Chapter 28: Animal Farm

"Lord Eddard, from now on Winterfell will never have to worry about a lack of candles."

In the candle workshop, Klar excitedly showed Eddard the burning beeswax candles. Nearby, candle workers were busy at work.

Klar wore a sky-blue robe embroidered with gold thread and a pure gold chain around his neck; Eddard, in a black fox-fur coat with the House Stark Ice-River Wolf Emblem on his chest, looked incredibly magnificent amidst the group of grimy candle workers.

Eddard picked up a candle with his hand, "How many candles like this can be produced in a day?"

The candlemaker Kayue was the person in charge here; he was a thin, gaunt old man with a head full of white hair.

"Lord Eddard, we can produce just under two hundred such candles every day. Of course, this is because many workers have just started in candle production and have never touched this trade before. Lord Eddard, rest assured, leave them to me; I will train them well. Practice makes perfect, and in a month, our output will double."

Eddard and Klar left the candle workshop and, under the protection of Winterfell Captain of the Guard Jory Cassel, passed through the flow of people in the Winter Town market.

A thin boy was peddling steaming bread, a fisherman was hawking fresh White Knife river fish, and a group of farm women were haggling in front of a cage of "cooing" chickens. The Duke of the North often inspected Winter Town, and the nearby residents were long accustomed to it, with no one stopping to watch.

Duke Eddard and Klar arrived beside the cattle farm. The cattle farm was divided into two parts: the cattle pen and the cattle shed. The cattle pen was an open-air area enclosed by wooden fences where workers would drive the cattle to bask in the sun every day; when the cold nights came or in rainy and snowy weather, they were driven back to the cattle shed, which was built of brick and mud with a wooden roof.

Breeding Farm Overseer Givon was checking the health of a dairy cow, and a milker was milking a cow. On a cart outside the cattle pen, buckets filled with milk were already stacked.

Eddard said, "Givon, are these the new dairy cows you purchased?"

Givon walked over with a smile, "Lord Eddard, I have already sent a cart of milk to Winterfell. Is Lord Eddard satisfied with the quality of the milk?"

Eddard said, "Our whole family is very satisfied. Sansa said she never expected to be able to drink milk produced by our own estate. Where were these cows bought from?"

Givon said, "Some are from villages near our Winterfell, some are from the Barrowlands, and of course, the most are dairy cows from the east coast. Many farmers were worried that their cows would be snatched by Rockborn Pirates, so they were anxious to sell them, and they were resold all the way to Winterfell."

Klar rubbed his hands together, "The cattle dealers who resold them made quite a bit of money, but Lord Eddard, rest assured, when they drive their cattle to Winter Town to trade, our tax collectors will make them pay up obediently."

Givon led Eddard and Klar to visit the dairy goats in the goat pen. When Rickon had his birthday banquet, the lords of the Northern Mountains tribes presented a group of dairy goats to Winterfell. Eddard soon discovered that this type of dairy goat had a high milk yield, and he began preparing for large-scale farming from that time on.

After the Winterfell breeding farm was established, Eddard ordered Givon to be responsible for purchasing dairy goats. It just so happened that the expansion of Winter Town attracted many mountain clan herders to settle down, and there were many dairy goats among the flocks they drove, so Givon purchased a batch on the spot.

"There are currently over sixty dairy goats in the goat pen, and we have even more goats. Both cow's milk and goat's milk will be sent to the Wolf House Canteen and the Wolf House Tavern, and we also have special stalls in the market selling milk and goat's milk. If we make money in the future and Lord Eddard wants to expand, I suggest we can raise sheep. Sheep's wool can be used to make clothes, and thick fur is never hard to sell here in the North!"

Eddard said, "I will seriously consider your plan. How is the progress on winter feed storage?"

When winter descends, livestock and poultry die in large numbers due to a lack of food, and Eddard has always attached great importance to the storage of feed.

