"Hello, shopkeeper. I was recommended by the shopkeeper of the grocery store on the street ahead to buy cotton from you." Yun the butcher saw that the shopkeeper was no longer busy, so he went up to him and said.
"Hello, fellow. Thank you for keeping me waiting for so long. Please come here and sit down for a while." The shopkeeper said as he led Yun the butcher to rest.
"No need, boss. I'm here to buy things on behalf of the villagers. I can't stay too long. When I was buying things at the grocery store before, the boss said that your prices are fair and you are a nice person. So, we came here." Yun the butcher said politely.
"You are talking about Wang's Grocery Store, right? The shopkeeper is a friend of my family. We often interact with each other and are very familiar with each other. His shopkeeper is also a very kind and enthusiastic person. Usually, if a customer needs something, we will recommend the customer to buy things from him. His customers will sometimes recommend ours. The business belongs to everyone, and we all make money together. Of course, I know the other person's character, and if he has a bad character, I will definitely not recommend him. You can rest assured about this." said the shopkeeper.
"Yes, shopkeeper. We also think that the owner of Wang's Grocery Store has good character. He is your friend, so he must be someone you can trust."
"Haha, fellow countryman, you are right." The shopkeeper said happily.
"Shopkeeper, the weather is getting colder, and we want to buy more cotton. How much is a pound of cotton now?
"Cotton is now 350 wen per jin. Due to the drought in the past two years, we can't grow cotton locally. The cotton in our store was shipped from the south in the early stage of the drought. It was difficult to transport it on the road, so the freight is half more expensive than usual." The shopkeeper said, pointing to the cotton.
When Yun the Butcher heard the price, he was delighted. "I've been so lucky today, meeting such reliable people. This price is perfect! It's sixty wen per jin cheaper than the price I paid in town last time. And the supply is plentiful. As expected of a big city, the prices are really affordable."
"Shopkeeper, I'm buying this for the villagers. We did some calculations before we came here, and we need a total of 500 kilograms of cotton. Do you think the price can be more favorable? We came to the city mainly to buy food. We didn't originally plan to buy cotton. However, it's getting colder and colder, and people will probably freeze to death on the road to escape the famine without warmth. So, we squeezed out money from the money we used to buy food to buy cotton." Yun the butcher said helplessly.
Back in Yunjia Village, every household had a kang (kang), and as long as people weren't lazy and prepared plenty of firewood in the fall and early winter, they could still survive the winter safely, even if they didn't have enough cotton-padded clothes and quilts. However, now, fleeing famine, there's no such thing as safety. Cotton-padded clothes for daytime, quilts for sleeping, and even a fire to light at night—all these things must be arranged.
Those who have money can prepare more, and those who don't can put less cotton, which can also achieve the effect of keeping warm. I don't know when I will go into the city later, so I must take this opportunity to prepare cotton in advance.
"Yes, it is true. Cotton is indispensable for keeping warm in winter. Let me tell you, I will charge you 320 wen per catty of cotton. It can be considered as a little support from me." The shopkeeper said readily.
"Thank you so much, boss. In addition, I also want 30 meters of old coarse cloth, the cheapest kind will do. It will be wear-resistant and dirt-resistant when I make quilts at home." Yun the butcher said happily.
"Okay, I have a type of old coarse cloth in stock for a long time, but the color is not good-looking, it is a gray-black color, not a bright color. But the quality is very good, wear-resistant and dirt-resistant, and not easy to break. As for the price, I will clear the stock and give you 20 cents per meter. What do you think?" asked the shopkeeper.
"Boss, we don't care about the pattern or color, as long as the quality is good and the price is low. You have helped us a lot this time. You are a kind person. On behalf of the people in Yunjia Village, I would like to thank you for your care." Yun the butcher said gratefully.
"You're welcome. We were all introduced by friends. And you found this place because you trust me. I'm just trying my best to help you. You're very polite." The shopkeeper waved his hands and said.
After a while, the shopkeeper finished the bill and Yun the Butcher paid. After waiting a little longer, the shop assistant packed fifty kilograms of cotton into a bag, wrapped it in waterproof tarpaulin, and then covered the coarse cloth with the same waterproof tarpaulin. They then helped pile it onto the donkey cart. This time, the cart was completely packed, with only the top compartment left a little space. So, Yun the Butcher and Yun Yiyi had no choice but to follow the donkey cart.
Yun the Butcher and his companions said goodbye to the shopkeeper. They planned to walk around the East District to see if there was anything else they could buy. As they walked, Yun Yiyi pulled Yun the Butcher's arm.
"What's wrong, Yiyi?"
"Dad, look, there's a butcher's shop over there," Yun Yiyi said, pointing to a roadside shop. Outside the shop stood a table, and behind it stood a rack with a lot of pork hanging from it. The table itself was also filled with pork. Sitting on a chair behind the table was a man with a face full of flesh, dozing off.
"Oh, Yiyi, you little greedy cat, your eyes are so sharp. Dad didn't even notice it." Butcher Yun made fun of Yun Yiyi.
"Dad, Mom told you to buy some fat meat and go back to make oil." Yun Yiyi was not afraid of being laughed at by Yun the Butcher.
"Let's drive the donkey cart over there and buy some meat." Butcher Yun said as he drove the donkey cart towards the butcher's shop.
As she approached, Yun Yiyi noticed that the butcher's shop had a lot of meat. It seemed that there was no shortage of meat in the city. There must be a shop that specializes in pork.
"Boss, wake up. I want to buy some pork." Yun the butcher shouted loudly.
The dozing man suddenly woke up with a start. He glanced at Yun the Butcher and Yun Yiyi.
"What kind of meat do you want? How much do you want? I'll cut it for you." Although the man looked fierce, he had a good temper. He didn't lose his temper when he was woken up. He still spoke in a gentle voice.
"How much does fat meat cost per pound now, shopkeeper? To be honest, when I was in my hometown, I was also a butcher and opened a meat stall in the town. Later, the drought became more and more severe, so I closed the meat stall. So when I saw you and this meat stall, I felt particularly close to it." Butcher Yun said happily to the shopkeeper.
"Looking at your physique, you seem to be very strong. I didn't expect that you are also a butcher. It's really a fate." The owner of the meat stall said happily.
"Yes, you can't be a butcher without strength. I have been strong since I was a child, and then I learned this from others. When I was old enough to become an apprentice, my master let me open my own stall." said Yun the butcher.
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