Everyone else was enthusiastically discussing the new plow, and many serfs who had been working finally couldn’t resist their curiosity and came over to watch.
Theresa didn’t mind their behavior, and the overseers, seeing that she didn’t react, consciously refrained from scolding the serfs.
Seeing that those who came first weren’t reprimanded by the new lord or the overseers, others also mustered the courage to come over.
For a while, the area around the field was completely surrounded by serfs, except for some space left near Theresa.
Even bold serfs ran into the field wanting to try the new plow, but of course, they were refused.
Theresa frowned slightly, but not because of these serfs.
The curved-shaft plow worked very well, but the plow oxen brought by the overseer didn’t seem very obedient. Although they were relatively gentle in temperament, they would often stop and refuse to follow the serfs’ commands, which naturally delayed the plowing time.
Even though the plowing speed with the new plow was already astonishing enough to shock all the “unsophisticated” overseers and serfs, in Theresa’s eyes, it still didn’t meet her expectations.
As an agricultural student whose maternal grandfather owned a farm, she had considerable experience in this area. Whether it was directing oxen to plow or operating farm machinery directly, she had done it all, and she could even repair many types of farm machinery.
So Theresa believed she had some insight in this regard.
To put it modestly, she could easily surpass everyone in this world.
She turned to ask the Manor overseer, “Are all the plow oxen in the Manor this disobedient?”
Seeing her displeased expression, the Manor overseer quickly replied cautiously, “You know, oxen always have their own temperaments and are harder to control than horses.”
Although horses can be spirited, once tamed, they still obey their masters. But oxen are different—their stubbornness is well-known, especially among young bulls. If not handled carefully, they can easily lose control and injure people. Therefore, the Manor’s plow oxen are usually chosen from the gentler-tempered cows, like the one here, which is one of the most well-behaved plow oxen in the Manor.
Theresa walked over to take a closer look at the ox and quickly discovered the problem—these oxen didn’t have nose rings.
Well, another new issue.
It was at this moment that the other carpenters and blacksmiths arrived.
Theresa left someone behind to observe how long it would take the serfs to plow a field properly, while she returned to meet the craftsmen and instructed them to produce more curved-shaft plows.
It was currently spring plowing season, but because serfs’ plowing had been slow and inefficient in the past, they had to start spring plowing much earlier. If the craftsmen worked quickly enough, they could produce enough curved-shaft plows before the end of spring plowing without delaying the re-plowing of the Manor’s fields.
These carpenters were assigned to work under the guidance of those who had already made the curved-shaft plow. Theresa had them work in groups to produce different components, essentially implementing an assembly line. This would increase production speed. If they couldn’t determine the dimensions, they could measure the existing curved-shaft plow for more accurate data—although these people were illiterate, craftsmen had their own methods for measuring and recording data, which Theresa didn’t need to worry about.
As for the blacksmiths, they needed forging furnaces. The manor originally had only two blacksmiths, so naturally there were only two furnaces. Therefore, those blacksmiths first went to see the finished product, then returned to their respective homes to forge the plowshares and moldboards. In a few days, someone would go to their places to collect the completed parts, and of course, they would be paid their due rewards.
Once a few more curved-shaft plows were made, Theresa had them sent to the other two manors so that the craftsmen there could also start producing them, aiming to create more curved-shaft plows.
The two blacksmiths at Villa Manor also needed to continue forging plowshares and moldboards. However, after inquiring, Theresa learned that they each had their own apprentices. She then tasked the apprentices with forging an iron awl and nose rings for the cattle.
Both the iron awl and nose rings were easy to make. She gave the order in the morning, and by the afternoon, she received freshly made nose rings—though they were made of copper rather than iron. Compared to iron, copper is less prone to rusting, and its lower hardness makes it easier to work with.
After inspecting the nose rings, Theresa nodded and instructed them to forge more, as they would be needed in a few days.
While the iron awl and nose rings were being made, Theresa personally selected some dry vines of suitable size. She had the surface bark scraped clean and asked the manor’s doctor for medicinal herbs with antibacterial properties to boil into a disinfectant solution. She used this solution to sterilize the vines and also obtained some medicinal powder for stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation.
With everything prepared, she summoned the cattle herder and had him lead the way to see the cattle.
The manor had large pastures where livestock such as cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs were free-range, only being driven back to rest at night. These animals were managed by specialized livestock officials, who also oversaw the serfs responsible for herding.
The manor did not tolerate idlers. Among the herding serfs were many young children, mostly around ten years old, primarily tasked with tending to the sheep. Older children worked alongside adults in the fields. Herding sheep was considered light work, suitable for children who were not yet strong enough for heavy labor.
