Zhuo Yun, Xu Ran, and the shopkeeper were the three people who were going to buy the carriage. The shopkeeper was well-versed in the topic of horses. And Zhuo Yun, who had been a businessman for many years and knew a little about this area, was also present. In any case, he'd be better than Xu Ran, a noob but who had no idea how to buy a carriage. (i think noob is more understandable?)
Zhuo Yun was enthralled by a strong tall black horse. It was a horse that had retired from the army, according to the horse's owner. They didn't have the heart to kill the horse because it was wounded and couldn't serve on the battlefield again. So they simply sold the horse to regular people, and it now belonged to him.
This horse was also like by Xu Ran. He felt it would be strong enough for long-distance riding, not just because it was imposing, but also because it had been to the battlefield. "Sir, how much is your horse?" Xu Ran asked the trader, stroking its head.
"You have also viewed the horse, sir. Although it is a retired old horse, it is better than all the others in my stable. I'll give it to you for this price," the trader stretched out his hand and made a gesture.
It was fifty taels of silver, enough to purchase a superior horse. After all, this horse couldn't justify the price because it couldn't be filled with heavy weights or used for long-distance riding due to its injuries.
Zhuo Yun stepped forward and said to the trader, Before Xu Ran could say something, Zhuo Yun stepped forward and said to the trader, "Aren't you extorting money from us and exploiting our situation because we haven't purchased a horse? When I'm doing business, I've met a lot of good horses, but I've never heard of anyone charging such a high price for a horse like you. Tell me how much the horse is worth."
Zhuo Yun behaved as if they were dead set on buying this horse, and the trader should be wary of being beaten if he casually quoted the amount, as if he were a bully. The trader was terrified of Zhuo Yun. Since the trader didn't believe they had any prior experience buying or breeding horses, he dared to quote such a price.
Who would have thought that they had run business and were experienced?
The trader immediately put a finger down, "Then how about this price?"
Zhuo Yun didn't answer; he just glared at him silently.
The trader shivered for no apparent reason before putting his another finger down. "That's my rock bottom price."
Zhuo Yun shook his head, "It's not on. Unless you give another cart to us, or I won't buy this horse anymore or let my friends buy anything from you if they want horses. Now you have to think it over."
It was really a threat, and Zhuo Yun exuded an air of fearing no-one, which frightened the trader.
In theory, the person who dared to sell horses should be wealthy enough to not be afraid of Zhuo Yun's terms, but the trader's family had recently experienced some unexpected events. As a result, he's been keeping a low profile lately. And when he heard Zhuo Yun's terms, he agreed without hesitation, fearing that Zhuo Yun would really declare his sharp practice.
Xu Ran definitely got a decent deal. He also requested that the trader tether the horse to a cart. He tapped the trader on the shoulder after paying the cash and wished him a successful business. After seeing the three of them go, the trader let out a huge sigh of relief. He'd had a really bad day. If there hadn't been anything happened at home, he could have dared to say he could sell the horse at what price he wanted.
He was knocked down a notch when he thought about his family's dreadful business. How miserable he was!
______
Xu Ran hadn't driven the carriage by himself yet, so Zhuo Yun let Xu Ran try it first. After all, a horse was not as easy to control as a cow, which was even a docile one.
Xu Ran was also interested in giving it a shot. He'd never rode a horse in modern times and could only watch others galloping fine horses forward with envy. He could finally drive a carriage at this point. Despite the disparity between reality and his imagination, it was always a horse at the end of the day. He had no choice but to make do for what he had.
Xu Ran sat in the carriage, taking the reins and allowing the horse to trot slowly. Xu Ran sat next to the shopkeeper, who showed him how to ride the horse. After a while of slowly walking, Xu Ran began to learn the skills, and the carriage began to accelerate. After all, he'd driven an ox cart before and had picked up the skill easily.
Xu Ran safely rode the carriage to Zhuo Yun's mansion's entrance, and then he was going to help Mr. Hu in boarding the carriage. Mr. Hu, Xu Ran patted the horse's head and confidently said, "Mr. Hu, we also have a carriage. In the future, I can take you wherever you like. Whoopee, are you happy?."
