Chapter 292: Price
Editor: Atlas Studios
With only Xiuhong by her side, Mu Yangling went straight to look for the shepherd who sold sheep to her last time.
Mu Yangling didn’t bring Zhang Wu along. Instead, she chose to bring Xiuhong along because she felt that it was difficult for women to survive in this era. As such, she hoped that Xiuhong could learn more. Only when she was capable could she make her own decisions.
The more places she traveled and the more things she saw, the wider her horizons would be.
The two of them entered Hanzhong Prefecture. As it was getting late, they found an inn to stay in. The next morning, they went to that village to look for the shepherd.
The village in Hanzhong Prefecture was even more dilapidated than Xingzhou Prefecture. Against the white snow, it looked even more desolate. Xiuhong felt emotional at the scene. “Cousin, didn’t you say that Hanzhong Prefecture is even more prosperous than our Xingzhou Prefecture? Look at the city. It’s twice the size of our prefectural capital. But why is the village so dilapidated? It wasn’t like this the last time we came?”
“That’s because you haven’t seen what Hanzhong Prefecture City was like after it has just been taken back. It’s cold and cheerless inside, and there aren’t many people walking around. What’s the use of being big? The borders have been sealed off by the Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom, so it can’t be prosperous. Now, Hanzhong Prefecture looks prosperous with merchants coming and going, but merchants don’t come to these villages.”
Mu Yangling explained, “The last time we came here, although the houses here were a little dilapidated, they still looked somewhat okay. Those that collapsed were probably crushed by the snow. From this, it can be seen that the citizens of Hanzhong Prefecture were not doing well under the rule of the Jin Kingdom.”
“Will the sheep freeze to death?” Xiuhong asked worriedly.
“I don’t think so. The snow hasn’t been heavy, and it’s lighter than in previous years. I’m not worried about cows and sheep. I’m worried about humans.” Mu Yangling sighed and said, “They haven’t planted grains for three to four years. In the past, they relied on selling sheep to buy grains. Now that the Jin Kingdom has withdrawn their troops, almost every family in Hanzhong Prefecture is raising sheep. Without the Jin Kingdom’s market, they can only starve.”
Although meat could replenish stamina, how could one keep eating meat?
This was also why Mu Yangling did not directly go to the local landlords to buy sheep, in order to save effort. Instead, she went to the countryside to visit each household one by one. She hoped that she could help the ordinary people as much as she could.
The local landlords were also ordered to raise sheep, but their requirements were much more relaxed. At the very least, they could leave some land for farming, which would provide enough grains for themselves and their families. They also raised a lot of sheep. Mu Yangling did not want much. Every time she found a landlord, she could buy enough sheep. Since the supply was greater than the demand at the moment, price was negotiable.
However, although it was difficult for those landlords, it was not a life-and-death situation yet. On the other hand, these commoners would probably starve to death if they could not sell them.
Mu Yangling wondered if she should suggest to Qi Haoran to let the government office take the lead and help them sell these sheep to the south and east.
However, when she thought about how the generals could not interfere with local government affairs, Mu Yangling could only suppress this thought.
When the two of them reached the village, the shepherd from last time was wearing a patched cotton shirt and sweeping the snow. When he saw Mu Yangling, he was stunned for a moment before he was overjoyed. He threw down his broom and ran over. “Miss Mu, why are you here?”
Mu Yangling smiled and said, “I’m here to discuss business with you. How is it? Are you having a hard time this winter?”
“It’s alright. We can survive. Speaking of which, it’s all thanks to you buying our sheep that our family has money to buy food. Otherwise, we would have to go up the mountain to peel tree bark like other villages.”
Mu Yangling’s smile froze and she asked, “Tree bark? You guys have to eat tree bark?”
“Don’t you still have sheep?” Xiuhong asked with widened eyes.
The shepherd smiled bitterly and said, “Although the sheep can’t be sold now, who can afford to eat them? They all want to see if the sheep can be sold after spring. It will take seven months before they can harvest the first batch of grains in spring. They can’t go up the mountain to dig grass roots in those seven to eight months, right? It’s only when their children really can’t endure it anymore, that a few families will work together to kill one sheep. The next time, it’ll be the next family’s turn to offer up a sheep. This way, everyone should be able to survive until spring.”
