Chapter 54 Buying an Oxcart

Old Lady Wen heard some clues in his tone and said calmly, "Talk to Biaozi later. I believe he will understand you."

Before the man could say anything, Wen Zhenyi had already arrived in the hall and handed her the IOU: "Grandma, take a look."

Mrs. Wen took the IOU and looked at it: "I signed it originally, there is nothing wrong with it."

"Grandma, did you learn to read when you were at your mother's house?"

Old Lady Wen shook her head and said, "I am just an ordinary child. How could I know how to read? I married your grandfather later. He can read, so he taught me."

"Grandpa isn't good at studying, is he?"

"Your grandfather was quite knowledgeable and had a chance to pass the imperial examinations, but your great-grandfather suddenly fell ill and the family couldn't afford the high fees, so he gave up and returned to inherit the family business."

"That's a pity."

"That's right, otherwise she could be a scholar's wife." Old Mrs. Wen joked with her with a smile.

Biaozi came out soon and handed a piece of paper to Wen Zhenyi: "This is the indenture."

Mrs. Wen was a little surprised: "What indenture?"

"Grandma, I'll talk to you later." Then he looked at Biaozi and said, "I've finished my business. You can handle the rest by yourself."

Biaozi nodded.

Wen Zhenyi pulled Old Lady Wen and prepared to leave. The hung man saw them leaving and quickly said, "Auntie, there's me, there's me."

Old Lady Wen seemed to have just remembered something and looked at Biaozi: "This nephew said that he came to borrow money because his mother was sick. Please consider it as appropriate."

Biaozi looked at the hanging man coldly: "His mother was pissed to death by him."

Old Mrs. Wen didn't say anything, turned around and walked outside.

The hanging man's eyes widened. He had just felt Biaozi's anger, and his legs began to tremble. It was obvious that this old lady had just tricked him.

Biaozi looked at the man and said, "You know I hate unfilial people the most."

The door behind Wen Zhenyi and the others opened and closed again. As for what would happen inside next, it was not her concern.

What Old Lady Wen didn't expect today was that not only did she get the IOU back, but she also got back the extra money she had paid back: "Let's buy some delicious food today."

"Grandma, is the ox cart expensive?"

"You want to buy a cow?"

"We come here every day to set up the stall, but it's too tiring to push it with a flatbed cart. It would be more convenient if we had an ox cart."

"You're right. Let's go and take a look." The two turned and walked towards the large livestock trading market outside the city.

The feces of large livestock are quite smelly, so in order to facilitate management, a piece of land was opened outside the town specifically for the sale of large livestock.

There are not as many people here as in the market, but there are plenty of different kinds of animals. Except for pigs, there are sheep, cows, horses, mules and donkeys.

"Auntie, would you like to buy a cow? My cow has just reached adulthood and is at the best age to work."

"Auntie, come and look at my sheep. Look how healthy they are."

.....

Wen Zhenyi looked at the livestock in the market and asked, "Grandma, are the livestock in the market sold by the people themselves?"

"Some are not. Some are specialized in the livestock business, collecting suitable animals from various villages to sell."

“The price is different too, isn’t it?”

"Well, the beef that is usually slaughtered is from old cows or injured cows. They are reluctant to slaughter cows that are in their prime."

Wen Zhen nodded slightly and saw that there were calves for sale here, but the price was not cheap at all. A calf cost almost five taels of silver.

Old Mrs. Wen did not ask the price immediately, but took Wen Zhenyi to look around, as if she was looking for something.

Wen Zhenyi didn't ask any questions and just followed her quietly.

Old Lady Wen stopped at a place.

A farmer squatted on the ground, holding a pipe in his hand, smoking a pipe with a sad face. Behind him was a buffalo tied up, chewing the grass in its mouth.

"Nephew, are you selling this cow?"

When the man heard someone asking, he quickly put out the pipe in his hand and put it on his belt behind him: "Sell, this cow has just reached adulthood and is a good worker."

Old Lady Wen walked around the cow, carefully examining every part of its body, even its teeth. "How much is it for?"

"Fifteen taels."

"Your price is too high."

The man was a little embarrassed and spoke awkwardly: "Auntie, this cow is good, take another look."

"The cattle are good, but they are too expensive."

"Then, how much will you give?"

"Ten taels."

The man shook his head: "It's too low, add some more."

Old Lady Wen saw that the man treated the cow well. From the cleanliness of the cow, she could tell that he usually took good care of it. "What's your lowest price?"

The man turned around and looked at the cow behind him. He reached out and touched its head, gritted his teeth and said, "Thirteen taels. I won't sell it for any less."

Mrs. Wen thought for a moment and said, "Okay, thirteen taels."

The man looked at her and agreed to buy it. His expression became more complicated, with some reluctance and some helplessness, and finally turned into a sigh: "Auntie, I have a matching ox cart and plow here. If you want it, give me two taels of silver."

Old Lady Wen looked at the things around her. They were all quite new and should have been specially made for this cow. "Okay."

The man patted the cow and said, "When you go to your new owner's house, work hard and don't be lazy."

Wen Zhenyi saw that he had a good affection for the cow and said, "Uncle, if you are reluctant to part with it, why do you want to sell it?"

"I'm short of money, and my child is sick."

"If you miss it, you can come to our house to see it."

The man was slightly stunned, then smiled and nodded: "Thank you, it's very obedient." After saying that, he raised his sleeve to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes.

The buffalo also mooed a few times at this time.

The man harnessed the oxcart to them and asked, "Which village are you from?"

Old Lady Wen readily gave him fifteen taels of silver: "Xinglin Village, Wen family."

The man took the money, nodded, and watched them pull the ox cart away.

When the buffalo left, it called out a few times towards the back, as if it was reluctant to leave.

Wen Zhenyi patted its head and said, "Don't blame him. If he hadn't had to, he would have been reluctant to leave you."

“Life is not easy for the people.”

"Grandma, there are so many cows, why do you only like this one?"

"There are some tricks to choosing a cow. You have to look at its body shape, hair, limbs, eyes and teeth. Otherwise, the cow you buy might not be able to produce any strength."

"I've gained a lot of knowledge today."

"Yiyi, was the indenture you just gave me Zhu Tao's?"

"Well, she was sold by her family, and I bought her." Wen Zhenyi didn't want to hide this from her. After all, she would know it later.

Old Lady Wen frowned: "This old Zhu family is such a piece of shit. But why did you buy Zhu Tao?"