Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Buying Livestock (Part 3)
Zhou Wenzhi also looked back at his eldest grandson, witnessing the sudden change of expression on the livestock trader’s face. His movement paused.
"How can we do it like that, Young Sir? You must have been joking!" He was rather nervous, but soon he cleared his throat and became confident again.
Xiao Jingran’s question had caught him off guard.
"Seeing that all of your livestock are good, we are planning to buy a lot at once." He said gently. "Seeing that you guarantee the livestock all have high-quality... we still need something to convince us. How about we sign a guarantee contract from the yamen?"
Xiao Jingran gestured to the direction of the yamen. "With their guarantee, we will feel assured buying your livestock. How about we make it that if all the livestock can’t survive within ten days, you pay us ten times the price?"
In his arms, Xiao Qingya nodded furiously, agreeing with her brother’s words.
"Jing’er, what’s the matter?" Zhou Wenzhi swept his gaze over the livestock trader, and then finally settled on his grandson again.
"Young Sir was just joking with me, Master." Even the way of addressing Zhou Wenzhi had changed, no longer calling him brother. The livestock trader let out an awkward laugh.
"You want to take the ox, right? Let’s finish our transaction right away." He tried to make his demeanor as natural as possible. However, Zhou Wenzhi already noticed something off with him.
At this moment, the livestock trader could only curse his luck and in his heart, he already planned to move his business somewhere else.
By the time they noticed that the ox was actually dying, he would already disappear somewhere enjoying his money. He would have already made a profit using the sick ox he had bought for five taels!
"Just nineteen silver taels for the ox, Master." The livestock trader reminded him again, only mentioning the ox and no longer promoting the other livestock.
He decided not to be too greedy and focused on selling the ox first.
How did his shady business still continue despite his deceitful practice? It was because he always picked new faces as his targets, the type of people who wouldn’t return to the county market anytime soon.
Xiao Qingya had checked the plot between the livestock trader and her grandfather.
According to the plot, Zhou Wenzhi was indeed planning to revive the Zhou family’s home in the county by buying some livestock for the barn. He also planned to let someone take care of the livestock for him, hiring a worker.
Unexpectedly, all the livestock died and once he brought a vet to check the cause, he was angered. He couldn’t even find the person who had sold it.
"Grandfather, can I take a closer look at the ox?" Xiao Jingran smiled, looking like a dashing scholar in his blue robe. "I am a physician. Although I am better at checking people’s health, I can try my best to use my skill to see if the ox is healthy."
This time, the livestock trader can’t pretend anymore.
"Young Sir, if you don’t believe in my livestock’s quality, don’t buy it." He finally backed out.
It was a pity to lose a potential customer like this, but he also couldn’t afford to gamble and expose himself. He could get in trouble if Xiao Jingran really could detect something.
Anyway, he also had refused a few customers before because he recognized them as people who lived in the county or frequented the county market.
He always gave them a reason that the livestock had been bought and the owner asked him to take care of it for a while. It always worked.
"Father, let’s just go find another ox," Zhou Anran persuaded her father.
She could already see that he was displeased. Zhou Wenzhi signalled something at Xiao Fenghao, and the latter disappeared quietly after he gave the rope to Zhou Shuran beside him.
"Let’s go." Zhou Wenzhi nodded. The Xiao family and Zhou Shuran followed him. As soon as they left, the livestock trader stomped his foot in anger.
The Ling siblings were relieved, and Xiao Qingya also hugged her eldest brother in happiness.
[Congratulations, Host. You have gained miraculous spring water.]
Although the spring water could promote the livestock’s health, it couldn’t save a dying one. The livestock trader’s ox had a decent breed, but even if it drank the spring water, it couldn’t be saved with just the water alone.
Xiao Qingya suddenly realized something. She could easily let her eldest brother solve the trouble for her and gain the reward! The little one glanced at the Ling siblings thoughtfully.
[If I ask Ling Yu or Ling Bo to tell my brother something... not the plot, hmm, I wonder if it will work.]
[Host, that’s a good idea.] The System licked her little hand in approval. [We should try it for the next mission.]
Xiao Jingran ruffled the little one’s hair, as if giving her encouragement.
Their group went back to the house in the afternoon again. Xiao Yuxi had coveted a goat, and after gaining Zhou Wenzhi’s approval about its quality, they finally bought it.
Other than that, they also bought eight chickens and two more goats—in total, there were two female goats and one male.
The yamen, upon receiving Xiao Fenghao’s report, also went to arrest the livestock trader, exposing his deeds in front of many people and receiving many curses from others.
The next day, they went back home, bringing the oxen with them and leaving the other livestock under someone Zhou Wenzhi had hired.
He had some considerable wealth all thanks to the inheritance he had received.
Upon arriving at Hejia Village, the Ling siblings disappeared again like usual, often listening to gossip, crouching down among the aunties who had gathered around for some newest rumor.
At night, after everyone had gone to sleep, the Ling siblings went back.
[Master Jing, we found something with the matter you have asked us before.] Ling Bo told Xiao Jingran.
