Chapter 103, Inn No. 103: Cow Gives Birth
Cheng Yong looked down at the dark, sticky stuff in the bowl, raised an eyebrow, and said, "This is what you called something better than fried rice?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "That's right, you should try it, it's delicious, even Fu Wang likes it."
You know, Fu Wang doesn't like sticky things like porridge, but when she made it that day, he said it was delicious. Yun Yin looked at Cheng Yong with bright eyes, "You can eat it after soaking it in hot water. It's very convenient for you to eat on the road, and it's more nutritious than fried rice."
Cheng Yong hesitated when he saw the large bowl, but Wang Shitou trusted Yunyin completely. With his keen sense of smell, he couldn't resist the aroma of the fragrant multigrain powder. He said to Cheng Yong, "Brother Cheng, if you don't trust Brother Fu, don't you trust Lady Yun? How could anything she makes be bad?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he poured the multigrain powder into his mouth. The moment the dark, gooey stuff entered his mouth, Wang Shitou felt that it was fragrant, very fragrant. He had never eaten anything more fragrant than this bowl of porridge. He could feel the grainy texture as he drank it, but perhaps because of the sesame seeds, it was oily and smooth, which neutralized the grainy texture of the beans. And because sugar was added, what remained in the end was nothing but fragrance and sweetness.
After drinking the bowl, his stomach felt warm and full. Seeing that Cheng Yong hadn't eaten yet, he took the bowl from him and said, "Brother Cheng, if you're not going to eat, give it to me. I want to have another bowl."
Cheng Yong pressed his hand down, took back his own bowl, and said, "Who said I wouldn't eat it?" He drank it down in one gulp, and his eyes lit up. Yunyin hadn't lied to him after all; it really was tastier than fried rice.
After finishing a large bowl, he let out a long sigh and said, "Miss Yun, how much more do you have? We'll take it all."
Yunyin smiled and said, "I prepared this for you a long time ago. It was something that Fu Wang and the others worked hard to develop."
Cheng Yong patted Fu Wang on the shoulder, "Thanks, brother."
Fu Wang looked at the empty bowl in his hand and said with a smile, "Do you still want to eat? If you do, I'll make you another bowl."
Cheng Yong looked at the bowl in his hand and shook his head, saying, "We'll be eating soon, so let's save room for dinner. I also want to see how much Old Feng's cooking skills have improved."
Wang Shitou handed the empty bowl to Fu Wang and said, "Brother Fu, Brother Fu, I want one, I want one, give me another bowl."
Fu Wang took his bowl and made him another one.
While Cheng Yong and the others were eating, Yunyin took a cup of ginger tea to check on Jiang Xiaoyu. Her expression wasn't as bad as before. Seeing that she was about to get up, she quickly comforted her, "You lie down first. I made you some white porridge. You can drink some later. Eating some porridge will make you feel better if you're carsick."
"Drink the ginger tea first, it should make you feel better."
Jiang Xiaoyu leaned against the headboard, smelling the aroma of brown sugar and ginger in the cup. She picked it up and took a sip. The hot and spicy ginger tea was soothed by the sweetness of the brown sugar. After finishing the bowl, a wave of heat emanated from her body, and she felt much better.
"I'm so sorry," Jiang Xiaoyu said, wiping the water from her lips. "I'm afraid I can't help you right away."
Yunyin waved her hand and said, "It's alright, you should rest first, there's no rush." Although she was indeed very anxious before, now that the person had arrived, she couldn't let her work while she was sick. She would wait until she was better before she could start working.
However, there were some things she needed to clarify with her, so she asked Jiang Xiaoyu, "Did Fu Wang mention wages to you?"
Jiang Xiaoyu clenched his fists nervously and asked, "You mentioned it? Has your wife made any changes?"
Seeing that she was very nervous, Yunyin quickly reassured her, "No, no, I want to wait until you're better so I can see your farming techniques. I've raised a lot of shrimp, crabs, and eels, but many of them died last winter. I wonder if you could help me figure out what caused it."
"For now, the wages will be as Fu Wang told you, 500 wen per month. I'll provide room and board. If you do a good job, your wages will increase every year."
Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good." She really needed the money. If her family hadn't been so short of money, she wouldn't have come all this way to work in such a remote place. Fortunately, it was more lively here than she had imagined.
Looking at the bustling crowd outside, Jiang Xiaoyu saw many people setting up stalls, even peddlers. Reassured, she said to Yunyin, "Wife, don't worry, I will get to work as soon as possible."
After the congee was cooked, Yunyin asked Fangtang to deliver it to Jiang Xiaoyu. Ever since Zheng Guilan and Wu Zhuang went to the county to set up their stall, Fangtang and the others had taken on most of the work. Looking at these capable children, she couldn't let them do too much work, otherwise they wouldn't grow tall. She still needed to get Ma He and Zhu Yu to help as soon as possible. She also needed to start planting chili peppers soon, so she went to find Qian Xing and then spoke with Ma He and Zhu Yu.
After seeing Cheng Yong and Luo Tian off, Yun Yin took some time to visit Linjiang Village. The second day of the second lunar month is the day when the dragon raises its head, marking the start of spring plowing. The people of Linjiang Village are ending their winter hibernation and beginning their busy new year.
When Yunyin entered the village, many people noticed her. Not only that, but every person she met greeted her. She walked all the way to the Sun family's house until her throat was hoarse from shouting.
Yunyin took the water Qian Xing handed her and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "The villagers are so hospitable."
Qian Xing covered her mouth and laughed, "That's because Lady Yun is popular." Seeing that Yun Yin had recovered, she asked her, "What brings you here today, Lady Yun?"
Qian Xing also knew that Yun Yin was usually very busy and would not make a special trip unless it was something important.
Yunyin took out several packets of seeds from the basket and handed them to Qian Xing. "Sister-in-law Qian, I've come to exchange seeds with you." She pursed her lips shyly and said, "We didn't save many chive seeds last year, and I'm afraid it won't be enough for this year's planting, so I wanted to exchange some more seeds with you."
Qian Xing took the packets of seeds and waved her hand, saying, "It's not a difficult thing. You can just send someone over. There's no need for you to come alone." She opened the packet of seeds and found that she had never seen them before. Curious, she asked, "What kind of seeds are these?"
Yunyin: "These are chili seeds, a new type of seed. We use these to make the spicy dishes in our shop. The magistrate was supposed to give them to you, but I thought he didn't give out many seeds, so I gave you a separate packet so you could add a new dish to your menu. The rest can be given to other villagers; anyone who wants to plant some can do so."
The seeds for Magistrate Cui were also given by Yunyin. Fu Wang brought cotton seeds to Magistrate Cui, and the magistrate gave him a note stamped with the Cui family seal, so that they could rely on the Cui family for their escort missions in the future.
Yunyin not only shared some of her cotton seeds with Linjiang Village, but also gave some chili seeds to the magistrate. Magistrate Cui naturally wouldn't be shortchanged by Yunyin's generosity. Yunyin already knew that the magistrate wanted to build a ferry crossing in her area near the river. As long as the ferry crossing was there, her area would become even more lively.
This not only helps the county magistrate but also herself, bringing her more people. As long as there are people, her area will eventually become as bustling as Pingxi Town. Although the county magistrate hasn't said when it will be built, Yunyin estimates it will be within the next two or three years, since many fruit trees will bear fruit in about three years.
So she wanted to plant the chili peppers as soon as possible, not only herself but also with the villagers nearby, so that she could launch more chili pepper dishes and further capture the market.
Qian Xing was naturally unaware of these things. She happily accepted the seeds Yun Yin gave her, asked about the specific planting methods, and then went inside to get her some chive seeds and other pea seeds. She handed them to Yun Yin and said, "There are some pea seeds here too. I don't know if you need them, but they're easy to plant anyway. You can take them home and plant them."
Yunyin accepted the packets of seeds and then told him about the other reason she had come today.
Hearing that Yunyin was going to ask Ma He and Zhu Yu to do some work, Qian Xing was also very happy. She smiled and said, "Wait for me, I'll go find them now. They're busy at home right now."
As expected, when they heard that Yunyin wanted to hire them, Ma He and Zhu Yu came without hesitation. Even though they were only getting 300 coins a month, they were still very happy. They knew that other strong laborers could only earn 15 coins a day at most when they went out to do odd jobs, and that was hard work.
