The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 58

 

| TBBOTOF | 58

"What are we buying?" Tang Xu lowered his head to look at Tang Yang, who was holding onto his leg. Belatedly realizing the situation, he gently pushed the young boy away. "Ah Yang, you can't keep clinging to my leg like this. You're already old enough."

Tang Yang pouted reluctantly, his face showing his displeasure.

He hadn't grown that much yet, and it was comforting to hug his brother's leg. 

Seeing that he seemed not to have heard, Tang Erhu repeated, "We're buying a cow. I want to buy a cow to help with farming."

Tang Xu nodded. "Is it enough?" He remembered that last time they bought a mule in town, the price of a cow seemed to be even higher by one or two taels.

"Brother!" Tang Yang called out to him. "Come with us to town and help Dad buy a cattle!"

Tang Xu's eyelid twitched.

To be honest, being able to buy a big mule for fifteen taels that day was entirely taking advantage of the seller's ignorance about mules. He probably wouldn't be much help in buying a cattle.

But the fact that Tang Erhu came to get him meant he also wanted him to give it a try. Tang Xu nodded. "Okay, then let's hurry and go with the donkey cart. Dad, do you want to buy a buffalo or an ox?"

"A cow. We have more paddy fields than dry fields," Tang Erhu chuckled as he walked with him towards the backyard. "I'll go harness the cart. You tidy up a bit. Where's Dongzi? Is he out in the mountains again?"

Tang Xu nodded. "He should be back soon. Otherwise, we'll wait for him to return before we go."

Tang Erhu glanced at the sky and waved his hand. "If he comes back late, the livestock market will be closed."

"If we're late, we're late. We can go tomorrow if we can't make it today. If we're late, we'll just eat here. I haven't seen you for a few days, Dad, and you seem to have lost weight," Tang Xu remarked, frowning as he looked at his sister and brother. "And both of you seem to have lost weight too."

Tang Yang had already run over to Wei Xi's side to help dig hawthorn seeds, his eyes squeezed shut from the sourness after eating a hawthorn just now.

Tang Li pursed her lips, wringing her fingers, and hung her head, unable to look at him. She stammered, "Brother, I'm sorry. I didn't take good care of Dad and my brother."

Tang Yang widened his eyes, wanting to retort, but Wei Xi pulled him by the arm, signaling him not to speak.

Tang Xu's voice turned somewhat cold as he agreed, "You were wrong. I told you that if times got tough, you should come to me. Why didn't you?"

Tang Li's eyes welled up with tears, but she remained silent. Tang Xu sighed and turned to look at Tang Erhu.

As their eyes met, Tang Erhu couldn't help feeling a bit guilty and quickly headed towards the backyard.

 "Dad," Tang Xu spoke up, "Did you forbid Ah Li from telling me?"

In fact, after knowing that there was no money left at home, Tang Xu had also thought that times would be tough on their side. So, he had given them some copper coins when the two children returned, citing it as payment for their help with chores. Though not much, it would definitely suffice to buy some meat and improve their meals.

Moreover, they also had chickens that could lay eggs and be eaten. However, now it seemed that they had probably eaten the meat and eggs sparingly.

Tang Erhu scratched his head and said, "The family has already caused you a lot of trouble. Besides, you did give them some copper coins. We have enough to eat and drink. Ah Li has just started taking care of things at home. It's normal for her to sometimes overlook things. Don't blame her."

He had recently managed to adjust his mindset to some extent, but it had been really tough for a few days. Not eating well and not sleeping well had taken a toll on him. He had started losing weight during that time, especially with the daily chores of drying, harvesting, and threshing wheat. Although he had lost some weight, he had also become more robust.

To put it plainly, he was just tired.

"Brother, I'll know better next time. I won't be stingy," Tang Li said, seeing that her brother wasn't really angry. She quickly approached him. "I've thought about it. After finishing the household chores, I can also help others mend their clothes. I can earn a tael or two for each piece I mend. If I mend more, I can save up some money."