"Yes, of course." Mr. Hu was also a little excited. It was not because of the carriage, but because Xu Ran completely treated him as a family member when saying the words.
Xu Ran giggled, then helped Mr. Hu get into the carriage. He sat in the driver's seat and waved goodbye to Zhuo Yun and the others. Then he waved the whip in his hand. "Hia!''
Xu Ran successfully drove the carriage back to Xu Village.
As he arrived at the village's edge, Xu Ran discovered Tangtang and Guoguo, as well as four dogs, waiting for him. These dogs had been grown up until March since they were returned before the New Year. They seemed strong from afar, but as soon as their owner approached, they began to wag their tails in a manner that Xu Ran had never seen before.
Tangtang and Guoguo shouted and ran over after they saw the carriage. Xu Ran was afraid that the horse would hurt them for being unfamiliar to them, and therefore hurriedly stopped it.
Xu Ran jumped off the carriage and placed Tangtang and Guoguo into it. "Sit still and I will give you a ride home."
"Okay, let's go home!" Tangtang and Guoguo clapped their little hands in delight and then went into the carriage to talk with Mr. Hu like the birds chirping.
Xu Ran smiled happily and sped up the carriage. And the four dogs ran behind the horse.
When the construction team returned home, they discovered that they had switched to a new carriage, which was powered by Xu Ran. They couldn't help but come over to take a look. Foreman Li said nothing and simply let them walk around the carriage and observe it for a while before telling them to return to work. Then he walked up to Xu Ran and sat down.
"Xu Ran, did you buy this carriage?"
Xu Ran looked at Foreman Li for a while before nodding.
Despite the fact that Foreman Li had guessed it, he was taken aback when Xu Ran revealed it to him. He was also curious about Xu Ran's source of money! He had just noticed that Xu Ran had spent a lot of money despite having no profits! Foreman Li was taken aback by the fact that he could indeed afford a carriage. Xu Ran smiled as he observed his reaction. Now only he knew the difficulty of his family that they were really strapped for cash.
He didn't know if Tongtong would say he was a big spender.
Xu Ran brushed aside Foreman Li's surprise and escorted Tangtang and Guoguo from the carriage. Then he assisted Mr. Hu in exiting the vehicle, allowing Tangtang and Guoguo to help the elderly gentleman in entering the home. After sitting in the carriage for such a long time, he needed to rest; after all, he was an elderly man.
When Foreman Li saw Mr. Hu, he immediately recovered his composure and greeted Mr. Hu.
Mr. Hu smiled, waving a friendly greeting and followed Tangtang and Guoguo into the house.
Xu Ran, on the other hand, began unloading the carriage. He spent a lot of time on it the first time because he wasn't very good at it. As a result, Foreman Li was envious of the horse and wished he could take it home with him. Xu Ran noticed Foreman Li's greedy expression after he unloaded the carriage. (Hm, that was just his thought) He then showed great compassion by allowing Foreman Li to ride his horse. Xu Ran looked at the black horse in front of him and named it 'Big Black' in his mind.
Xu Ran said to Foreman Li, "Mr. Li, you can touch Big Black's head. He won't kick you."
When he heard Xu Ran call him 'Big Black,' the black horse snorted, disgusted by the name, which sounded very nasty. Xu Ran ignored his complaints and constantly referred to him as 'Big Black.' He also threatened to stop feeding him if the name didn't suit. This type of action was completely unashamed. Even a horse would be bullied by him that Foreman Li also couldn't stand his behavior.
After unloading the carriage, Xu Ran just found that the cart was outside the yard. The horse could be led in, but how about the cart? Could it walk by itself?
Xu Ran sensed something wasn't quite right, and he was about to hitch the horse to the cart. Foreman Li quickly came to a halt "You don't have to subjugate him. I'll accompany you into the yard with the cart. It's just a quick trip. By the way, I'm curious if you get a little goofy after the test. Why are you behaving so strangely?"
Xu Ran strongly approved of Foreman Li's words. He also felt that he needed to reflect on himself.
The cart was carried into the yard by Xu Ran and Foreman Li. Liu Tong, who was presumably occupied with other things, was not at home. After tying Big Black near the pigsty, Xu Ran went into the house and found a huge piece of oiled paper, which he used to cover the cart to shield it from the rain.