Even when Yunyin asked them to help with the farming, Zhu Yu and Ma He agreed, patting their chests and assuring her, "Don't worry, madam, we know how to farm. Cleaning the house and doing chores is no problem for us either. You can leave it to us."
Yunyin found suitable workers and put her mind at ease, agreeing with them to go to work early the next morning.
Seeing that Yunyin hadn't left after finishing her story, Qian Xing knew she had other matters to attend to. Just as she was about to ask, she saw her grandfather return and quickly went to greet him, saying, "Grandpa, you're back."
When Sun Lizheng saw Yunyin coming over, he asked, "Did you come to talk to me about the ducks, Lady Yun?"
Yunyin nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, this matter was delayed because of the snow disaster last year. Spring is coming soon, and I was just thinking of settling this matter."
Sun Lizheng stroked his beard and said, "It's easy, it's easy. I've already spoken to the village chiefs of the nearby villages about this matter, and some of them are indeed willing." He took out a piece of paper from the room, which recorded many names, all of whom were families willing to sign contracts with Yunyin.
Yunyin took the order and said to Sun Lizheng, "Then I'll trouble you to organize it. I'll take a day to sign contracts with them. As long as there are no problems with the ducks they raise, I'll take them all. I also want the duck eggs."
Sun Lizheng nodded in agreement. After Yunyin finished dealing with the matter, she bid farewell to Sun Lizheng and his family and returned to the inn with the seeds.
At this moment, Fu Wang was with Qian Si at the inn, surveying the land to see if the place Yun Yin had chosen was suitable for building a house. Upon seeing Yun Yin return, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Has everything been resolved?"
Yunyin smiled and said, "Yes, it's all resolved. We just need to go back in a couple of days to sign the contract."
Fu Wang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go with you then." He pointed to the place Qian Si had chosen and said to Yun Yin, "The place you chose before has a water source below it. Qian Si's idea is to go a little further back, where we can dig a small pond, which will also make it convenient for Zhang Lin and the others to use water."
"As for the open space opposite the private room, it's quite nice. It's perfect for building a house. There's also a place with a water source behind it where you can dig a large pond. You can raise lotus flowers or fish if you want."
Today, Fu Wang was helping him keep an eye on these matters, so he didn't accompany her to Linjiang Village. Now, when talking about these things, he spoke eloquently and knowledgeably.
Yunyin was very satisfied with what she heard. She nodded and said, "Okay, let's build it then."
With Qian Si's arrival, the inn became busy again. The first thing to be built was the rooms for the staff. Except for Yin Shuang's room, which had a small courtyard, the other five rooms were all individual rooms.
Meanwhile, Yunyin and the newcomers Ma He and Zhu Yu started planting chili peppers.
Chili pepper cultivation also requires seed breeding first. Yunyin used the house that she used to grow straw mushrooms to turn it into a seed breeding room. The seeds, which were soaked in warm water, were kept warm in the kitchen. After the seeds sprouted tiny white buds, they could be placed in the seed breeding room for seedling cultivation a week later.
Place one or two germinated seeds in each patch of soil, and cover them with a layer of damp straw to keep them warm and moist. Sunlight will shine through the gaps outside the mushroom house onto the straw, keeping the temperature consistently warm. Yunyin will also water the straw regularly every day to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. As soon as the sprouts appear, she will remove the straw. Watching the sprouts grow day by day, Yunyin's mood improves day by day.
Yunyin brought Fu Wang to the mushroom house to check on the chili seedlings again. She counted the leaves that had grown and finally there were six. She smiled and said, "They're ready to be transplanted."
Looking at the rows of chili seedlings with leaves sprouting, Fu Wang nodded and said, "They're ready. Let me help you."
Taking advantage of the good weather, Yunyin and the others transplanted the chili seedlings from the Mushroom House onto the already leveled land.
Yunyin planted beans on several plots of land last year, and these are the plots she plans to plant chili peppers on this year. Beans can fix nitrogen fertilizer, while chili peppers need a lot of nitrogen fertilizer, so using soil that has been used to grow beans to grow chili peppers is very suitable.