Tang Xu furrowed his brows, feeling uneasy.

He looked at his adoptive father, then at Tang Yang who was helping Wei Xi dig hawthorn seeds, and finally at Tang Li. "How about this? Since it's hot recently and I'm too lazy to make cold soup skewers, you and Ah Yang can do it too. Why don't we set up a small stall in front of the house?"

Tang Li was taken aback.

Before she could refuse, Tang Erhu spoke up, "That won't do. That's your livelihood. If Ah Li takes over, how will you two earn money? It's not right, not right at all. Xu Ge'er, Dad knows you're kind-hearted, but we can't take advantage of you like this!"

Tang Xu went over and hooked his arm around Tang Erhu's, pulling him towards the front yard as he spoke. "We'll go buy the cow tomorrow. Dad, you sit there and have some water. Listen to what I have to say."

Tang Erhu had a gut feeling that he shouldn't let him speak. He had experienced firsthand how persuasive his adopted son could be. Once Tang Xu started talking, he always made sense.

But he couldn't just shake him off either. What if his frail-bodied son stumbled and fell to the ground if he tried to shake him off forcefully?

The middle-aged man was pulled along reluctantly, his face stern and unwilling.

Wei Xi had keen eyesight. Seeing his brother-in-law pulling Tang Erhu over, he quickly fetched a small wooden stool and set up a small wooden table with a teapot and cups.

"Uncle Tang, have some water."

Tang Erhu smiled at him and allowed Tang Xu to pull him to sit on the small wooden stool. Tang Li came over and saw that there were still plenty of hawthorns in the basket. She turned to wash her hands and then helped with digging out the seeds.

"Dad," Tang Xu pushed the water cup towards him, "I'm not letting Ah Li sell skewers for nothing."

Tang Li looked at him upon hearing this. "Brother, are you asking me to work with you?"

"No," Tang Xu waved his hand, speaking frankly, "You see, back when we were preparing six hundred skewers every day, they were sold out quickly, and many people came but couldn't get any. You two don't have to prepare too much. We need to make sure people can't always get them easily, so they'll keep wanting more. I don't feel like doing it mainly because it's too hot. It's not that tiring, but the kitchen is too stuffy, and I'm feeling lazy."

Tang Erhu reached out and gently patted his forehead, scolding him, "You've been pampered by Dongzi. You're looking down on those few hundred copper coins!"

Tang Xu grinned mischievously, "Dad knows me best. But mainly, I'm just lazy. Ah Li is much more hardworking than me. Let her handle this business, and I'll take a share of the profits. It's not like I'm letting her earn money for nothing."

"Uncle Tang, don't hit my brother-in-law. Actually, he's just worried that I'll get tired from the heat and work. He's not lazy at all," Wei Xi quickly spoke up to stop the scolding. 

Tang Erhu chuckled, "You guys do get along well."

Wei Xi grinned and glanced at Tang Xu.

Tang Xu ruffled his hair and said to Tang Li, "I'll provide the seasoning, and we'll split the copper coins from the sales evenly. You can also make Liangpi, around twenty to thirty sheets a day, like we used to sell alongside the skewers. 

And there's another thing. If you can endure hardship, I'll have Mr. Wu, the owner of Fuyun Restaurant, buy Liangpi from you. His cold noodle skewer business is doing really well, and he wanted me to supply him with more Liangpi, but I declined because I was too lazy to make them."

The more Tang Li listened, the brighter her eyes became. She was so excited that she couldn't help but clasp her hands tightly together, reminding herself not to pounce on her brother. She had to listen carefully to what he was saying.

Tang Erhu was also moved by the idea. This was indeed a good business opportunity. Regardless of how well the skewers sold in the village, the Liangpi business alone could bring in a good amount of copper coins every day if they produced enough.

Tang Yang also chimed in, "Brother, I'll definitely help Sister with the work. I'm not afraid of hardship!"

"Ah Yang, you're the best," Tang Xu smiled at him, praising, "You're already a mature young man who can help earn money for the family. That's great!"

