bookrebus Chapter 11 Bartering with meat, you're pretty cunning, kid.
Chapter 11 Bartering with meat, you're pretty cunning, kid.
Li Ju'an didn't have a scale; he even borrowed one from the hunter next door.
Old Tao glanced at him sideways and chuckled softly, amused.
This young man is quite strange; he brought so many delicacies from the mountains and rivers, yet he didn't even weigh them. In his youth, he pioneered the wilderness and traveled all over the country, meeting so many people, but only this young man has stirred up his curiosity.
The hunters had mostly packed up their stalls, and they had given all their goods to Li Ju'an as payment. Li Ju'an's stall became the one that sold the most meat in the market.
"We sell pork and chicken! All kinds of meat are available! We'll sell to you if you pay!"
"Hey sis, take this meat! Our stall has plenty of meat and it's cheap. Come back to me next time you need meat."
Li Ju'an was young and tall, with strong features and a refreshing youthful air, making him very eye-catching. Even the older women who didn't buy meat were happy to chat with him for a bit. They'd ask which village he lived in and if he'd been on a blind date yet.
“Young man, I’m old enough to be your mother, how can I still call you sister?”
He laughed heartily, "Don't mention it. As soon as you opened your mouth, I knew you were from my hometown, so I had to call you 'sister.' I hope you'll come and patronize my business often."
The older women chuckled and said, "Young man, your words are as sweet as honey. If we were ten years younger, we might even be chasing after you."
Old Tao had originally wanted to see the young man make a fool of himself, but he didn't expect to hear this.
The old widower was stunned for a moment, then helplessly put his hands into his sleeves and sighed.
Damn, I really want a smoke.
Everyone says that hooliganism is a crime that can't be committed, but hooliganism should be severely punished. If the police arrest you, you'll be punished severely! But these aren't young hooligans; they're clearly hooligans from old women and their children.
Li Ju'an's wild game sold out quickly.
However, hydrangea and wild linden honey are not things that can be sold easily.
Li Ju'an had been shouting for ages, his voice was hoarse, and he was starting to feel discouraged. "What's the point of selling? If I wait any longer and no big customer comes to buy, I'm not selling anymore!"
Old Tao enjoyed watching Li Ju'an's growing impatience, grinning with his yellow teeth, which made him feel a little better. The young man couldn't be sold either; he was just like his live roe deer, destined to be brought from one place and taken back to the same place.
Seeing you make money, lad, is even more disheartening than seeing me lose money.
Just then, a young man wearing glasses and black leather shoes rode over on a Phoenix brand old-fashioned bicycle.
The young man wore woolen knitted gloves, a military green overcoat, a military green cotton hat, and a long gray scarf. He looked very impressive and had a secure job in a government-affiliated institution.
Old Tao's eyes immediately lit up; he knew his chance to sell the live roe deer had arrived. This young man had an air of authority, unlike the stingy old women at the market.
The young man glanced at the stalls at the street corner, then stepped off his Phoenix 28 bicycle. Some of the women around him recognized him as the surveyor from the mountain forest farm.
"Xiao Chen is here to shop at the farmers' market, and he's dressed very stylishly."
The gossip of the older women in the Xing'an Mountains is like a news workshop. They know everything about which young men or women in government-affiliated units are of marriageable age but still single. They can find out every detail, including the family background, how many people are in the family, how many siblings they have, where they live and what they do.
Li Ju'an gained a basic understanding of the young man from the few words the aunts spoke.
The young man surnamed Chen had a good job as a timber gauge inspector at a forest farm in the mountains. His main job was to measure the diameter and volume of timber and grade it. It was a lucrative position. The advantage was that regular customers from the south would give him fashionable gifts—small bribes, as those in the know understand. So whatever was most popular in the south, the timber gauge inspector would have it all.
In the 90s, this position became increasingly lucrative, with salaries reaching nearly 200 yuan. Some even accepted bribes totaling a year's salary.
Don't be fooled by how lucrative the job seems; when a railcar arrives, you have to rush over immediately, no matter the time, even if the inspector is asleep.
Li Ju'an pondered for a moment. The measuring officer was visiting the market, probably to select items for the leader. He had to cater to the leader's preferences, but he couldn't let the items overlap with the fashionable items from the south.