Guoguo and Tangtang were sitting by the side of the fire pit, talking with Mr. Hu. Mr. Hu was in a good mood. The two little guys also liked Mr. Hu and kept jabbering away.
Xu Ran went over and asked Tangtang and Guoguo, "Tangtang, Guoguo, where has your Daddy gone?"
Tangtang turned back and said to Xu Ran, "Dad, Daddy went to cut the grass for pigs. Since he was afraid of the rain, he said he would cut more. He told me to meet you at home with Guoguo and wait for you. He also said that instead of searching for him, you should simply prepare the meal at home."
Alright, he just assigned all the tasks. Xu Ran also wasn't going to look for Liu Tong. He went to rinse the rice and cook the meal after adding a bundle of firewood to the fire. Even though he hadn't cooked in a long time, Xu Ran did it so easily that he didn't get rusty. Their family had not eaten a meal alone in a long time, as they had always shared it with the construction crew.
Xu Ran went to the kitchen to look at the cutting board. There was lean meat, two turnips and a bundle of turnip leaves on it.
They hadn't planted many vegetables last year, and now there was so little to eat that they could only prepare a few dishes over and over. Liu Tong, Xu Ran assumed, had possibly planted the vegetable seedlings at home. He had no idea about the corn seeds, so it was time for him to investigate.
Thinking of it, Xu Ran increased his speed.
After cooking, Xu Ran looked at the sky outside and found that it would rain again. When they had come back, it had been almost four p.m. After he cooked the meal, it was almost five.
Xu Ran put the food on the table after assuming Liu Tong must have spent the entire afternoon outside cutting pigweed, then went to find a pack basket and inquired, "Do you know where your daddy went to cut pigweed, Tangtang? It's going to rain. I'd like to get your daddy back home."
"The place where you cut pigweed last time. Dad, go there quickly! Don't care about us." Tangtang started to ask Xu Ran to leave as soon as he finished talking, afraid that Liu Tong would get caught in the rain.
Xu Ran said with a smile, "Got it. You guys have dinner first. You don't have to wait for us."
After finishing his words, he went outside with a pack basket on his back and closed the bamboo fence of the yard behind him.
The last time he cut pigweed, he was a little farther away from their house. Xu Ran had only been there a few times before, but he had never returned. He saw a person cutting something with his back bent from afar. A lot of cut grass was beside him, and the sickle in his hand was moving quickly.
Xu Ran walked over and said, "Tongtong."
Liu Tong stood straight and looked back, saying, "Why are you here, Ran? I asked Tangtang and Guoguo to tell you to just stay at home to cook, didn't I?
Xu Ran went over and wiped away the small drops of sweat on his forehead. "The meal is ready. I noticed that it was going to rain, and I estimated that you would have cut a lot of pigweed in the afternoon but would never be able to get it back by yourself, so I'm here. What? Don't you feel happy?"
Liu Tong shook his head hurriedly and said, "You've been on the carriage for a few days, and you also went to pick up Mr. Hu in town today, so I was afraid you would get too tired!"
"You really think I'm weak! Besides, I also had a sound sleep last night. How could I be tired? Compared with me, you've been busy with the internal and external affairs of our family all these days while I was away. You had a tough time."
Liu Tong shook his head and said, "It was not tough."
Xu Ran pinched his cheek that was not fair and said, "All right, let's go back! If it doesn't rain, we can come to cut grass tomorrow. It is the same. I'm coming with you."
"I'm afraid I will be too busy to come here tomorrow. I planted all of the vegetable seedlings, but I was afraid to touch the corn seedlings. Their rapid growth indicates that now is the best time to plant them. We'll start cleaning the radish field tomorrow and then plant the corn seedlings."
"Right, I think so, too. I've pulled almost all of the radishes from the field, but I'm afraid we'll have to sow a few vegetable seeds this year, otherwise we won't have enough vegetables to eat. I'll get some from Zhuo Yun's place and bring them home when I go to town sometime."
Liu Tong nodded and said, "OK."
While conversing, the two placed the pigweed into their pack baskets. Despite the fact that the two large pack baskets were nearly full, they had only put half of the grass in. Sure enough, his Tongtong was a hard worker!
