NOVPUBChapter 128: Chapter 128: Buying a Pig
Chapter 128 -128: Buying a Pig
“Uncle Wang, I don’t know about the prices, and I only have three hundred yuan,” Bai Yue said earnestly. “You can decide how many pigs would be suitable to raise. We have two boys at home to help with things like cutting grass for the pigs. It’s not difficult, but I’ve never raised pigs before, so I’m afraid I’ll need your guidance often.”
Uncle Wang just chuckled without responding. His pig-raising skills were famous across many villages! His skills belonged to him, and no one could expect to gain them from a single plea, especially not from a woman; he was no fool.
Bai Xiao tugged at Bai Yue’s arm, “Uncle Wang, we know you’re skilled at raising pigs. My sister doesn’t understand much and doesn’t need much guidance, but we do hope you can choose a couple of easy-to-raise pigs for us. My sister has been single-handedly raising three children, and she’s just trying to earn enough for food. These past years, up in the mountains, Shitou has been supporting me, her sister from her mother’s side—it hasn’t been easy. Please show some compassion for the two of us, who are orphaned, and offer some advice.” No mention of learning the craft seemed to improve Uncle Wang’s mood considerably.
“Shitou, you take them to the pigsty to take a look, and also discuss the prices of the pigs with them, so they can talk it over. I’ll stay here with your village chief uncle for a smoke,” Uncle Wang said. At his age, he had already passed his skills on to his son, and Shitou was actually Wang Yan, Uncle Wang’s eldest son. His name had reportedly been changed by a visiting educated youth who thought the name ‘Stony Wang’ sounded too rustic.
The man they’d seen shirtless earlier turned his head to the sisters and said, “Come on, I’ll take you to take a look.” After speaking, he turned and walked away, and Bai Xiao thought she saw Wang Yan’s ears grow noticeably redder.
The sisters followed Wang Yan to the pigsty, where even the pigs seemed to live better than the people; Wang’s pigsty was built entirely of green bricks with a cement floor and had a modern drainage system which made cleaning easy. This surprised Bai Xiao, and just as she glanced at Wang Yan, she caught him sneaking a look at Bai Yue, anxious, his hands rubbing his clothes.
Bai Xiao couldn’t help but laugh; Wang Yan had seemed so confident while handling the pigs earlier, yet he became visibly nervous around women. It was quite unexpected.
“Here are the piglets. We have Large White pigs and black pigs here. The White pigs are more docile and have a stable growth rate, growing to over 200 pounds in about five months. Black pigs are more wild and can be dangerous, but they have better disease resistance,” Wang Yan became quite authoritative when he discussed pigs, sounding like a savvy pig farmer. “If you plan to keep pigs each year, it’s best to pair a sow with a boar. I’ll reserve a boar for you next time, so you won’t need to come here to buy piglets again. Initially, raising five pigs should be enough to keep your family busy since the feed alone is a significant expense, not to mention cleaning the pens. But the good part is, when it’s time to sell, the price of one pig can cover a person’s expenses for a year.”
Bai Yue nodded intently, listening carefully to his advice since she had never farmed pigs and wanted to avoid taking the long road by learning as much as she could now.
“But my pigsty isn’t like this here … it’s very rudimentary, and I worry…” Bai Yue thought of her own pigsty, which An Zhiyuan and others had repaired, but it was nothing like the neat and clean conditions of Wang’s.
“You don’t need to compare it with ours, but it still has to be clean, because pigs will get sick otherwise. If you decide, I’ll pick out some good pigs for you to send over, and I can also teach you how to raise them. If you run into any issues, just ask me. My dad has devoted his life to this craft and doesn’t want it to go to waste; however, we should still help our fellow villagers when we can,” Wang Yan’s words were surprisingly open, devoid of the old man’s conservative attitudes.
