Chapter 7 (continued)

The two agreed on it and continued chatting over their milk tea.

Before long, Chang Qingqing came in carrying a basket of vegetable seedlings and handed it to Shi Wen. "Shi Wen, take a look and see if these are enough. If anything's missing, let me know. I'll ask around and see if anyone else has some."

Shi Wen looked at the basket.

It held several kinds of vegetable seedlings, their roots wrapped in fist-sized clumps of soil. They were stacked neatly together like a basket of dumplings and looked almost like works of art.

Shi Wen felt grateful. "Thanks, sister-in-law. These are enough for me to plant."

After saying goodbye to Fu Meng and his family, Shi Wen rode his motorcycle home, turned on the light in the backyard, and hurried to plant the seedlings.

Between his own knowledge and an image recognition app, he identified quite a few seedlings, including eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, and long beans. They were indeed enough for him.

He was only one person and couldn't eat all that much.

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

Raising livestock required a relatively large investment, and he had only a little over seventy thousand yuan left in savings. That was even after the Abnormal Affairs Bureau had paid him more than five thousand yuan in subsidies that month.

If he couldn't turn a profit this year, life might be difficult next year.

In the early hours of the twenty-first, Shi Wen got up early, fed the sheep, dogs, and geese, ate breakfast, and sat at home waiting 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, it was still dark, and the sky was a dim grayish purple.

The grass on both sides of the path was covered in dew. After he had walked a short distance, the cuffs of his pants were damp from brushing against it and clung to his legs, feeling a little cold.

Shi Wen pulled his coat closer and greeted Fu Meng.

Fu Meng was driving the same three-wheeled vehicle Shi Wen had seen before.

Even though it was May, Fu Meng was still wearing thick leg coverings and gloves.

Shi Wen got in, and Fu Meng set off again. The headlights cut through the dimness, shining far ahead.

After driving for a while, they joined up with the other vehicles from the village.

Everyone was driving either a three-wheeler or a light truck. Most of the vehicles were empty, but two carried 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 over the horizon, casting its brilliant rays.

People were everywhere at the bazaar. They parked on the sandy ground outside and followed the flow of people in.

Before reaching the bazaar, Shi Wen spotted a heap of stalls selling all kinds of food in an open area.

The aroma of steaming food wafted toward him, and he couldn't resist buying two beef buns as well.

The bazaar was laid out much like the market they had visited before, except it was bigger and had a more complete selection of goods.

Shi Wen looked from side to side. Fu Meng said, "The cattle section is farther in. Deals happen fast at this bazaar. If you see something you like, make up your mind quickly, or someone else might buy it the moment you turn around."

"Okay. Brother Fu, you all look around here. I'll go take a look at the cattle first."

"Call me if you need anything."

Fu Meng and the others had come to get a sense of the market as well as to trade, so they had more to look at than Shi Wen did.

The two chatted briefly, then parted ways.

Shi Wen headed for the cattle section.

There were all kinds of cattle there: brown cattle, yellow cattle, dairy cows, Highland cattle... Practically every kind found in the country could be found here. No wonder people said this was the biggest bazaar in the area.

But the cattle were frighteningly expensive too.

Shi Wen made a circuit of the section. Even the calves cost at least five thousand yuan.

Shi Wen didn't have much money, so he was cautious and didn't dare make offers lightly.

After looking at so many cattle, he found that he didn't like the ones he could afford, while the ones he liked weren't very good value. He had made it most of the way around and still had nothing to show for it.

"Don't get so close!"

A voice shouted loudly. For a moment, Shi Wen thought someone was talking to him. Startled, he hurriedly looked toward the sound.

He saw an old man with a gray-white beard shouting, not at him but at someone looking at a cow.

The people nearby were also startled by the old man's voice and turned to look at him.

Before anyone could react further, another voice rang out. "Ow!"

"I told you not to get so close!"

"I didn't have time to get out of the way! Your cow's got a really nasty temper. It bit me. I don't need a rabies shot, do I?"

"A rabies shot for a cow bite? You went up to it yourself. I'm not paying for it!"

It was the first time Shi Wen had learned that cows could bite people too. There was a very obvious, large tooth mark on the bitten man's face, and it looked like he had been bitten quite badly.

Without thinking, he walked over toward the cow.

The other onlookers crowded around too.

The biter was a young heifer.

Shi Wen took a closer look and saw that the cow had a large frame, good features, and a sturdy build. It looked like a locally bred purebred.

A cow like that would make good breeding stock, though he didn't know the price.

Shi Wen moved a little closer.

The man who had been bitten was haggling with the old man. "Your cow's got such a bad temper. How many people has it bitten? And you still want eight thousand?"

The old man said, "If it weren't for that temper, it would sell for twelve thousand!"

"But it does have a bad temper, doesn't it? Sell it for seven thousand and save yourself from sitting here at every bazaar."

"If you take it home and raise it, can it still bite people? Eight thousand. I won't sell it for less."

"If it can't bite people, it'll bite the other cattle and sheep. Am I supposed to keep it in a barn by itself? Seven thousand two hundred. Let me have it for that."

"For seven thousand two hundred, I'd rather keep it myself!"

"Seven thousand five hundred. The most I'll go up to is seven thousand five hundred. I'll add five hundred and you knock off five hundred, and we can make a deal. Your cow even bit me."

"Eight thousand. If that won't do, I'll come back for the next bazaar."

"Hey! If you keep it for a few more days, won't its feed cost money? Doesn't it take time to bring it here? Go through all that, and won't you have spent the five hundred anyway?"