pjbooks Chapter 36 The Last Batch of Straw
Chapter 36 The Last Batch of Straw
The engagement banquet is over.
Shan Yaowen then started thinking about buying a big item.
He had enough money to buy a radio, but not enough for a television. Even if he wanted to buy one, money was useless without a ticket. Besides, he needed to keep some money for emergencies; he couldn't just spend all his money.
I also have to give back the forty yuan that my brother-in-law helped me with the straw.
There are no major expenses at the sheep pen for the time being, and there won't be any big money to spend after winter.
However, he plans to buy a batch of cattle and sheep when the snow disaster comes, and also save some money.
After doing some calculations, Shan Yaowen realized that he didn't have enough money and needed to go up the mountain to make more.
"Ah Wen, Ah Wen, I heard you're getting married?" A voice called from the doorway as Shan Yaowen was doing his accounts.
You can tell it's his brother-in-law Zhang Du's voice just by listening to it.
"Brother-in-law." Shan Yaowen put away his secret stash of money, got up and went out to greet him.
"This is the last trip to deliver straw to you. We've collected all ten tons you requested."
Zhang Du smoothly brought the carriage to a stop at the courtyard gate, smiling as he looked at Shan Yaowen. "Should I leave it here or take it to the pasture?"
"Let's go to the ranch."
After saying that, Shan Yaowen turned around and took out a pack of cigarettes from his room, along with the remaining forty yuan.
However, Zhang Du only asked for a pack of cigarettes and didn't take the forty yuan.
"Let me tell you, after they heard I was collecting straw, a lot of people from the surrounding area brought it over to sell. When I saw I had collected enough, I spread the word that I didn't want any more, and then those people were even willing to sell it for a penny. I bought all of this for a penny." Zhang Du pushed Shan Yaowen's hand that was handing over money back. "I'll take the cigarette, but you can take the money back. Brother-in-law didn't lose out."
Shan Yaowen never expected that his brother-in-law could save him money in this way.
"Well, it's your skill to charge this much, brother-in-law, but I promised you'd pay. Besides, you're still paying a cent or two per pound, so you've already covered the difference." Shan Yaowen stuffed the forty yuan directly into his brother-in-law's pocket: "Here, it's a legitimate business transaction, otherwise I won't dare to ask you for anything again. My sister will scold me to death for even cheating my brother-in-law."
Zhang Du laughed and cursed, "How is this a scam?"
After declining for a while, Zhang Du finally took out twenty yuan and gave the other twenty yuan to Shan Yaowen when Shan's mother came out and invited her son-in-law to come in and sit down. Only then was the matter considered over.
My brother-in-law went inside to sit and chat with my parents, while Shan Yaowen pulled the carriage to the pasture and unloaded all the straw into the shed before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Ten tons of straw, even if only half of it is here, would still form a wall.
With these things, I feel a bit more at ease this winter.
Whether or not I can make money, at least my flock of sheep is safe and I won't lose money.
As for whether to expand the scale, we'll have to see how heavy the snow is this year.
"By the way, brother-in-law, you'd better stock up on more things when you get back. This year's snow is unusual." After unloading the straw, Shan Yaowen breathed a sigh of relief when he got home.
Thinking about this year's snow disaster, he plans to remind his relatives and friends.
If he were to go out now and loudly proclaim that a snow disaster would occur this year, no one would believe him, and they might even arrest him as a troublemaker.
However, he thinks it's okay to remind the people around him.
"Really?" Zhang Du had asked his brother-in-law why he bought so much straw when he helped him buy straw before. At that time, Shan Yaowen had said that there would be heavy snow.
"Really, I wasn't sure before, but now look at how much snow is falling, I can say for sure."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Du's heart wavered. Indeed, it was just as his brother-in-law had said recently: the snow was falling heavier and heavier, usually lasting all day long.
How did you know?
"My friend at the state-run hotel told me that disasters have already occurred in many parts of the north, and we are also making preparations for disaster relief here."
Shan Yaowen took off his clothes and put them on the rack. He then sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and started chatting and cracking them open.
Zhang Du nodded after hearing this, and seeing his brother-in-law's serious expression, he believed him. "That's right, I'll have to make some preparations when I get back."
But as soon as he finished speaking, he looked at Shan Yaowen and said, "I heard you've successfully trained your hawks and even led the herdsmen to kill a pack of wolves?"
"It's done, but how did you know about this?" Shan Yaowen remembered that he hadn't been shouting about it everywhere.
