Chapter 174: Buying Sheep

“Do you want sheep?” A dirty little kid approached, carrying a rather unpleasant smell.

Mutton!

Yan Lao’er and Yan Yu’s eyes lit up at the same time.

Hotpot, mutton skewers, mutton soup…

Various delicious mutton dishes flashed through their minds.

Their mouths watered uncontrollably.

“They’re live sheep, and… they cost six qian of silver.” The child hesitated before naming a price.

“Six strings of cash?” Yan Lao’er calculated whether it was worth it.

“No.” The child shook his head vigorously. “Six qian of silver.”

He repeated himself. Though his face was dirty, his bright eyes stared unblinkingly at Yan Lao’er.

“Aren’t they the same?” Yan Lao’er deliberately teased.

“Silver is more valuable, I know that.” The child looked at him warily, as if saying, Don’t try to fool me. “I only want silver, not copper coins.”

Seeing that the child was getting anxious, Yan Lao’er chuckled and asked, “Where are your sheep? I need to see them first.”

“You have to come to my house to pick them up,” the child replied.

Afraid they wouldn’t want to go, he emphasized, “My family raises good sheep, very clean. Pork costs 25 wen per jin, but mutton is only 15 wen. They’re both meat, and I even gave you a discount. The last time we weighed them, our sheep were 60 jin, and they’ve definitely gained weight since then. I’ll give you everything without adding extra costs—it’s a great deal.”

Yan Lao’er laughed heartily, realizing the child was eager to sell the sheep to them.

“Is your home far?”

“Not far, just down this street a bit,” the child said eagerly.

“Let’s take a look,” Li Xuemei suggested.

Yan Lao’er motioned for the child to get on the ox cart.

The child shook his head and ran ahead instead.

The group followed him along what he called “just a bit,” which turned out to be nearly at the easternmost end of town…

The child, afraid they would run away, kept glancing back at them as he ran.

When they reached the entrance of an alley, he excitedly shouted, “Mom! Mom! I found someone to buy the sheep! I brought them here, right at the alley entrance—come see!”

Before long, a woman hurried out. Seeing the family on the ox cart, she quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, my son is ignorant—please don’t take offense. Our sheep… our sheep… have already been reserved.”

The child, panting heavily from running, grew anxious upon hearing this. “No, they haven’t! We didn’t take Master Feng San’s copper coins. The sheep are still at home, Mom! They really want to buy meat—they stood at Master Feng San’s stall for a long time, wanting to buy meat but finding pork too expensive. Our sheep are just right for them. We already agreed on six qian of silver!”

Yan Lao’er coughed twice, wanting to educate the kid—any price agreed upon before the money is in hand is just talk.

But seeing how anxious the child was, he swallowed his words.

“Six qian of silver?” The woman’s face turned red. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, my son was speaking nonsense—it’s not worth that much, not at all.”

The child protested loudly, “I asked around! Mutton is 15 wen per jin, and our sheep weigh 60 jin. That’s nine strings of cash! Master Feng San bullied us, only offering two and a half strings, and he even wants to charge us for slaughtering. Mom, let’s sell to this uncle—he’s offering six qian!”

Yan Lao’er: …

Don’t spout nonsense—I never offered that price.

“Sister-in-law, if you have sheep to sell and I want to buy, since you haven’t taken a deposit from anyone, why not sell them to me? Let me take a look at the sheep first, and we can discuss the price. If it’s fair, I’ll pay in full and take them immediately.”

Yan Lao’er didn’t want to get involved in this mother-son debate—checking the sheep was more important.

Hearing this, the child dashed inside. Shortly after, he returned leading a goat.

The goat bleated twice, then fell silent.

Yan Lao’er stepped forward, checked its teeth, and felt its belly.

“A ewe? She just gave birth, didn’t she? And you’re selling her?” Yan Lao’er was surprised.

He had assumed it was a ram—usually, only rams were sold for slaughter.

People who raised sheep rarely sold ewes since they were needed for breeding.

“My father is away, and Grandpa is sick—we urgently need money for medicine,” the child explained.

Yan Yu couldn’t help but rub her forehead. This kid was so clever earlier—why blurt out the whole truth now? No wonder Master Feng San tried to lower the price. If you’re desperate for money, of course people will take advantage.

Yan Lao’er said, “Since it’s already been weighed, we’ll go with 60 jin. But forget six qian of silver—I won’t go as low as two strings and five hundred cash either. Four qian of silver—how about it, sister-in-law?”

The woman hesitated for only a moment before agreeing.

That price was quite good, even higher than usual market rates.

Master Feng San had been ruthless in lowering the price, knowing they were desperate.

She had initially worried about offending him, as they would likely have to deal with him again in the future.

But with money right in front of her, she couldn’t care anymore.

Her father-in-law’s treatment was more urgent.

The child, however, was furious.

“Uncle, how can you do this? We agreed on six qian of silver!”

“Hey, kid, who agreed? It was all you talking—we never promised anything,” Yan Yu retorted.

“Besides, who taught you such sloppy math? A live sheep isn’t worth the same as butchered mutton. The head, skin, bones—they’re not edible! After removing all that and the organs, there’s at most 30 jin of meat. At four qian of silver, that’s 480 wen, meaning we’re paying about 16 wen per jin. We’re actually losing money!”

The child was stunned by Yan Yu’s rapid calculations.

His small fists clenched, wanting to argue, but he didn’t know how.

When Master Feng San had weighed the sheep, the child had eavesdropped on meat prices at the butcher’s stall and had someone help him calculate.

He vaguely remembered his father mentioning that live sheep were cheaper than butchered mutton. He thought he had already lowered the price a lot—was it still not enough? A whole half less?

Not wanting to show weakness, the child glared fiercely. “Four qian it is, but I want silver, not copper coins!”

The woman accepted the money, and Yan Lao’er tied the sheep to the side of the ox cart.

They had already traveled a good distance when the child caught up again.

He reluctantly petted the ewe and asked, “Will your family keep buying sheep in the future?”

He had asked his mother and realized that the children in the ox cart had calculated correctly. Feeling a little embarrassed, he lowered his gaze slightly.

Yan Yu asked, “Do you still have more? Why didn’t you bring them all out?”

This one was a ewe—raising it was more worthwhile than eating it.

If they had more sheep, they should hurry back and buy them too.

Drool… retreat, retreat!

“I have three lambs, but they still need time to grow. But I know who has sheep—if you’re still buying, I can bring them to you.” The child looked at her expectantly.

Yan Yu scrutinized her. No—her.

Clever—she even knows how to deliver the goods directly.

“The wasteland at Linxi—we’re from a village near there. Our surname is Yan. Ask around, and people will know us.”

She guessed the little girl’s intentions—trying to secure a higher price, or maybe even make a little extra for herself?

“But let’s be clear—you bring sheep over, and we’ll buy at market price, not today’s rate.”

The child thought for a moment, then nodded firmly.

She understood—their family didn’t charge for butchering, which already made their price better than Master Feng San’s.