“Sure, Big Brother Wang, thank you!” Bai Yue said sincerely. It would be normal if he didn’t help her—after all, no one owed her anything. She couldn’t expect sympathy and assistance from others based on pity, nor should she think it unjust if they didn’t help. Bai Yue was not that kind of person.
Wang Yan blushed, scratching his head involuntarily, “What are you thanking me for? I haven’t really helped you yet.”
Resolved, the three of them slowly walked back from the backyard. Along the way, Bai Yue asked Wang Yan more about the essentials of pig farming, and he answered each question in detail. The more he replied, the more concerned he grew; Bai Yue clearly knew nothing about raising pigs—was it really a good idea for her to start with five?
Bai Yue had to carefully pick two young pigs for herself to avoid future troubles. Otherwise, she would secretly feed them her family’s secret recipe at night to ensure they grew up strong and resilient.
When she returned to the front yard, Mr. Wang and Liu Baoguo were still talking. As soon as they saw her, Mr. Wang asked, “How did it go? Have you made up your mind?”
Bai Yue nodded, “Uncle, I’ve decided. I’ll take five piglets, just the large white ones. One sow, one boar without a fan, the rest boars. I’ll go back right now to clean the pigsty and can take the pigs this afternoon.” Bai Yue didn’t dare delay a moment. With four mouths to feed at home and no grain, she had to start working; she couldn’t just wait to starve. She could handle being hungry, but she wouldn’t let her children go hungry. She had done hard labor, like carrying stones up the mountain. Raising pigs couldn’t be more tiring than that. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Mr. Wang nodded, “Alright then. Since we are from the same village, let’s not mince words. One hundred dollars for five large white pigs. Normally, one piglet would cost twenty-two, but we are from the same village, and your parents get along well with Old Master Wang, so I’ll just charge you a round hundred. It’s easier to settle the money that way.”
“Thank you, Uncle!” Bai Yue gratefully nodded!
In the village, it was customary to exchange money for goods on the spot. The pigs weren’t taken, nor was money given yet.
“Shitou, this afternoon you help pick out good pigs for Girl Bai and deliver them to her. Also, teach her how to raise them and which pig feed is best.” Mr. Wang had given them quite the consideration; had it not been for the village chief, Liu Baoguo, personally bringing them over, Mr. Wang wouldn’t have been so accommodating. This was also a favor extended to Liu Baoguo.
Liu Baoguo was aware of this. He stood up, dusted off the dirt from his clothes, “Alright, Mr. Wang, since we’ve finished our business, I won’t bother you any longer. There’s more to attend to at the village committee. Another day, I’ll invite you for a drink, and we can have a good sit-down.” This was merely a polite offer, as no one would truly expect the village chief to host a drinking session.
“Bai Xiao, let’s go! Let’s not keep Old Uncle Wang from his work!” Liu Baoguo commanded, and Bai Xiao, pulling along Bai Yue and bidding farewell to Old Uncle Wang and Wang Yan, left.
“Godfather, we’re off!”
The three of them walked away.
Mr. Wang shook his head, “I really don’t understand why Liu Baoguo recognized Bai Xiao as his goddaughter. Sigh, he can hardly manage his own household, yet he’s looking after someone else’s daughter. I can’t make sense of it. Since when did Liu Baoguo become so benevolent?”
“Bai Xiao is the only college student in our village. The village chief must see some potential in her future development. Anyway, Uncle Baoguo is a good man, so let’s not jump to conclusions,” Wang Yan said, already busy as the pig buyers would soon arrive.
The father and son duo got busy again. After dealing with the pig buyers and having eaten something, Mr. Wang went inside to rest. With his son handling the delivery of the pigs to Bai Yue, he wasn’t too worried. Wang Yan scurried to the pigsty and quickly grabbed five pigs. He was about to administer the medicine when, unexpectedly, Mr. Wang, unable to sleep, came back down to check on the pigsty. This prevented Wang Yan from finding an opportunity to medicate the piglets. In the end, he had no choice but to deliver them as they were.
