Muntjacs are protected animals in modern times.
But in Dakang, they are prey.
This leather is well-tanned. Even if I don't sell it to the system, it would be nice to keep it for making leather clothes.
Zhao was rummaging through the stall, picking and choosing, and found a lot of problems.
Hearing things like the quality was bad and there were damages made Mao Xiaolong feel very upset.
"Brother, are you going to buy it or not? If not, please don't delay my business!"
"How much is this suede? Give me a fair price!" Zhao Zheng said.
"At least five hundred coins." Mao Xiaolong said.
Zhao Zheng rolled his eyes. "Two pieces of medium-quality linen are only four or five hundred coins, and you want five hundred coins for a suede? If it was a live suede, I'd consider it..."
"Then how much do you say?"
"A hundred coins at most," Zhao Zheng said. "Everyone's short on cash these days. Few people are willing to spend so much on a piece of suede that's not in great condition. Rich gentlemen usually just buy fur coats."
Mao Xiaolong's eyes widened. "One hundred coins, why don't you go and rob it?"
Zhao Zheng smiled faintly, "Brother, you are also an old hunter. You know the prices better than me. You must have a long-term cooperative shop. If you wanted to sell it, you would have sold it long ago. Why would you sell it at the market?"
"Everyone can't even get enough to eat, so how many people will buy this stuff?"
Mao Xiaolong was speechless.
Indeed, the shops in the village were cutting their prices too much, and the price was not as good as the one Zhao Zheng offered.
I might be able to sell it in the city, but it's too far away, and the people in the city are more cunning. I don't have any acquaintances there, so I can only sell it at a low price.
These skins have been in their hands for too long. If they can't be sold, those people will start to make trouble.
"Too little, add some!"
"One hundred and five cents."
"One hundred and fifty!"
"One hundred and ten coins at most!"
After a lot of bargaining, Zhao Zheng finally had to reluctantly pay 120 coins to buy the suede.
After receiving the heavy sum of money, Mao Xiaolong smiled.
"Brother Zhao, you've made a profit this time. If I wasn't in a hurry to exchange it for money to buy medicine, this tanned leather would have cost at least two hundred coins." Mao Xiaolong said with some pain in his heart.
Zhao Zheng smiled and said, "Brother Mao, small profits but quick turnover."
After getting the most valuable thing, Zhao Zheng did not touch the other skins. There were many people watching around, so it was better to keep a low profile.
After leaving the stall, Zhao Zheng sold the leather directly.
[Ding, 1,500 coins have been credited to the account!]
Cool!
It seems that I need to come to the market more often, as I never know what good things there might be.
Zhao Zheng wandered around aimlessly for a while and bought some eggs and duck eggs to cover up his tracks.
He thought of the greasy salted duck eggs. Although now is not the best season to eat salted duck eggs, if they are made now, they can be pickled before the New Year.
Back at the stall, these rotten persimmons were actually exchanged for some not-so-valuable items.
A small dustpan, a broom, even a clay pot, a chopping board, and a foot of linen.
"Father-in-law, all the persimmons have been sold." Zhang Xiao'e pointed to the full bamboo basket, her face full of pride.
Yang Zhaodi said with some worry: "Father-in-law, the main reason is that the persimmons are not of good quality and I can't afford the price..."
Zhao Zheng waved his hand. "It's already pretty good. We don't eat rotten persimmons anyway. Instead of letting them rot in our hands, we might as well exchange them for something practical."
He doesn't eat rotten persimmons, but there are plenty of people who are willing to eat them.
Moreover, rotten persimmons can be used to make sugar, which is the best fructose and can save lives in critical moments.
Yang Zhaodi breathed a sigh of relief, "Father-in-law, what did you buy?"
"I've prepared a jacket and trousers for each of you," Zhao Zheng said. "Let's go back first and find a place on the way so you can put your jackets and trousers inside. But don't let the villagers know you're wearing new clothes!"
Both girls were very excited and said in unison, "Thank you, father-in-law."
On the way home, the two women found a safe place and put on their padded jackets and cotton pants.
"Father, it's so warm." Zhang Xiao'e said, "This jacket is so soft. And these pants, what kind of material are they made of? How can they be so warm?"
Zhao Zheng didn't know that there was no cotton in Dakang, at least he had never heard of it.
"I don't know either. I just thought the fabric was soft and warm, so I bought it."
Yang Zhaodi said with a pinch of her heart, "It's going to cost a lot, right?"
"It's only about a hundred coins. As long as you like it, I'm happy to spend any amount." Zhao Zheng said.
The two women were deeply moved.
How many fathers-in-law in the village are willing to spend so much money to buy new clothes and pants for their daughters-in-law?
Not one!
"Here's a piece of cloth. Go home and sew it into your mattress. It will keep you warm at night."
Although the earthen kang at home is warm, it is not enough to completely withstand the cold nights. The mattress filled with straw and willow catkins does not keep warm at all and is prone to harboring lice.
The father-in-law, daughter-in-law and their two children returned with a full load, talking and laughing all the way back.
When they entered the village, they saw the baskets full of things and everyone said, "Zhao Laosan, you've made a fortune! You brought back so many good things!"
"Wow, Zhao Laosan, where did you get so much money to buy fabric?"
"Have you moved all the big things back home?"
Everyone said half jokingly and half jealously.
"Well, I'm lucky. All the persimmons are sold out. These are earned in exchange." Zhao Zheng said.
The cotton cloth was at the bottom of the basket, and on top was the linen cloth that Yang Zhaodi had exchanged!
"Ask your daughter-in-law to make you a new set of clothes." said an old sister-in-law.
Zhao Zheng laughed and said, "Such a small piece of cloth, I don't think it can hold a diaper!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers laughed and scolded Zhao Zheng for showing off.
After the three men walked away, they began to talk behind Zhao Zheng's back about how lucky he was to have come across a wild persimmon tree in the wilderness.
"Why are you showing off? There will be something interesting to watch soon."
...
Zhao Zheng returned home, and before he had time to drink a sip of water, he heard a sound outside the door.
"Zhao Laosan, come out here!"
"How can you do something like that, you idiot?"
Hearing the scolding, Zhao Zheng walked out and saw Wu Yueying, with a bruised face and nose, and her husband and parents-in-law standing at the door.
Yang Zhaodi and Zhang Xiaoe also hurried out of the kitchen. When they heard the old lady of the Wang family scolding their father-in-law, they both frowned.
Just as they were about to curse back, Zhao Zheng reached out to stop them, "Sister-in-law Wang, I didn't offend you, did I?"
"You didn't offend me? But is what you did a humane thing?" The old lady of the Wang family stood at the door with her hands on her hips, her voice surprisingly loud. Soon, the neighbors all came over to watch the fun.
Liu Lao Si also hurriedly kicked Liu Tieniu, who was lying dead on the bed, and said, "There's something happening at Zhao Lao San's house again, why don't you go check it out?"
Liu Tieniu was startled and quickly got up from the bed.
"Everyone, let's be fair. Yesterday, my Yueying took Zhao Laosan and his family to dig for wild vegetables. They found a wild persimmon tree, but Zhao Laosan ate all of it and gave two to my family."
The old lady of the Wang family described it vividly, as if she had witnessed it with her own eyes. "Isn't this sending away beggars? Isn't this looking down on my family? We all discovered it together, so why does he have the right to keep it all to himself? Isn't it because he thinks my Yueying is easy to bully?"
"If you don't give me an explanation today, I'll never let you go!"