Givon said, "Feed progress is currently going smoothly. We buy straw, grass, and leaves from farmers at low prices and process them into feed; several warehouses are already full."

Eddard was delighted to find that the sows in the pigsty were crowded with piglets, and the baskets in the hands of the maids in the chicken farm were filled with eggs.

In Eddard's plan, the slaughterhouse next to the breeding farm would be responsible for slaughtering animals in the future and transporting the meat to the market for sale. Currently, there are very few butchers in the slaughterhouse because the breeding farm has only just been established and there are few animals ready for market. Most of the animals slaughtered by the butchers are brought back from the Wolfswood by Winterfell hunters.

In the future, the meat from the slaughterhouse will be transported to the sausage workshop for processing. The sausage workshop has already begun trial operations, but the first person in charge of the sausage workshop was fired by Eddard as soon as they took office; the sausages they made not only tasted poor but also lacked hygiene.

Currently, the person in charge of the sausage workshop is a woman named Phoebe. She is a plump, cheerful woman in her forties who has lived in Winter Town for many years, making a living by raising pigs and making ham. Winterfell's ham was previously supplied by Phoebe, and she has rich experience in making sausages, so Catelyn recommended her.

Eddard saw workers in the pigsty loading manure onto a cart. Givon said, "Lord Eddard, according to your instructions, we are clearing out the manure from the breeding farm and transporting it to the nearby Stark Estate to fertilize the fields."

In addition to providing meat, the breeding farm can also provide animal manure.

Winterfell Master of Horse Hullen has now been promoted to Winter Town Master of Stables. Some stables in Winter Town have been completed, and Eddard has ordered Hullen to breed high-quality horses; these horses will serve as the main force of the Northern cavalry in the future. High-quality horses from near Winterfell, the Rills, the Dreadfort, and White Harbor have all appeared in the stables.

Eddard shielded his eyes with his hand, gazing at the breeding farm under the sunlight, the distant farmland and the Stark Estate, and the vibrant Wolfswood.

"Manure can improve soil fertility, promote crop production, and increase grain yields."

Givon smiled obsequiously, "Lord Eddard, the problem is that the person in charge of the Stark Estate told me they no longer need manure, and the horse manure from the stables is also being sent to the Stark Estate for fertilizer. It seems we need to dig a large manure pit."

Urban development inevitably brings hygiene problems. Even King's Landing and Oldtown cannot manage toilets and sewage problems well, and many cities are criticized for being foul-smelling; Winter Town will not be able to avoid this fate in the future.

Eddard waved his hand, "Winter Town has so much land, and the farmers' fields certainly need fertilizer. We can put a clear price on the manure and sell it to them cheaply."

Givon smiled awkwardly, "Lord Eddard, these farmers have so little harvest from their farming; expecting them to spend money to buy manure to fertilize their fields? That is simply impossible!"

It is truly too difficult to earn money from farmers. Eddard said gloomily, "Giving it to them for free, that should be fine, right? Fertilizing the fields is always a good thing."

Givon said, "Many farmers have no concept of fertilizing the land. They plant the grain, pull the weeds, and then leave it to the heavens."

Eddard pondered for a long time, "I will have Maester Luwin write some simple educational leaflets on fertilization and send people to distribute them to the farmers in Winter Town and the nearby villages. Do you think it will be effective?"

Givon said, "Are there any farmers who can read? I haven't seen many, anyway. Lord Eddard would be better off sending Winterfell servants to promote it among the farmers; that way, they might come to the breeding farm and haul away this troublesome animal manure."

Eddard and financial advisor Klar left the breeding farm and headed toward Winterfell.

"Klar, did you see? Our breeding farm is simply full of vitality; it will definitely be able to help us make money in the future."

Klar was uninterested, "Lord Eddard, I don't have that confidence. I heard an old saying among farmers: 'Wealth in the barn, but not on the hoof.' Those furry livestock and poultry are not necessarily assets! A plague or extreme weather could leave us with nothing."

(End of chapter)