"Although it's generally safe, don't let your guard down. Buy whatever you want, I've got the money. But if something happens, nothing else matters, protect yourself first."

"Come and meet us after you've finished shopping."

Jian Dan felt even more strongly that Cheng Chao seemed to know what he was going to do, and was even deliberately creating opportunities for himself.

I gave Jian Dan a few ten-yuan notes, and the two naughty boys each got a fifty-cent note.

"You two just stay with me. Buy whatever you want to eat. After you've eaten, carry your things later."

Simple didn't want to accept it and pushed it back.

"I have money, I don't need you. I'll just take a stroll over there and come back to find you in a bit."

The child got anxious as soon as she left.

Why isn't my sister coming with us?

"They'll be here to find us soon. Come on, let's go inside! Oh, look at that stall over there, isn't that food? I can smell the delicious aroma..."

Simply follow the flow of people inwards; there's a main street with side streets on both sides. If you observe carefully, you'll see how it works.

Things like homegrown vegetables, eggs, homemade brooms, and handwoven baskets are mostly kept on the main road. But the cattle and sheep that Cheng Chao mentioned earlier are not so daring to be seen in the open; they are mostly kept in the side roads on either side.

So, as they walked, Jian Dan turned into the area.

The stalls didn't openly display cows and sheep; instead, they displayed heads. Clearly, the stall with a sheep's head was selling mutton, and the stall with a cow's head was selling beef.

There are fewer than ten stalls on this side street, and a few people are picking out meat right now. They've been here for a short while and have bought several portions, with the largest being a pound.

After watching for a while, Jian Dan had a better understanding of the situation.

"Girl, would you like some mutton? The sheep were just slaughtered today, all half-grown lambs, very fresh."

He spoke with a slight local accent, which was easy to understand. I squatted down. The man was dressed in rags, but his hands were clean, even though they were cracked and bleeding, which didn't make him unpleasant to look at.

"Uncle, how much is it per pound?"

The old farmer across the way reached out his hand.

"Six cents, not expensive. These are all raised by the village itself, and they're not even a year old yet."

It's hot, and they're afraid they won't be able to sell their lambs. Even after removing the skin and internal organs, there's not much meat left from a lamb weighing forty or fifty pounds.

The main reason is that it's not just their village that raises sheep. At this time, most people who can buy meat only buy a few ounces at a time, and they rely heavily on the military region here. If they can sell all the meat they bring, they will be very satisfied. They are happy to bring back any live sheep they bring.

"Girl, have some. Look at this meat, it's so tender and delicious."

She had a simple, fair face and was dressed in new clothes without any patches. It was clear that she came from a well-off family. He had seen several girls from good families like her, but they all had bad tempers. This old man was even speaking cautiously.

I wouldn't bother to check it out, but it looks quite fresh, has a gamey smell, and still has traces of blood. It should be pretty good.

"Uncle, how many do you have?"

The stall owner paused for a moment, then a glimmer of hope rose in his heart.

"There are still dozens of kilograms left after the slaughter,"

"Several dozen kilograms, are there any that haven't been killed yet?"

These words left him somewhat unsure of what the young girl was thinking.

"And there are three more lambs behind them, they're alive,"

Seeing that Jian Dan didn't say anything, he mustered up his courage and spoke again.

"Several people from our village came, and there are even children selling things over there. If that doesn't work out, there are still others over there..."

The old farmer himself had lost all hope after hearing this. At this time, apart from the canteens of formal units like large factories, the only other option was state-run restaurants. Who else would buy so much meat at once?

"Uncle, do you have any dairy goats?"

"Yes, you want me to have the child tell them to bring it over,"

Looking around, and not wanting to waste any more time, I decided on this.

"Uncle, look how much you have. I want all the meat and sheep, and I also want the dairy goats. Is there any deserted place around here? Can you deliver them to me there? I'll pay you all at once."

"What?"

The old farmer thought he had misheard. The voice was so loud that people nearby turned to look. He quickly lowered his head and reached out to fidget with the sheep's head on his stall. After a moment, seeing that no one was paying attention, he quickly confirmed with Jian Dan.

"Girl, are you telling the truth? You really want all of these?"

"Yes, I want them all, but please don't make it sound like you already know everything, otherwise I..."

"Hey, hey, hey, no, no!"

He was the last person he wanted to know, in case his secret was stolen.

He was so excited he was at a loss for what to do. After a while, he calmed down, turned around, and pointed behind him.

“Girl, there’s a corner just around the back, no one else around. All the sheep from our village are there. Da Wa, go quickly and tell them to move all the jars back. A kind girl bought them all.”

A boy of about seven or eight years old next to me agreed and tried to run away, but I grabbed him and looked around warily.

"Don't shout it out, do it quietly!"

"Hey," the boy also covered his mouth.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

The old farmer quickly packed up his stall and led Jian Dan to the back. Jian Dan, skilled and daring, followed along.

Five lambs, two dairy goats, over thirty kilograms of mutton, plus seven or eight people watching—it was quite a sight.

However, the other party was even more excited when they received a thick wad of cash.

I already find simple things troublesome, and it's so hot I don't even want to move. I figured since they're all involved in animal husbandry, I might know them, so I decided to just ask them.

"Uncle, does your village only raise sheep, and not cattle?"

There was another wave of shock, but the stall owner from before was the first to react.

"Yes, yes, yes, we also have beef. The guys selling beef are at the very back. You want some more beef?"

"Yes, I also want a few more cows, you..."

"Yes, yes, yes, you rest first, we'll have them bring it over right away."

"Go quickly, go quietly, the sooner the better."

Now that they had the money, they weren't afraid it was a scam anymore. The men ran as fast as they could and soon disappeared down the alley.

She harvested several cows and dozens of kilograms of beef, then made two more portions using the same method, and stopped short of making money. She wasn't aiming to make money from this stuff; it was enough for her own consumption.

When they found Cheng Chao on the main road, the two children were at a mutton soup stall, eating mutton soup and bread without even looking up. Cheng Chao, on the other hand, had a bowl of mutton soup in front of him and was much more elegant.

Are you all hungry?

"sister,"

Cheng Rui had just looked up when his brother lightly patted him on the head.

"It's so delicious, the oil is practically splattering out."

I'll ask for a simple copy when I get back.

"Try it, this place makes it quite authentically, and it tastes good."

I just had lunch before coming out, and I'm still quite full, especially since the mutton soup was piping hot. Drinking mutton soup on such a hot day is really not appropriate, is it?

"Brother, I'm not hungry."