NOVPUB
Chapter 353: Chapter 356 Buy a Cow_1
"Wife," he said, "I want to eat flaky baked cakes. I’ve chopped up the meat and scallions; what do I do next?"
Tan Zhenghong took Qiao Duo’er to the stove, hoping to distract his wife from her worries.
But he had a premonition that he would definitely find Star-of-Bethlehem before their wedding day.
Perhaps his premonition was too strong; he wasn’t worried at all.
It was already the fifteenth day of the eighth month, and Qiao Duo’er and Tan Zhenghong had gone to town early to buy the necessary items for the beam-raising.
The first step in the beam-raising ceremony was to worship the Big Beam, with offerings such as pigs, fish, geese, tofu, incense, and candles—they had to purchase all of these today.
Before shopping, however, Qiao Duo’er planned to first head to the cattle market to buy an ox cart.
Uncle Huang and Old Niuniu’s families had ox carts they were willing to lend.
But it’s always more convenient to have your own, and borrowing them often felt somewhat embarrassing.
By now, they had sold forty boxes of face mask powder, netting over thirty Liang of Silver, more than enough to buy an ox cart.
At the East Market, Tan Zhenghong and Qiao Duo wandered and browsed.
Besides oxen and horses, other poultry and livestock were also on sale. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖕𝖚𝖇.𝖈𝔬𝔪
As they walked, Qiao Duo was already planning what to raise in their new home: about twenty to thirty chickens, ducks, and geese, buy four piglets, and stock the pond with fish fry.
In this way, her home could be considered a small farm, completely self-sustaining.
"Take a look at my ox, please. My brother is ill and needs money for treatment," a timid voice suddenly piped up.
The speaker was a girl around twelve or thirteen, accompanied by a frail young boy.
Seeing the siblings’ plight, Qiao Duo’er took a second look, igniting hope in the girl’s heart.
"Sister, please buy my family’s ox. Otherwise, my uncle will definitely snatch it away," the girl said hopefully, looking at Qiao Duo’er.
Qiao Duo’er asked, "Why would he snatch away your ox?"
"Our parents have passed away, leaving just the two of us. My uncle took everything else from our home; only this ox is left. Sister, please, buy this ox from me," the girl pleaded, wiping away tears.
The sudden death of their parents left the children as pitiable orphans who had to fight desperately to keep just their ox.
They had even had to ask a neighbor to help them bring the ox to the market.
If their uncle found out, he would surely come to steal it.
Even though the boy was scared, he mustered his courage and said, "My sister and I took good care of the ox; it’s only a year and a half old but can already do a lot of work!"
Tan Zhenghong examined the ox; it was of good quality, and crucially, ready to be put to immediate use—exactly what they needed for their household.
The ox was fine, and the children tugged at his heartstrings, so Tan Zhenghong decided to make the purchase.
"Brother, you’re not going to offer just One Tael of Silver for the ox like the others, are you?" the girl asked nervously.
Tan Zhenghong hastened to shake his head, "I know this ox is worth Five Liang of Silver. I won’t take advantage of you."
The girl wiped the sweat off her face and said happily, "I knew you were good people. Little Treasure, once we sell the ox, we can buy your medicine, and then we’ll go live with Grandma!"
"Yeah, Uncle won’t be able to bully us anymore!" Little Treasure was excited too.
Tan Zhenghong handed over Five Liang of Silver to the girl. After taking the silver, the girl asked, "Brother, Sister, could you take us to the pharmacy?"
The children holding the Silver was not safe, and it just so happened to be on their way, so Qiao Duo’er agreed to take them along.
