Chapter 29, Inn No. 29: Buying a cow and a dog
The straw mushrooms are plump and juicy, with a rich and savory aroma. Each small bud resembles an egg, and when cut open and viewed from the side, it looks even more like an egg with a yolk inside. A gentle sniff releases a delicate fragrance, and they feel cool to the touch.
The straw mushrooms have small black specks on them, which can be washed off by rubbing them in water. After washing, blanch the straw mushrooms to remove the earthy smell, drain them, and then dice them.
The method for making the mushroom sauce was similar to before, except that she added more fermented black beans, resulting in a completely different flavor. She made several jars of fermented black bean mushroom sauce and gave them to Luo Man to try, to see which one was more popular. If people also liked the fermented black bean mushroom sauce, she could make more to sell.
After finishing making the mushroom sauce, Yunyin was about to rest when a long procession came from the other end of the official road. She looked up and her eyes lit up, exclaiming, "So many cows!"
A large herd of cattle was approaching from the pipe. Yunyin went to meet them and looked at the cattle. They were all sturdy and muscular, with yellow fur as the main color, but there were also a few black and white ones.
Yunyin's mouth watered as she looked at the herd of cattle. She longed for beef hot pot, grilled beef skewers, and grilled beef tallow. Unfortunately, in Dazhao, slaughtering cattle without permission was a crime; only cattle that died accidentally or from old age could be slaughtered with the government's permission.
She could only watch the herd of cattle and drool. If she wanted to eat them, she could only substitute with mutton. As the herd of cattle drew closer, Yunyin looked away and met the eyes of the leader. The man dismounted and walked over, saying, "Young lady, is there any water? If it's convenient, could you please have a drink?"
This man was named Timur, and he came from the Western Regions. Yunyin filled his water bottle and asked curiously, "You came from the Western Regions, so why didn't you stay in Chang'an? Instead, you came to Jiannan Road."
To get from the Western Regions to Jiannan Road, one must first go to Chang'an via the Hexi Corridor, and then from Chang'an to Jiannan Road. With so many oxen, the journey must have been very arduous. I wonder how he managed to drive so many oxen all the way.
Timur thanked her and said, "I have some of my clansmen in Chang'an. I came to Jiannan Road once before and got to know the people here. This time, my friend in Mianzhou needs cattle, so he asked me to help him transport some."
Yunyin looked at the dozens of cows behind him and said, "Your cows look delicious." They must taste very good.
She blinked her big eyes, stared at the cow for a long time, then shifted her attention and asked, "I wonder what price your cow costs?"
"The price of cattle varies depending on their age, and the price of top-grade cattle differs from that of second-grade cattle. It depends on the specific condition of the cattle."
"Young lady, are you looking to buy cattle? You can take a look; I've brought plenty of cattle this time, so feel free to choose any you like."
Yunyin pointed to the conspicuous black and white cow in the herd and asked, "What's the price of that one?"
Timur looked at the ox and sighed, "If you want to buy an ox for farming, you should get a different one. That ox is not suitable for plowing for the time being."
"Everything was fine when we set off from Chang'an, and the bulls and cows were managed separately. But then an accident happened, and one of the cows ran away."
He shook his head and said, "I thought we'd never find it again, but it ran back on its own. However, it's pregnant, so we'll have to wait until we get to the next town to sell it. If you want to buy a cow, my wife, buy a healthy one. We have plenty of cows that can be put to use immediately."
Yunyin hadn't originally planned to buy a cow right now; she just wanted to ask about the price first. After all, the cows she had rented from Linjiang Village for the hundred acres of land had already been planted, and she didn't need the cows for the time being.
When she heard him say that the cow was pregnant, she immediately became interested.
She now only makes a few types of pastries; she stopped making mochi a long time ago. Firstly, the weather is hot now, so the milk delivered isn't fresh, and secondly, there aren't that many cows in Long'an County that are currently producing milk.
Thinking about this, she liked the pregnant cow even more and said, "Hmm, I know, I want to know how much this cow costs?"
Timur confirmed that Yunyin was genuinely interested. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "That cow is exactly three years old now. It's a high-quality cow. If it weren't pregnant, it could fetch more than four strings of cash. Give it five strings; that price is very reasonable."
Five strings of cash is indeed a reasonable price for a pregnant cow. After thinking about it, Yunyin said, "This cow is pregnant unexpectedly. I hope it won't have any impact on her."
Timur explained earnestly, "As long as it doesn't engage in strenuous exercise, it won't have any problems. Just provide it with plenty of hay and make sure it eats and sleeps well, and it'll be fine."
Yunyin continued to learn about cattle-raising precautions from Timur, and after confirming that there were no problems, she still bought the cow from him.
After seeing Timur off, Yunyin called Zhang Lin over and said, "We'll build a cowshed this afternoon. I bought a cow."
The cow was very gentle and obedient. Zhang Lin kept stroking it, and the cow didn't get angry. He cherished the cow's head and said, "Miss Yun, I know how to build a cowshed, but I don't know how to raise cows. I've never touched a cow before. This is a valuable thing, and I'm worried that I won't be able to raise it well. Besides, it's pregnant."
Yunyin had never raised cattle before, but she had just asked Timur about things to be careful about. She decided to do as he said for now. "I'll do what the person who sold the cattle said first, and then I'll ask around to see if I can find someone knowledgeable to take charge."
