coobybook Chapter 149 Selling Mules to Buy Horses
Chapter 149 Selling Mules to Buy Horses
"Okay, let's release the sky lanterns now and try to make our wishes come true as soon as possible."
The couple were honest people and had no doubts about what their daughter said. They took out a tinderbox and lit the candle.
The Kongming lantern slowly rose into the sky, and the whole family's faces were filled with smiles.
Lin Qingchuan and his wife share the same wish: that their family be safe and sound, that their lives be smooth, and that their pregnancy go smoothly.
Xiaoyu's wish is very simple: she just wants to be able to eat candied hawthorns and candies all the time.
Lin Xiaotang's wish has always been to help her parents earn more money and live a more affluent life.
Because it was a remote town, the Lantern Festival wasn't very lively. Only a few wealthy families in the town set off firecrackers, which went off for a while and then quieted down.
After the Lantern Festival, the county's cattle and horse market resumed trading. Lin Qingchuan proposed selling the mule and adding some money to buy a horse.
"Tang'er, why don't you go with your father to deliver braised pig's trotters tomorrow morning? It's a good time to sell the mule and buy a horse. It will save a lot of time going back and forth. Your father is not good with words, so if you come with me, you can help me with some advice."
Lin Xiaotang has lost one of her teeth, leaving her with a gap in her teeth, which makes her smile a bit comical.
She covered her mouth and laughed, "Okay, Dad, let's go together. We can buy two more fruit saplings to plant in the yard. When they bear fruit next year, our family will have fruit to eat."
As soon as Xiaoyu heard about food, her eyes lit up. She clapped her hands excitedly and said, "Okay, okay, let's buy, buy, buy, let's grow fruit."
Lin Xiaotang chuckled and patiently explained to Xiaoyu, "It's about planting fruit trees, sprouting, flowering, and bearing fruit, not about planting fruit."
Xiaoyu nodded blankly, seemingly understanding but not quite.
When the father and daughter arrived in Dushui County, they first delivered the braised pig's trotters to Wanhe Restaurant. After inquiring with the restaurant staff, they then led the mule to the cattle and horse market.
The cattle and horse market was located in the East Market. It was a huge open space where cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, chickens, ducks, dogs, rabbits, and other livestock were sold.
The father and daughter found a horse seller, who was dozing off in a broken chair, occasionally snoring.
Lin Xiaotang thought to herself, if someone is dozing off so early in the morning, either the seller is usually too busy and tired, or business is not good and they have nothing to do.
If it's the latter, then the deal will be much easier.
Lin Qingchuan called out, "Big brother, wake up, we want to buy a horse."
The seller, upon hearing that someone was buying a horse, suddenly awoke with a start and stood up groggily.
"Oh, buying a horse? What kind of horse do you want to buy?"
Lin Qingchuan was a little confused, "Buying a horse is just buying a horse, does it matter what kind of horse you buy?"
"Hey, of course they're divided. Horses are also divided into different grades. You're not an expert, are you?"
He pointed to the five or six horses grazing in the stable, and said proudly, "Look, that reddish-brown one is a fine steed, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day; that black one with shiny coat is an Akhal-Teke horse, once ridden by a great general; and that one with a tuft of white hair on its forehead is..."
Lin Xiaotang was utterly shocked. This person was just bragging loudly because he thought her father was an amateur!
Even the finest steed can't travel a thousand miles a day; a steed that can travel a thousand miles a day is a precious horse!
And that general's mount—it's a steed with which he's shared joys and sorrows, a bond forged through thick and thin. How could the general possibly sell it?
She finally figured out why this person's business was so slow; he was probably dozing off somewhere.
Lin Xiaotang picked at her ear and said impatiently, "Alright, alright, Uncle, if your horse were really as amazing as you say, wouldn't everyone be fighting tooth and nail to buy it? Why would I leave it for you to graze on?"
The seller's face stiffened, and he looked embarrassed, but he was always eloquent and thick-skinned, so he quickly covered it up.
