At the Livestock Market on the edge of Ma County, Li Long, Uncle Lao Luo, Yang Laoliu, Tao Daqiang, and the others began picking out cattle and sheep.
The livestock brokers here still recognized them. Seeing that they had no intention of hiring a broker, they did not come over to bother them.
Both Xie Yundong and Li Long knew a little of the local minority languages and could communicate reasonably well with the herders, so they soon negotiated the purchase of two herds.
With Li Long's authorization, Xie Yundong was bold about it, buying this flock of over two hundred sheep as a whole. A small number were winter lambs, most were two or three years old, and some were over three.
Although Li Long had asked them to buy younger cattle and sheep, that was difficult to manage.
So they would buy a batch today and keep going afterward.
The cattle and sheep they bought would also need deworming and bathing. In any case, the team's sheep-washing pool was now used almost exclusively by Old Ma's Place. Ma Jinbao's flock had been steadily shrinking, so he rarely used it.
A herder in a white cap approached on his own, wanting to sell his cattle and sheep to Li Long. He came straight to the point:
"My sheep are cheap! There aren't many, either. You're a generous boss-take a look and buy the lot!"
Li Long took just one look and immediately shook his head. He would not buy them.
"Have a look. Let me tell you, see, fifty-one sheep, over thirty of them fully grown. These are much cheaper than the other flocks... Look, most are winter lambs. I only want thirteen hundred yuan for all of them..."
They were indeed cheap, but Li Long still shook his