ryethenovel Chapter 87 Buying New Year's Goods
Chapter 87 Buying New Year's Goods
"Uh...?" Li Xiangyang scratched his head and gave a wry smile: "This old Zhang is probably confused from being in such a hurry. How can two legs keep up with a four-legged carriage..."
"Never mind, we're all on the same team. We should help each other out when we're out and about. Bye!"
Li Xiangyang cracked his whip, and his figure rushed forward like a whirlwind.
They caught up with Old Zhang in no time, reined in their horses, and stopped Old Zhang.
"Hey... Uncle Zhang, don't worry! I'll ride my horse and take you after them!"
Upon hearing this, Old Zhang's eyes lit up instantly, like a drowning man grasping at a straw. He grabbed Li Xiangyang's outstretched arm and mounted his horse.
Once Old Zhang was seated securely behind him, Li Xiangyang tightened the reins and shouted sharply towards the snowy road to the west, "Giddy up!"
The chestnut horse beneath him galloped off into the snow, its hooves pounding the ground, heading in the direction where the carriage had disappeared.
Along the way, the cold wind whipped up snowflakes that kept whipping his face, making his cheeks sting. Li Xiangyang could only squint and stare intently at the tire tracks in the snow ahead.
Fortunately, although the snow fell heavily, it did not cover the tire tracks on the ground, and they were still clearly visible.
Old Zhang, clinging tightly to Li Xiangyang's cotton-padded coat from behind, said in a trembling voice, "Xiangyang, thank you so much, thank you so much, please keep going!"
"Yes, Uncle Zhang, don't worry. Look, the tire tracks on the ground are getting clearer. We should catch up soon."
Li Xiangyang responded, then squeezed his legs tightly around the horse's belly and tightened the reins in his hand.
The chestnut horse galloped away, leaving two deep hoofprints in the snow in no time, leaving the falling snow far behind.
really,
After running for about a mile, they saw the carriage at the bend where Central Street connects to the adjacent New City Street.
"Don't run!" Li Xiangyang shouted immediately.
The carriage was definitely no match for the thieves on horseback, and Li Xiangyang's shout was intended to make the thieves abandon the carriage and run away.
He understood the principle of not pursuing a cornered enemy!
Startled by Li Xiangyang's shout, the thief visibly froze. Turning his head, he noticed the chestnut horse getting closer and closer, and his heart raced with panic.
Then it suddenly accelerated, and Li Xiangyang, thinking the thief was trying to escape, lashed out with his whip and charged forward. Unexpectedly, the thief made a sharp turn, driving the carriage into a narrow alleyway.
He then grabbed the reins tightly, blocking the carriage at the alley entrance.
Before the carriage had come to a complete stop, he jumped off and turned into another narrow alley without looking back, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
However, he had run so fast that his cotton-padded coat was torn by the edge of the carriage, and a gray-blue bag fell out.
Li Xiangyang reined in his horse, dismounted, picked up the cloth bag, opened it, and found a stack of small bills inside. He immediately tucked it into his pocket. "Stained money must be confiscated," he reasoned, "this is an unchanging iron law."
Naturally, he had no intention of continuing the pursuit. He didn't know who the thief was, and if he was a local thief, there might be an ambush. Chasing after him would only make things more dangerous.
Old Zhang dismounted and went straight to his carriage, checking it over and over again several times. Only after finding that it was undamaged did he breathe a long sigh of relief.
Now that he had calmed down, he didn't dare to chase after him anymore. He turned around, gripped Li Xiangyang's hand tightly, his eyes reddening, and kept thanking him.
"Xiangyang, thank you so much! If it weren't for you... I..."
As he spoke, he felt a lump in his throat.
First, the ranch was attacked by wolves, resulting in heavy losses. Then, the eldest son was injured, and the wife fell ill from anger and was sent to the town hospital, incurring a large expense. Now, the horse-drawn carriage has been stolen.
For the herders, the horse-drawn carriage was far more than just an ordinary means of transportation; it carried almost the entire livelihood and hope of a family, and was a heavy family fortune in those days.
