coobybook Chapter 252: Chicken Sellers
Chapter 252: Chicken Sellers
As the village chief spoke, he took out a cloth bag from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Cunliang.
An old man stepped forward and said earnestly, "Save the food, be a conscientious person, spend the money wisely, take good care of the little bear, and don't let everyone down."
Another old man echoed: "Yes, if we find out you're doing anything wrong, we won't let you off!"
Tian Guilan's eyes lit up, and she eagerly took the cloth bag. A smile instantly spread across her face as she said, "Don't worry, Village Chief. I will treat Little Bear well. You know, our family situation isn't very good either."
As Tian Guilan spoke, she held the cloth bag tightly in her hand, her eyes constantly glancing at the village chief and several elderly people.
The village chief's face darkened and he told Tian Guilan seriously: "Guilan, poverty is not scary, what is scary is laziness! We must have backbone and conscience. The Zhao family used to be a wealthy family in the village. Although life is a little tight now, we can't lose our duty." The village chief's eyes were like torches, staring at Tian Guilan closely.
"Although Xiao Xiong's parents are gone, his land is still there. The villagers have decided that the land previously owned by Zhou Dazhu and Hongmei will remain unchanged and will all belong to Xiao Xiong. In other words, Xiao Xiong now has eight acres of farmland, four acres of land, and two mountain forests." The village chief looked serious and earnest.
"This is not a small amount of money. As long as you take good care of Little Bear and work diligently, your life will get better." An old man stroked his beard and nodded slightly.
Another old man went on to say, "Yes, with so many fields and forests, if we manage them well, our future life will be good. But don't have any bad thoughts and mistreat the children." The old man stomped the ground with his crutch and emphasized his tone.
When Tian Guilan heard this, she couldn't help but make some calculations in her mind, but she pretended to be sincere and said, "Oh, look at what you said, how can we treat Xiao Xiong badly? We must live a good life." Her eyes flickered and the smile on the corner of her mouth seemed a little stiff.
Xiuying slowly returned home with her daughters, a heavy expression on her face.
After entering the house, Xiuying pulled her daughters to sit on a chair and told them seriously: "Children, the villagers feel sorry for the little bear and gave him so many fields, but this may not be a good thing." Xiuying frowned slightly, and her eyes were full of worry.
"Little Bear is still so young. It's not an easy task for him to take care of so many fields. And who knows what Zhao Cunliang and Tian Guilan will plan." Xiuying sighed softly and continued.
"We can't really help right now. We just need to take care of our own family affairs and not get involved in other people's affairs."
Xiuying's eyes swept over her daughters' faces one by one, her expression serious and earnest. She reached out and gently patted Taohua and Shiliu's shoulders.
"But you must remember that we must be compassionate and kind. If there is a chance to help the little bear in the future, we cannot just stand by and watch." Xiuying's voice was gentle but firm.
……
After the villagers finished Hongmei's funeral, they had no time to catch their breath before they immediately started preparing to go to the nearest city to sell white-feathered chickens.
Every household in the village now raises white-feathered chickens, and it's time to sell them. To get a good price, everyone gets up before dawn.
In the quiet village, oil lamps were lit one after another, and people began to get busy under the dim light.
The men rolled up their sleeves, sharpened their knives, and headed for the chickens. With a flick of the knife, the white-feathered chickens fell silent one by one.
The women boiled hot water, quickly put the freshly killed chickens into the hot water, and skillfully plucked and groomed them. Their movements were quick and efficient.
The children were also busy, helping to pass tools and carry basins, their small figures moving in and out of the houses. The whole village was filled with steaming steam and the unique smell of slaughtered chickens.
By the time everything was packed up, the eastern sky was just beginning to turn pale. Everyone, carrying cleaned white-feathered chickens on their backs, poles, and shoulders, gathered under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village.
Xiuying's family's ox cart and donkey cart were out transporting sweet potatoes. Now, looking around the entire village, there are only three carts left, and they are all dilapidated.
The wheels of the three carts were a little crooked, and the bodies of the carts were full of potholes and traces of time.
Those who were previously selected to transport the sweet potatoes were all strong men in the village, but the men standing here and preparing to go to the provincial capital to sell white-feathered chickens looked thinner in comparison.
Their bodies were not as strong as those men before, and their shoulders were a little thin.
As agreed, everyone put on their most worn-out clothes, patched up with patches, some even had large holes in them, revealing the dark skin underneath.
Their hair was deliberately unkempt, their faces smeared with dust, and they pretended to be refugees. Everyone tried to look as destitute and pitiful as possible to avoid attracting the attention of bandits on the road.
Each household carefully placed their slaughtered chickens on carts, stacking them neatly. Yang Qingfeng and the village chief's youngest son, Li Shenghui, were among the busy crowd, their faces focused as they registered the number of chickens from each household.
Yang Qingfeng held the account book in his hand and carefully checked the number of chickens sent by each family, while Li Shenghui helped to record them. The two worked in perfect harmony.
This time, when we went to Fucheng to sell chickens, our main goal was to sell them quickly. Therefore, we sold them individually, carefully selecting and weighing each one. The smallest one weighed a full eight pounds and was plump and full.
In order to set a suitable price, everyone had a heated discussion and finally decided to set the price at 80 wen per piece.
"80 wen each. This price can ensure that we can make a profit and it will also make the city people feel it is affordable. It should sell well." An experienced old man said, and everyone nodded in agreement.
The women quickly found bundles of straw and carefully covered the slaughtered broilers with them.
They carefully manipulated the thatch to ensure that each chicken was covered tightly, keeping it fresh while preventing anyone from seeing what was on the truck.
After everything was ready, the chicken-selling team finally set off. Some people in the team pulled carts, some carried loads, and they greeted each other.
"Everyone keep up, don't fall behind!" Li Shenghui, who was walking in front, turned around and shouted loudly.
"I know!" everyone responded in unison.
In the dim light of early morning, this hopeful team slowly set out on the road to the provincial capital.