Tang Yang felt proud yet shy, blushing for a rare occasion.

Wei Xi nodded in agreement and also praised him, "Brother Yang is so quick at doing things, he's always very diligent when helping me with chores." 

Tang Yang's face reddened even more, and he lowered his head, silently digging out hawthorn seeds. "You could do it even better!" 

"Dad, what do you think of this proposal?" Tang Xu looked at his father. Tang Erhu nodded, sighing, "Of course it's good, but if we do this, won't you earn less?"

"Dad, why don't you understand," Tang Xu shrugged helplessly, "Yes, I'll earn less, but I won't have to endure any fatigue. I'll only provide the seasoning packets, and the rest is up to you. Skewers can't be all vegetarian, you'll have to make meatballs and kebabs at the very least. 

You'll cover the costs for those, and I can sit comfortably at home. If you sell three hundred coins worth each day, I'll take half, which means one hundred and fifty coins for me. Tell me, what's wrong with that?"

Tang Erhu understood now and nodded repeatedly, "You're really smart."

Tang Xu smiled, thinking to himself that he was only standing on the shoulders of giants, and didn't consider himself particularly clever.

"And about selling Liangpi separately to the restaurant, you can keep all the profits. You sell one, and I'll take one coin," Tang Xu added.

Tang Li waved her hand, "No, it's all split evenly. Big brother, I know you're concerned about me and want me to save more money, but I can't take advantage of you like that. I won't sell more to the restaurant either. If their business is good, I plan to sell a fixed amount to them."

"This Liangpi won't sell well once the weather cools down. By then, you can make hot dishes like noodle soup and dumplings that people can eat warm. You'll need to adjust the menu according to the temperature and preferences. Sell cold dishes on hot days and hot dishes on cold days. You'll manage this hot and cold concept yourself," Tang Xu explained everything he could think of to her, and Tang Erhu understood as well.

Tang Erhu couldn't help but think to himself, what virtues and abilities did he possess to have such a good child as his son.

Tang Li nodded as she listened, and when he finished speaking and looked at her, she straightened her back and looked at Tang Xu very seriously and attentively, "Big brother, I will definitely do a good job. I'll make sure Ah Yang brings you the copper coins every day."

"No need for that," Tang Xu chuckled. "Just give me the coins when you come to pick up the seasoning packets."

He paused for a moment and added, "When running this food stall, don't be greedy. It's better to sell out than to prepare a little extra every day. Food spoils easily in the heat, and if even one person gets sick from eating your food, your business will collapse. Remember this. Also, taste the broth and ingredients yourself when selling. Even if you have to use water to dilute it, if it tastes off, discard it immediately. It's better not to do this business at all than to be accused of earning money dishonestly. Do you understand?"

At first, Tang Xu's tone was more suggestive, but as he continued, it became heavier. "Ah Li, can you do it?" 

"Yes!" Tang Li nodded vigorously. "Big brother, you can trust me. I've remembered everything you said."

"Also, when you're too busy, you can find someone you trust to help. I won't say much about this, it's up to you to decide," Tang Xu added.

Tang Li nodded again. She understood. Just like when her brother asked her to help with chores, if she were to hire someone to help, she wouldn't pay them as much.

With the preliminary details settled, Tang Li needed to prepare for the business. 

Besides other things, she needed to sharpen more bamboo skewers and prepare more bamboo tubes to serve Liangpi. They didn't have enough bowls to take outside, so they would use bamboo tubes instead. Tang Xu would have to go up the mountain to cut bamboo for this.

When Wei Dong returned, he didn't find it strange that they were at home. Upon hearing Tang Xu's plan for them to run a cold noodle and skewer business, Wei Dong immediately said, "I've been thinking about suggesting this before, but I never found the right opportunity."

Tang Erhu felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this.

"Dad, you don't need to go to the mountain to cut bamboo. I'll go and bring back a couple of bamboo stalks. There's a bamboo forest up there, and the bamboo is thicker than the bamboo in the neighboring village," Wai Dong said as he unloaded a sack from his shoulder and handed it to Tang Xu. 

