Reborn in 1985: Starting from Contracting a Ranch

Chapter 69 Speculation and Profiteering

The next morning, after selling the stag in town, the three of them divided the money and headed home when they discovered a roadside ranch also had a sign for selling cattle, horses, and sheep.

So the three of them decided to take a look while they were at it.

However, Shan Yaowen didn't buy it after reading it.

Firstly, the family mainly raises cattle and horses, and they don't have many sheep, mostly large ones, so there aren't many that meet their requirements.

Another issue is that there aren't many half-grown sheep, and they haven't been well cared for, so they're all sickly.

Around the Lunar New Year, Shan Yaowen bought a batch of sheep at a state-run ranch.

They're all half-grown; any bigger or smaller, they're not easy to raise.

It's not easy to raise lambs after buying them. It's too cold today, and I'm afraid they won't survive. Even if you feed the big ones all winter, they won't gain much weight, and they might even lose weight and you'll lose money.

Moreover, once the sheep reach market weight, the ranch sells them directly to the purchasing station at the price of slaughtered sheep meat.

After all, raising it for another winter won't add much weight.

Looking at the sheep pen, the three members of the Shan family—father, son, and brothers—were all beaming with joy.

Needless to say, this is all thanks to Shan Yaowen's hard work. Shan's father is also happy, after all, his second son has really made something of himself. In such a short time, he has expanded his flock of sheep to eighty, and he plans to contract the pasture next spring.

This is undoubtedly good news for the herders.

Shan Yaowu felt the same way; he was genuinely happy for his brother's success.

"Dad, you don't need your cane anymore?" Shan Yaowen closed the sheep pen door, intending to help his father onto the carriage to go back, but then he saw that his father was actually moving on his own.

"No, I'm not fully recovered yet," Mr. Shan shook his head. "But the doctor suggested I try walking without crutches, give it a try."

"I see. It looks like you'll be better by the New Year."

Dan Yaowen watched his father walk in astonishment. Logically speaking, after being bumped by a wild boar like that, he thought he would have to lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) during the Spring Festival this year.

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you, Wen. When I went to get the medicine for Dad, the doctor said that he wouldn't need to take it anymore after this dose, and he could just wait for himself to recover," Shan Yaowu said happily.

"What does this have to do with me?"

"The doctor said that the recovery was so fast because the nutrition was good; otherwise, I would have had to stay in bed for a long time."

Hearing this, Shan Yaowen looked at his father with a smile, "How about it? All that meat and bone broth wasn't for nothing, was it?"

After he returned from hunting, he didn't sell everything; he kept a lot of meat and ribs.

At that time, his family strongly opposed it, saying that he couldn't live a hard life and didn't know how to manage a household, etc.

Now it seems that if it weren't for the food, Dad would probably have been bedridden until the New Year.

The father showed no embarrassment, glaring at his second son. "Did I say something wrong? Those things could fetch several dollars if sold, wouldn't they be worth more than your father? What's wrong with me lying in bed for a few more days?"

Dan Yaowen looked at his father speechlessly, "Alright, I won't argue with you. If you feel you've lost out, just earn back the money you spent on food once you're better."

Although he knew his dad was frugal, this was the first time he had ever seen him save money to this extent.

I'd rather be in pain for a few more days and stay in bed for a few more days than waste a few dollars.

"By the way, it's almost Chinese New Year. My eldest son's wife is about to give birth, and my second son just got married this year. We need to make some good preparations this year." The father glanced at his two sons. "We have enough to eat and drink at home. We should buy more things to offer to the gods this year."

Mr. Shan felt that his family had been blessed by the old man this year, especially since the beginning of autumn when he and his eldest son were almost swept away by wild boars. Fortunately, his second son was quick-witted and not only saved them, but also took on all the big and small things in the family.

The eldest son works on a state-run ranch, and the second son runs his own ranch. By all accounts, they should be thanking God for his blessings this year.

"Okay, will the village hold a unified prayer ceremony to ward off bad luck this year?"

Shan Yaowen happily agreed. In the past, he had always spent the Lunar New Year alone, but this year, with his whole family finally reunited, he felt they should celebrate properly.

"Probably. I heard someone say the other day that this year's project should be bigger than last year's, to pray for good fortune."

"Didn't Mom already buy it? What else do we need to buy?" Shan Yaowu remembered that his mother had already bought quite a few things for the house.

We bought quite a few things like red paper, which cost more than a dollar.

