jdhmnovel Chapter 11 Castrating pigs is a craft
Chapter 11 Castrating pigs is a craft
Rumor has it that Paris, known as the city of romance, was originally a veritable "city of excrement." The high heels that countless perverts cherish were originally invented to avoid stepping in feces while walking on the street.
Then, in Europe, the city was full of excrement that no one wanted, while in the Ming Dynasty, chicken manure was put outside the city to compost, but people would steal it.
Is it that the people of Europe are too stupid to even compost manure? Or is it that the people of the Central Plains are too obsessed with manure?
Seeing Yang Shaofeng's disbelieving look, Lame Wu said, "Does the county magistrate not believe me? If it were me, I would steal some every day, find a place to bury it in the soil, and then take it to my own land after it has decomposed. If I can think like this, others can think like this too."
Yang Shaofeng moved aside with a look of disgust, then pointed to the chicks frolicking in the vegetable garden: "Just these chicks alone have produced enough chicken droppings in half a day; wouldn't it be unbearably smelly if there were more?"
But Limpy Wu stubbornly retorted, "It may stink, but what farmer would forgo manure just because it smells bad?"
"As long as it can fertilize the land, produce more grain, provide more food for the whole family, save more food, and give them a better chance of survival in times of disaster, no one will dislike even the smelliest manure."
Yang Shaofeng immediately fell silent.
Despite all his careful planning, Yang Shaofeng still overlooked the word "disaster year" and the Chinese people's obsession with food.
Thinking back to the hunger he felt when he first transmigrated, Yang Shaofeng waved his hand listlessly: "Tell the village chiefs and commune leaders that the compost will eventually be distributed to the people. Tell them to keep an eye on the people in their respective villages and communes, and not to let anyone steal the compost before it is properly composted."
After thinking for a moment, Yang Shaofeng added, "Later, have someone prepare some bricks and stones, build two houses on the wasteland for composting, find two people to watch over them, and pay them wages."
With the chicken-raising arrangement settled, Yang Shaofeng then turned his gaze to several robust women: "Besides raising these chicks, there are also two piglets that you need to take good care of."
A bolder woman asked directly, "Sir, has that piglet been castrated? If it has, we can raise it well, but if it hasn't, we won't be able to control it if it starts causing trouble."
Yang Shaofeng laughed and said, "Don't worry, ladies, both piglets are female."
Upon hearing Yang Shaofeng's words, the women looked at each other, and then lowered their heads and laughed together.
The bolder woman suppressed the urge to burst into laughter: "Sir, you may not know this, but sows are castrated just the same. It's called castration for boars and castration for sows, but it's the same thing."
Another woman said, "If these piglets haven't been castrated, they'll be restless when they get older. They'll not only lose weight, but their flesh will also smell bad and taste terrible."
"If the piglets are castrated, they won't cause any trouble. They'll just focus on eating and getting fat, and the meat they grow will taste better."
Great, I've learned something new.
Yang Shaofeng said with a dark face, "Do I look like someone who knows anything about castrating pigs?"
After the "land claim" incident a few days ago and the recent chicken manure composting incident, these women had a general idea of Yang Shaofeng's character.
A county magistrate who loved his people like his own children.
Although he often puts on the airs of a county magistrate and will even kick people when he gets angry, he is actually a good official who cares about the people.
Combined with Yang Shaofeng's fair and handsome appearance, these women became even bolder.
A woman mustered her courage and said, "Sir, you are a scholar, you don't need to know these things."
Yang Shaofeng snorted and pointed at the lame Wu who was watching the commotion from the side, saying, "I really don't know anything about these things. If any of you know how to do it, take a look and see if those two piglets have been castrated yet."
"If it has already been castrated, then take good care of it. If it hasn't been castrated, then have Brother Limpy Fifth find a pig castrator to castrate it."
Limpy Wu immediately groaned inwardly.
With the constant warfare in recent years, fewer people are raising pigs, and pig castrators are earning less money. Not to mention small counties like Ningyang County, it's questionable whether even large counties in the Jiangnan region with large populations still have pig castrators.
Pig castration is a craft, and it requires a master to train an apprentice. The apprentice must practice many times before he can graduate. It's not something you can just do by grabbing someone off the street.
The thought of the two sows running around, rubbing against people, and losing weight after they grew up without a castrator made Limpy Five feel uneasy.
If the pig escapes, we certainly can't let the county magistrate catch it himself. Only he and his brothers will suffer the consequences. If the pig accidentally gnaws on them and the news gets out, the brothers will be too ashamed to face anyone!
Therefore, the pig must be castrated as soon as possible, and there must be no joke of the pig rooting up the pig.
If all else fails... Looking down at his own hands, Limpy Wu felt even more desperate.
Those hands are absolutely skilled at wielding a knife and chopping people; countless Tartar heads have already been severed from their blades.
But if you put those hands to castrate pigs, you'd probably kill both piglets before you could learn how!
Yang Shaofeng noticed that Limpy Five's brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression kept changing, alternating between pale and flushed. He couldn't help but wonder, "What is Limpy Five thinking?"
The lame man, who was lost in thought, was startled awake and blurted out the words, "I don't know how to castrate pigs."
Yang Shaofeng burst into laughter at Limpy Wu's antics: "Limpy Wu, Limpy Wu, when did I ever say I was going to let you castrate pigs?"
"It's true that Ningyang County is a small county, and it's also true that it's sparsely populated. But even with its eight communities and sixteen neighborhoods, Ningyang County still has several thousand people. Is it really impossible to find even one person who knows how to castrate pigs?"
"If you can't find it, go ask the village chiefs and neighborhood leaders. Ask around in each village. You'll eventually find it."
"If all else fails, we can always go to Yanzhou Prefecture—I really don't believe that if we can't find a pig castrator in Ningyang County, we can't find one in the entire Yanzhou Prefecture?"
Hearing Yang Shaofeng's explanation, Limpy Five finally felt relieved.
It doesn't matter if I have to run a few extra steps, or go to Yanzhou Prefecture to find a pig castrator, as long as I'm not allowed to go to castrate pigs, everything else is negotiable!
Having made up his mind, Lame Five chuckled and said, "Don't worry, sir. I'll go find the village elders and ask around. I'll also take care of composting the wasteland for building houses at the same time."
As soon as Yang Shaofeng nodded, Limpy Wu dashed out in a flash, so fast that no one could tell he was a cripple.
Watching Limpy Five's departing figure, Yang Shaofeng couldn't help but chuckle: "How afraid is Limpy Five of me of making him castrate pigs?"