Chapter 807

Chapter 807: Butter and Cheese

On the red tiles of the roof, two birds stood side by side, watching the three people and other animals below. A black-and-white spotted cow was standing beside a stone trough, chewing slowly on its feed, with its tail swishing occasionally.

The cow’s coat was clean and smooth, reflecting a slight sheen in the sunset. Its sides were slightly bulging, and one could feel its full belly when touched.

Moo~

Seeing the three approaching, it lifted its head and let out a call, then continued eating the grass. At a closer distance, one could hear the occasional snorting from its nostrils and the sound of chewing. On the other side behind the cow, a calf was hiding, peering through the gap under its mother’s belly, seemingly a bit afraid.

“I want to touch it.” Ye Ling approached cautiously on the grassland, but the calf kept hiding.

“Maybe we should find something it likes to eat; that way, it won’t hide from you,” Lolan suggested, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“What does the cow like?” Ye Ling straightened up, glanced around, and pulled out a bundle of green grass from the hay stack, waving it in front of the calf.

The calf looked at the waving grass and bleated, but still didn’t move.

“This is too common; it’s not interested,” Ye Ling said, feeling disappointed as the calf didn’t come over.

“How about trying some fruit? I usually don’t feed calves. They drink milk most of the time, only occasionally eating some feed,” Bumansa offered helpfully.

“But where can we find fruit now?” Ye Ling pondered.

Behind her, a familiar voice came, “Here.”

Lolan handed over an orange-red tangerine.

Holding the tangerine, Ye Ling felt as if she had found a precious toy, peeled it, and the juice splashed. The air was filled with the fresh scent of citrus.

Following the sweet aroma, the calf indeed looked over.

Thus, Ye Ling approached the calf again with the peeled tangerine, and the calf, uneasy, shifted its hooves, wanting to run but staring at the tangerine in Ye Ling’s hand.

Just as the calf decided to leave, Ye Ling stepped forward and started petting its head.

“Hehe~” Ye Ling laughed triumphantly, stroking the calf’s head, which resembled a whirlpool, and fed it a segment of the tangerine.

The calf licked the segment tentatively several times before finally rolling it into its mouth and chewing. Feeding the calf one segment after another, it gradually calmed down.

After petting the calf, Ye Ling went to the big cow, watched it eat, then squatted down, hugging her knees, and observed. She seemed eager to try something.

“Take it slow, Ye Ling,” Bumansa stopped Ye Ling, took a tin bucket from a storage area, and approached the cow.

She first patted the cow to calm it, wiped the udder with a warm cloth, and placed the tin bucket underneath, then began to gently squeeze.

White liquid sprayed out, hitting the inner wall of the tin bucket and flowing down.

“When squeezing, don’t use too much force, or the cow will hurt and might kick you,” Bumansa explained the technique to Ye Ling.

“Also, do it gently to prevent the cow from getting injured or inflamed.”

“Mm-hmm,” Ye Ling knelt excitedly to watch.

“Now give it a try, start slowly,” Bumansa handed over a warm towel.

“Okay,” Ye Ling wiped her hands with the towel and started squeezing.

At first, she was very careful and nervous, but seeing everything go smoothly, she gradually relaxed.

“It’s not so hard after all~”

After finishing one, there was another. After finishing, the bucket was nearly half full.

“Hmm, it smells a bit fishy,” looking at the warm milk in the bucket, Ye Ling initially wanted to drink some, but hesitated after smelling it.

“Stupid Ye Ling, this can’t be drunk directly,” Lolan walked over and squatted next to her.

“Lolan is right, it needs further processing,” Bumansa added, carrying the tin bucket into the house.

Back in the kitchen, Lolan and Ye Ling followed.

“First, stir it,” Bumansa took a long rod with a circular plate on top from the wall.

She stirred the milk with the rod, and gradually, a semi-solid white substance separated and appeared in the milk.

“The top layer is butter,” Bumansa pointed at the white oil-like substance on top of the milk.

“Although it looks white now, heating it slightly in a pan will turn it a light yellow.”

“How amazing~” Ye Ling cheered.

“The lower white liquid is what we usually drink, but it needs to be heated and disinfected first.”

“The butter on top can be used to make cakes or bread, or stored. The milk below can also be added to baking ingredients. If there’s any leftover, it can be put in a container to ferment, then boiled and stirred to make cheese.”

“These are the most common ingredients for pastries,” Bumansa introduced the uses of dairy products.

“So that’s how it works. I always thought butter was just yellow oil,” Ye Ling took the rod from Bumansa and continued stirring.

“Do well, Xiao Ye Ling. I’ll make you some cheese later,”

Bumansa encouraged Ye Ling, who was working hard, making Lolan unsure if she was genuinely encouraging her or exploiting child labor. But Ye Ling was indeed happy.

While Ye Ling was handling the milk, Lolan and Bumansa chatted about other things.

“Does Bumansa know Lily’s current situation?”

“Yes, Lily is now in the Palace, the Empress,” Bumansa nodded and continued.

“A few years ago, I saw her at a wedding. To keep a low profile, I deliberately stayed away from her and asked the owner of the cake shop not to reveal my name.”

“Luckily, the judges and high nobility didn’t care who the pastry chef was; they just knew it belonged to Red Raven Earl’s estate.”

“Lily was very happy then,” Bumansa recalled the luxurious and grand wedding, with long processions of flower cars and parades.

“That day was mid-August, when the moon usually rises high. To decorate the cold night sky, the Emperor set off many colorful fireworks in the Imperial Capital, almost covering the entire city with a shower of light.”

“At that moment, I secretly wished, thinking Lily had achieved her wishes, perhaps even she hadn’t expected it herself,” Bumansa smiled nostalgically.

“Unfortunately, many changes happened later,” Bumansa sighed, hearing various news about the Empire over the year.

“But since it has come to this, I can’t help much. The Imperial Capital is like a vortex of chaos, and she is at the center of power. If she wants to truly get out, she can only rely on herself. Since she became the Empress, she bears great responsibility.”

“Just that kind of growth may inevitably come with pain,”

The two sat on the threshold steps, watching the sunset sink into the ground. The world gradually turned dark blue, with only the warm yellow candlelight behind them casting their shadows long and slanted on the steps and grass in front of the house.

“Keep going, Dai Ju. If you stir well, I’ll make you a big chicken leg tonight,”

Their conversation paused, and behind them came Ye Ling’s cheerful commands. Lolan turned to see Dai Ju standing by the bucket, holding a wooden stick in his mouth, vigorously stirring the fresh milk, while Ye Ling sat at the table, propping her head up, cheering him on.

That’s it for today. Everyone, go to bed early.

(End of Chapter)