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Fu Meng said, "I was just about to tell you about the Cattle and Sheep Bazaar."

"Bazaar" meant market. Several ethnic groups lived together locally, so some vocabulary came from minority languages.

Shi Wen nodded, signaling for Fu Meng to continue.

Fu Meng said, "Everyone in the village agreed to make a trip to the Cattle and Sheep Bazaar on the twenty-first. There'll definitely be more cattle and sheep there than at our market, and maybe there'll be something suitable. Do you want to come with us? If you do, I'll pick you up then."

"Yes! I was just thinking about what day to go. What perfect timing. I'll have to trouble you to take me along then."

"Sure. Get up early on the twenty-first," Fu Meng said readily. "If you buy suitable cattle, I'll help you haul them back too, so you won't have to find a vehicle yourself."

After making their arrangement, the two continued chatting over milk tea.

Before long, Chang Qingqing came in carrying a basket of vegetable seedlings and handed it to Shi Wen. "Shi Wen, see whether these seedlings are enough. If you need anything else, tell me. I'll ask around and see if the other households have any."

Shi Wen looked into the basket.

There were several kinds of vegetable seedlings inside. Each had a fist-sized clump of soil wrapped around its roots, stacked neatly together like a basket of dumplings. They practically looked like works of art.

Shi Wen felt grateful. "Thank you, sis-in-law. These seedlings are enough for me to plant."

After saying goodbye to Fu Meng's family, Shi Wen rode his motorcycle home, turned on the lights in the backyard, and hurriedly planted the seedlings.

Between identifying them himself and using an image-recognition app, he recognized eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, green beans, and several other kinds of seedlings. They really were enough for him to grow.

Living alone, he could not eat much anyway.

After planting the seedlings and taking a shower, Shi Wen sat at the table and carefully counted his savings.

Raising livestock required a relatively large investment. He only had a little over seventy thousand left in savings, and that was after the Anomaly Management Bureau had given him more than five thousand in subsidies this month.

If he could not turn a profit this year, life might become difficult next year.

Before dawn on the twenty-first, Shi Wen got up early, fed the sheep, dogs, and geese, ate breakfast, then waited at home for Fu Meng.

A little after five, Fu Meng called and told him to come out. They were heading to the Cattle and Sheep Bazaar.

When Shi Wen stepped outside, the sky was still dark, the heavens a dim grayish purple.

The pasture grass along both sides of the path was covered in dew. After walking only a short distance, the hems of his pants were soaked through by the grass and clung coldly to his legs.

Shi Wen pulled his jacket tighter and greeted Fu Meng.

Fu Meng was driving the three-wheeler Shi Wen had seen before.

Even in May, Fu Meng still wore thick leg warmers and gloves.

Shi Wen climbed in, and Fu Meng started driving again. The beams from the headlights cut through the dim dawn and shone far into the distance.

After driving for a while, they met up with the village's other vehicles.

Everyone was driving three-wheelers or light trucks. Most of the vehicles were empty, though two were carrying cattle and sheep, apparently to sell at the bazaar.

After more than two hours on the road, they arrived at the Cattle and Sheep Bazaar.

The sun rose from the horizon, spilling down boundless rays of light.

The bazaar was crowded with people. They parked on the sandy ground outside and followed the flow of people inside.

Before reaching the bazaar itself, Shi Wen spotted a row of stalls in the open space selling all kinds of food.

The scent of hot food washed over him, and he could not resist buying two beef buns.

The bazaar was structured much like the market they had visited before, only bigger and stocked with a more complete range of goods.

Shi Wen looked around, and Fu Meng said, "The cattle section is inside. Transactions happen fast at this bazaar. If you see something you like, decide quickly, or someone else might buy it the moment you turn around."

"Okay. Brother Fu, you all look around here. I'll go check out the cattle first."

"Call me if anything comes up."

Fu Meng and the others had come not only to trade, but also to get a sense of the market, so they had more to look at than Shi Wen did.

After exchanging a few words, the two went their separate ways.

Shi Wen headed toward the cattle section.

There were all kinds of cattle in the cattle section: brown cattle, yellow cattle, dairy cattle, Highland Cattle... Basically, any breed found in the country could be found here. No wonder this was said to be the largest bazaar in the area.

But the cattle prices were frighteningly high as well.

Shi Wen made a round through the area. Even calves cost no less than five thousand.

Shi Wen did not have much money, so he acted cautiously and did not dare call out prices lightly.

After seeing so many cattle, he found that the ones he could afford did not appeal to him, while the ones he liked were not very cost-effective. After circling more than half the area, he still came away empty-handed.

"Don't get so close!"

Someone shouted loudly. Shi Wen thought they were talking to him and jumped, quickly turning toward the source of the voice.

An old man with a gray-white beard was shouting, but not at him. He was yelling at someone who was looking at the cattle.

The people around them were also startled by the old man's shout and turned to look.

Before anyone could react further.

Another cry rang out. "Ow!"

"I told you not to get so close!"

"I didn't have time to move away. Your cow has a really nasty temper. I got bitten—do I need a rabies shot?"

"You got bitten by a cow, so why would you need a rabies shot? You were the one who got close. I'm not paying!"

It was Shi Wen's first time learning that cattle could bite people. There was a very obvious large tooth mark on the bitten man's face, and it looked like the bite had been serious.

He instinctively walked toward the cow.

The other onlookers also crowded over.

The biting cow was a young heifer.

Shi Wen took a careful look and found that it had a large frame, good looks, and a sturdy build. It also appeared to be a purebred local breed.

A cow like this would make a good breeding cow, though he did not know its price.

Shi Wen moved a little closer.

The bitten man was bargaining with the old man. "Your cow has such a bad temper. How many people has it injured by biting? And you still want eight thousand?"