"Tonight, I want pancakes and thin porridge. It's too hot for hot food. Here are the chestnuts you wanted. Be careful when handling them; they can be prickly."

"I'm going to chop bamboo, Dad, want to take a stroll with me?" Tang Erhu got excited and stood up, patting his legs. "Let's go, I haven't been into the mountains much. They say there are many treasures in the mountains. I want to see for myself."

Wei Dong nodded with a smile. "Sure, let's take the machetes with us."

"You two also bring the backpacks. If you see fresh mushrooms, pick them, even if you're not sure if they're edible. I'll sort them out later. Ah Li, fill up the water bags and put them in the backpacks for Dad and your brother," Tang Xu instructed.

"Got it, big brother," Tang Li said as she got up to fill the water bags from the kitchen.

As soon as they left, Tang Yang and Wei Xi immediately approached Tang Xu, their eyes filled with anticipation, but they didn't say anything. They just stared at him with their big round eyes.

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "What's up? Want to say something?"

Tang Yang had lost a tooth a couple of days ago, and his small gap-toothed smile looked amusing. "Do you want some candied fruit?" Tang Xu asked.

They both nodded eagerly, expecting their big brother to fulfill their wish, but they saw him shake his head. Tang Xu said, "It's too hot for candy today. Let's have some hawthorn snowballs instead."

"Wow!" The two children exclaimed in surprise, holding their faces. "What's a snowball hawthorn?"

Tang Xu chuckled and pinched their cheeks. "If you don't know what it is, why are you saying 'wow'? You'll find out once it's made. It's cooked with sugar." 

Tang Li, in an untimely manner, said to Tang Xu, "Big brother, Yang just lost a tooth. He shouldn't eat too many sweets."

"I won't eat too much, big sister!" Tang Yang anxiously reached out and grabbed the hem of Tang Li's clothes, saying urgently, "My tooth doesn't hurt, really!"

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow. "Open your mouth."

Tang Yang opened his mouth, and Tang Xu examined it carefully. The gap where the milk tooth had fallen out already had a white tip poking out. It would probably be fully grown out in a couple of days, but the gum was slightly swollen.

Tang Yang looked at his big brother pitifully, afraid he would be told not to eat.

Tang Xu pinched his slightly less chubby cheek and said, "You can have two. When your tooth grows back, I'll make more for you." 

Tang Yang nodded vigorously. "Okay."

Wei Xi put the best batch of hawthorns into a jar, sealed the jar with oil paper, and then covered it with a lid. "Brother, let's move them to the cellar," he said to Tang Xu.

"Stay still, I'll move it," Tang Xu said, carrying the jar directly to the cellar and going down the stairs to place it in the corner. Various jars nearby were labeled with names written by Tang Xu.

Initially, Tang Xu hadn't thought to label the jars, but Wei Xi reminded him that it would be easy to confuse them with so many. So, Tang Xu quickly wrote a bunch of names and stuck them on each jar.

Tang Li followed him into the cellar, feeling increasingly uneasy as they descended. It was dark inside, and even with a small oil lamp, it couldn't illuminate much space. However, judging by the size, the cellar was quite large.

"Big brother, it's too cold down here," she said, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms and shivering. Tang Xu nodded. "It'll be warm down here in the winter."

Tang Li didn't understand but didn't ask further. She just thought the cellar was quite nice. However, digging such a large cellar probably cost a lot of money, and she didn't have any money to dig one at home herself.

"Let's go, let's make some snowball hawthorns. You can learn by watching on the side, and when you have nothing to do, you can also figure out other things to make." Tang Xu turned to look at the little girl and smiled, saying, "You're about to start your own business soon. You should keep your mind active. Some small items can appear on your little stall. Adults may not like them, but children will always be interested. It doesn't have to be much, just capture their hearts."

Tang Li nodded repeatedly in agreement, sighing, "Brother, how did you grow such a smart brain?"

