12dz Chapter 54 Buying Piglets
Chapter 54 Buying Piglets
As Sun Mu's family walked, they told Song Jiaojiao and her group about the piglets. Soon they saw the piglets in the pigpen. The piglets had just eaten and hadn't gone to sleep yet. They were grunting and circling around in the pigpen.
The pigsty was clean and tidy, and the piglets were all energetic and showed no signs of illness. There was a brazier outside the pigsty with some ashes inside, but it wasn't being used for lighting.
Sun Mu's wife looked at Song Jiaojiao and explained as she looked at the brazier, "The weather is too cold now, and I'm afraid the piglets will get cold, so I keep a fire burning outside every night."
Song Jiaojiao nodded, looking at the plump white piglets in the pigpen, and asked, "How much are you planning to sell your piglets?"
Before Sun Mu's family could speak, a childish voice came from the courtyard, "Mom, I called Grandpa and Dad back."
Two people were following behind the child. The younger one was helping an angry old man. Both of them had a little sweat on their faces, indicating that they had walked back quickly.
"My father-in-law and husband just came back, so my sister-in-law will discuss the price with him." After saying that, Sun Mu's wife went out to prepare tea.
The group went to the main room and sat down. Song Jiaojiao didn't bother to say much and simply said, "I want all seven pigs. Uncle Sun, name your price."
When Sun Mu's family heard that Song Jiaojiao was going to buy all of their piglets, they were all overjoyed. But after calming down and thinking about it, they realized that there was no pig feed on the mountain in the dead of winter, and they were only feeding them grain. Could this young woman really eat all that?
“If you buy them all, you’ll get a discount, but seven pigs are a lot of food. Can you finish them?” Sun Mu’s father said with concern.
Before Song Jiaojiao could speak, Aunt Li chimed in, "Grandpa, don't worry about that. You must have heard about the sweet potato harvest recently. Jiaojiao is the one harvesting them, so the piglets won't go hungry."
"So it turns out you're the one who's been making all the noise about harvesting sweet potatoes in the village. I was just worrying unnecessarily. According to the market price, a one-month-old piglet costs 420 wen, and a sow is a bit more expensive at 500 wen. How about this, I'll just give you 400 wen for everything except the sow." Sun Mu's father suddenly realized what Aunt Li was saying and, thinking there wasn't much to say, directly quoted his price.
Seeing that Aunt Li nodded, Song Jiaojiao figured it was about the same price as the market price, so she agreed. The six male pigs cost two taels and four mace, and the sows cost five mace. Song Jiaojiao had come in a hurry and hadn't brought any pig cages to carry the piglets, but luckily the Sun family had some. She spent another mace to buy a pig cage, so it came to exactly three taels of silver.
Song Jiaojiao handed over the money and then told Xu Da and Sun Mu to go catch the pig. Sun Mu's father took the money and asked, "Madam Song, did you know your family is still harvesting sweet potatoes?"
"I'll take them all, as long as they're washed and dried properly and not spoiled. Grandpa can just bring them to Qingshui Village. My house is at the foot of the mountain; just ask anyone in the village." Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
"Is it really only three coins for two catties?" Sun Mu's father didn't really believe the price. After all, it was only one coin per catty in town, and going to Qingshui Village was much closer than going to town.
"Yes, this price applies to all orders that meet the requirements. Of course, if I find any substandard goods, I won't accept any more orders from this village," Song Jiaojiao explained patiently.
"That's for sure. Does it mean they accept people from any village?" Sun Mu's father thought of his eldest daughter, who was married and whose family was not well-off. She had come back recently with her niece, whose face was pale and sallow. If they had this kind of income, their lives would be a little easier.
"Yes, if any of your relatives in other villages want to sell, I'll buy them all according to the rules. I'm a long-term buyer. When you visit your relatives, you can help me promote it."
Song Jiaojiao certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity for publicity; relying on just a few nearby villages, she feared there wouldn't be any left before the New Year.
"Definitely, after all, it's free money if you don't want to make it." Sun Mu's father said with a smile. As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Mu and Xu Da packed up the piglets.
Song Jiaojiao actually wanted to buy a pig to slaughter for the New Year, but then she thought about it and realized that the carriage was not very spacious. There was hardly any room left after cramming in seven piglets, so she decided to just go to town and buy a pig that had been slaughtered. Although it would be more expensive, at least it would be easier.
After buying the pig, the group said goodbye to Aunt Li's wife and went home, dragging the grunting piglets along.
Seeing that Song Jiaojiao still had a lot to do, Aunt Li got off the bus when she passed by her house. Song Jiaojiao thought that she would have to trouble Aunt Li a lot in the future, so she didn't insist on keeping her.
When they got home, Song Jiaojiao handed the pigs over to Xu Fang to take care of. She thought that Xu Fang had more and more things to do. She had to get up in the morning to cook, then feed the chickens and rabbits, make sweet potato noodles, and clean the yard. Although Xu Da sometimes helped out, there were always times when Xu Da was not around.
Thinking that I should go to town tomorrow and buy a few more servants, preferably people with experience in raising poultry. The barren mountain is almost finished, and it's time to get started on feeding the chickens.
The next day, Song Jiaojiao took Wang Hefan to town. After so much practice, Wang Hefan's carriage-driving skills had become increasingly proficient, and he could even ride a horse occasionally. Song Jiaojiao, on the other hand, could only drive the carriage; she couldn't stand the bumpy ride on a horse.
Sure enough, the New Year was just around the corner after the Laba Festival. The ninth day of the first lunar month was a big market day, and Song Jiaojiao almost couldn't get in. Thinking that there were too many people and the carriage would have difficulty moving forward, she had no choice but to find a place to store the carriage, pay some money, and take Wang Hefan to deliver the things from Sifanglou.
Sifanglou is incredibly popular, with many people still queuing up. Manager Wang is a smart man; he put out plenty of stools outside the shop and provided snacks and tea. The service is impeccable.
Seeing that Manager Wang was so busy that he barely had time to rest, Song Jiaojiao didn't go up to greet him. She put down her things, took the money, and went to Fengtang, the place where Manager Liu had taken her to buy servants last time.
Before they even entered, they saw Granny Xu leading a group of ragged people inside. The sharp-eyed Granny Xu immediately spotted Song Jiaojiao standing at the door.
"Oh my, what a rare guest! What brings Miss Song here? Come in quickly." Granny Xu smiled broadly and tried to pull Song Jiaojiao inside with flattering words. This alley wasn't just home to hers, as she was the only place that sold servants.
"Did I disturb you? What's going on with these people?" Song Jiaojiao followed Granny Xu into the courtyard. The group of people were still standing in the courtyard with their heads down, and two burly men were guarding the gate.
"Hey, isn't this the snow disaster in the north? These people are desperate and have no other choice but to sell themselves to make a living." Granny Xu looked at the group of people and whispered in Song Jiaojiao's ear, her tone full of pity, but her face was expressionless. She thought that every year there are people who are desperate for various reasons.
"Let's not talk about them. Is there anything you need for Madam Song to do today?" Granny Xu didn't want to say more, so she quickly changed the subject.