Chapter 242

Qing Mengzhu stood up abruptly. "Now?"

Zhao Hexi: "I think so. I've already seen the discharge. And besides the cow that kept bellowing, the other cows seem a bit startled. Several of them have their bellies twitching, so they're probably about to give birth."

Qing Mengzhu: "Can you keep an eye on things there for me? I'll be right there."

Zhao Hexi: "Call the veterinarian first, and have him come over."

Qing Mengzhu slapped her forehead. "Right, we don't know how to deliver babies either. I'll call a veterinarian right away, I'll call the vet right now."

Qing Mengzhu hung up the phone and immediately called the veterinarian.

The veterinarian told him not to worry, saying that it would probably take some time for the cow to go from the start of labor to actual delivery, and that it was still possible to rush over now.

Qing Mengzhu then came to her senses.

Qing Mengzhu pulled Ming Chunxi to go back and check on their cows, but Zhou Yan quickly said, "I'll go with you. I can lend a hand if anything happens."

Qing Mengzhu: "In that farm?"

Zhou Yan: "I've told them to keep an eye on things. Everything should be fine. If anything happens, they can just call me. It's not far from here."

Qing Mengzhu said no more, "Then let's hurry back."

When they drove directly up the mountain, Zhao Hexi was there to greet them, and the veterinarian had also arrived.

The veterinarian told Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi, "The cows are doing well. They're exercising well and eating well, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

Qing Mengzhu breathed a sigh of relief, "I did some research before, and it said that the first pregnancy is more difficult, but it gets easier afterward."

Veterinarian: "Yes, but cows are alright. As long as they don't breed indiscriminately and produce extra-large calves, they're more likely to give birth easily and shouldn't experience dystocia. We veterinarians advocate that as long as there's no dystocia, humans shouldn't interfere too much and should let them give birth naturally."

Qing Mengzhu was also blinded by concern, but now, hearing the veterinarian speak calmly, he slowly calmed down. "Okay, I'll listen to you."

The veterinarian said, "Let's tie these cows up first, so they don't run around because of the pain."

Ming Chunxi: "Let's go get the rope."

Qing Mengzhu's cowshed was quite large, and he had cleaned it in advance. Now the cowshed was spotless, with golden straw laid out underneath.

His family has a total of 28 pregnant cows, one of which is tethered in each cowshed.

The veterinarians specifically asked them to lengthen the rope to make it easier for the cow to sit or lie down.

The cow hadn't given birth yet, so they waited outside, keeping a close eye on her condition.

Qing Mengzhu looked at the cows with some nervousness, Ming Chunxi whispered, "Don't worry, the cows have eaten so much good food and are in good health. There shouldn't be any major problems with giving birth."

Qing Mengzhu pursed her lips and said softly, "I know, but I'm a little worried."

They waited, but Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi had something to do and couldn't stay, so they left first.

The veterinarian stayed with them the whole time.

The veterinarian calmly replied, "The cows don't give birth that quickly. Once they do, it'll be over in about half a day."

Qing Mengzhu: "I also hope so. Should we prepare something for them? Like energy drinks or sugar water or something?"

Veterinarian: "No need, just prepare some nutritious fodder as usual."

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi felt sorry for their cows. After the veterinarian said so, they went down the mountain to fetch Spirit Spring Water for the cows to drink, and also prepared feed for them made of hay, fresh bamboo leaves and rye grass.

The water and fodder they brought were excellent, and even though the cow was about to give birth, she still showed great interest in them, struggling to stand up to eat and drink.

Seeing this, the veterinarian said to them, "I told you your cows were doing well, right? Even like this, it hasn't affected their eating or drinking at all."

Qing Mengzhu: "Being able to eat and drink is a good thing."

Veterinarian: "Yes, eat and drink more so you'll have the strength for delivery. I estimate it will be at night. You should be able to use the lights and other electrical appliances here, right?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It works. It was inspected before, and all the facilities are functioning normally."

Veterinarian: "That's good. It's more convenient to have a light. If there isn't one, I'll have to get a flashlight to guide the delivery at night."

The veterinarian's prediction was accurate; around 2 a. m., the first cow began to give birth.

Then the other cows began to give birth one after another.

None of the cows experienced dystocia, and the veterinarian was able to care for them all by himself.

The birthing process went more smoothly than Qing Mengzhu had expected. Around nine o'clock in the morning, the last calf to be born was born.

All twenty-eight calves were healthy, and all twenty-eight cows successfully delivered the remaining placentas and other tissues.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi tidied up the cowshed, quickly replacing the dirty straw.

The newborn calf lay on the freshly changed golden straw, being licked by its mother, and had already begun to drink milk.

The stench of blood dissipated, and sunlight streamed in, making the entire cowshed feel warm and inviting.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi were alright, but the veterinarian stayed up all night with them, and he had bags under his eyes and looked extremely haggard.

After checking on the cow and calf, the veterinarian told them, "There's nothing wrong. Just keep an eye on them and wait a while before getting them vaccinated."

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi settled his bill, saw him off, and said gratefully, "Thank you for your hard work."

The veterinarian waved his hand. "I'm quite happy to have delivered so many calves; this little bit of hard work is nothing."

As they were about to leave, the veterinarian remembered something. "I just checked, and the cow isn't producing much colostrum yet. In a couple of days, it will produce more and more. Remember to milk the cow, otherwise it could easily cause udder blockage and inflammation."

Qing Mengzhu nervously, "Will it be crowded on the third day? Right at this time on the third day?"

The veterinarian chuckled when he saw them like this, "Don't you know how to milk cows? Didn't you buy a dual-purpose (meat and milk) cow when you bought it? Didn't the seller tell you that?"

Qing Mengzhu was a little embarrassed. "That was all last year, we don't remember much. The information we found online is a bit different from the actual practice, so we really don't know how to do it."

Veterinarian: "Then I'll come back on the third day to teach you how to sterilize and milk the cows?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded quickly. "That would be very troublesome, we really need this."

Author's Note:

Happy New Year, see you tonight!

Chapter 242

On the third day, the veterinarian actually came and taught Qing Mengzhu and the others how to milk cows.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi had both studied online, and now that they've put it into practice, they'll learn it very quickly.

Looking at the slightly yellowish milk in the bucket, which resembled condensed milk, Qing Mengzhu asked the veterinarian, "Is this considered bovine colostrum?"

Veterinarian: "The milk produced by the mother cow within seven days of a calf's birth is called bovine colostrum, and this is naturally bovine colostrum as well."

Qing Mengzhu looked on curiously. "No wonder it's so yellow; it's completely different from regular milk."

The veterinarian said, "Bovine colostrum has a high protein content. When you take it home and cook it, be careful. If the temperature is too high or the cooking time is too long, it will solidify like egg custard."

This was the first time Qing Mengzhu had heard of this idea. "It sounds quite amazing."

The veterinarian said, "This is your cow's first calf. You'll get used to it after it has given birth a few more times."

Qing Mengzhu: "We'll have to wait two years. Let them recover first."

They've been raising cows for over a year, and now that the cows are finally producing milk, they have to let everyone have a taste.

Qing Mengzhu, holding Ming Chunxi, went to find Zhou Yan with some colostrum.

Zhou Yan already knew they were coming and came out specifically to greet them.

Looking at the colostrum they were carrying, Zhou Yan said, "It's a bit different from what I've seen before."