"I'll be raising some other things later, so it's time to hire people."
Zhang Lin: "If you want to buy people, you need to find a broker, but can you buy someone who knows how to raise cattle?"
Yunyin wasn't sure if she could buy them. "I'll ask around first. If I can buy them, that's great. If not, I'll have to ask other villagers. Both Linjiang Village and Pingjiang Village raise cattle, so if all else fails, I can ask them for advice."
Yunyin and Zhang Lin spent the entire afternoon building the cowshed, finally finishing before dark. She put out clean straw, locked the cow in the shed, gave it some fodder, closed the door, and said, "You'll need to keep a close eye on things tonight. If anything happens, remember to call me."
"I'll buy a dog to guard the house in a couple of days, then you won't have to work so hard anymore."
Zhang Lin shook his head and said, "I'm fine with it, but I'm worried about the safety of the cow. What if someone tries to steal it? This cow is so valuable, I'm afraid I can't keep an eye on it."
"How about I sleep in the cowshed and go back to sleep in the front after my wife buys the dog?"
Yunyin waved her hand and said, "Don't worry too much. I will keep an eye on this area. I can see the official road from where I live, so I can see anyone coming."
Zhang Lin kept looking back at the cowshed with a worried expression until Yunyin urged him to return to his room. Yunyin checked one last time, found nothing wrong, and then went back to her own house.
The next morning, Yunyin went to Linjiang Village to register the cattle information with the village head. She was worried that she would forget if she didn't register early, because she was busy.
May is the time for transplanting rice seedlings. As Yunyin walked along, she saw people transplanting rice seedlings in the paddy fields. Seeing them reminded her of the rice transplanting she had done not long ago. She had been bending over to plant seedlings all day, and by the end of the day, her back was so sore that she couldn't straighten up. It was more tiring than practicing martial arts.
Only Erwa was at the village head's house at the moment. He looked at Yunyin and said, "Miss Yun, are you looking for my grandfather? I'll go and call him for you. Please sit for a while."
Erwa brought Yunyin some water and asked her to sit down. He then ran off, shouting as he went. She didn't say a word before he was gone.
Yunyin hadn't finished her cup of water when Sun Lizheng returned with his grandson. He nodded and said, "Madam Yun, it's been a long time since you've come to Linjiang Village. Is there something you need today?"
Ever since Yunyin started buying mushrooms from Linjiang Village, giving the villagers a chance to earn money, Sun Lizheng's attitude towards her has become increasingly kind, and Zhang Lin's movements in the village have become smoother. All of this is thanks to buying mushrooms. Naturally, Sun Lizheng is very interested in Yunyin's intentions.
Yunyin smiled at him and said, "It's like this, I bought a cow yesterday and came to register it with you."
Sun Lizheng's eyes widened slightly. "Yun Niangzi's business is getting better and better; she's even buying cattle."
"But why didn't you bring the cow? Registration requires recording the cow's specific information, appearance, coat color, etc., all of which need to be seen before registration can be done."
Yunyin had only heard the seller mention that registration was required, but she hadn't expected it to be so troublesome. She sighed and said, "That's a pregnant cow, so it's inconvenient to bring it over."
Sun Lizheng said thoughtfully, "I wonder where Lady Yun bought her cow? I haven't heard of any pregnant cows nearby."
Sun Lizheng manages Linjiang Village and Pingjiang Village, so he knows what's happening in the nearby villages. He also exchanges information with other village heads about other places. Since a pregnant cow needs to be registered, he was curious about Yun Niangzi buying a pregnant cow.
After listening to Yunyin's account, Sun Lizheng nodded and said, "So you came from Chang'an. No wonder I hadn't heard of you. In that case, I'll go with you. I'll also take a look at your restaurant; I haven't been there since you opened it."
Just as Yunyin was about to return with Sun Lizheng, a middle-aged man wearing patched clothes led a black dog into the yard. The man was unaware that there were outsiders present and said directly, "Lizheng, I need to talk to you. Could you help me find a good buyer? I want to sell my dog."
Yunyin paused slightly. Selling a dog? She looked up and saw a jet-black dog sitting beside its owner, its eyes obedient yet alert. As Yunyin looked at it, the dog also glanced at her, carefully examined her, and finding no danger, relaxed and continued to sit close to its owner.
"Old Zhao, you want to sell your dog?" Sun Lizheng walked up to him and said, "Isn't this dog your lifeline? You wouldn't sell it even when someone wanted to buy it before, why do you want to sell it now?"
Old Zhao patted the big dog's head and said, "I don't want to sell it either, but my wife is sick and needs a lot of money for medicine. We have to cut back on our spending, so we really can't afford to keep it."
The big dog seemed to understand its owner's words, rubbing against his leg to comfort him.
"I thought you knew a lot of people, so you could definitely help me find a good owner," Old Zhao said, wiping his eyes. "I don't want to sell it to dog dealers, because I don't know where they'll sell it to, so I can only come to you for help."
Sun Lizheng had heard that Lao Zhao's wife was sick, but he didn't expect that their family was in such dire straits that they even had to sell their dog.
He pondered for a long time before saying, "I can't find a buyer right now. Have you asked the family that wanted to buy the dog before?"
Old Zhao: "They've already bought one, they don't need my dog."
Just as Sun Lizheng remained silent, Yunyin stepped forward and said, "Zhao Zhang, what do you think of me? I happen to need a dog to guard the house."
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