Even such work was not available to all children of the appropriate age.
The cattle herder led Theresa to the pasture, where she saw the cattle herd. Villa Manor had a total of 130 cattle, scattered across the vast pasture and not particularly conspicuous. Among them, only a small portion were draft cattle, while the rest were beef cattle and dairy cows, with beef cattle being the majority. Many draft cattle also doubled as dairy cows, as there were no specialized dairy breeds at the time—milk was only available when cows were pregnant or had given birth. Thus, cows were more valuable than bulls, and beef cattle were predominantly male.
Beef cattle were typically raised for one to two years before being slaughtered, so none of the manor’s beef cattle were older than two years.
The optimal time for piercing a bull’s nose for a nose ring was between ten months and one and a half years old.
Theresa had several bulls of suitable age driven back to the cattle pen, tied up, and their heads secured outside the pen. She then personally took charge of piercing their noses for the rings.
Her maternal grandfather’s family ran a farm, where they kept many cattle. Each year, a batch of cows needed to have nose rings installed. Theresa not only frequently watched the workers pierce the cows’ noses but also often practiced the technique herself. Her grandfather hoped that one of his three grandchildren would inherit his farm, so he had been intentionally training them.
Now, this skill came in handy.
Theresa first calmed the tied-up cow, then felt its nose to locate the right spot. With precision and speed, she pierced the thin area with a cone that had been briefly sterilized over a fire, avoiding any damage to the cartilage.
Her technique was excellent, and the bull barely felt any pain. However, the slight discomfort still made it restless. Though restrained and unable to move, its strength was considerable, and Theresa could feel the force of its struggling head beneath her hands.
But now, her strength was astonishingly great. With a slight effort, she easily subdued the bull’s head.
The pierced nostril bled very little. Theresa applied some hemostatic and anti-inflammatory powder to the wound, then threaded a suitable length of vine through the hole and twisted it into a ring. Thus, the cow’s nose was successfully pierced.
After about a week, once the wound had healed, the vine could be replaced with a proper nose ring.
Theresa proceeded to pierce the noses of several cows in a row. Throughout the process, she had the cowherds and the serfs responsible for tending the cattle observe closely. As she worked, she explained the key points and precautions. Once she was sure they understood, she stepped aside and gestured for them to try.
Initially, seeing the new lord piercing the cows’ noses, the cowherds and serfs were frightened. Cattle were valuable livestock, and they feared the cows might die from infection after such injuries, which would likely result in punishment for them.
However, after Theresa explained that this would make the cattle easier to manage, the cowherds, though skeptical, no longer viewed the new lord as cruel.
Still, when it came to piercing the cows’ noses themselves, they hesitated.
Noticing their concerns, Theresa raised an eyebrow and said, “Don’t worry. As long as you follow my instructions carefully, I won’t punish you even if something happens to the cows.”
Only then did the cowherds and serfs cautiously begin.
Piercing a cow’s nose wasn’t particularly difficult. With the cattle restrained and Theresa, an experienced hand, guiding them step by step, they soon learned to perform the task cooperatively.
The prepared vines weren’t abundant, and after being used on seven or eight cows, they ran out. However, Theresa had already sent servants to collect more suitable vines, so there would be enough for use the next day.
As it was getting late, the sky had darkened by the time the noses of these few cows were pierced. The cowherds and serfs needed to herd the remaining cattle back to the barn for the night, so Theresa didn’t disturb them further. She simply instructed them to continue the next day using the same method once the servants delivered the new vines.
Of course, follow-up care for the cattle couldn’t be neglected. She would have the doctor send over the medicinal powder for the cows, and the diet of the pierced cattle would also need some adjustments.
After arranging all this, Theresa returned to the castle.
Butler Greg did not follow her out in the afternoon. Instead, he remained within the castle of Villa Manor, arranging for the servants to thoroughly clean the castle and make some changes according to the new master’s preferences.
Moreover, with the heir having passed away and the old count bedridden for a long time, the servants below had inevitably grown lazy. Especially in a castle like this, where the master rarely stayed, the servants were even more negligent in their duties. The situation in Villa Castle could not be described as very bad, but it was far from good.
Most importantly, just yesterday after their arrival, a servant secretly approached Butler Greg to report that the steward servants in the castle had conspired to embezzle Count Golden’s family property.
Assisting the master in managing the steward servants below was originally the butler’s responsibility. For such an incident to occur so soon after the new master’s arrival made Greg lose face even more. Thus, he had been dealing with this matter since early morning.