pjbooks Chapter 61 They Come to Sell Sheep
Chapter 61 They Come to Sell Sheep
The day after bringing Lin Nian back to her parents' home.
While Shan Yaowen was working on the ranch, he saw Lin Nian walking over with a man covered in sweat.
In the dead of winter, to be sweating so much, you either need to be weak or you just washed your hair.
When the man arrived, Shan Yaowen asked him what had happened and learned that his ranch was going out of business and he was preparing to sell the sheep.
After asking around for a while without finding anyone willing to take him, Lin Nian finally contacted Shan Yaowen's family and brought him to the ranch.
The heavy snow before New Year's Day lasted for less than a week, but the losses to the surrounding ranches that were unprepared or poorly prepared were incalculable.
The person who came to see Shan Yaowen this time was from a ranch that had been hit by a disaster. He originally thought the blizzard was over, but unexpectedly, another blizzard came after New Year's Day. This time, he really couldn't hold on any longer.
When the second blizzard hit, the sheepfold collapsed under the weight of the snow, killing and injuring many sheep.
The supplies we had prepared for winter were almost all used up during the first blizzard.
He actually still had some things, but after hearing on the radio that the blizzard would continue for a long time, he decided to keep some sheep and sell the rest of his burdens to minimize losses.
"If you're going to sell, my ranch isn't actually that big, only about six or seven hundred acres." Shan Yaowen shook his head after learning the man's purpose.
"You only have thirty or forty sheep, and six or seven hundred acres of pasture aren't enough to feed them?" The man said anxiously, grabbing Shan Yaowen's arm and sitting down at the door. He looked genuinely distressed, as if he had been forced into a corner.
"Uncle, this area has been calculated. Don't be fooled by the fact that I have six or seven hundred acres now. When the Four Seasons Pasture is divided into two parts, it will only be one or two hundred acres of grassland that can raise sheep in one season."
This is also why Shan Yaowen plans to have 15-20 mu of pasture for each sheep, since the pasture cannot be used by sheep all the time; it must be rotated throughout the four seasons.
Otherwise, if you let the sheep graze on the same pasture all the time, they'll eat up all the grass roots.
According to Shan Yaowen's plan, this flock of sheep would only need four or five acres of pasture per season.
The man naturally understood what Shan Yaowen meant, and he did indeed know that this was the situation.
"Yaowen, your dad and I are old acquaintances. How about this, I'll sell it to you as a live sheep. Mutton is currently 1.5 yuan per jin (500 grams), can I sell it to you for one jin?
Looking at this person trying to curry favor with his father, Shan Yaowen had no intention of paying him any attention.
"Uncle, do you really think I'm a sucker? Lamb is 1.5 yuan a pound, but live sheep are a completely different story. Live sheep usually cost half that, 0.75 yuan a pound. What do you mean by raising the price? Do you really think I don't know the market?"
Dan Yaowen glanced at the man speechlessly. "You're not here to sell your sheep for help in an emergency, but rather to rehearse how to gain sympathy and then rip off a sucker."
They have many different breeds of sheep here, but they have already crossbred the Horqin Fine Wool Sheep.
Although the name "Khorchin Fine Wool Sheep" was not officially given until 87, most of the sheep raised now are crossbred Khorchin Fine Wool Sheep.
Even though the Khorchin fine-wool sheep are much better than the original Mongolian sheep in terms of wool production and meat yield, the meat yield of a single sheep is only half.
The man looked at Shan Yaowen awkwardly, "I misspoke. One dollar and fifty cents is the retail price, and one dollar is the price for wrapping the meat after slaughtering the sheep. I'm selling you a live sheep now, so that's seventy cents. You said the price of a live sheep is seventy-five cents, so I'm giving you a discount of five cents."
Seeing the man's expression that said, "You got a great deal," Shan Yaowen retorted directly:
"That's in normal times. Now I'm taking risks. Who knows when this blizzard will end? What if I die in it? I'd be at a huge loss!"
"Lower the price by one point, that's the most I can do. Yaowen, you can't kick me when I'm down. I had no choice but to sell the sheep."
Watching the man's performance, Shan Yaowen remained calm and unperturbed.
