Chapter 294: Purchase
Editor: Atlas Studios
Mu Yangling squeezed out of the crowd and pulled Xiuhong behind her. She frowned at the village chief and said, “Don’t worry, everyone. As long as your sheep meet my standards, I will definitely want them. Please don’t be so nervous.”
“Yes, yes. Miss, don’t worry. I’ll make them behave themselves now.” The village chief shouted. Although everyone was still in a commotion, they no longer made a loud noise. The crowd gradually quietened down. Only then did the village chief say, “Alright, Miss Mu said that every family will definitely get their turn. Go back and tidy up quickly, then wait at home. I’ll bring Miss Mu over immediately.”
Seeing that everyone was still unwilling to leave, Mu Yangling said, “You should have fodder for sheep at home, right? I bought your sheep, but no matter how many I bought, you have to prepare the fodder for them to eat for the next five days.”
This was not difficult for everyone because before winter, everyone had prepared the fodder for the sheep to eat for the entire winter. Not to mention five days worth of fodder, even if Mu Yangling asked them to hand over all the fodder they had on hand, they had no objections.
The shepherd’s uncle immediately entered the house and took out the best bundles of grass at once. He helped Mu Yangling put them on the cart.
Mu Yangling nodded slightly and looked at the village chief. “Let’s go now. Who’s next?”
“My house, my house! Third Grandpa, my house is close.”
“My house isn’t far away, too. I have 23 sheep at home. They’re all fat and strong.”
Everyone squeezed over again.
The village chief shouted at them, “What’s the hurry? We’ll head to Old Wang’s house next. No arguing. Go home immediately and stop making so much noise. If the young lady leaves because she can’t stand the din, I’ll teach you a lesson later.”
Only then did the crowd quiet down.
Old Wang’s family lived at the end of the village, which was a little far from here, but Mu Yangling still followed the village chief over.
Old Wang was a 58-year-old man with two grandsons and granddaughters. Along the way, the village chief introduced Old Wang’s tragic background to Mu Yangling. His son and daughter-in-law were killed by a group of soldiers when the Hus entered the pass, so he led a tough life with the two children alone.
Other families at least had a set of cotton clothes for winter, but he didn’t have any. He was able to survive so far only because the villagers would give him a little when they went up the mountain to peel tree bark. Each family would give him a little, and that was how the three of them lived until now.
Although it was not convenient for him to go out, his sheep were very energetic. Moreover, Mu Yangling was very satisfied with how fat they were. Mu Yangling bought all 11 of them.
The village chief led Mu Yangling starting from the family in the most difficult circumstances. He left his family for the last. The sheep she chose had to be healthy, fat, and energetic. In one of the families, she hesitated for a long time before choosing seven out of 23 sheep. This was the smallest ratio.
The man from that family was stunned for a moment before expressing his displeasure. “Miss Mu, why do you only accept so few when it’s my family’s turn?”
Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows. Was he taking her kindness for granted?
Mu Yangling directly deducted two and said to the unbelievable man, “You only have five here that meet the requirements. I only accepted those two because I pity you. Since you’re dissatisfied, I won’t accept them. Are you selling these five? If not, I’ll leave for the next house.”
With a frown, the village chief said, “Lai San, look at your sheep. Isn’t this a waste? Who in the village starves their sheep like you? It’s already not bad that Miss Mu is willing to accept five of them.”
Lai San opened his mouth, turned around, and kicked his wife’s waist, sending her to the ground. He shouted, “Squandering b*tch, you’ve ruined all the sheep at home.” As he scolded, he kicked her.
Xiuhong jumped in fright and hid behind Mu Yangling in shock. Mu Yangling’s face darkened and she kicked Lai San’s waist, sending him flying. The villagers were all shocked and looked at Mu Yangling in a daze.
Mu Yangling looked at Lai San sinisterly and said, “How is it? How does it feel to be kicked in the waist?”
Lai San was someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong. At this moment, he did not even dare to look at Mu Yangling.
Mu Yangling snorted and turned to leave. Lai San hurriedly shouted, “Miss Mu, you haven’t given us the money.”
Mu Yangling sneered. “I’m not taking your sheep anymore.”
“Why?” Lai San shouted indignantly.
“I’m in a bad mood. I hate men who beat their wives and children, so I won’t take any of your sheep.”
Mu Yangling pulled Xiuhong and was about to leave when Lai San’s wife hurriedly hugged Mu Yangling’s leg and cried, “Miss, take pity on me. I still have two children at home. His father is insensible, so please forgive him this time. Please buy our family’s sheep. You only like five, right? Then just accept five.”
Mu Yangling pulled off her fingers and took three steps back. “I won’t accept it because your man hit you. I hate men like this. I simply refuse to accept it.”
As she spoke, she pulled Xiuhong away. Lai San’s wife watched helplessly as Mu Yangling walked away. Suddenly, she felt despair. She howled and rushed forward to hit Lai San.
Having been kicked hard by Mu Yangling, Lai San could only cry out and dodge.
The village chief opened his mouth beside Mu Yangling, but in the end, he did not dare to intercede.
Old and experienced, he had developed a good judgment of people. Seeing as this person was someone who would become stronger when faced with stronger opponents, it would probably be very difficult to make her change her mind. Sighing, he could only help the Lai family later, to at least help them survive this winter.
Mu Yangling went to every family and bought a total of 480 sheep. Including the 12 sheep she had bought previously, there were a total of 430 sheep. She spent a total of 860 taels. By the end of it, Mu Yangling did not have much money left.
The cart was filled with grass. Mu Yangling did not stay any longer. Seeing that it was only past noon, she bade farewell to the village chief and the others, hoping they could reach the checkpoint before dark. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to watch over so many sheep.
The village chief wanted to ask Mu Yangling to stay for dinner, but Mu Yangling declined. To save time, it was better to eat rations in the carriage.
Mu Yangling got Xiuhong to drive the mule cart at the back while she and the shepherd led the way in herding the sheep.
After returning to the shepherd’s village to retrieve the 12 sheep, Mu Yangling herded the flock of sheep into the city.
Hanzhong Prefecture had a total of six city gates. Mu Yangling’s luck was not bad. She entered from the southeast city gate and walked for half an hour before arriving at the south city gate. The checkpoint from Xingzhou Prefecture to Hanzhong Prefecture was right outside the south city gate.
The shepherd’s village was not far from the southeast city gate.
When the soldiers who set up a checkpoint at the south city gate saw Mu Yangling herding a group of sheep over, the people in the government office were all smiling. It was obvious that she had no background. Just as they were thinking about how many sheep they would make her leave to share among themselves, they saw the garrison general guarding the checkpoint opposite them go up to her eagerly. He cupped his fists and bowed to the young lady, and even helped her herd the sheep respectfully…