Chapter 450 Entering the Village
Wan Laoer was chasing Fubao from behind, and Fubao was chasing the sheep behind the flock.
Jia Yanbing and the shepherd in the back burst into laughter, and their hearty laughter added a bit of joy to the vast border village.
"Please come in, fellow villager." The big man and Jia Yanbing politely gave way to each other, then followed Wan Laoer and Fubao into the village.
It was dinner time, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the entire village a warm orange-red. The dilapidated thatched houses were arranged in an orderly manner, and the khaki walls exuded a rustic atmosphere in the sunset.
After a day of cold wind, it was time to finally go home for dinner. The curls of smoke rising from the chimney floated softly in the air.
The yellow earth in the distance was dyed orange by the setting sun. Occasionally, a flock of crows flew low, making unpleasant "cawing" sounds, adding a bit of vitality and vigor to the quiet village.
The air was filled with the smell of burning firewood, mixed with the faint aroma of rice, wafting out from the chimneys of every household, evoking Wan Laoer's memories of home.
He finally caught up with Fubao, picked her up, and turned back to drive the carriage.
As soon as this girl arrived in the village, she became a tomboy. The village was her territory and she felt like a fish in water. She was either chasing chickens or playing with dogs. She did not have the quietness and grace that a girl should have at all. This gave Wan Laoer a headache for a while.
But Wan Ersao thought this was a good thing, at least Fubao was happy.
Jia Yanbing walked while carefully looking at the feces on the ground. Because there were many livestock in this village, a lot of feces accumulated on the roads in the village every day. When passing by several houses, he could always see an old man carrying a feces basket and picking up feces, which was a very precious fertilizer.
However, sheep dung is not as big as cow dung and pig dung, so it is a bit troublesome to pick up, so it is usually swept up gently with a broom.
As the group walked along, they attracted a lot of attention, especially the carriage led by Wan Laoer that was following behind them. Everyone surrounded the carriage and looked at it as if it was something special.
Farmers are always relatively idle in winter and have little entertainment. If something new happens, they can always talk about it for a long time and use it as a topic of conversation after dinner.
"Old Sheephead, do you have visitors?"
"Uncle, how could I have such a nice guest? He came to buy sheep from me. He heard that my sheep are well-raised, so he came here because of my reputation. I will also let your son buy mutton from me during the New Year this year."
"Okay, keep it for Second Uncle. Second Uncle's son will definitely buy it. Don't sell it all."
Another woman was standing in her yard holding a bowl of rice, and she smiled at the shepherd through the fence.
Seeing that the second uncle's face was not very good, the shepherd stopped teasing him, said he was going home, and left with Jia Yanbing.
"Pah, you come here just because of his reputation. He's so stupid, what fame does he have?" When the second uncle saw the old sheephead walking away, he spat fiercely with a dark face.
The woman pouted and looked at the second uncle with a sneer, "Second uncle, I am not stupid. You can't say bad things about me behind my back just because I didn't like your daughter and didn't marry you. You are still the elder, it's shameful."
"Woman, you are so noisy. Even food can't stop you from talking. Humph." The second uncle put his hands behind his back and went back to the yard angrily.
Jia Yanbing and Wan Laoer followed Lao Yangtou all the way to a farmer's house at the end of the village. No wonder his family lived at the end of the village.
It is obvious that this yard belongs to a wealthy family in the village. The courtyard wall is not a fence, but a pure adobe wall, more than two people tall, probably used to prevent wolves. From the outside it looks like an earthen castle, with no edges and corners, and only rounded corners.
The courtyard door has two doors, and the thresholds are high and tightly closed, leaving the wolf no chance.
No wonder other families don’t raise sheep. Without any financial resources, they cannot afford the harm caused by those animals.
Wan Laoer parked the carriage at the gate of the yard, and the sheep had already entered the sheepfold by themselves.
As soon as Jia Yanbing entered the yard, he smelled a strong smell of sheep dung.
He felt a little uncomfortable, but just frowned slightly, maintaining his elegant image and not covering his nose.
As soon as Fubao got off the carriage, Wan Laoer picked her up and held her in his arms, not letting her get off the ground. If things go wrong, this girl might sneak into the sheep pen.
"The house is a little messy, please don't mind. My family has been raising livestock all year round, and the smell is quite strong. So when I built the house that year, I specially asked the village chief to approve a piece of residential land at the end of the village." The old sheep head smiled honestly, put the shepherd's whip under the eaves, patted the dust off his body, and then went into the house.
A plump woman with a scarf wrapped around her head walked in from outside.
"Dad, are there guests at home? I'll go make some tea."
The woman had just put all the sheep into the sheepfold when she came over to say hello.
It seemed that the couple were the only ones in the house, and there was no child.
But from what the woman said, there should be children at home, unless they are all out.
"You're welcome, sister-in-law. We're here to discuss business. Don't bother me. We'll leave after we've concluded the deal."
The woman was very hospitable and insisted on cooking a bowl of goat's milk for the group.
Jia Yanbing hadn't drunk goat's milk for a long time. The freshly brewed goat's milk was mellow and rich in flavor and tasted great.
Unfortunately, most people can’t afford to drink this. It’s only because the old sheephead and his family raise so many sheep that they can have fresh goat milk to drink.
The group sat down, and Fubao was held on Wan Laoer's lap, but her heart was always in the sheep pen outside.
Fubao kept looking outside and was seen by the careful Jia Yanbing.
"Girl, come and sit next to the master."
Fubao's attention was immediately drawn back by Jia Yanbing's words.
Although she is lively and innocent, she is also extremely smart. As soon as Jia Yanbing called her, she knew that the teacher wanted her to learn something.
Wan Laoer finally breathed a sigh of relief. He could hardly control this little troublemaker.
Now that he has Mr. Yan, he finally doesn’t have to take care of the baby anymore. From now on, he will leave Fubao to Mr. Yan’s care.
Jia Yanbing didn't know yet that Wan Laoer had already treated him as the babysitter.
Fubao sat down obediently on the small stool at Jia Yanbing's feet, his little body sitting upright, his big eyes bright and full of spirit.
"My fellow countryman, we have already told you why we are here. We don't have much time left and we have to leave tomorrow. We came here with sincerity. We want all the adult sheep you have. You don't have to bother selling them this year. You can save a lot of trouble and have a good New Year."
The old sheep was a little surprised. "Can you really kill them all? I have more than 60 adult sheep at home."
Jia Yanbing nodded affirmatively. He couldn't afford to hesitate at this moment, otherwise he would give the other party an impression that he was unreliable, which would not be conducive to his later proposals.
The old sheep head was really happy. He was still thinking about the problem of sales this year. His sheep had not grown so fast in previous years, but the weather at the border has been getting better and better in recent years, the grass and water are lush, the sheep are well fed and grow fast, his flock is growing like a snowball, and the sheepfold can hardly hold them all. There are more than a hundred sheep in total, big and small, some with lambs, which will give birth after the New Year, and another batch of lambs will be needed.
Nowadays, the hay they eat every day costs a lot of money, and he also has to drive the sheep out for a walk every day so that the mutton will be delicious.
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