Chapter 175 Both Boys and Girls Like It
Lijia Gou is not far from Dahe Village, but the mountain road is a bit rugged.
In addition to Cheng Wanwan and Zhao the Hunter, Zhao Dashan also went along. After all, Cheng Wanwan was a widow, and being alone with a man in his thirties could easily lead to unpleasant rumors.
Along the way, Hunter Zhao explained the situation over there.
This female goat was caught by a hunter in Lijiagou. Because the goat was pregnant, he kept it and was reluctant to kill it. Judging from the month, it will give birth in about a month. Hunter Li means to wait until the goat gives birth before selling it, but it is not impossible to buy it now. The price can be negotiated in person.
In those days, the most expensive thing was beef. Cattle were tools of production, and the imperial court prohibited their slaughter. Cattle that had lost their ability to work needed to be sent to a special place for slaughter after being approved by the government. It was precisely because of this that beef was very expensive and only nobles could afford it.
Secondly, mutton is considered a luxury item. Many large families would slaughter sheep for banquets, and the price of pure mutton generally fluctuates around forty coins.
The cheapest thing is pork. Many villages have people raising pigs, and pork is the most common product, so the price is low, around 20 wen. In a year with good weather, a pound of pork costs about 15 wen.
Cheng Wanwan had determined a price she could accept, but after seeing the goat, she was a little dissatisfied. The goat was too thin, with a protruding belly that made it look even thinner. Moreover, its hind legs were trapped by an animal, and it walked unsteadily. It always felt like it would fall to the ground in the next second, and it was unknown whether it could survive and give birth.
Hunter Li said, "It's hard to catch a female goat, and a pregnant female goat is even harder. For four taels of silver, I'll take both the female goat and her baby."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "Even if the whole sheep is calculated at 40 coins per catty, it still doesn't cost more than four taels of silver."
Hunter Zhao then spoke up: "Old Li, you're too greedy. You want to sell a sheep for four taels of silver. Forget it, forget it. Don't do this business anymore."
He thought it would cost at most two taels of silver, which is why he brought Da Shan Niang over; he didn't want to cheat his fellow villagers.
"Well, we can negotiate the price slowly," said Li the Hunter. "This ewe has two lambs in her belly. In town, a lamb costs three or four hundred coins. For all three sheep, I'll ask for three taels of silver. Isn't that too much?"
Cheng Wanwan said calmly, "The lambs in this town are all raised for at least two weeks. If you can ensure that this ewe gives birth successfully and that both lambs survive, I will give you three taels of silver."
No one can guarantee this. Hunter Li has seen many livestock die in childbirth, so he dare not guarantee such a thing.
He glanced at the female goat. When he first hunted it, he took it to town to sell, but the restaurant owner refused to take it. The pregnant goat had tears in its eyes, and it was taboo to kill it. No chef dared to touch it. Since he couldn't sell it, he could only raise it himself. But he didn't have time to take care of it, so the goat got thinner and thinner, weighing less than 100 pounds even while pregnant.
Cheng Wanwan said, "I estimate it weighs about 100 jin. At 20 wen per jin, that's a total of 2 taels of silver."
Li the hunter wanted to struggle a bit more, but seeing Cheng Wanwan's determined look, he didn't dare to pull anymore, for fear that the ewe would die in childbirth if it hit his hand.
The two parties agreed on the price, and the money was exchanged for the goods.
A group of people came back with the ewe, and many people from the village came to watch.
The majority of people in Dahe Village raise chickens and ducks, and a few families also raise pigs, but no one has ever raised goats, so everyone comes to see the novelty.
Aunt Wang shook her head and said, "I think this sheep is going to have a difficult birth. Your two taels of silver are not worth it."
The village head's wife squeezed in and said in a carefree manner, "When I was young, I helped deliver sows. When this sheep was about to give birth, Da Shan's mother called someone to call me, and I promised to make sure the lamb was born smoothly."
After saying that, the village head's wife took Wu Huiniang's hand and said, "Your mother-in-law really loves you. You can't find another mother-in-law in the whole Dahe Village who loves her daughter-in-law so much. You must give Dashan a big, healthy son to live up to your mother-in-law's kindness."
Wu Huiniang placed her hand on her protruding belly, her eyes red-rimmed, and nodded: "I will."
If this child is a daughter, then she'll have another one. If it's another daughter, then she'll keep having children... She can't let her mother-in-law down.
“Auntie, I don’t like hearing that,” Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. “I gave birth to four sons in a row. Just looking at these boys makes my head spin. I’m really afraid of these naughty little rascals. I just hope that Hui Niang will give me a well-behaved granddaughter. Of course, I’ll be happy if Hui Niang gives birth to a son. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, they are all our children.”
Wu Huiniang's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled back into her stomach, and her eyes reddened even more.
During her pregnancy, almost everyone told her that she must have a son, because only by having a son could she gain a foothold in the Zhao family and stand tall as a person. Several times, she dreamed that she had given birth to a daughter, and in the dream, her mother-in-law suddenly became the same as before, mean and sharp-tongued, and even wanted to push her daughter into a water vat to drown her.
For several nights, she was awakened by nightmares, but dared not tell anyone.
Now that her mother-in-law had said these words in front of so many people in the village, her uneasy heart suddenly found a place to rest.
Zhao Dashan built a temporary sheepfold for the ewe and went up the mountain to cut the freshest and juiciest wild grass to feed her, making sure the ewe was well-fed.
Cheng Wanwan revised the blueprints and took them to Zhao Anjiang, asking him to add a sheep pen behind the house and build a place for the rabbits, thus expanding the yard outwards.
With forty or fifty people working, the job was done incredibly quickly; it changed every day, and in three days it was completely transformed.
As the house was nearing completion, Old Zhao grew increasingly anxious. He volunteered to find beams and searched for wood on the mountain every day for almost ten days, but still couldn't find any he liked.
In this dynasty, the most important part of building a house was the raising of the main beam. The main beam in the house represents the role of the head of the family and has a profound meaning. Therefore, the selection of the main beam was a very important matter.
It must be cedar wood, but not a single tree; the trunk must be straight and the branches and leaves must be lush, symbolizing numerous offspring; the width of the tree from top to bottom should not differ too much...
Old Zhao searched the mountain for many days and finally found a perfect cedar tree. He quickly called for help to cut it down.
If it were just ordinary tree felling, there would be no need to be so nervous, but this is the central ridge, so there are specific rules for felling it. For example, the cedar tree must fall facing south, and no small cedar trees around it should be damaged...
It took a lot of effort to finally cut the tree down perfectly, and the four of them carefully carried it down the mountain.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, before Old Man Zhao could show off his achievements, he saw Mrs. Zhang talking excitedly in the middle of the village.
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