Of course, the fertilizer stored from planting beans alone is not enough, so Yunyin also composted a lot of manure. Since getting cattle, the cow manure has not been wasted; it has all been used to compost manure, so there is no shortage of fertilizer for planting chili peppers and rice this year.
Yunyin and Fu Wang worked together to plant the chili peppers. She even entrusted the cooking at the inn to Feng Hai, determined to finish planting all the chili peppers before she felt at ease.
After the chili peppers were planted, the fruit tree saplings that the county magistrate had promised to give her also arrived. Yunyin found some helpers from Letao Village and had Zhengxi and the others plant the saplings together.
The orchard is right next to the pond that is to be dug. Yunyin plans to connect the two places so that when guests come in the future, they can pick fruit first and then sit in the pavilion by the lotus pond to fish, which is another kind of fun.
In addition to the common fruit trees in Long'an County, Yunyin also wanted a few less common ones, such as loquat trees, and of course, a few bayberry trees.
The wine she made with bayberries before was said to be quite delicious by her guests. Unfortunately, the bayberries in Xiaotao Village are still too sour and a bit small. She plans to grow some herself so that she can make more bayberry wine in the future.
Of course, she didn't forget about the green plums either. Even though there was already a green plum tree in the mountain, she still planted a few more herself. After all, things in the mountains don't belong to her. Anyone can go in and pick them. Who knows who will pick them in the future? It's better to plant them herself to feel at ease.
All the trees were planted, and even though it was early spring, Zheng Xi still wrapped them with straw to prevent them from being damaged by the late spring frost.
Seeing that Zheng Xi was quite capable, Yunyin felt reassured and entrusted the matter to her, while she went back to attending to the affairs of the inn.
February is the busy season of spring, and it is also the time for merchants to go out and trade. Because the magistrate of Long'an County reduced the entrance fee to the city, more and more people are traveling through Long'an County.
In Magistrate Cui's words, the first step is to attract these merchants. Someone will inevitably want to eat and drink in Long'an County, and for every person who does, his people will make more money. Naturally, the inns in Yunyin are even more lively, with many people eating there every day.
As more and more people arrived, Yunyin got busy and forgot about the important matter. She was entertaining the new guests when she heard Zhang Lin shouting loudly.
"Wife, wife, something terrible has happened! The cow in the cowshed is about to give birth."
Yunyin paused, then pulled Fu Wang, who had just come out from behind the counter, and asked, "Did you hear that? What was Zhang Lin shouting just now?"
Fu Wang and Yun Yin walked outside together, saying as they went, "It looks like the cow is about to give birth."
Yunyin ran into Zhang Lin, who had come to call for help. He looked anxious and said to the two of them, "I just went to feed the cows and found that the pregnant cow was restless. Even when I fed her, she wouldn't eat. I think she's about to give birth."
As Yunyin followed Zhang Lin toward the cowshed, she said to Fu Wang, "Go and call Ma Hao. Tell him to go to Pingxi Town and ask for help. I've already spoken to Sister Aman. We'll borrow her family's veterinarian to help us out."
Fu Wang stopped following, nodded, and turned to find Ma Hao. Ma Hao was watering the field at the time. Seeing Yun Yin and the others hurrying around, he quickly got up and asked.
Upon learning that the cow was about to give birth, he didn't say much and quickly rode his horse towards Pingxi Town.
Yunyin and Zhang Lin arrived at the cowshed. The two cows had already been separated. Only the cow that was about to give birth was in the cowshed. She looked at the cow's uncomfortable groaning and wanted to go forward, but she didn't dare to.
She didn't know much about cows giving birth, and only after consulting Luo Man's veterinarian before did she know what to prepare. Now, seeing the cow in this state, she could only pray that the veterinarian would arrive soon.
Yunyin could wait, but the cow couldn't. Just as Fu Wang returned to her side and told Yunyin that he had gone to ask for help, the cow began to give birth on its own.
Perhaps due to malposition of the fetus or other reasons, the calf has not been born even after the amniotic sac has ruptured for a long time.