For a moment, Xiuhong felt terrible. She had also led a tough life. When she cried, her grandmother would bring her up the mountain to peel tree bark and eat them. However, these days wouldn’t last long. Her grandmother would always get some fragmented chaff rice to make porridge for her and her sister. After arriving at the Mu Residence, she’d never had to go hungry.
Seeing that the sisters were silent, the shepherd quickly changed the topic with a smile and asked, “Miss, are you here to buy sheep?”
Mu Yangling nodded. “You know your way around here, so I want you to bring me to a few nearby villages.”
“Miss Mu, we still have sheep in our village.”
Mu Yangling knew that he was talking about the leftovers she didn’t pick last time. Smiling, Mu Yangling said, “I know, but I’ll only choose those that are big and energetic. If they don’t meet my requirements, I won’t take them. I’m in a hurry. Go get someone to bring the sheep out.”
The shepherd replied happily and ran to beat the gongs and drums.
Because Mu Yangling wanted to leave some quota to those families in more difficult circumstances, she did not choose many sheep in this village. After all, she had just made a deal with them not long ago. The money they earned previously was enough for them to survive until next autumn.
However, Mu Yangling still chose 12 good sheep and said to the shepherd, “I’ll offer you two taels of silver each, regardless of size.”
The villagers thought about how the price had actually increased in just half a month. It had to be known that the price of sheep in Hanzhong Prefecture had already fallen to 1 tael 100 copper coins apiece. This was entirely unprofitable for them and no one would buy them even if they sold them at a loss.
As for the shepherd who knew Mu Yangling, he vaguely guessed that Mu Yangling pitied their situation. He quickly winked at his parents and stopped a few relatives who wanted to bargain.
When Mu Yangling turned around to touch the sheep, she told them her guess in a low voice. In order to increase her credibility, she even said, “Didn’t you see her cousin looking at her in surprise just now? This is a last-minute increase in price, not the price they discussed previously. Don’t be silly and make her angry. If she decides she doesn’t want it anymore, she can easily turn around and go to another village. Not to mention two taels, even if she’s offering 1 tael 200 copper coins, someone will send it to her door.”
Everyone thought about it and agreed. They became very respectful to Mu Yangling.
Xiuhong was also talking about this. “Didn’t you say that we would pay the same price as last time?”
Mu Yangling smiled bitterly. “Didn’t you see how difficult their lives are? I feel a little uneasy about earning their money. Let’s give them two taels. In past years, they sold their sheep at this price, too.”
“Then how much are you selling to Uncle Qin and his friend?”
“2 taels 500 copper coins.” Mu Yangling said, “It takes five days to walk from Hanzhong Prefecture to Xingyuan Prefecture, and they have to sleep outside on three of those days. In such weather, it’s extremely hard on them to do so. Coupled with the risks on the way, we can’t just let them earn a tiny amount, right? If there’s no high profit, they won’t be willing to endure such suffering.”
Mu Yangling also had a certain estimate of the mutton market in Xingyuan Prefecture. If they bought it from her at 2 taels 500 copper coins and sold it at 4 taels 500 copper coins in Xingyuan Prefecture, their profit would be two taels per sheep. Scaling up, this figure would be very significant.
Xiuhong thought for a moment and understood. “Cousin, you wish for this to be a long-term business?”
Mu Yangling nodded. “I said that I want to build a cattle farm. There’s no suitable place in Xingzhou Prefecture, but there’s one in Hanzhong Prefecture. This way, they and I can be considered to be from the same hometown. I’ll consider it as doing some good for my fellow villagers.”
Xiuhong pursed her lips and smiled. “If you want to do it, just go ahead. Why do you have to find such an excuse? Anyway, I’ll follow you no matter what you do.”
Mu Yangling tapped her forehead and chuckled softly. “Then go handle Great-aunt. She’ll definitely be unhappy to see that we’re still running around outside even though it’s almost the new year.”
Xiuhong pouted. “I knew you wouldn’t assign me an easy task.”