Transmigrated Family C29

Chapter 29: Yan Lao’er’s Skills

Yan Lao’er soon got another chance to go to town.

The villagers were deeply moved by the scholar’s actions and decided to pool their money to see if they could buy another head or two of livestock.

The scholar was right—these animals could be used for transportation and food. They were as good as stored grain.

Village Chief Luo, carrying the villagers’ pooled funds, ran all the way to the Yan family’s house, followed by the young men who were going with him.

Yan Lao’er said nothing and immediately started hitching up the cart.

Accompanying him were the village chief’s eldest son, Luo Laoda, along with Santie, Physician Cui and his eldest son Dagouzi, Qi Si, and Wang Erlang—all of whom knew a thing or two about driving carts.

At the livestock market in town, the prices had shifted again. More people were selling animals, and prices had dropped even further.

Just a few days ago, mules were seven taels of silver each. Today, they had fallen to six taels and five qian. Donkeys had dropped from three taels to two taels and six qian.

And this price even included the cart—it was practically a fire sale.

Yan Huaiwen had given the village fifteen taels, and the villagers had pooled another six taels.

Yet, even after nearly breaking their fingers trying to calculate, they still couldn’t figure out how many donkeys they could buy after purchasing two mules.

Yan Lao’er: …

He couldn’t stand it any longer and went over to negotiate with the mule sellers.

“These are all donkey mules, not horse mules. How can you ask for six taels and five qian? Five taels is more reasonable.

Let me check their teeth.

Lift their hooves—I need to take a look.

This won’t do. These mules are getting on in years. How many more years of work do they have left?

I don’t want to buy them, pamper them with good food and care, only for them to keel over in two years.

Give me a discount? No? Fine, I’ll go look at the donkeys.”

Then he moved to the donkey sellers and started again:

“Look how skinny this donkey is. Hold it still—I need to feel its belly. Wouldn’t want it to have something wrong inside.

Teeth—yes, open its mouth.

Wow! And this cart—has it been passed down for generations? How many? It’s falling apart!

And this donkey is shedding hair—is it sick? You dare ask for two taels and six qian? One tael and five, or I’ll just take it home for meat…”

He went around harassing every mule and donkey seller in the market.

The sellers were fuming—haggling was one thing, but why was he talking nonsense while doing it?

Physician Cui suddenly recalled Yan Lao’er’s skill in hoof trimming and had a realization—weren’t they all fools for not asking him for help earlier?

Yan Lao’er could repair hooves, so he obviously knew more about livestock than they did.

“Brother Yan, come help me figure this out.” He waved at Yan Lao’er.

Yan Lao’er trotted over. “What exactly do you want to buy?”

“I heard that mules can carry more than donkeys, and mule carts are larger, so we want to buy two mules,” said Wang Erlang.

“After buying the mules, we want to use the remaining money to get some donkeys,” added Luo Laoda.

Yan Lao’er nodded. “Alright, hand over all the silver, and I’ll handle the buying.”

The men exchanged glances.

Luo Laoda clenched his teeth and handed over the tightly wrapped silver.

If they didn’t trust Yan Lao’er, they could just follow him. After all, most of the money had been given by the scholar.

They then watched as Yan Lao’er moved freely through the livestock market like it was his own backyard.

He darted here and there, quickly securing two mules:

One for six taels and one qian, the other for five taels and eight qian.

Then, he bought four donkeys:

One for two taels and three qian, another for two taels and one and a half qian, another for two taels and two qian, and the last—one tael and five qian.

Yes, that’s right. He even bought the shedding, sick-looking donkey.

No one said a word, busy mentally calculating. The earlier purchases were definitely a bargain. They just weren’t sure how much meat they could get from the sick donkey.

After buying two mules and four donkeys, there was still some money left.

Yan Lao’er weighed the remaining nine qian or so of silver in his hand. “Alright, let’s go.”

As they led the animals away, they suddenly realized that including Dagouzi, they barely had enough people to handle them all.

Yan Lao’er used the extra silver to buy grain, then got some saltpeter, and spent the last bit at the butcher’s stall.

The others followed along, watching him buy things without saying much.

Without Yan Lao’er, they wouldn’t have been able to buy so smoothly—or so cheaply.

They didn’t have the heart to fuss over the last few qian.

But as they reached the village entrance, Yan Lao’er brought it up himself.

“Let me settle the accounts for you. Two mules cost eleven taels and nine qian. Four donkeys cost eight taels and one and a half qian. Altogether, that’s twenty-one taels. We started with twenty taels and five qian, leaving us with nine and a half qian.”

“This leftover silver is just enough to treat the shedding donkey. It’s nothing serious.

Mix saltpeter with lard to make an ointment. Apply it two or three times, and it’ll be fine.

Saltpeter cost five qian. As for the lard… it’s tricky. I had to buy some lean meat along with it. Let’s say the lard cost four and a half qian. Does that sound fair?”

“Second Uncle Yan, that’s a loss for you. Lard is more expensive than lean meat,” Santie immediately pointed out.

Qi Si added, “Second Brother Yan, that sick donkey only cost one tael and five qian. If the ointment works, we’ll have saved at least six qian. We’re the ones who got the better deal.”

“We should pitch in more,” Wang Erlang said honestly.

Luo Laoda nodded. “Right, we should make it even so you don’t lose out.”

Yan Lao’er laughed. “I’m not losing out. My family prefers lean meat.

Also, I’m settling the accounts so you all remember them clearly. If anyone asks, you should be able to explain. This money came from the whole village, and the animals are for everyone’s use—the accounts must be transparent.”

Physician Cui nodded repeatedly. “Everyone should know the details. Without Brother Yan, we wouldn’t have gotten such a deal.

And Yan, your accounting is impressive!”

The others chimed in with praise, making Yan Lao’er a little embarrassed.

This was nothing—just elementary school-level math.

——

With new mules and donkeys, the whole village gathered around that night, torches in hand, watching the animals take turns grinding wheat.

Santie, the liveliest of the bunch, excitedly recounted their trip—the sights of the livestock market, how mighty his Second Uncle Yan had been, haggling the price down again and again, and how he brought back six animals with just twenty-one taels!

The villagers were stunned.

Was this really the same Yan Lao’er?

So skilled?!

Meanwhile, Yan Lao’er was busy applying ointment to the shedding donkey.

“Dad! Here, taste this—see if it’s sweet.” Yan Yu handed him a roasted sweet potato.

“Who roasted it?” Yan Lao’er swallowed hungrily at the aroma.

“Mom said to just toss them in the stove. I threw in two,” Yan Yu replied. “I gave the other one to Uncle, Big Brother, and Big Sister. This one’s for us three.”

Yan Lao’er took a bite from her hand.

His eyes lit up. “So sweet!”

“Right, where’s the meat I brought back?”

“Mom and Big Sis are rubbing it with coarse salt. They’ll hang it up to dry later, hehe!”

“How’s your Big Sis doing?”

“She looks fine, but Mom says I should sleep with her tonight.”

“No one went into our room, right?”

“Don’t worry, Dad. We were out all day. The door is still locked.”

“I arranged for Qi Si’s brother to help build a cart shed. The village’s wheat is all coarsely ground—it’s fast, but I wonder if it’ll be ready in time.”