"Buy more firecrackers too, not only for us to set them off, but also to worship the gods on the day of Chagansar."

"With this heavy snowfall this year, I wonder if there will still be any Yangko dance performances." Shan Yaowu rubbed his hands together, clearly eager to see it.

"It should be. With such a heavy snowfall, many places have suffered from snow disasters. The government needs some festive atmosphere to boost morale," Shan Yaowen nodded.

This wasn't prophecy or speculation; he had already experienced it once.

In his past life, his family was so miserable that he was the only one left. The town sent people down to comfort him, and when the town held an event, they specially arranged a seat for him in the very front.

At that time, however, he was so disheartened that he never even considered watching the play.

"Alright, let's go to town to see a play after the New Year holiday." Shan Yaowu cheerfully packed his things to go back.

Shan Yaowen stayed here; the newly purchased flock of sheep had just been moved in, and he still had a lot to do.

But just as he turned around, a rabbit fell from the sky.

Shan Yaowen was startled, but he breathed a sigh of relief after he saw it clearly, and then looked at the silly bird flying in the sky.

"This guy," Shan Yaowen muttered, picking up the rabbit and examining it. It was dead beyond any doubt.

The last time the silly bird caught a chicken and brought it home, Mother Shan praised it highly and fed it a lot of food. Since then, the silly bird has been able to catch prey and bring it home every few days.

Shan Yaowen was about to tidy up the sheep pen when Lin Nian rushed over, calling out to him as she ran.

"Awen, Awen, your older sister is here. She said your husband has been arrested and is waiting for you at home right now."

"What happened?" Shan Yaowen was taken aback, looking at Lin Nian with suspicion. "Your brother-in-law was arrested? Why?"

"I don't know if it's speculation or profiteering. You should go back and check."

Upon hearing that his brother-in-law had an accident, Shan Yaowen didn't even bother to tidy up the sheep pen. He locked the small hut door, picked up the rabbit, and headed home.

As soon as Shan Yaowen got home, he saw his eldest sister crying anxiously, with his mother and sister-in-law by her side, and his father smoking, looking rather unwell.

"Big sister, what's wrong?"

Upon seeing Shan Yaowen, Shan Ping felt as if she had seen a savior. She immediately stood up, grabbed Shan Yaowen's hand, and said while crying, "I don't know either. They said someone reported him for speculation and profiteering, so he was taken away for investigation."

"Wait, sit down first and explain yourself." Shan Yaowen pulled his older sister to sit on a stool. "It's just a little bit of straw, is it really worth making such a big fuss about?"

He knew his brother-in-law was collecting straw and then selling it during a blizzard, just because of that?

Even if you hoard dozens of tons of straw, you'll only make a dozen or so yuan. How can that be considered speculation and profiteering?

"It's not straw, it's melon seeds and candy." Shan Ping said while wiping away her tears, "A friend of your brother-in-law said he could get melon seeds and candy at low prices from friends in the banner county, so he gathered a group of people to buy them, planning to bring back a lot before the New Year to make a fortune."

"They had only been back for one day, and had just set up a stall at the town market, when they were arrested."

Upon hearing this, Shan Yaowen immediately felt that his brother-in-law was being too clever for his own good.

He previously said he would only deal with straw, so why is he now getting involved with New Year's goods?

"Has any news gotten out? How's my brother-in-law doing?"

"No, he was arrested and then disappeared without a trace. It was someone who went with him who ran back to report the news."

Dan Yaowen was also anxious. "Okay, I'll go down and find out some information."

After all, he was his brother-in-law, and had treated him well for two lifetimes, so Shan Yaowen had no choice but to try his luck and ask him for help.

"Sigh, sigh, then you go ahead." Shan Ping quickly pulled out some money from her pocket; it was all she had. "That's all we have..."

Seeing the money his older sister took out, Shan Yaowen quickly pushed it back to her.

"No rush, this matter may not be solved with money. Even if it were, you don't have enough." Without changing his clothes, Shan Yaowen went into the house to get some money. When he saw a jar of deer blood wine in the corner, he gritted his teeth and carried it up as well.

The only person he can turn to now is Old Wolf.

As for whether it will work, he wasn't sure.

After all, his good relationship with Old Wolf in his previous life was a thing of the past. In this life, they had only met twice and didn't have much contact.

Hope this helps.

Otherwise, my brother-in-law would really be going to jail.