The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 447 Eager to Spend
The fifth month of the lunar calendar.

For the Hesa ​​herders, this is the happiest and most joyful time of the year.

Because of the abundant rainfall and lush pastures in summer, livestock can have plenty of fodder.

The herders are also very busy at this time of year.

The women were busy shearing sheep, making felt, milking cows and mare's milk, and making milk curds and mare's milk wine.

The men, on the other hand, were responsible for building yurts, cutting grass, and herding livestock.

When it rains and they can't work outdoors, the men will gather at their neighbors' houses to drink and chat.

The rain that day came down quickly and heavily.

The men of a small tribe all crammed into one yurt to discuss matters:

"Have you heard? More than two thousand bricklayers came to the pasture that was sold to the Han people a few days ago. They even built a kiln downwind of the pasture, intending to fire bricks and tiles to build houses. In addition, they also drove stakes and stretched ropes around the perimeter of the pasture, preparing to fence it off."

"I've heard about it! I also know that the ranch was bought by the younger brother of the greatest general in Guanzhong. Lord Amuhui of Bali City personally obtained a land deed for the ranch. He also told the clan chief that the ranch would belong to the Han people from now on, and told us to keep an eye on our cattle and sheep and not to wander into other people's ranches."

"Hmph! They think they can just say no? This grassland is so big, how many people would it take to keep watch? What's the point of fenced it off with ropes and stakes!"

"Baron! Whether you can keep an eye on them or not is not something I shouldn't worry about. I'll just remind you of one thing: someone saw that those craftsmen brought a lot of tools. If you go to someone's ranch and cause trouble while drunk, they could easily grab a hoe or shovel and kill you."

"Hmm, I definitely won't go. I'll tell the others to stay away from these Han people."

"Not only should we not provoke them, it's best to befriend them! The head steward of that ranch has only been here a few days, and he has already bought 30,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle from the Kurambash, Aktobe, and Saryarka tribes at prices 50% higher than the market price. The three tribes have cleared out three years' worth of inventory in one go."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! The pasture that the Han people bought could never support 90,000 sheep and 6,000 cattle!"

"What are you talking about raising? These cattle and sheep have already been driven back to Guanzhong! Do the math, if each of the 800,000 Han people eats ten sheep a year, that's eight million sheep a year. Where would you find so much pasture in that desert land of Guanzhong?"

Everyone gasped in shock:
"Eight million sheep!"

"By the Eternal Heaven above, all the tribes in the Ili River Valley combined cannot feed eight million sheep!"

"Does that mean our Wuletao tribe can also sell cattle and sheep to Han people? Which family doesn't have some livestock?"

“Why not! Those damned sheep dealers only offer one tael of silver for a fat sheep weighing over a hundred catties, and the same goes for cattle. How can a three-year-old ox only be worth five taels? The clan chief is so angry that he won’t let anyone sell their cattle and sheep cheaply! Tomorrow, I will send my cattle and sheep to the Han people. What about you? Do you want to sell them?”

Only a fool wouldn't sell!
A sheep costs one and a half taels of silver; two sheep are sold, which is equivalent to the price of three sheep in the past.

Cows are more valuable.

The price offered was between ten and twelve taels.

Even if Awule (the chieftain) is good, he can't solve the problem of dozens of tribes' livestock not fetching a good price.

These discussions spread throughout the dozens of tribes under the jurisdiction of Balicheng in less than half a month.

The cautious tribe is still observing.

The bolder tribes have already taken action.

On the grassland in summer.

This led to such a grand occasion.

It should have been the season for grazing, but instead, the herders were hurrying their cattle and sheep toward the Han Chinese pastures thirty miles away from Balicheng.

Manager Zhu, who was seconded to take charge of the ranch, did not disappoint the herders.

After the livestock were counted, the cash was paid very readily.

Those who find carrying silver inconvenient can exchange it for small-denomination banknotes.

Although this place is more than a thousand miles away from Kansai, it belongs to the territory of the Kashgar Khanate.

But here, any currency from the Yongtai era can circulate. A small group of herders who had been raising livestock for several years earned over a thousand taels of silver in a single instance.

Truly, years of poverty turned into sudden wealth!
Having suddenly become rich, they also really want to spend money.

Unfortunately, the selection of goods available in the nearest Bali City shopping mall is limited.

Some people, relying on their limited Chinese skills, struck up a conversation with Steward Zhu:

"Manager, I wonder if your young master would be interested in sending someone to Bali City to do business? I've heard that Guanzhong has many local specialties."

Manager Zhu raised an eyebrow, as if asking, "How did you know?"
The herders thumped their chests loudly: "Don't ask, just ask, we're not short of money!"

Manager Zhu: Good! Good! Good! This is money you all begged me to spend.

His face was full of arrogance:
"What kind of status does our young master have? Why would he be short of money?"

"I misspoke! The young master buys such a large ranch as if it's nothing, so of course he looks down on merchants."

"Although our young master doesn't need to go into business, the craftsmen who came here to build houses are prepared. They bought some fine cotton cloth from workshops in Guanxi, but haven't had time to send it to Bali City to sell yet. I just don't know if you'll need it."

As he spoke, Manager Zhu led several herders to the temporary wooden huts built on the pasture.

The door to the wooden cabin was pushed open.

The herders outside could see half a room, with nine hundred bolts of fine cotton cloth neatly stacked inside.

Steward Zhu: "The quantity is limited; each person cannot buy more than three bolts!"

"My God! I dare say, even the gentlemen of Bali City have never seen so much fabric!"

"The colors are so vibrant! I never knew there were so many shades of red! Each one is such a bright and vivid red."

The group stared intently at the fabric, wishing they could carry it all home.

But then Steward Zhu pulled out a bolt of cloth from a pile of fabrics and showed it to them.

The instant the fabric was unfolded.

The mouths of the people outside the door were agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

Without it.

This is not a simple piece of white cloth; there is a picture on it.

Green leaves of all shapes and sizes, red, pink, purple, and yellow, along with large and small wildflowers, were vividly painted onto the white cloth.

What a beautiful picture of midsummer!

How happy the women in the family would be to see this white cloth with flowers and leaves!
Those who dote on their wives will directly ask Steward Zhu.

"How much is a bolt of painted cotton fabric?"

"Not expensive at all, only one tael and five mace of silver! These designs were all hand-painted by the master himself. Each piece of cloth has a different pattern, and one piece can make three adult dresses, or six short garments if cut into short pieces."

"What about those without flowers or leaves?"

"Each solid color piece is only 333 coins."

You asked if this price is expensive?
A beautiful floral fabric costs the same as a sheep!

In the past, a single bolt of white quilted cloth brought back from Huozhou to Balicheng would sell for four hundred coins.

They really don't sell it for much!

Anyway, cloth is something that won't spoil even after ten or eight years.

Purchase limits? Then we must maximize the limit!
(End of this chapter)