55 Chapter 55: I Want to Buy a Handcart
Seeing the young man’s fearful expression, Qin Xiaoyao said, “Will you go if we book the whole cart?”
The young man opposite her was stunned.
He looked at the two women’s bodies and the things they had brought.
After thinking about it, he realized that his ox could just bear it if it only carried these two people and their belongings.
!!
“Yes! But it’s 15 copper coins!” he said.
Qin Xiaoyao frowned.
“Only to the place just off the main road, 10 copper coins!” she tried to bargain.
Good grief! 15 copper coins just for a ride. Why didn’t this kid simply rob people?
“Brook Falls Village isn’t far away. If you don’t get off the main road, you can turn back very quickly. You won’t lose out with 10 copper coins!” Qin Xiaoyao continued.
If she had been on her own, she really didn’t want to take an ox-cart.
However, with Big Girl Li’s stubborn nature, there was no other way.
The young man pondered, and after thinking about it, agreed that it seemed to make sense.
“Alright!” He finally agreed.
Qin Xiaoyao heaved a sigh of relief and finally let go of Big Girl Li.
“Get onto the cart,” she said to Big Girl Li.
Big Girl Li knew that it wouldn’t be easy for her and Qin Xiaoyao to get an ox-cart. She glared at the young man and brought her things to the side of the ox-cart.
She first put the things onto the cart with Qin Xiaoyao, then climbed up the ox-cart.
After the two chubby girls got on the ox-cart, the ox-cart sank down visibly.
Qin Xiaoyao looked away awkwardly, pretending that she didn’t see this.
The young man didn’t mind and got on the ox-cart himself, then drove the ox-cart on the road.
Compared to Qin Xiaoyao’s uneasiness, Big Girl Li was much happier.
It was still more comfortable to sit on an ox cart. Not only was it faster than walking, but it also saved energy.
“Sister Sanya, when do you think we can buy an ox-cart?” Big Girl Li asked Qin Xiaoyao soon after
In the future, the two of them would have to go to town once every two days, and they would have to bring a lot of things. If they had an ox-cart, wouldn’t it be much more convenient to go back and forth?
Qin Xiaoyao was about to reply when she heard a snicker from the front.
That was right. It came from the young ox-cart driver.
“Hey, kid! What are you laughing at?” Big Girl Li also heard him and shouted at the young man.
The young man’s body stiffened.
“I’m laughing at you,” he immediately said rudely.
“Why are you laughing at me? What’s so funny?” Big Girl Li shot back angrily.
“Haha! Of course I’m laughing at you for wanting to buy an ox-cart! Do you think that you can buy an ox-cart just because you want to? Besides, with your body size, haha! Wouldn’t you drive the ox to death if you drive an ox-cart?” The young man was someone who didn’t mince his words, and when he heard Big Girl Li’s question, he actually answered frankly.
Big Girl Li got angry instantly and almost got up from the ox-cart.
However, Qin Xiaoyao grabbed her.
This girl didn’t even check where she was. Wasn’t she afraid of falling off if she stood up on the ox-cart?
“Ha! Little brother, don’t look down on us. You tell me, how much is your ox-cart worth?”
Hearing Qin Xiaoyao’s question, Big Girl Li dialed down her fiery temper and looked at the young man in front of her angrily.
He was right to say that she couldn’t afford it.
Therefore, she also wanted to know how much his lousy ox-cart was worth.
The young man smiled proudly.
“At least ten taels.”
“Although my ox is not in its prime, it’s worth at least nine taels and five copper coins. As for this cart, it’s worth five silver coins.”
When Big Girl Li heard this, her eyes were already wide open, and her mouth closed automatically.
Alright, an ox-cart that cost ten taels of silver… indeed, she could not afford it.
Qin Xiaoyao merely smiled.
“Little brother, where did you buy this cart from?” she asked.
The young man was surprised.
His heart tightened as he thought, “Is this fat woman seriously going to buy an ox-cart?”
“Beside the large livestock market in the west of the town, of course. After my father bought the ox, he bought this cart from the area next to it.”
Qin Xiaoyao took note of this.
“This cart is pretty good.” She touched the armrest and said.
It was indeed too expensive to buy an ox.
Moreover, it was not very useful to them at the moment.
However, buying a cart was feasible.
Even if she didn’t harness the cart to the ox, she could still detach it and push it herself.
...
In particular, on the main road, it would be much easier to push the cart than to carry the goods on their backs or balance them on carrying poles.
As for the road out of the village, because the village chief had previously taken care of the repairs, the cart could also pass through.
In addition, if she entered the town with Big Girl bringing a lot of goods, she could save two copper coins on the entrance fee with a cart.
Two copper coins might not seem like much, but they had to enter town once every two days, so it would save them 30 copper coins a month.
In short, the cart would be very useful.
“Of course!” The young man replied.
Hearing Qin Xiaoyao praised his own belongings, his impression of her improved a lot.
Qin Xiaoyao went along with the flow and asked the young man some more questions about the large livestock market.
She wanted to have a better understanding of the livestock of this era.
In this era, the price of poultry was actually not too high. However, livestock such as oxen, horses, mules, and the like was really expensive.
This was especially so for oxen and horses. Oxen were precious because they could be used to plow farmland.
...
Horses, on the other hand, were controlled livestock, and good horses would not even end up in the market.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of Brook Falls Village.
Qin Xiaoyao and Big Girl Li got off the ox-cart.
Big Girl Li took out 10 copper coins and handed them to the young man angrily.
The young man took no notice of her. He took the money, turned the ox-cart around, and headed back to Mountain Spring Town.
“What an uneducated brat!” Big Girl Li couldn’t help cursing out loud.
Qin Xiaoyao chuckled.
“Alright. If we had not booked the whole cart, it’s not worth it for him to give us a ride.”
“If you don’t want to be despised, it’s better that we walk back next time.”
Big Girl Li’s face turned bitter.
“We really can’t buy an ox-cart?” she asked Qin Xiaoyao with a pitiful look.
Qin Xiaoyao shook her head with a smile.
Just as Big Girl Li’s face was filled with disappointment, Qin Xiaoyao opened her mouth and said, “However, we can consider the cart.”
Big Girl Li was surprised momentarily, and then her face was filled with joy.
“I had just observed that young man’s ox-cart and found that his cart can be used stand-alone.”
“When the time comes, we can push the cart to town. It should be better than carrying the goods on our shoulders now.”
Big Girl Li nodded repeatedly.
“It’s definitely easier to push than to carry! The cart is a good idea. It’s exactly what we need!” she hurriedly said.
Qin Xiaoyao chuckled. “Though it’s good, you also heard what the young man said. The cart costs five silver coins.”
“If it’s five silver coins, then so be it! Next time we go to town, we’ll go buy a cart!” Big Girl Li said quickly.
After some thought, she looked at Qin Xiaoyao again.
Afraid that Qin Xiaoyao wouldn’t agree, she added, “Let’s pool money and buy it together!”
Qin Xiaoyao shook her head with a smile.
“Forget it. Let me buy it.”
“With a handcart, my family can use it too.”
“Also, with the way you spend money, it would be a wonder if you could cough up the money to buy a handcart.”
The handcart was still very useful. Notwithstanding other benefits, it could save a lot of effort for the family to go out and collect firewood.
Big Girl Li subconsciously wanted to refute.
However, when she touched her almost empty wallet, she realized that she didn’t have enough after all.
“Hah! Right now, I… can’t afford it. But after a while, I’ll have money again.”
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