funbook-pk Chapter 140 Buying Cows
Chapter 140 Buying Cows
The setting sun melts like gold, and the evening clouds close in.
Smoke rose from the chimneys above Linshui Village as Old Huo led his men away.
The Gu family courtyard, which had been bustling all afternoon, finally quieted down.
Mother Gu and Sister-in-law Gu had already started cooking in the kitchen. Now that they had more money, the Gu family was becoming more particular about their food.
It wasn't that Lin Chang'er was extravagant; it was mainly that Gu's mother felt that Lin Chang'er worked hard to support the family and couldn't eat well in the morning because she was in a rush.
In the evening, it must be a lavish meal, with all the dishes chosen to be Lin Chang'er's favorites.
Of course, the other members of the Gu family didn't have any particular taste in food before. As long as it was cooked and they were full, that was enough. But lately, they've been spoiled by Lin Chang'er.
Fortunately, they all followed Lin Chang'er's tastes. They would definitely like what Lin Chang'er liked, and they wouldn't have had the chance to try what Lin Chang'er didn't like anyway, so there wouldn't be any conflict.
Lin Chang'er then wrote down on the sand the training time, events, and assembly point that Elder Huo had just announced.
Wu Qingfeng walked over and handed her the money bag.
Lin Chang'er looked confused. "What? Didn't I say I didn't want to?"
Wu Qingfeng simply stuffed the items into her hands, saying, "Keep them handy for now."
Lin Chang'er shook her head, "I know you're afraid I'll drain our savings, but think about it, a day's wages are only thirty coins, and a month's wages are less than one tael, totaling several tens of taels of silver in expenses."
Even if they do nothing, as long as Sihai Restaurant is doing well, I won't feel any pressure.
Wu Qingfeng replied, "Two months' worth of expenses is enough for you to buy a house in town and build a large courtyard in the countryside. If you exchange that for rice and flour, it will be enough for your family to eat for several years."
Lin Chang'er paused, then frowned, "So, that's a huge loss!"
He then laughed and said, "But Third Brother, if we only focus on immediate gains, how will we defend our houses, rice, and flour when the pirates actually land and attack us?"
“Some things always have to be done by someone first. Isn’t the integrity of being willing to die for one’s country on the battlefield, even if it means being wrapped in a horsehide to return home, worth a month’s worth of silver?”
"You just said in the main room that you have money, so I suppose you agree. If you weren't afraid of breaking a taboo, why would you go through all this trouble?"
Wu Qingfeng nodded, "I was being narrow-minded."
Lin Chang'er laughed out loud, "Don't talk about that. You haven't tried the brown sugar I made last time. Come here, I'll take you to see it."
Lin Chang'er treated him like family, immediately taking him to the storage room in the backyard. She opened a jar that had been washed until it shone, showing him dried and cut brown sugar into chunks. (Brown sugar is made in whole chunks; the loose kind has baking soda added. I specifically watched the whole production process when I went to the Brown Sugar Festival before.)
She reached out and picked up a piece of brown sugar that wasn't too big or too small, and handed it to him, saying, "Try it."
Wu Qingfeng didn't stand on ceremony and took it, stuffing it into his mouth.
Lin Chang'er asked, "Is it sweet?"
Wu Qingfeng nodded. "It's very sweet."
Lin Chang'er squinted, "Some sugars on the market are bitter, and others have very low sugar content. Actually, you can make a lot of small snacks with brown sugar, such as brown sugar twists, brown sugar shortbread, and brown sugar sesame stalks..."
Wu Qingfeng smiled and said, "Really? It sounds delicious."
"It tastes good too." Lin Chang'er continued, "The climate here is warm, so we might be able to plant more sugarcane for several seasons. But right now, we don't have our own sugarcane plantation, do we?"
"Relying on wild sugarcane will probably only last for a short time, so I think I'll make maltose to fill the gap in between."
Wu Qingfeng nodded, "After you brought it up before, I wrote to my aunt and mother about it, and we should get a reply in the next couple of days."
