Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 45 Very good, I had a smooth delivery, right?

In the livestock farm, several strong women responsible for taking care of cattle and horses were gathered together, their faces full of tension or curiosity. Wu Qiba, the yamen runner in charge of guarding the livestock farm, was also full of tension, but he was also smiling as he wandered around a cow.

Upon seeing Yang Shaofeng arrive at the livestock farm, Wu Qiba hurriedly came forward, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "This humble one, Wu Qiba, greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate."

Yang Shaofeng looked at everyone curiously and asked, "Seventh and Eighth Brother, what happy thing happened?"

Wu Qiba chuckled and led Yang Shaofeng to the cow, pointing to its belly and saying, "Your Excellency, look here. This cow is ready to feed its calf."

Yang Shaofeng glanced at her with curiosity and saw that the cow was slightly restless and would occasionally stretch her legs and kick her belly. The calf's milk bottle was already swollen, and the head of the bottle was also slightly swollen, with two drops of milky white calf feed dripping out from time to time.

Wu Qiba then pointed to the cow's rump and said, "Look here, this is starting to swell too. I estimate that this cow will give birth today or tomorrow."

Great, I've learned some new, seemingly strange knowledge.

Yang Shaofeng silently complained to himself, then asked curiously, "Are there any people in our county who can deliver calves? Do you know anything about this, Brother Qi?"

Wu Qiba shook his head slightly and gave Yang Shaofeng a negative answer with an embarrassed smile: "Although I have raised cattle and know a little about cow birthing, I do not know how to deliver a cow's calf."

"As for our county..." Wu Qiba sighed slightly and said, "Back when the county magistrate arranged for these pregnant cows and mares to go to the livestock farm, I had already asked the heads of each village and community. Our county has always been a poor county, with very few large livestock, so naturally there are no veterinarians."

“In previous years, when the large livestock in the county gave birth, if it was a smooth delivery, it was considered a blessing from God. If it was a difficult delivery, it was basically a matter of whichever one survived, or it could result in the death of both mother and child. Everything was up to fate.”

"However, most cows give birth naturally, and many even give birth in the middle of the night, so people don't know until they hear the calf's mooing after dawn."

Yang Shaofeng was slightly relieved and pointed at the cow, asking, "So what do we do now? Should we get it some good food? Should we have someone bring an egg? Is there anything else we need to be careful about?"

Wu Qiba was overjoyed and cupped his hands to Yang Shaofeng, saying, "If we could have eggs, that would be even better. As for other things to be careful about, County Magistrate, you don't need to worry. When a cow gives birth, it usually leaves the herd and finds a quiet place on its own. Fortunately, our ranch is big enough, and there are plenty of quiet places."

Yang Shaofeng nodded again, then turned to a robust woman and instructed, "Please trouble you to go to the chicken farm next door and find the manager, and have her bring me two... no, six eggs."

After the robust woman left to carry out her orders, Yang Shaofeng said to Wu Qiba, "Brother Qiba, I'm entrusting this matter of the cow giving birth to you. I don't understand these things, so I won't interfere..."

Before he could finish speaking, the cow, which had only been slightly agitated, suddenly mooed a few times, repeatedly lying down and getting up, taking a few steps and then stopping, before lying down and getting up again. Its two large eyes became watery, and Yang Shaofeng could see a hint of anxiety and pleading in them.

Just as Yang Shaofeng was about to ask Wu Qiba what was going on, Wu Qiba's expression changed drastically. He exclaimed, "She's about to give birth!" and then untied the cow from the tree and led it to a clearing covered with weeds in the southwest corner of the ranch.

Once they reached the open space, Wu Qiba gently pulled on the cow's rope, causing the cow to lie down on its left side. Then he called out to the strong women, "Go fetch a basin of clean water!"

Yang Shaofeng didn't understand the complicated process of cows giving birth. He wanted to go over and take a look, but he was also afraid of startling the cow. Helpless, he could only ask from a distance, "How is it? Is it going to give birth naturally?"

Wu Qiba said, "Your Excellency, I don't know if it can be born naturally. We'll have to see whether the calf comes out head first or tail first! If the head comes out first, it's a natural birth. If the tail comes out first, it might be a difficult birth."

Before the words were even finished, the calf's two hooves slowly appeared.

Wu Qiba's face lit up with joy, and he turned to Yang Shaofeng, saying, "Your Excellency, a smooth delivery! A smooth delivery!"

Very good, I had a natural birth, right?

Damn it, if it weren't for the critical moment of the cow giving birth, I would definitely ask you how I managed to have a natural birth!

Yang Shaofeng suppressed the urge to curse and continued to look at the cow that was giving birth.

As the calf's two front hooves slowly extend out, and the calf's nose gradually appears as the mother cow's belly rises and falls, followed by the calf's shoulders and then its torso.

Once the calf's belly started to appear, the birthing speed suddenly increased as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button. In the blink of an eye, or rather with a whoosh, the entire calf was squeezed out of the cow's belly, followed by the expulsion of the placenta and fetal membranes.

After giving birth, the cow took a few heavy breaths, then struggled to get up. Regardless of the remnants of the dark red placenta and fetal membranes still clinging to her back, and despite her trembling limbs, she slowly lowered her head and began to lick the calf's body with her tongue.

At that moment, Yang Shaofeng gained the most intuitive understanding of the idiom "a parent's deep affection for their child".

Only when the newborn calf began to lick its mother did Wu Qiba slowly retreat to Yang Shaofeng's side and whisper, "Your Excellency, this calf was born naturally, and it's a bull. It looks quite strong and will be able to stand up on its own in a little while."

After Yang Shaofeng nodded, Wu Qiba continued, "After five or six months, when the calf is a bit bigger, we can put a nose ring on it. Once the wound on its nose has healed, we can tie a rope to the nose ring so the calf can gradually get used to it. After another five or six months, the calf can go to work in the fields with the old cow."

Yang Shaofeng was extremely dissatisfied—I was just feeling moved here, deeply understanding the idiom "a parent's love for their child," and you're telling me to put a nose ring on the calf so it can work?

That's such a blemish!

Then, Magistrate Yang Shaofeng asked directly, "So, this calf will be able to work in the fields in about ten months?"

Wu Qiba said, "That's right. In just ten months or so, this calf will be able to work in the fields."