Those people grabbed each other's hands and tried to leave.

Lin Yuxi, looking quite pleased with herself, said from behind, "Don't go! We're all from the same village. Keep talking, I'm listening. When I get back, I'll gossip about this woman in the village too."

"Neuropathy!"

Lin Yuxi really didn't intend to argue with them, after all, it would take forty minutes to walk there. She left home at 6:30 and arrived at the other side around 7:10.

She didn't intend to get involved with those women either, since she would be working with them later.

Everyone's just going to collect cow dung, so how can you tell who's better or worse?

Fifty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Standing on the hillside, Lin Yuxi looked at the cow dung covering the entire mountainside and felt a headache coming on.

"Are you all from Shangqinghe Village who came here to collect cow dung? Come and register here." The old zookeeper held up a book and a piece of paper with the names of the six women written on it.

"These cows were just bought a few days ago and are now free-range. We're not quite familiar with how to raise them yet. Why don't you go and collect the cow dung first?"

The village is neither a grassland nor a farm, so the breeding environment is very basic. They can only be raised on the mountain. Moreover, these cattle were obtained by trading grain with a farm, making them especially precious.

The zookeeper was intently flipping through the book. He had spent a month learning from the farm's zookeepers about these cows before arriving at these conclusions. Every line and every stroke in the book was written by himself.

The cattle weren't free-range, the environment was poor, and they had to avoid being kicked by the cattle. As soon as they arrived, the women's faces turned pale.

A stench hit me, and I quickly covered my mouth and nose. How could cow dung smell so awful?

"Master, what's the use of picking up this cow dung?" Lin Yuxi blinked and leaned closer to him to ask.

Cow dung is a much better fertilizer than chicken manure.

The old zookeeper adjusted his glasses and checked the contents of the book. "Take it to compost, and then pour it directly onto the crops."

“Cow dung can be decomposed, then treated to kill insects, and made into better organic fertilizer. This is much better than directly composting it,” Lin Yuxi said, pointing to the words in his book. “Using it directly like this, with the dung piled up inside, means there will be insects inside, which is bad for plants.”

The old zookeeper looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong with it?"

“Raw manure can’t be applied directly to the ground, as it can easily burn the roots. If the roots don’t grow well, how can the yield be good? Don’t you agree?” Lin Yuxi squatted down on the ground, her tone gentle.

The veteran zookeeper's eyes widened in shock. "Then what do you mean by 'well-rotted'? What is organic fertilizer?"

Can't you cover cow dung directly with a lid?

They used to use it directly, but the yield was still only average after using fertilizer.

"Composting involves chopping up the straw in the cow dung and then adding some rice husks or corn husks, because these things absorb water and can dry out the moisture in the cow dung."

"Then we will carry out windrow composting, which is wide but not high. We will turn the pile regularly and we can also cover it with plastic film to reduce the smell."

As Lin Yuxi spoke, she observed the zookeeper's expression. Seeing that he was listening intently, she took a sip of water and continued.

"Then they talked about the composting process management, which requires high-temperature sterilization and pest control..."

The zookeeper nodded in agreement. Indeed, cow dung always seemed to attract insects and flies that were impossible to swat away. Just as he was getting into the story, Lin Yuxi suddenly stood up.

"Uncle, I have to go collect cow dung now. I'll talk to you next time." Lin Yuxi clapped her hands, brushed off the bits of grass on her bottom, and turned to leave.

Watching Lin Yuxi walk away, the zookeeper followed closely behind, "Young comrade, don't go! What's the next step?"