Starting from Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 416 180: Birthday Gift (Part 4)

...

When half of the wall was torn down, two gigantic creatures appeared, and both Saturday and Sunday couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.

Unlike the natives who were laboring on the front line, and unlike Chen Zhou who had seen the cows early on, they were unable to hide their surprise when they first encountered such enormous creatures.

Standing beside them, Chen Zhou had deliberately not told the two what was inside the wall, intending to enjoy their startled expressions—

Youths whose hair hadn't even fully grown out, pretending to be mature every day.

Little ones, keep pretending?

This time you can't keep it up!

...

After Saturday and Sunday calmed down, he began to explain in an elder's tone what exactly a "cow" is to the two of them.

He made a point of mentioning that cows can produce milk and that their milk production far exceeds that of goats.

After all, the goats on the island weren't specially bred dairy goats like in later generations; they were just ordinary goats.

Even if they were dairy goats, their milk production couldn't compare to specially bred dairy cows.

As Chen Zhou knew, some adult dairy cows with high milk production could produce about 40 pounds of milk per day.

The total daily milk production of all the ewes he owned during their lactation period couldn't reach this number.

...

Having followed Chen Zhou for so long, both Saturday and Sunday had a fairly broad understanding of the uses of milk.

They knew that adding some milk or butter made from milk to chocolate would make hot cocoa tastier, and boiling milk with tea leaves and a pinch of salt could make a uniquely flavored milk tea that was not only delicious but also filling.

Besides being made into various foods, boiled milk itself was also an excellent drink.

The island's goats fed on green grass all year round, eating no feed, so the milk they produced was much richer than the dairy products from modern farms.

Not to mention the two natives, even Chen Zhou, who had consumed various dairy products in modern times, found the flavor excellent.

He even thought that the milk produced by the free-range goats on the island tasted a notch above the goat milk sold by the Mongolian herders back home.

The two natives had long since formed a good impression of milk as a food.

So when they heard that cows could produce milk too, and that the quantity and taste were better than goat milk, their eyes lit up.

...

However, Chen Zhou's introduction to cows didn't stop at milk production.

He went on to explain the uses of cows in agriculture.

Cows could be the main force for plowing land, taking on heavy farm work like plowing, planting, and even harvesting. Their manure could be used as fertilizer and dried as fuel.

If a cart were made, a cow could be used to transport goods, with a single cow's transport capability exceeding that of ten or more people.

Alive, it produces milk and does labor.

Dead, it offers its body, providing large amounts of beef, heart, and brisket.

The leather from tanned cowhide was also much superior in performance to ordinary animal hides. Chen Zhou estimated that the only leather on the island that could surpass cowhide might be seal skin.

But the probability of encountering a seal was really too low.

In another month and a half, he would have been on the island for three years, and in those three years, he had only seen two seals, never seeing any more after those two.

Hoping to continually obtain leather and oil from seals was simply a fantasy.

If he wanted a stable leather supply, they would rely on goats before, but now they could rely on these two cows.

...

In Chen Zhou's words, cows seemed like perfect animals, capable of working, producing milk, and being consumed as meat.

The beautiful future he painted left Saturday and Sunday longing.

After Chen Zhou finished his introduction, both Saturday and Sunday eagerly volunteered, wanting Chen Zhou to entrust them with taking care of the cows.

Especially Sunday, who had his eyes on the strong and majestic bull, thinking that raising such a large creature was an honorable task.

Seeing Sunday's enthusiasm, Chen Zhou readily agreed, giving him the responsibility of taking care of the bull and the cow.

...

Of course, there is often a considerable gap between reality and imagination.

When Sunday actually took on the task, he would slowly discover that while cows were among the most docile animals, their stubbornness and temper weren't something just anyone could handle.

By then, even if he wanted to change his mind and give away this tough job, it would be impossible.