If the carriage is lost today, Old Zhang will probably have to lie down on the spot.
Li Xiangyang wiped the snow off his face and waved his hand with a smile: "Uncle Zhang, don't be so polite. We're all in the same team; how could we just stand by and watch the carriage get stolen without helping?"
Okay, since everything's alright, I'll head back too.
As Li Xiangyang spoke, he mounted his horse and rode off; he still needed to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some New Year's goods.
Having learned from Old Zhang's mistake, Li Xiangyang dared not tie his horse to the open space next to the supply and marketing cooperative anymore. Instead, he tied it directly to the stone pillar in front of the cooperative's gate. With people coming and going, even the boldest thief wouldn't dare to steal a horse at the main gate.
Moreover, this chestnut horse had been raised in their family for many years and had become somewhat intelligent, so they generally wouldn't let strangers ride it.
It was much warmer inside the supply and marketing cooperative than outside, and the air was filled with a mixture of smells of kerosene, candy, and dried goods.
Long queues still formed in front of the counters displaying daily necessities such as vegetables, meat, grains, oils, rice, and noodles, but there were very few candy counters.
Li Xiangyang walked up to the candy counter, pointed to the glass jars, and asked the sales clerk, "Comrade, could you show me some fruit candies? I want the most common kind."
The salesperson opened the glass jar, revealing several kinds of fruit candies:
There are bright orange-flavored candies with simple orange patterns printed on the wrappers; they look very tempting, Xiulan should like them, I'll buy some.
There are milky white candies wrapped in transparent candy wrappers. They have a soft, chewy texture and a rich milky flavor. Chunsheng should like them, so I'll buy some too.
There are also a few red hawthorn candies, which have a sweet and sour taste that kids love, so we have to buy some of those too.
Li Xiangyang casually pointed and said, "Just these three kinds: orange candy, milk candy, and hawthorn candy, two catties of each."
The sales clerk, carrying the glass jar, turned to weigh it, but suddenly stopped, glanced back at him, and asked, "Do you want two pounds of all three types of candy in total? Or two pounds of each type?"
Orange candy costs 12 cents a pound, milk candy costs 15 cents a pound, and hawthorn candy is the cheapest, but it still costs 10 cents a pound. Most families would mix and match half a pound during the Lunar New Year, while those with better financial conditions would only mix and match a pound and a half at most.
No one had ever bought six pounds of sugar at once, so the salesperson's first reaction was that Li Xiangyang was wrong.
"Two pounds of each of the three types of candy, for a total of six pounds," Li Xiangyang said again.
The salesperson smiled and nodded, not pressing for further questions, but her expression clearly showed surprise. Had this young herdsman struck it rich? He was spending so lavishly, even more extravagantly than a landlord!
After buying the fruit candies, Li Xiangyang turned around and walked towards the fruit counter.
Fruits are scarce in eastern Inner Mongolia during winter. The shelves are only filled with frozen apples and pears, as well as a few strings of dried red dates and persimmons.
These are fruits that can only be eaten during the Chinese New Year.
He doesn't like apples, but he heard from others that they are good for your health, so he bought 3 jin (1.5 catties) for 9 mao (0.9 yuan).
Frozen pears are tastier; they're crisp and sweet when frozen, and soft and glutinous when thawed. So I bought 6 jin (1 catties) for 8 yuan.
Persimmon cakes, which are soft, chewy, and sweet when melted, are his favorite. He bought eight skewers at once for 1.6 yuan.
Including the candy I bought earlier, it cost me a total of five dollars and six cents.
After settling the bill, he pocketed the remaining money, carried the heavy New Year's goods, and went out, leaving the two sales clerks behind him staring wide-eyed.
But Li Xiangyang didn't feel bad at all. Five yuan and six cents was less than a fraction of what he earned from selling wolf skins and wolf meat that morning.
but,
This was the first time he had ever felt that five dollars could feel like fifty thousand dollars in the future.