They had taken two trips before returning home with all of the pigweed. Liu Tong returned home and brought a handful of grass to the chicken coop and duck pen, as well as pigweed from the pot to feed the pigs.
When he saw the black horse beside the pigpen, Liu Tong was surprised. He guessed that it should be theirs, not Zhuo Yun's family's.
He also remembered those few big bags that Xu Ran had unloaded from the carriage yesterday when he had returned home. Since Xu Ran hadn't told him what they were, he hadn't cared about him, so now they were still in the shed where their sundries were placed.
Surely, Since the horse's fodder should not be the same as the pigs', Liu Tong applied some of the green grass from the chickens and ducks to it. Fearful of outsiders, the horse gravitated toward anyone who offered it food. It even rubbed against Liu Tong's hand when it saw the green grass in his hand before starting to feed.
Seeing its intimate look, Liu Tong couldn't help feeling delighted and reached out to touch it.
Xu Ran had been anticipating Liu Tong's arrival. After returning home, the latter was preoccupied with a variety of tasks, and Xu Ran had no idea how to assist him. As a result, he could only sit at the table and inquire about their father's daily work schedule from Tangtang and Guoguo.
Tangtang and Guoguo went over each of his responsibilities with him one by one. He had to boil grass for their pigs, clean up the chicken coop, feed the pigs, cut green grass, prepare meals, sweep the floor, and so on from the moment he awoke. When all of them were added up, they amounted to more than ten tasks. Xu Ran sighed and felt that he had been raised so well that he knew nothing about human life and farm work.
Xu Ran had been waiting for Liu Tong for a long time but had yet to see him. Xu Ran assumed he was going to feed the pigs because he had just gone out with a bucket of pigweed. As he approached the pigpen, he saw Big Black chewing green grass and licking his spouse's palm to curry favor. "Tongtong didn't withdraw his hand but touched Big Black. Lord, the stinky horse is flirting with my spouse!"
First, he glared at "Big Black", and then he went over and pulled Liu Tong to himself. "Tongtong, I bought a carriage before discussing it with you. You won't be angry, will you?"
Liu Tong shook his head and said, "How could I blame you? But there isn't really much money left in our family these days. Ran, you have to spend money more carefully."
Seeing that Liu Tong was really not angry, Xu Ran heaved a sigh of relief and instantly spoke of the way of making money. "You don't have to worry about this.Bamboo shoots will most likely emerge in a few days. Don't you recall the place where we went to collect the chili peppers? There were bamboo trees there, which I noticed. On the other side of the range, there should be a lot of bamboo trees. We should go there early when the time comes to dig a few bamboo shoots to sell in town. Anyway, Mr. Chen's family is sure to want them.
"You just remember Mr. Chen's family, but have you ever thought about the number of our bamboo shoots his family can buy? It is tasty to eat them when they are fresh. It's troublesome when no one comes to buy, but we have many!" Liu Tong frowned and said.
Hearing Liu Tong's words, Xu Ran then remembered that bamboo shoots really couldn't be kept for too long, or they would become sour and lose their good flavor.
He also recalled a modern dish of bamboo shoots with pickled chili peppers that he liked, but he couldn't make it because pickled chili peppers weren't available in this period. He might, however, use them as radishes and place them in the pickle jar. He could sell the dried bamboo shoots if he couldn't sell the fresh bamboo shoots.
When served with bacon soup, it was delicious. Furthermore, their family's potatoes can be harvested as early as next month. Mr. Chen might set up a barbecue stall and roast potatoes, Xu Ran reasoned.
"I just don't know how much this idea is worth," Xu Ran thought joyfully.
Seeing the person in a trance before him, Liu Tong smiled helplessly and thought, "I always feel that Ran isn't like a grown man."
Liu Tong threw the rest of the green grass to Big Black before pulling Xu Ran into the house. As he walked, he said, "Ran, the horse has been brought into our home, so we should build a living space for it, right? We can't let it live next to the pigpen every day.
Called back to his senses by Liu Tong, Xu Ran thought for a moment and said, "Next to the pigpen, build a small living space. When our new house is finished, we'll be able to rebuild it and expand it in case we need to raise more animals in the future."