Lin Chang'er said, "That's perfect. However, to put the two ladies at ease, let's send them a batch of candy to inspect first, so they can have a better understanding of the situation."
Wu Qingfeng thought to himself that he could represent his mother and aunt, but he also felt that she was always careful in her actions, so he went along with her wishes.
He replied, "Okay!"
Lin Chang'er continued, "Chen Ming previously told me to send seafood to his residence, and that he would also help me make connections in the prefectural city. I originally didn't want to owe him this favor, but now..." I still need to make more money.
"Is there something you're worried about?" Wu Qingfeng asked when he saw her hesitate.
Lin Chang'er replied, "I reckon he's after you and Young Master Bai. I'm afraid it'll be hard to repay this favor."
Wu Qingfeng laughed and said, "You're usually quite shrewd, how come you're so confused about this?"
Lin Chang'er tilted her head and looked at him. "Did he say he came for us?"
Lin Chang'er nodded. "Yes, he didn't say anything. If he didn't say anything, she can just pretend she doesn't know."
Wu Qingfeng added, "However, the prefectural city is indeed quite far. But we can ask Lao Liang to help you find a restaurant in the county town."
Lin Chang'er had a vivid memory of this gluttonous old man and said, "How could I not have thought of that?" She would visit him tomorrow.
Then, as if remembering something else, he asked, "What is Prefect Chen's official rank?" Chen Ming's words couldn't be described as completely bad, but he certainly had his own ulterior motives.
"Official rank?" Wu Qingfeng paused, finding it a novel term.
Lin Chang'er thought he hadn't understood, "It means, can we be companions?"
Wu Qingfeng closed his eyes briefly. "It's fine to interact with them on the surface."
Lin Chang'er nodded. "That's good then."
Seeing that she seemed determined to do business with the Chen family, Wu Qingfeng thought of something and reminded her, "Changmei, you should buy a car."
Lin Chang'er also thought of it. In the era of cold weapons, the fastest land transportation was naturally the horse-drawn carriage. However, in this dynasty, only people of status could ride in horse-drawn carriages, and she was not qualified.
Buying a donkey cart or an ox cart would be a good option.
Lin Chang'er nodded, "You're right. Tomorrow, I'll ask Grandpa Zhou to help me decide." It would be best to buy a donkey and a cow.
Wu Qingfeng reminded her, "Aren't you afraid that Grandpa Zhou will be unhappy?"
Why are you unhappy?
After Lin Chang'er finished speaking, she remembered something and laughed, "It's not like I don't need his oxcart anymore just because I bought the ox. If you ask me, it would be best to have one cart in town, one in the county, and one to go to the prefectural city. That way, we won't waste time. We need at least three carts!"
However, Wu Qingfeng's guess was correct. The next day, when Lin Chang'er mentioned to Grandpa Zhou that she wanted to buy a cow, Grandpa Zhou's expression indeed stiffened.
Lin Chang'er said she would continue to use his car, but she was afraid of wasting time, so she bought one for herself. Only then did Grandpa Zhou breathe a sigh of relief.
After unloading the goods in town, he drove Lin Chang'er to the county town. When Bai Shaoan heard that he wanted to buy a car, he volunteered to go with him. Pei Si also arranged for Lao Liu to come along to help.
Upon arriving at the destination, Lin Chang'er quickly selected a donkey with the help of Grandpa Zhou and Bai Shaoan.
Bai Shaoan suggested that she simply buy two donkeys, one male and one female, so that they might be able to have foals in the future.
Lin Chang'er thought about it and decided she still wanted to buy a cow, which could help plow the fields during the busy farming season!
She looked around but still couldn't find anything she liked, until she spotted a cow sitting crookedly in the corner.
Seeing her stop, the broker immediately smiled and introduced the cattle to her: "Have you taken a fancy to this one? You have excellent taste! This cow is the cheapest one we have here..."
Bai Shaoan narrowed his eyes, "Don't try to fool my sister, this cow looks sickly, it's obviously a sick cow..."