot of treatment from Sikewell, would tuck his tail between his legs when he ran away.
Sikewell touched his face. "Am I that scary?"
Shi Wen was texting Yan Kexing Shi Wen this and looked up. "Which little guy isn't afraid of doctors? They're not stupid."
Sikewell: "I didn't do anything when I treated them."
Tang Duohai chuckled from the side, "Maybe you've been marinated in the vet clinic too much."
"Wow, so does that mean the little guys will always be afraid of me?" Sikewell said to Shi Wen with a sigh, looking at the dogs running away. "I wanted to play with them for Shi Wen. With their big bodies, wide muzzles, and thick fur, I must say, they're really handsome!"
Shi Wen, "You can play with them when they eat later."
The three chatted and laughed as they walked to the main courtyard, where they were immediately enveloped by the rich aroma of chicken soup.
Tang Duohai sniffed. "I haven't smelled this rich chicken soup aroma in years."
Shi Wen, "Then drink a couple more bowls later. Our authentic grassland chicken soup is different from other chicken soups."
Sikewell: "I believe that. The chicken soup just smells special."
As they walked into the house, talking, Yan Kexing out and said, "Sikewell, Duohai. There's one more dish, it'll be ready in a couple of minutes."
Sikewell politely replied, "A simple meal is fine. We're not strangers; there's no need to prepare so many dishes."
Yan Kexing: "The chicken is too big, so besides making soup, we can also set aside some meat to make other dishes. There aren't many dishes, just simple home-style cooking. I'm only making them now because I'm worried they'll get cold."
Shi Wen rolled up his sleeves and said, "Thank you for your hard work, let me help."
Sikewell: "We'll help too. Should we serve the food or wipe the tables?"
Unable to refuse, Yan Kexing said, "Bring out the soup first? It's ready to drink."
Upon Shi Wen, he immediately went and brought out the soup along with the entire clay pot.
Sikewell and Tang Duohai washed their hands and then went to get bowls and chopsticks.
Sikewell and Tang Duohai had dealt with his family many times and were very familiar with them; they were not outsiders.
Yan Kexing didn't treat them like guests in a proper way. Seeing that they were willing to come and help, Yan Kexing handed over the stir-fried dishes to them.
Soon, four dishes and a soup were served.
The main dish is sizzling chicken, accompanied by pan-fried horse meat sausage, stir-fried eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers, and stir-fried lettuce. The soup is chicken broth.
Under the lights, the color of the dishes alone was extraordinary, and the aroma emanating from them wafted straight into one's nose.
The moment the dishes were served, everyone's stomachs started growling.
The rumbling of everyone's stomachs was so loud that Shi Wen's animal ears under his hat twitched involuntarily.
He called out, "Come, come, have a bowl of soup first."
Shi Wen's family custom is to drink soup before meals. He wrapped the handle of the casserole with a cloth and opened the lid.
Instantly, a rich aroma rose with the steam, permeating every crevice of the house.
Almost everyone wore the same expression—taking a deep breath.
Shi Wen put the pot lid aside and stirred the soup with a ladle, saying, "It smells so good!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance outside, as if to ask: Have the little ones eaten yet?
Yan Kexing: "They've already been divided up."
Shi Wen enthusiastically serve soup to everyone. "Hurry and have a taste!"
Everyone sat around the table, slowly sipping their soup.
Regular chicken soup is rather sweet, but Bresse chicken soup is rich and flavorful.
Shi Wen took a sip, and it felt as if the delicious chicken soup was dancing in his mouth, so fresh that it was impossible to ignore.
After swallowing, the fragrance lingers on the lips and teeth, Shi Wen can still smell the endless aftertaste.
That's some great inspirational quote!
Even the mushroom and chicken soup I had before tasted slightly inferior.
The main flavor of mushroom and chicken soup is mushrooms, but today's chicken soup is actually made with real chicken.
Sikewell exclaimed, "Your chickens are well-raised!"