Liu Tong nodded and said, "OK, then let's build it after finishing the work in the field. Ran, have you named this horse, by the way?"
"Of course, it's called Big Black. It sounds so suitable for it, right?" Xu Ran said proudly.
But Liu Tong was speechless and thought, "It's a really suitable name! It's so perfect that nothing can match it!"
While eating, Liu Tong again remembered those big bags that had been taken down from the carriage yesterday.
Liu Tong asked, "What are those you and the shopkeeper carried home yesterday, Ran?
Once Liu Tong mentioned it, Xu Ran then remembered that he had forgotten another important thing, and he thought, "The cooperation with Lin Hua and others!"
Now Xu Ran stopped eating and stood up immediately. "Tongtong, I forgot something very important. Where did you put those bags?"
Seeing him in such anxiety, Liu Tong also stopped eating. Then he stood up and went out with him. "They are in the shed where our sundries are placed. Are they very important? You didn't tell me anything about them, so I didn't pay attention to them."
Liu Tong, Xu Ran noticed, was much more nervous than he was. Then he realized that if he didn't make it clear, Liu Tong would become extremely agitated. As a result, he told him about how he met Lin Hua and Zhao Chen in He Shui Town and how they collaborated.
"What are the fermented bean curd and the dried bean curd?" All I know is tofu. Are they made of tofu?
"You're so smart, Tongtong."
While talking, the two had been standing in front of those few bags for a long time.
Xu Ran picked up a bag and opened it for Liu Tong to see. "There are just chili peppers and soybeans on the inside. We'll need to make chili paste, fermented bean curd, and dried bean curb and send them to He Shui Town, but they'll come here and carry them themselves later."
"Ran, We won't be able to make them during the day, so we'll do them at night. We'll have a difficult time these days, but we'll be fine once the field work is done."
Xu Ran nodded and remembered the labor team members. It was inconvenient to say the least. It wasn't because they were mean, but it would be inconvenient for them to say and do stuff in their village if the members of the labor team knew, but their villagers didn't.
They worked to get these few bags into the house. Since they hadn't paid attention to the bags, they had been put outside previously. Fortunately, they had four dogs, otherwise the bags would have been stolen long before.
Therefore, Xu Ran's plan to rest and have sex tonight had been disrupted once more. They had to start soaking beans tonight because they needed to grind beans the next morning when they got up to make bean curd.
With all these things moved into the house, the couple continued to eat. Tangtang and Guoguo had already had dinner and taken food to feed their dogs.
Mr. Hu was sitting alone at the fire.
Xu Ran conversed with him while he was eating. The fermented bean curd was simple to handle. They could just put it in the jar until it was made, but dried bean curd couldn't be done that way. It needs to be smoked over an open fire. He and Liu Tong didn't have so much time; Tangtang and Guoguo, who were still young, wouldn't have the patience to watch it all the time, so Mr. Hu was their only choice.
Xu Ran had told Mr. Hu everything. Anyway, the man now lived in their family. Even if Xu Ran wanted to hide this from him, he wouldn't be successful, let alone he also needed his help.
Of course, Mr. Hu was very happy to do this. Anyway, he had nothing else to do, and this job just required him to sit there to tend the fire and help watch the curd.
While eating, Xu Ran had clearly explained everything to Mr. Hu. After dinner, Liu Tong had taken a wooden basin and began soaking beans. After washing his dish, Xu Ran quickly ate a few mouthfuls of rice and then went to help Liu Tong.
The two only soaked a bag of soybeans. Even if they soaked many more, they couldn't get all of them ground, so it was better to do this bit by bit.
When their job was done, they finally found that Tangtang and Guoguo were nodding to doze off at the fire, but Uncle Hu was still very energetic. He watched the two kids, in case they fell into the fire.
Xu Ran and Liu Tong went to wash their faces and feet, each holding one in his arms. After carrying their children to their bed, Xu Ran went to the fire pit to help Mr. Hu in getting up and washing his face and feet.
The moon had risen very high by the time the two were in bed. It wasn't expected to be long before the rooster began to crow. Xu Ran's original plan to have sex had failed once more, so he grumbled to himself, "When can I have another child?"
04.29.21