They went to the stove and fried a small pot of snowball hawthorns. Each hawthorn was coated with sugar frosting, white and round, looking very tempting to bite into.

Tang Yang stared at the stack of snowball hawthorns on the plate, swallowing hard. Wei Xi poked one with chopsticks and handed it to him, saying, "Brother Yang, have one first."

"Thank you, brother Xi!" Tang Yang opened his mouth and wolfed down the entire hawthorn, biting through the slightly hard sugar frosting to taste the sweet and sour hawthorn inside. Because it had been lightly stir-fried, the outer layer of the hawthorn flesh was somewhat soft, while the inner layer was slightly hard.

The taste is rich and the flavor is sweet and sour, making one's mouth water.

Tang Yang nodded as he ate, making humming sounds of approval, and then poked one to Wei Xi, saying, "Try it!"

Wei Xi wasn't as wild in his eating as Tang Yang. After taking a bite, he had eaten a third of the hawthorn. The sweet and sour taste made him purse his lips and squint his eyes, then he quickly swallowed and took another bite, shaking his head in enjoyment.

Tang Li also poked one and started nibbling, nodding in approval, "Brother, you've made this so delicious."

Tang Xu took one and tasted it. The flavor was indeed excellent. "Take some back. These can last for a few days in a cool place." 

Tang Li nodded without any fuss.

For dinner, under Wei Dong's ordering, there were pancakes rolled with everything, stir-fried sour cabbage with shredded potatoes, and a bit of shredded scallions, the taste was absolutely superb.

He also stir-fried shredded pork with sauce. Although they didn't have sweet bean paste, the homemade soybean sauce was still very fragrant.

Tang Yang and Wei Xi ate side by side. Despite missing a baby tooth, Tang Yang's chewing speed was not slow at all. He would spread various meats and vegetables on a pancake, roll it up roughly, and then hold it to munch on.

Whether it was because of the hot and humid weather or not, Tang Xu's appetite hadn't been great lately, especially after cooking, he ate less. "Are you feeling unwell?" 

Wei Dong asked with some concern as he saw Tang Xu holding a bowl of congee and only having eaten one pancake.

Tang Xu shook his head. "I'm not feeling unwell, it's just too hot and dry. If we don't get a good rain soon, I feel like I might suffocate."

He wasn't exaggerating. Recently, although it rained, it was mostly in the early hours of the morning, and by the time it stopped, the ground hadn't even gotten wet. 

As a result, during the day, the sun was scorching, making the air hot and stifling, and even taking a breath felt difficult.

Tang Xu had always struggled with the summer heat. Even when he was younger, he had a poor appetite during such hot and humid summers. Now, with his soul and body combined, the intensity of his discomfort during the hot season had doubled.

Tang Erhu stared at the red mole on Tang Xu's forehead for a while before suddenly saying, "Let's go to town tomorrow. You should visit the pharmacy and have the old doctor there check your pulse."

Tang Xu looked puzzled. "I haven't finished drinking the conditioning soup I brought back last time. Why do I need to go to the pharmacy?"

"You say why," Tang Erhu glared at him. Even though he didn't have a son-in-law himself, the men in the village who had sons-in-law always revolved around a few topics when they gathered to work together. He had heard people say that when a son-in-law's wife was pregnant, the mole on his forehead would become redder. "Just go and see. It can't hurt."

Tang Xu immediately understood what his father meant, and he chuckled, shaking his shoulders. "Dad, I'm not pregnant. The old doctor said my body isn't suitable for having a baby early. He asked me to drink the medicine for a while before having a child, otherwise it might be difficult to keep it."

Tang Erhu picked up a piece of cucumber with his chopsticks intending to put it in his mouth, but upon hearing Tang Xu's words, his hand shook, and the cucumber fell straight into the bowl.

"What did he say?" He turned to Wei Dong, "What did Xu Ge'er say?"

Wei Dong was busy rolling his pancake and casually replied, "Doctor Xu said Xu Ge'er's body hasn't been well-nourished before when he caught a cold, so it's not suitable for him to get pregnant now. It might be hard to keep the baby."