They're all seasoned foxes, they can come up with any complaint or sob story at will.
"Four cents, my bottom line is four cents."
"Four cents a pound? You might as well rob someone; you'd get at least six cents."
"Six cents? That's only fifteen cents cheaper. The risk I'm taking is too high, Uncle. Maybe you should forget it and look for someone else."
"No way, Yaowen. Even though we're not relatives, there's a saying that a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Fifty-eight cents is fine, but if you don't like it, then forget it."
"Five cents? Forget about it. You should just kill him and sell him for meat or to a meat recycling station."
"Yaowen, Yaowen, why are you in such a hurry? If it's not suitable, let's continue talking, five cents and sixty cents!"
"Forty-two cents, I only have a few hundred acres of land here, I can't afford to raise them, I really can't afford it."
"Wu Mao Wu, Awen, the blizzard collapsed the houses. I'm already having a hard time, you can't just kick me when I'm down, can you?"
"Four cents four cents."
"No, this is even lower than the price at the recycling station, only 54 cents."
"..."
Lin Nian stared wide-eyed at the two haggling. She had thought that this uncle was really in a difficult situation, which was why she had hurriedly brought him to find Shan Yaowen.
Now it seems that there are indeed difficulties, but it's not to the point where we can't survive. For a moment, Lin Nian even felt like she had been deceived by this uncle.
Shan Yaowen and the uncle talked for a long time, and finally settled on a price of 52 cents.
The uncle absolutely refused to budge an inch.
After agreeing on the price, Shan Yaowen took out a cigarette, offered it to the man, lit it for him, and then asked:
How many sheep do you want to sell?
"Thirty heads."
"Big or small?"
"Yes, we have them all."
Shan Yaowen nodded. "I'll go once I'm ready. Also, Uncle, let me tell you in advance, if you give the sheep water or do anything else when I go, I won't accept it."
He was a herdsman for his entire past life, tending other people's pastures. He knew all about the tricks people used to sell sheep, cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, and so on.
When selling live sheep, many people are used to getting up early in the morning to give the sheep water, the more the sheep drinks, the heavier it will be on the scale, or they will get up early in the morning to feed the sheep grass after it has been hungry all night, so that it is full.
There are also unscrupulous people who stuff stones into the sheep's testicles. In short, there are many methods, especially stuffing stones, which is disgusting. If you buy such a sheep, it will basically not survive.
If your anus is blocked and you can't poop, you'll literally die from holding it in.
After the man left, Shan Yaowen pulled Lin Nian inside to warm themselves by the fire.
"It's freezing cold here. Next time someone needs to find me, just give them directions. You don't need to lead the way."
Lin Nian hummed in agreement, "I know you want to buy sheep, I'm just worried they won't be able to find you."
"It's okay, I don't plan to buy much. I'll buy more after the New Year."
It's only been a short time since New Year's Day, and the blizzard in his memory has only just begun.
He's just testing the waters now. If the uncle's price is too high, he won't take it. His target price is around 50 cents.
If the price is any lower, they'll just sell it to a recycling center.
His price was slightly higher than the purchase price, just a penny or two more, which was just right.
The purchasing station is the last resort for herders. Although it may be a little less profitable than free trade, it is the bottom line. When there is nowhere else to go, go to the purchasing station. You can always sell your goods, and the price will always be there.
After talking with Lin Nian for a while and explaining things at home, he tidied up the sheep pen early the next morning and then called his older brother and Gou Dan to go to that ranch together.
There aren't many convenient means of transportation available now, so horse-drawn carriages are the most convenient option. If you do buy sheep, it's easy to drive them back or load them onto a carriage and bring them back.
This ranch is larger than Shan Yaowen's, with over a thousand acres of grassland. The location is also quite good, with a pond in the middle of the ranch. It doesn't lack water at other times, but now it's frozen solid.
The pond wasn't very big to begin with, and this year was an exceptionally heavy snowfall year. Even a large lake like Sandao Lake was frozen over, let alone this small pond.
"Uncle, your ranch is pretty good. If it weren't for this blizzard, you would definitely make a lot of money next year."
Since they've come to buy sheep, even though they argued fiercely about the price yesterday, it's natural to start by saying nice things when they meet in person.