Zhang Du gestured to Shan's father, "In Dad's eyes now, you're incredibly capable, and my little sister also told me how amazing your second brother is."
Shan Yaowen glanced at his father, saw his calm expression, and didn't say anything, just smiled.
However, this laugh almost made Dad lose his composure, but fortunately, Brother-in-law spoke up and changed the subject.
"There's been a bear attack over there, want to come with me to take a look?" Zhang Du looked at Shan Yaowen excitedly, "With aerial reconnaissance, that thing will be a piece of cake."
"Bear?"
Not only was Shan Yaowen surprised, but Shan's mother and the others also looked at Zhang Du curiously, "Really? Didn't they say that bears sleep for several months in winter?"
"It was a hibernating bear that was woken up by someone," Zhang Du vividly described what had happened in their village.
The people around him gasped in surprise.
"Logically speaking, if hibernating bears have appeared, shouldn't you have experienced hunters going up the mountain to hunt them? These things aren't hard to find."
"It's strange. All the hunters and hunting dogs in the village have gone up the mountain to try, but they couldn't find it."
Zhang Du shook his head, then said to Shan Yaowen:
"But I mainly had my eye on a herd of deer. I promised Awen that I would get him a jar of deer blood wine when he got married, and this is just in time."
Upon hearing about the deer and the bear, Shan Yaowen recalled what Deng Jianguo had mentioned about the bear skin. He had thought he wouldn't be able to hunt one, but unexpectedly, his brother-in-law had a bear.
This made his mind start to wander again.
As for the deer, he didn't care. He was young and didn't need deer blood wine to be invincible.
"How about you come and try my place?" Zhang Du said, looking at Shan Yaowen.
When he first came, he planned to bring his brother-in-law along. There was no other reason. This kid learned hunting quickly, so he went with him twice. When he came back, he could go hunting in the mountains by himself. It is said that he even saved someone.
Later, when he heard that he had actually tamed the eagle, he liked it even more; he was a man destined for great things.
Since my brother-in-law has nothing to do since winter has arrived, it would be nice for him to visit his place.
Shan Yaowen was also somewhat tempted. Whether it was a deer or not was not important. The most important thing was that bear. If he could kill it, he might actually be able to bring back a TV set when he got married.
"go."
Shan Yaowen had just agreed when his mother slapped him on the leg with a broom.
"Go where? Don't you care about your ranch anymore? Do you even know how to hunt? Going there will only cause trouble for your brother-in-law."
After saying that, Mother Shan looked at Zhang Du again and said, "Don't tempt him. He's always been a restless person. If you mention it, he'll run over there like a puppy."
Zhang Du smiled and looked at Shan's mother, saying, "Mom, it's really nothing serious. Besides, my dad is taking care of things, so nothing will happen. And Awen can hunt on his own; he's even opened a ranch with the money he's earned. You should trust him more."
"That's right, that's right," Shan Yaowen echoed enthusiastically from the side.
His parents had a stereotype about him, thinking he was incapable of doing anything right.
The mother was at a loss for words. Her second son had indeed changed a lot since that illness, but she was still a little worried.
It was one thing for them to cause trouble in the mountains around their own village before, but this time they were going to hunt bears, which are no ordinary creatures.
A bear can't be killed by a gun, but it can smash your head open with a single slap.
"You better prepare for your wedding properly, and don't cause any trouble for your brother-in-law's family." Mother Shan glared at Shan Yaowen angrily. "Also, you can only go for three days. I'll keep an eye on the sheep pen for you. If you don't come back in three days, I'll break your legs."
Originally, the mother wanted her second son to spend more time with Lin Nian, but she didn't expect that he would run away as soon as the matter was settled.
"No trouble at all." Zhang Du waved his hand. "We might have to trouble Awen's big bird."
Shan Yaowen was also nodding frantically beside him.
He knew that he wasn't worried about his mother letting him go out, but rather that it might bother others.
That's just how his mother is. Sometimes it's a small thing, but she's afraid of bothering others, even his older sister's family.
When his older brother came home from get off work, Shan Yaowen told him about what had happened at home. After dinner, Shan Yaowen rode his horse and followed his brother-in-law.
"The second son is getting more and more capable; he can even go hunting with his brother-in-law now." Shan Yaowu sat at the doorway, smoking, lost in thought.
Shi Fang glanced at it but didn't say anything, continuing to busy herself with her work.
Ever since he wanted to take over the ranch, she couldn't understand her brother-in-law anymore. But that's okay, it's better not to understand him than for him to be so irresponsible before.