Haiyan and Yongqiang

To say that communicating well before doing anything will make things much easier.

Milking was much smoother than imagined, and one and a half kilograms of milk was squeezed out at once.

Tang Xiaoguo felt emotional: "That's so much!"

Shen Bing thought for a while: "Roughly estimating, this cow can produce about four kilograms of milk per day."

Lin Qianqian said emotionally: "Even if each of us drinks half a kilogram, there will still be one kilogram left!"

Lu Zhe nodded: "Although it cannot be compared with cows that produce 50-60 kilograms of milk per day in terms of milk production, it is still quite outstanding among yellow cows."

Ning Shu asked: "Will this milk be available all the time?"

Lu Zhe said: "As long as it keeps being milked, its daily milk production will increase day by day in the next three months and reach its peak. After that, it will slowly decrease until it stops at the 10th month. The amount of milk from one cow is totally enough for a few of us to drink."

Tang Xiaoguo asked: "What if we want to drink milk again after ten months?"

"The practice of dairy farmers is to impregnate the cow again two or three months after weaning the calf, so that it produces milk while pregnant with a calf. Although the milk dries up after giving birth at ten months, after another two months, it gives birth to a calf again and can continue producing milk."

"It sounds a bit inhumane! Only meeting the bull once a year!"

"Wrong! They don't meet the bull at all. They get pregnant artificially."

"That's too cruel!"

Lin Qianqian contemplated: "If nothing happens but it gets pregnant and gives birth to a calf, won't the cow be very confused?"

"Maybe! But dairy farmers won't consider what they think. Not like me, who will seriously look at things from the animal's perspective."

The cow mooed, as if responding.

"When the time comes, we can grab another pregnant cow and let them take turns giving milk, so that one can also rest while the other produces milk. That would be more humane, right?"

The girls all nodded.

"Can we drink this milk directly?"

"Theoretically yes, but I don't recommend doing that. We have to pasteurize it with a stone mill and then drink it to be safe."

"That's right, pasteurization goes perfectly with milk!"

"Then let's start. We’ll have cow's milk for breakfast today."

"But note that the taste of fresh milk will be stronger than what you get from the supermarket. It may take some time to get used to it."

Ning Shu nodded: "What about the calf?"

Lu Zhe thought for a while: "No matter if it's a newly weaned calf or a milking cow, they need to eat good food. Hmm... The grass in the woods north is very tender and juicy, and it hasn't been damaged by sheep. I'll find time to cut some and bring it back to feed them."

Seeing Lu Zhe treat his cattle so attentively.

The girls couldn’t help feeling touched.

A kind-hearted and compassionate boy is indeed most charming.

Tang Xiaoguo said, "Why don't we give the two cows names!"

Ning Shu agreed: "I think Xiaoguo's suggestion is still good. After all, they are the first domesticated animals to provide us with valuable resources, so we should give them identities. What do you all think?"

The girls looked at each other and gave unanimous consent.

Lu Zhe also nodded: "Okay, I'm not good at making up names. You guys do it and I’ll approve."

"Then let me think of one first. Let's call the mother cow Mimi and the calf Niuniu."

Tang Xiaoguo thought for a while: "Niuniu eats willows by the river, and Mimi guards the willow to drive the cattle away. It’s too cliché from this old nursery rhyme!"

Lin Qian smiled sweetly: "How about something more classical and romantic? Let's call the mother cow Bai Suchen and the calf Xu Shilin!"

Tang Xiaoguo shook her head: "They were almost snacks for the python. Are you sure they will like snake names?"

Lin Qian sighed: "You’re right."

Jiang Yao thought for a while: "I think we can be trendier. Let's call the mother cow Peggy and the calf George, how about that?!"

Tang Xiaoguo said helplessly: "Please, they are pigs! Sis Bing, you think of something."

Shen Bing pondered: "If you want trendy names, why not open up ideas a bit more? Let's call the mother cow Lambo and the calf Guini!"

"Those are cars, that won't work either!"

"Then what do you suggest, Xiaoguo?"

"Since they are hardworking cattle, they should have a rustic feel!"

Tang Xiaoguo pretended to think hard for a long time, nodded and said:

"Hmm, facing life and death calmly, the mother cow showed an unyielding determination to worldly troubles in her calm eyes when giving birth to the calf. She resembles the undeterred swift perfectly! Let's call her Swift!"

The girls blinked: "This has little to do with a rustic feel either!"

"What about calling the calf Yongqiang then?"

Swift and Yongqiang!

Suddenly, it felt miraculously fitting.

"I think it works!"

"It’s more than just working, that’s very suitable indeed!"

"Haha, I agree, let's call them Swift and Yongqiang!"

"Then if we catch a bull later, should we call it Guangkun?"

"Haha, laughed my head off! Cows, you have names now!"

The girls happily conveyed this news to the two cows.

"From now on, you are Swift!"

"Swift, Swift!"

"Moo..." The mother cow responded actively.

"Yongqiang, Yongqiang!"

"Moo..." The calf also seemed to understand and readily accepted the name.

Having come up with names that everyone likes, Lu Zhe felt very satisfied too.

He drank some milk, ate something: "Keep working on the tree house today. I'll get some forage first and we’ll all work together later!"

Jiang Yao said, "Don't think about ditching me today!"

"With a beauty to accompany me, I'd be thrilled. You can help me carry more grass too."

"No problem!"

The woods north of the campsite were also in the surrounding area, but was one region Lu Zhe hadn't explored yet.

This area was close to the cold air zone with scattered highlands, lowlands, plains, rock clusters, making the topography particularly complex!

Jiang Yao stuck with Lu Zhe closely. Lu Zhe didn't go too far in before finding the wild grass he wanted.

Cogongrass!

This was a common wild grass in the tropics and subtropics, an excellent animal feed.

Compared to other tropical wild grasses, it was more cold resistant, so it was more competitive here.

Soon Lu Zhe had cut two large bundles.

On the way back along the hillside, Lu Zhe found another stream.

This stream was much smaller than the one near the volcano.

Less than a meter wide, it trickled down from the northeast hilltop, turned a large circle on the winding slopes, flowed into this grass field and disappeared.