Tang Erhu's lips trembled, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Until they finished their meal and were about to leave, Tang Erhu remained silent.

Tang Xu frowned and signaled to Wei Dong with his eyes. Wei Dong turned to go to the backyard to fetch the mule, while Tang Xu hooked his arm around Tang Erhu's and led him towards the backyard. "Dad, let's take a walk."

Tang Erhu sighed, putting his arm around Tang Xu's shoulder and patting him. He spoke in a low voice, "I'm sorry, son."

"Dad, every expense our family had before, whether it was food or drink, wasn't it all earned by you working in the fields?" Tang Xu looked up at him. Even though it was dark, he could still see Tang Erhu's face clearly. The expression on the middle-aged man's face at the moment was truly indescribable.

Tang Xu could sense his father's guilt, but he didn't need it. If anyone should feel guilty, it should be for Xu Ge'er. But Xu Ge'er was truly gone. As for his relationship with Tang Erhu, truth be told, it wasn't bad. At least since he opened his eyes, this adoptive father had always looked out for him.

"Dad, don't put so much pressure on yourself. The old doctor said that when a ger's mole was red, it meant he is likely to get pregnant easily. And Wei Dong and I aren't that young. There's nothing wrong with waiting a couple more years to have a child."

Tang Xu chuckled as he spoke. He felt a bit embarrassed when discussing this matter with Wei Zhonghong before, but surprisingly, he could naturally speak about it with his adoptive father. "Dad, you also need to take good care of your health. You'll have to look forward to holding your grandchildren in the future, won't you?"

Tang Erhu was taken aback by his words, then burst into laughter. "Alright! Dad will listen to you. I'll be waiting to hold my grandchildren!"

Early the next morning, Tang Xu had Wei Dong drive the mule cart to pick up Tang Erhu and the others, and they went to town together. The cart went straight to the livestock market. Since it was early, there were quite a few people there buying livestock, but not many deals were being made.

It was Tang Erhu's first time there, and everything seemed new and exciting to him. He thought every stall selling cattle and donkeys looked good. Tang Yang accompanied him as they browsed around. 

Meanwhile, Wei Dong took Tang Xu to buy ducklings. There was an old lady holding a large bamboo basket filled with fifteen fluffy yellow ducklings, quacking happily. Just looking at them made people feel delighted.

Tang Li and Wei Xi went straight to them and squatted beside the basket, behaving well without reaching out to touch them. The old lady smiled warmly at the two and asked, "Are you buying ducklings?"

Wei Xi nodded, then shook his head and turned to look at the two people negotiating the purchase of geese nearby. He looked at Tang Li and whispered, "Sister Li, did you hear my brother-in-law say how many ducklings he wants to buy?"

Tang Li shook her head. Although she had heard her brother mention wanting to raise ducks, she didn't know how many they needed. But when she thought about the large pond dug in the backyard of their mansion, she glanced at the dozen or so ducklings in the bamboo basket and felt that buying all of them should be enough to raise.

"Auntie, how much are these ducklings?" Tang Li asked.

The old lady pointed to the ducklings. "The females are eight wen each, the males are six wen each." Females lay eggs, so they were more expensive than males, but the price seemed a bit high. 

Tang Li thought for a moment and asked, "Can you lower the price a bit?"

"Oh, young lady, look at what you're saying. These ducklings are so strong and healthy. You'll definitely be able to raise them all. Ducks are easy to raise. You can just let them out to the ditch every day, and they'll find their own food without you having to worry about feeding them. If you buy them all, I'll lower the price by three wen each." The old lady was eager to sell to Tang Li and quickly made her pitch.

Meanwhile, Tang Xu had already bought three geese, two females and one male, along with six goose eggs. According to the old man, these goose eggs were almost ready to hatch.

After paying, Wei Dong lifted the geese onto the cart, while Tang Xu went to look at the fifteen ducklings. He stood by silently with a smile as Tang Li negotiated with the old lady. Tang Li was somewhat tempted by the old lady's offer but still found it a bit expensive.

