Chapter 36 Buying a Horse
"How much did you say?"
Shen Yuexi stopped and stared at Feng Zhang in disbelief with her bright black eyes.
Feng Zhang stuttered under her gaze and said, "I guess at least four... four... forty taels."
After they left Feng's house, Shen Yuexi mentioned to Feng Zhang that they were leaving in two days and needed to buy a horse. Feng Zhang told her that buying a horse would cost at least 40 taels of silver, which shocked her.
"How can it be so expensive, forty taels!" Shen Yuexi said as she touched the silver in her arms guiltily.
It was only a little over thirty taels, plus the two taels given by Madam Lin, the total was thirty-two taels and fifteen cents.
Feng Zhang stiffened his neck and said, "Madam Pei, this is the lowest price. A slightly better horse would cost over a hundred taels of silver. The young master said that if it was a divine horse that could travel a thousand miles a day, even a hundred taels of gold would probably not be able to buy it."
"Don't be so exaggerated. It's just a cart. You don't need a horse."
"Yes, that's why I said forty taels."
"That's too expensive. I don't have that much money."
"Let's go to Old Man Sun first and talk to him. Maybe we can negotiate a price."
The two of them argued all the way to the gate of a farmhouse at the end of the village. Before they even reached the gate, the smell of horse manure was carried by the wind into Shen Yuexi's nose. She subconsciously raised her sleeve to cover her nose.
Feng Zhang was not kidding, this family really had a horse.
Feng Zhang said with a smile: "Madam Pei, I'll go knock on the door."
In the countryside, gates are rarely closed and are not locked even in the daytime. But this house's gate was tightly shut. But Feng Zhang had a loud voice, and after shouting through the gate, he heard an old man's voice coming from the yard:
"Feng Dadan, keep your voice down and don't scare my horse."
Shen Yuexi was stunned. Feng Zhang's nickname is Feng Dadan?
The gate opened a crack, and a head wearing an old felt hat popped out. It was an old man in his sixties. His green eyes darted around, first glancing at Feng Zhang, then at Shen Yuexi behind him.
"Feng Dadan, why are you yelling at me so late in the afternoon?"
Feng Zhang was not polite either. He raised his hand and tried to push the door open, saying, "Old man Sun, aren't you going to sell that old horse?"
Old Man Sun blocked the doorway and refused to let him in, saying:
"Don't come into the yard. My horse can't stand being frightened. It gets diarrhea. I'll drive it to the county to sell it later."
"What are you going to do? I'm here to find a buyer for you," Feng Zhang stepped aside and pointed at Shen Yuexi, "Mr. Pei and his wife were passing by here on their business trip and encountered bandits. Now they need a carriage to go home. Don't you have all the horses?"
Old man Sun looked at Shen Yuexi, his green eyes rolled around, and he hurriedly opened the gate with a smile on his face.
"Come in quickly. It's a good thing you came early, otherwise I would have taken it to the city to sell it."
"Didn't you tell me not to come in?" Feng Zhang greeted Shen Yuexi while not forgetting to scold Old Man Sun, "Aren't you afraid that your horse will have diarrhea?"
Old Man Sun chuckled and said, "How could that be? My horse is fine. I was just afraid that you would yell and wake my wife."
Shen Yuexi followed Feng Zhang into Old Man Sun's yard and immediately saw a horse tied under a jujube tree, with its head down and digging in the trough.
Old Man Sun walked up to the horse, raised his hand and patted its neck, saying:
"I spent a fortune on this horse back then. It's got a fierce temper. Ahem... If I wasn't in a hurry to use the money, I wouldn't have sold it. I have feelings for it... Look at its fur. It's mainly because I've been coughing these past few days and haven't had time to take care of it..."
Shen Yuexi was afraid that the horse would kick her, so she stood a little further away and watched.
The black horse was skinny, with a tangled mane and a head drooping listlessly as it chewed grass. Even its ribs were clearly visible.
If this horse were compared to a person, it would be old, weak and malnourished.
Shen Yuexi couldn't understand the horse, so she tilted her head and quietly asked Feng Zhang beside her: "Brother Feng, when did he buy this horse?"