"This is the only jar of pure linden honey left! It's from the black linden trees of Northeast China, as white as snow, perfect for personal use or as a gift!"
The measuring officer, Xiao Chen, was searching several stalls at the street corner when he heard him call out, and they actually stopped to ask about the price.
The snow honey from the Northeast black linden tree is as white as snow. It has three honeycomb layers, is sticky and white, and looks high-end. It is a local specialty of the Xingan Mountains.
"Half a catty is 4 yuan. These three boards are big and weigh 1 catty and 3 liang. It's a good gift to give to people. If you like the taste, come back and do business with repeat customers. I'll round it down and give you a full ten yuan."
The meter reader, Xiao Chen, didn't haggle. He pulled out a ten-yuan note and handed it over, saying, "Help me put a cloth bag over it and tie it to the back seat."
Li Ju'an quickly tied it up with a cloth bag and hemp rope, and then the measuring officer, Xiao Chen, pedaled with one foot, lifted his leg, straddled the Phoenix 28, and rode away.
The purchasing process was very efficient; there was no haggling involved, and they bought it as soon as they received the money.
With just one yuan, Li Ju'an sold linden honey – a truly lucrative business! Back when a temporary worker at the forest farm earned only 17.5 yuan a month, Li Ju'an earned 10 yuan from selling just one jar of honey that day.
Everyone around was stunned.
Old Tao, still squatting behind the live roe deer with his hands tucked in his pockets, stared in astonishment.
He had called out twice before, but seeing that the young man didn't react, he gave up. Unexpectedly, Li Ju'an was a cunning fellow, deliberately picking out local specialties that were easy to take away, presentable, and rare, to entice the young man to turn his head and look.
Old Tao couldn't hold back any longer. He kicked the roe deer in the rear and cursed loudly in anger.
"Sell it for what?! Screw it, just go back and stew it!"
The live roe deer screamed in fright, which only made Old Tao feel more frustrated.
Li Ju'an observed the changes in Lao Tao's expression with a smile, then walked over, squatted down, and offered him a cigarette.
"This is a gift for the old man, let's make friends."
Old Tao glared at him irritably and reached out to knock the cigarette away. But then he realized it was a cigarette. Most people in the village smoked homemade tobacco; the tobacco leaves cost two cents a pound. They wrapped the leaves in torn tobacco paper, roasted them, and it was very good to smoke.
The local cigarettes sold in small quantities cost one cent each. Back then, he could earn a little over 30 cents a day working, so a pack of cigarettes costing a few cents was considered very good. Buying a pack would cost a third of his wages, which would be considered more extravagant than smoking Zhonghua cigarettes in later generations.
Old Tao abruptly put his hand down, which he had been about to light, and gave a cold snort of annoyance.
"We come to the market only to do business, not to make friends."
Li Ju'an chuckled, "Then let's do business. I also have some wild game that I haven't sold yet."
On his stall, he also had six jin of bear meat and half a jin of grouse meat. Selling grouse was really difficult; at 5 yuan per half jin, not everyone could afford it. If he didn't find a suitable customer, even if he set up his stall for several days, he might not be able to sell any.
Old Tao glanced at the live roe deer in his hand, then at the six catties of bear meat and half a catty of grouse meat on Li Ju'an's stall, and mentally weighed the prices.
The roe deer he hunted was quite large, weighing about 20 kilograms, and since it was alive, it fetched an even higher price.
But grouse meat is also precious. If he were to exchange it for grouse meat from Li Ju'an's stall and bear meat, he might be at a disadvantage, but it might not be impossible.
Old Tao reluctantly lifted the whites of his eyes, as if he had made a difficult decision in his heart, and slapped his thigh to stand up.
"Okay, we can exchange it."
"You taking this roe deer away is a good deal for you."
Li Ju'an suddenly asked in surprise, "I didn't mean to exchange this roe deer."
Old Tao was slightly taken aback, his cloudy old eyes looking somewhat dazed.
Li Ju'an dropped the pretense, grinned, and said, "Master Tao, I am Li Ju'an from Lijiatun. I would like to ask you to buy a well-trained Qingchuan dog."