Just then, Tang Xu approached, and Tang Li quickly said, "Brother, this lady said if we buy them all, she'll lower the price by three wen each."

"Three wen?" Tang Xu was surprised. "I just asked at the other stall over there. If you buy ten at once, they'll lower the price by five wen. So, these fifteen would be cheaper by only three wen? Forget it."

The old lady, seeing him calling the two kids, hurriedly stopped him. "I'll also lower it by five wen for you!"

"If ten are cheaper by five wen and you're offering these fifteen for the same discount, it doesn't seem fair," Tang Xu replied, inspecting the ducklings. He chose eight females and two males. "I'll buy these ten if you agree to my terms."

The old lady thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay!"

After paying the coins, they placed the ducklings into the backpack. Wei Xi raised his hand to carry the backpack. "Brother-in-law, let me carry it!"

Tang Xu tested the weight and nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Tang Erhu had also set his eyes on a cow, but the seller was asking for twenty taels, which was quite expensive. He turned and waved to Tang Xu.

Tang Xu hurried over and asked, "Dad, are you interested in this one?"

Tang Erhu nodded. "This cow is two years old, and it's a male. It's strong. Look at its legs, they're quite sturdy." Tang Xu glanced at it, but to be honest, he couldn't see anything special about it.

Wei Dong stood beside them and whispered, "It looks good, but twenty taels is a bit expensive."

"Dad," Tang Xu pulled Tang Erhu aside and asked, "How much are you planning to buy it for?"

"I only have seventeen taels in hand. That's all I have." Tang Erhu sighed, then thought for a moment before saying, "Maybe we shouldn't buy it for now and save up some more."

The man selling the cow noticed that Tang Erhu probably didn't have enough money. His eyes lit up and he said, "I also have an old ox here. It's said to be old, but it's only seven years old. I'll sell it for fifteen taels."

Tang Erhu's eyes lit up at the mention of fifteen taels, and he was about to speak up.

Tang Xu pinched his arm and asked, "Where is it? Can we take a look?"

"It's in the shed behind. Your dad just looked at it and said it's a bit thin," the man pointed to a brownish-yellow cow in the shed behind. It appeared slightly thinner than the previous one they looked at, but Tang Xu couldn't see any other issues.

Tang Xu turned to Wei Dong. "What do you think of this one?"

Wei Dong examined the cow, pinching and inspecting it. The yellow cow was quite docile, just lazily swatting flies with its tail.

After looking over the cow, Wei Dong didn't say anything. Tang Xu understood. 

This cow shouldn't be much worse than the previous one they looked at. He smiled at the man and asked, "What's wrong with this cow? Why hasn't it been sold despite its size?"

"Well, it's had a hard time too. The family that originally bought it treated it well, but then they ran into some financial difficulties and had to sell their land. With no land to keep the cow, they sold it to me. I've had it for over a month now, but it hasn't been eating well and has lost weight. Honestly, it's a really good cow. You won't lose out if you buy it," the man explained.

Tang Erhu looked at Tang Xu, Wei Dong looked at Tang Xu, and the three younger ones all looked at Tang Xu. Tang Xu looked at the man and flashed a smile.

Setting aside everything else, his face alone was truly captivating at certain moments.

The man swallowed nervously and asked, "Um, if you want to buy, uh, can I lower the price by another half tael?" 

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can you throw in a cart?"

"A cart?" The man looked puzzled. "I don't provide carts."

"Well, I'll have to pay for a cart to take it back anyway. That'll cost another tael. If you keep the old ox and let it starve until it's worth even less, you'll end up losing in the long run. It's better to lower the price a bit more. Let's compromise. Thirteen and a half taels, and we'll use that extra half tael for the cart. We'll also help you deal with this troublesome fellow. How about it?" Tang Xu finished, smiling at the man. "Brother, you seem like a straightforward person. If our relatives need to buy cattle in the future, we'll definitely come back to you."