“Little girl, don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand. The horses I bring over every day are all sold out on the same day. There’s never any talk of taking them home. If you want to buy, then take a look. If you don’t want to buy, then forget it.”
Lin Xiaotang felt that the seller was too boastful. If she wanted to bargain, she would have to argue for a long time and might still be fooled in the end. So she and her father went to another store to ask about prices. The other store not only sold horses, but also mules and cattle.
In the end, after the father and daughter negotiated with the seller for a long time, the seller agreed to reduce the price of the mule and let them add some silver to take away a horse.
Lin Qingchuan had always been reluctant to travel by mule cart because the mules were not yet fully grown. In addition to pulling the cart, the cart also carried dozens of raw pig trotters. His daughter also rode in the cart. He was afraid of tiring the mules, so he always walked. Now that a strong horse had been used to pull the cart, he was finally able to ride in it.
"Tang'er, this horse-drawn carriage is really fast. When your father comes to the county to deliver things again, he might be able to get home in no time."
"Yes, it will be more convenient for us to go wherever we want in the future, and the travel time will be shorter."
Lin Qingchuan grinned happily all the way, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart that it was all thanks to his eldest daughter that his family was living such a good life.
The two passed by a market, intending to buy pomegranate and persimmon saplings, but after searching the entire market, they still couldn't find any pomegranate saplings.
Lin Xiaotang couldn't help but wonder to herself, "Didn't they have pomegranate trees in ancient times?"
In the end, they bought a grape sapling and a persimmon sapling.
As I passed by a brothel, a conflict suddenly broke out outside the brothel, with two groups of people fighting and blocking the way.
"Dad, turn around quickly and let's take another route so we don't get caught up in this trouble."
If it were anything else, it would be fine, but it's best not to get involved in the commotion in front of a brothel.
Lin Qingchuan was not one to cause trouble, and upon hearing his daughter's reminder, he quickly pulled on the reins and made the horse turn around.
Unexpectedly, a young man dressed in fine clothes spotted Lin Xiaotang in red through the crowd. He smiled happily, pushed aside the servants, and chased after her.
"Xiao Tang, wait, don't go."
Lin Xiaotang turned her head blankly and saw Gu Minghuai standing behind their car, which surprised her greatly.
Why would someone be gathering in front of a brothel?
Oh no! She didn't have the jade pendant he gave her on New Year's Day with her. She couldn't return it to him this time, and she didn't know if she would have another chance to return it in the future.
"Gu Minghuai, what a coincidence, what are you doing here?"
Lin Qingchuan recognized the man as the boy who carried his daughter down the mountain on the first day of the Lunar New Year. He reined in the horse, got out of the carriage, and led the horse to the side of the road.
Gu Minghuai chuckled awkwardly, pointed at the brothel, and said smugly, "On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the people chasing me were thugs from this brothel. They wanted to arrest me for... you know. Well, I found out about this place and brought some men to teach them a lesson. They didn't even bother to find out who I am, yet they dared to try to arrest me for such a despicable thing. They're simply asking for trouble!"
"Cough cough..."
Lin Xiaotang couldn't help but cough twice, almost choking on her own saliva.
It turns out that the group of men who chased after him and threatened to beat him to a pulp if they caught him were actually thugs in this brothel. No wonder, since brothels are a mixed bag, and there are quite a few men who are bisexual.
However, those who can afford to run a brothel must be rich, powerful, and have powerful backers. Gu Minghuai escaped from those people and was able to return with his men, so his family must be quite influential.
As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer.
If the people at the brothel saw that she and her father knew Gu Minghuai, and once their grudges were settled, there was no guarantee that the brothel wouldn't make things difficult for her and her father.
After all, her family still had to supply braised pig trotters to Wanhe Restaurant every day.
"Hey, Gu Minghuai, you should go and take care of things. We won't keep you any longer." She turned her head and urged anxiously, "Dad, let's go quickly."