Chapter 158: Mrs. Wan's plan, watching the cattle sale
After making up her mind, Old Lady Wan said to Wan Xingmo and Zhao, "Mo'er, niece-in-law, you see our shop is in a mess right now. These kids are used to relying on me. If I'm not here, I'm afraid they won't feel at ease. Why don't you go back first? Anyway, the shop will open soon, so I'll stay here until it opens and then go back, so I don't have to go back and forth."
Zhao also felt that what Old Lady Wan said made sense. Moreover, the old lady was sick yesterday and her body really couldn't bear any more work.
"Okay, old lady, you can just take care of it. Come back in a couple of days. When the shop opens, our whole family will come and join in the fun."
Zhao smiled gently.
Mrs. Wan agreed and turned to Mrs. Wan Er and said, "Send the fourth son back. His wife is pregnant. I am worried that he will be home without a man these days. Also, your eldest brother should go back to look after the family. He is injured and can't help here. Take the younger ones home and pack everything neatly for the opening day."
Yesterday, several children helped to clean up the broken tables and chairs in the shop. They made a mess of dust and dirt. It’s time to go back and clean up properly.
After Old Lady Wan gave some instructions, the eldest and fourth brothers of the Wan family took a few children, Wan Xingmo and Zhao to Shizi Village.
There were only Wan Lao San and Wan Lao Er, along with little Fu Bao and Wan Lao Tai, a total of six people in the town.
Old Mrs. Wan glanced at the shop in front. It was even more disheartening to see it during the day. These were the tables and chairs that her family had worked so hard to make, and now they were being destroyed by these bandits. Old Mrs. Wan was filled with anger and her face was not very good.
"Third brother, check which ones can still be repaired and use them yourself. For those that can't be repaired, we still need a few sets. Let's go to the carpenter and see if there are any suitable ones. We can buy them first and use them. We can't delay the opening of the business."
After turning around, Old Mrs. Wan said to her third son who was busy repairing tables and chairs.
Wan Lao San put down the tools in his hand, stood up and said, "Mom, I checked everything. There are only two sets that can be used. The rest are all unusable. Even if they are repaired, they are still broken and can only be used as firewood."
Wan Laosan was also feeling a little angry. These were tables and chairs that he had spent several days making. They were a waste of his hard work. How could he not feel sad?
Old Lady Wan sighed, "Okay, don't be angry. Didn't this bandit give us money? You guys close the door, let's go take a look together, and buy some things and go to the mayor's house. I'm thinking if the remaining money can buy a shop next to ours. Although it hasn't been built yet, we can queue up and pay the deposit. If that doesn't work out, we can just buy a house. Anyway, we need to spend the money as soon as possible."
Old Mrs. Wan held the purse in her hand and patted it. She had never been so generous in her life, and she would be generous today. Even if she died suddenly at any time, it would be enough.
Old Mrs. Wan, along with her sons, daughters-in-law, and little Fubao, closed the shop door and asked where the carpenter's shop was in the town.
But before he reached the carpenter's shop, he met a man selling cattle at the intersection.
The man was an old man with sparse gray hair. He held a rope in one hand and stroked the cow's head with the other, his eyes full of reluctance.
Next to him was a man wearing a fine cotton jacket, cotton trousers and a leather hat, who was asking about the price.
"Old man, how much is your cow?"
The old man raised his cloudy eyes, glanced at the man, and said dully, "If you are sincere in buying it, fifteen taels of silver."
"What? Old man, are you crazy because of lack of money? Ask around the streets to see whose cows are selling so expensively? Is yours a golden bull?"
The old man was ridiculed by the man, but he did not refute. Instead, he lowered his head and said nothing, still gently stroking the cow's head, as if the cow was his most beloved object.
"Old man, please tell me what's the lowest price for this cow? I think your cow is pretty good, with shiny hair. I'll give you eight taels of silver, will you sell it?"
The man also walked forward, touched the cow's body, and patted it hard, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
The old man didn't look at the man, but said firmly: "Not for sale."
The man curled his lips, withdrew his hand, stood further away, and spoke in a not very good tone.
"Old man, if you don't sell me your cow, no one else will. Don't you see how many families in our border area can afford to buy a cow? If you run into some gangsters, they will rob your cow and you won't even get a penny, let alone eight taels of silver. You'll be lucky to be alive."
Seeing the old man's firm attitude, the man changed his tactics and threatened the old man directly.
Little Fubao had never seen a cow before. She was on top of Wan Laoer, with one hand around his neck and one hand pointing at the buffalo, her eyes sparkling as she said, "Daddy, moo."
Little Fubao heard the cow's mooing just now and imitated it by mooing twice. Her voice was so sweet and sweet that the adults laughed.
Wan Laoer quickly explained to Xiao Fubao, "My dear girl, that's a water buffalo. It's used to plow the land and pull carts. It's convenient for us to plow the land and come to town. In short, it's a good friend of us farmers. You must treat it well when you see it in the future."
Wan Laoer was standing not far from the old man. After hearing what Wan Laoer said, the old man immediately looked up at Wan Laoer.
Seeing that Wan Laoer was wearing a half-worn cotton coat and trousers, with wheat-colored skin and a square face, he looked very honest and kind, and he was obviously a farmer.
The old man quickly said to Wan Laoer, "Young man, do you want to buy a cow? I'll sell you this cow for eight taels. Do you want it?"
Wan Lao Er pointed at himself in confusion and looked at the old man, "Uncle, are you talking to me?"
The old man nodded.
Before Wan Laoer could answer, the man who wanted to buy the cow suddenly became unwilling.
"Old man, this is really unfair. In business, it's first come first served. I was the first one to come. Why did you sell it to him?"
The old man glanced at the man and kindly explained, "If you buy it, it's 15 taels, and if he buys it, it's 8 taels."
The man immediately got angry and pointed at the old man's nose and cursed: "You old bastard, do you still look down on others when doing business? I'll buy it for eight taels today, who dares to snatch it from me?"
After saying this, the man rudely stood between Wan Laoer and the old man.
It was a very busy time and it was at a fork in the road, so many people gathered around to watch the fun.
There were people in the crowd who knew the old man and were whispering to the people next to them.
"Oh, isn't this the old man Liu from Xifeng Village? His wife is sick and is urgently waiting for medicine and medical treatment. His son went to the capital to take the imperial examination last year and took all the family assets with him. The old couple only has this one son, and two other children died young. Their lives are miserable, and they are counting on this cow to save their lives."
"Then why did he sell it to others at a low price? Although his cow is not worth fifteen taels of silver, it is stronger than the ones on the market."
"Ah, you don't know this, right? Old Man Liu has raised this cow for many years and has always taken good care of it. He almost treats the cow like his son. How could he bear to sell it? He is looking for a new owner for the cow, someone who can treat it well. Do you think that man looks like someone who would treat the cow well?"
"That's true, but the family that came later looked like honest farmers. No wonder Old Man Liu would rather sell the cow at a lower price."
Old Mrs. Wan was in the crowd and heard it clearly. It turned out that this old man was also a pitiful person.
Old Lady Wan touched her purse. The family really needed to buy a cow. She bought so much wasteland at once. How long would it take to reclaim it? Besides, she had to open a shop, which would also require people. There were only the second son and his wife, and the eldest son at home. It was impossible for the three of them to reclaim such a large piece of land.
Old Mrs. Wan understands even better how difficult it is for the elderly, especially when their children are not around. They have no money to buy medicine when they are sick and no way to make money, so they can only sell their property to make a living.
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