Yunyin looked very anxious, standing in the cowshed and glancing outside from time to time to see when Ma Hao would return. When no one came, she could only clench her hands tightly and look anxiously at the cow struggling alone in the cowshed.
Fu Wang held Yun Yin's hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, Ma Hao will be quick. As long as nothing unexpected happens, he'll bring the veterinarian back soon."
Yunyin looked remorseful. "I've been so busy these past few days. I had to plant chili peppers and other vegetables, and I also had to get another cow to plow the fields. There were also a lot of guests at the inn. I completely forgot that the cow was due to give birth soon. If I had arranged for the vet to come earlier, I wouldn't be so helpless and have made the cow suffer."
Fu Wang stroked her hand repeatedly, comforting her, "It's okay, it's okay. Calm down. There's no use being anxious now. We can only wait for Ma Hao to come back."
Just as Yunyin was anxiously trying to calm them down and Fu Wang was trying to soothe them, a deep voice came from behind them, "I wonder if this old man can be of any help?"
Perhaps Yunyin was too nervous and didn't notice the person who came, but Fu Wang noticed him early on. Seeing that he was a guest who had just arrived today, he didn't go forward and didn't stop him. He didn't expect that this person was a doctor.
Fu Wang didn't think this person was a veterinarian. Although he was dressed in a short shirt, there were no traces of tools on his hands. Fu Wang knew that veterinarians often used reins and other tools to assist animals in giving birth, and their hands would have some marks. But this person had none on his hands.
Yunyin didn't care about this person's identity. When she heard that he could help, she quickly asked, "How can you help me, sir?"
The man looked quite old. Yunyin glanced at him with concern and asked, "Is there anything I need to prepare?"
The man peered at the cow, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "You guys go and prepare the ropes first. I'll examine it carefully to see if it's breech."
After saying that, he ignored everyone else and went into the cowshed to inspect it carefully. Yunyin immediately went back to prepare ropes, while Fu Wang stood outside watching the man.
When Yunyin brought the rope over, the man stood up and said, "It's alright, the baby is in the correct position, it's just that the cow can't give birth right away and needs human assistance."
He washed the blood off his hands in the warm water that was being helped, then took the rope and said, "I'll disinfect this rope first. You guys prepare some lubricant; I'll need it later."
The veterinarian, Luo, had mentioned lubricant before, and Yunyin had prepared some. She handed the lubricant she had prepared earlier to the old doctor, and together with Fu Wang and the others, they secured the cow with ropes to prevent it from kicking anyone.
The old doctor applied lubricant to his hands and the cow's birth canal, then tied a rope around the calf's front hooves and head. Several people worked together to pull down as the cow strained. Once the calf's head and shoulders had passed through the pelvis, they pulled it back horizontally together.
With the guidance of the experienced doctor, the group knew how to exert force. They rested when the cow rested and worked together to pull when the cow strained, finally helping the cow give birth to the calf.
Yunyin looked at the newborn calf and finally felt relieved. After the old doctor cleaned the mucus from the calf's mouth and nose and cut the umbilical cord, the calf was left with its mother.
Yunyin wiped the sweat from her forehead and bowed to the old doctor, saying, "Thank you, doctor. May I ask your name and how I should address you?"
The old doctor washed his hands, put down his sleeves, and said, "It's alright, it's alright. You call me Zhang Jishun. I'm just a wandering doctor and can't accept such a big gift from you, madam."
Yunyin shook her head and said, "Doctor Zhang saved the cow and calf, and made up for my losses. He certainly deserves this thanks." She looked at the sky and realized that it was getting late. She quickly said, "Doctor Zhang must not have had a good dinner. I'll go and make you something to eat."
Zhang Jishun stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Then I'll stay for another meal." He looked at the cow licking its calf in the cowshed and smiled, "Wife, please prepare some warm bran and salt water for the cow. She just gave birth and needs to replenish her fluids, which will also help her expel the placenta. Afterwards, we should observe her closely to see if there are any signs of severe bleeding."
Yunyin said gratefully, "Thank you, Dr. Zhang. I've remembered everything."
Following Dr. Zhang's instructions, Zhang Lin went to boil bran and salt water, while Yun Yin led the group back, intending to cook a big meal to thank Dr. Zhang.
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