Feng Zhang calmly bent a finger and pointed at himself, then at the horse.
Shen Yuexi didn't understand what it meant for a moment and looked at Feng Zhang in confusion.
Does he mean that he bought the horse?
"My mother said that when Old Man Sun bought this horse," Feng Zhang explained bluntly, "I wasn't even born yet."
Shen Yuexi blinked and nodded.
Feng Zhang was only one year older than Xiao Zhuo, which meant the horse had been bought for at least twenty-one years. Furthermore, it wasn't young when he bought it, so it was probably approaching thirty.
She knew a thing or two about the lifespan of horses. This horse was definitely an old man.
You won’t die halfway, right?
She said to Feng Zhang worriedly, "Brother Feng, why don't we go to the county town..."
In Daliang Village, apart from Old Man Sun who was selling horses, the other families had mules and the like, but they weren't for sale. If you really wanted to find something, you had to go to the county town.
Before she finished speaking, Old Man Sun raised his hand and shouted:
"Hey, Madam Pei, don't be anxious. This horse is a little old, it's true. But it can walk hundreds of miles a day without any problem."
Shen Yuexi counted on her fingers, looking down. If she could travel a hundred miles a day, she could reach the northern border in about five days. Considering the horses were also pulling a carriage, this speed was acceptable. It was just that this old man, Sun, seemed a little unreliable; she wondered if he was telling the truth.
Feng Zhang walked around the horse twice and said to Old Man Sun, "This horse is so thin, can it pull the cart?"
Old Man Sun patted his chest loudly. "Don't talk nonsense, Feng Dadan. You saw me go to the county town to pick up goods this morning. I was back before noon. How many miles was it round trip?"
"Forty miles round trip." Feng Zhang answered honestly.
"Forty miles in the morning, another forty miles in the afternoon, and a little more in the evening. A hundred miles, I'm not bragging, am I?"
Feng Zhang turned to look at Shen Yuexi and said, "Madam Pei, Old Man Sun is telling the truth."
"Then how much is it?" Shen Yuexi didn't say anything more and looked directly at Old Man Sun.
Old Man Sun held up four fingers and said, "If Madam Pei really wants to buy it, I won't ask for more. Forty taels."
Shen Yuexi swallowed her saliva, as she didn't have enough money in her pocket.
She hesitated for a moment, then resolutely walked towards the black horse.
You have to find faults, even if there are none. At least bargain for the price, you can't just give whatever they say.
She walked cautiously up to the black horse and immediately heard a gurgling sound and heavy breathing from the horse's throat, which was extremely unstable, as if the horse had tracheitis.
"Is this horse sick?" She frowned and looked at Old Man Sun.
Are you treating her like a fool?
Seeing Feng Zhang also showing his anger, a look of discomfort flashed across Old Man Sun's face. He coughed dryly and explained:
"I was a little tired from hauling the goods last time. Just buy two doses of medicine and you'll be fine... How about thirty-six taels of silver? I'll pay four taels for the medicine."
Shen Yuexi said nothing, lowering her head to think.
Thirty-six taels was not enough, and the old horse was sick, so she couldn't just go on the road. She had to find a veterinarian to treat it, and then she would be penniless.
Seeing that she still didn't say anything, Old Man Sun looked anxious. "Thirty-four! If you still don't want to buy it, I'll go to the city and sell it."
Shen Yuexi felt there was hope, so she looked up and said, "Thirty!"
"Thirty is too low, I won't sell it! Thirty-three is the minimum..."
"Thirty-one. If you don't sell it, I'll go to the county town with Brother Feng."
"Thirty-two, I really can't..."
"Deal, I bought it!"
Just like Feng Zhang said, a horse should be worth at least 40 taels. Even though this horse was old and sick, they only sold it for 32 taels, which was fine. The most important thing was that she had 32 taels.
After the silver and goods were paid, Feng Zhang went to untie the reins. Shen Yuexi smiled at Old Man Sun who was checking the silver:
"Master Sun, since the horses have been sold, there's no use keeping the carriage. Can you give it to me as well?"
Old man Sun’s green eyes suddenly widened.
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