The man was left dizzy by his smile, and he nodded dumbly.

It was only after nodding that he came back to his senses.

Tang Xu thanked him with folded hands and thought to himself that the beauty trick could be used in this way too. Tang Erhu was happy to buy the seven-year-old cow for thirteen and a half taels. As they led the cow away, Tang Erhu kept thanking the man repeatedly.

The man had bought the ox back for twelve taels initially, but now he had only made one and a half taels, and he felt heartbroken.

But Tang Xu wasn't wrong in saying that. If the cow couldn't be sold again, it would probably starve itself to death within a month. If it truly starved to death, its meat wouldn't fetch much either. That would indeed be a real loss.

Tang Erhu led the cow ahead, while Tang Xu followed behind. He found the old ox quite pleasing to the eye and reached out to grab its tail as it swung back and forth.

The old ox glanced back at him, its gaze unusually gentle.

"You're such a kind cow," Tang Xu said, taking a few steps closer to rub its head. "When we get back, I'll put you to work. You won't be idle, and once you have work to do, you'll surely enjoy your meals!"

Tang Yang chuckled and asked, "Brother, how do you know it wants to work?"

"Cattle are quite intelligent. They know that as long as they keep working in the fields, they won't be sold off for slaughter or for their meat. If they have no work to do, of course, they'll be afraid. Look how happy it is walking with us now. Its tail is wagging faster than before," Tang Xu explained.

After Tang Xu finished speaking, everyone stared at the swaying tail, as if it was indeed swinging faster than before.

"Hahaha, it's actually true!" Tang Yang clapped happily. "Cow, cow, when we get back home, I'll take you to eat grass every day. It's so delicious!"

"But you've never tasted it. How do you know it's delicious?" Wei Xi asked.

Tang Yang leaned in mysteriously and said, "I have tasted it! There are several kinds, and some are sweet!"

Wei Xi looked surprised. "You shouldn't eat randomly. What if you get poisoned?"

Tang Xu also gave him a pat. "You shouldn't eat randomly, do you know? Especially wild grass in the mountains, you shouldn't put anything unfamiliar into your mouth! Who do you think you are, the Divine Farmer tasting all kinds of herbs?"

"Brother, who's the Divine Farmer?" Tang Yang asked, looking up at Tang Xu.

Tang Xu: "..." He really didn't want to explain.

Tang Erhu said he wanted to buy a cart, so Tang Xu took him directly to the man they had bought the mule from last time.

Once the cart was loaded, Tang Xu was urged by Tang Erhu to go to the pharmacy. Since they needed to buy saltpeter anyway, Tang Xu didn't object. As it turned out, Doctor Xu wasn't there, but they managed to purchase a basket of saltpeter at a cheaper price than Tang Xu had expected.

Wei Dong took the three kids to buy ice, and because they had two carts to haul it back, they bought quite a lot.

"Isn't most of it going to melt on the way back?" Tang Erhu looked at the ice, even though it was covered with thick straw, it was still melting quite a bit, dripping all the way.

"It's okay, as long as we can keep two-thirds of it," Tang Xu said, looking at Wei Dong. He asked him, "If I put this ice in the cellar, will it cause frost to form inside?"

Wei Dong shook his head. "I don't know. You can try it. Anyway, the place is big. If it really does frost up, it doesn't matter. You can store more fresh meat later."

Tang Xu thought that the cellar was currently functioning like a refrigerator's cold storage room. He wanted to set up a freezer room!

By then, he could store even more things!

At this moment, Hamster Tang Xu came online, full of energy!

After returning home, Tang Xu worked with Wei Dong in the cellar, bustling with activity. Wei Dong put all the geese and ducklings in the backyard. As soon as the little ducklings saw the big pond, they jumped in happily, quacking all the way. 

The small fish and shrimp inside were just enough to satisfy their hunger. 

"Is Dongzi at home?" a woman's voice came from outside the courtyard wall. 

Wei Xi looked up in confusion. "Who is it?"

Previous TOC Next