Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 28 Beef Hot Pot
However, when Qiao Guozhong and Lu Kuiyuan looked at Beiji Wu again, they found that Beiji Wu's eyes, which were originally honest and not good at bargaining, had become much colder.

Beijiwu took out a knife from his pocket. "Boss, how much do you want for this knife? I've only used it seven times. Can I trade it for two hoes and a sickle?"

Beijiwu placed the knife on the iron pot on the stall without any intention of attacking or threatening him.

His bending motion was very gentle, and his speech was quite steady, which made Qiao Guozhong and Lu Kuiyuan feel that he was quite extraordinary.

Lu Kuiyuan looked at the dagger that Beijiwu had put down. It didn't look like it had any bloodstains, but the grayish cloth wrapped around the hilt gave the strong impression that it had seen a lot of blood.

Qiao Guozhong picked it up and examined it. The knife was an ordinary knife, but the person was no ordinary person.

"Alright, let's consider this a friendly exchange. You can take the knife, two hoes, and a sickle."

Qiao Guozhong didn't want to cause trouble. Although he could call nearby soldiers to drive away these troublemakers, it wasn't worth it.

There are some people you'd better not mess with.

Beijiwu also wanted to do business peacefully. "Okay, I'll buy another pot. My family is short of everything right now, and I want to find a merchant who can give me a fair price. I'll use the rest to buy grain."

Qiao Guozhong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "How should I address this gentleman?"

“Beiji Wu.” Beiji Wu introduced, “They are Beigong Dingbian, Beigen Biao, and Beigen Hu. We are all military households and good citizens of Beitian Village. If you happen to pass by, you can come and do some business. Our village of over a hundred people also needs salt and farm tools.”

Qiao Guozhong didn't know where Beitian Village was, but he was glad he knew that these people were law-abiding citizens, so he didn't have to worry about being retaliated against on the way.

“Okay, I’ll definitely go when I have time. My name is Qiao Guozhong, a businessman from Tongzhou. This is Lu Kuiyuan from my village. He used to be a soldier.”

Lu Kuiyuan looked Bei Jiwu up and down. "You've killed someone?"

Beijiwu continued looking at the pots and pans, not even lifting his eyelids, and said, "Hmm."

Lu Kuiyuan continued to sized up Bei Jiwu, asking, "How did you kill him? How many did you kill?"

Lu Kuiyuan felt that Beiji Wu was more likely to have been killed accidentally or by a sneak attack, and that he was just intimidating people with his stubbornness.

Beijiwu looked up at the two men, then tilted his head to look at a wooden stake for enclosing livestock that was over a meter high and as thick as a fist on the ground nearby.

Beijiwu took three steps forward, raised one hand, clenched his fist, and slightly tilted it back.

With his punch, the one-meter-high pillar sank more than twenty centimeters into the ground.

Beijiwu returned and wiped his finger bones, which were covered in wood chips.

“That’s how he was killed,” Beijiwu added. “I picked up that knife.”

The knife was indeed an ordinary knife, but the person was not.

Qiao Guozhong and Lu Kuiyuan looked at Beijiwu and his fist with very bad expressions.

I've seen fists that are hard, but I've never seen one this hard.

No wonder those three men told him not to get angry; it turns out that getting angry can really lead to someone's death.

The two middle-aged men from the same state forced awkward smiles.

This is not a society governed by the rule of law; fists really do work.

"Master Wu is amazing!" Qiao Guozhong praised politely. "I've walked this road many times, but this is the first time I've met such a formidable person as Master Wu."

Beijiwu said, "No need for formalities, just do business normally."

Qiao Guozhong said with a smile, "Okay, Mr. Wu is so generous. What do you want? I'll definitely give you a fair price."

Seeing this, Bei Gong Dingbian also said, "I need a kitchen knife."

"Okay, I have it." Qiao Guozhong smiled and accepted the deal.

Kitada Biao and Kitada Tora were also there to buy things, so they bought some as well.

The four people bought 200 jin of salt to pickle vegetables and meat, as well as for the whole family and livestock.

Beijiwu bought an iron pot, two hoes, a sickle, a blanket, a cotton quilt, 120 catties of millet, a kitchen knife, and 50 catties of salt, spending a total of five taels of silver.

The Kitada family bartered, exchanging wheat and furs for salt and farm tools.

The Bei Gong family took a string of cash and bought some old clothes and shoes for the winter.

Several households in the market sell secondhand clothes, with hundreds of items piled together for customers to choose from.

The rule here is that you don't need to ask where things come from, so don't go looking for trouble.

"Moo~"

When Beijiwu was loading things onto the truck, he heard the sound of cows mooing in the distance.

The main commodities traded here are cattle and horses, so it's perfectly normal to hear animal noises.

However, Beijiwu felt that it sounded like a plea for mercy, so he went over to see what was going on.

At a stall a few dozen meters away, a butcher reeking of the smell of a butcher was standing there, examining the cattle in the pen.

Inside the enclosure, an old man was leading a cow that refused to move. The cow seemed to sense something and was trying to back away.

But its legs were weak and it couldn't muster any strength, so it quickly knelt down on the ground and begged for mercy.

The people nearby have no sympathy for a cow, much less spare its meat and bones.

Arctic Martial walked over and asked, "Is its leg broken, or twisted?"

The cattle in the Northwest are all yellow cattle. The yellow cattle in front of you are white-faced and yellow-bodied, with short horns. They are strong, cold-resistant, can travel a hundred miles a day, and can be used to plow fields and transport grain.

The old man pulling the ox glanced at Beijiwu, then coldly ignored him.

The butcher who was buying the cattle looked at Bei Jiwu for a few seconds, then laughed and said, "He's twisted his ankle; he can't work."

Beijiwu looked on without saying a word.

The butcher's two henchmen and the old man pushed the cow onto the cart, ready to take it back for slaughter. After paying, the butcher, Qiu Fangning, put the remaining money in his pocket and walked towards Beiji Wu, who had been watching intently.

What do you want? Why are you staring at me like that?

Qiu Fangning is not a good-tempered person, but he had just seen that Beijiwu came with several other men.

While a large number of people can sometimes lead to fights, most of the time they still exercise restraint.

Beijiwu explained, "I see you bought this cow for one tael of silver, how about you sell it to me for two taels?"

Seeing that Qiu Fangning wasn't looking for trouble, he asked curiously, "I bought it for 1,500 coins, but I can sell it to you for 2,000 coins. What do you want this broken-legged cow for? You have to tell me what you're going to do with it before I'll sell it to you."

Qiu Fangning saw that Qiu Fangning had only come to talk to him after he bought the cow, rather than before he bought it, so he hadn't broken any rules or ruined the business. Therefore, Qiu Fangning was willing to make some money on the side.

A wounded cow doesn't fetch a good price, and slaughtering it is troublesome as it requires paying taxes. Sometimes, it's simply confiscated at a low price and given to the border generals and their guards to improve their meals.

一头成年耕牛5~10两，健壮的耕牛8~10，老弱3~5
The elderly and weak can still do some work, but those who are sick and unable to work can only be sold as meat, as the government does not allow indiscriminate killing.

Arctic Warrior replied, "I know how to set bones. Its bones are misaligned. I'll try and I should be able to save it. If I can't, then it's not too late to kill it."

Qiu Fangning laughed and said, "If you want to slaughter cattle, come to me. I slaughter most of the cattle in these surrounding villages. You'll have to pay me back then."

In the Arctic, cattle cannot be slaughtered indiscriminately; taxes must be paid.

"Can I give it a try? If it cures you, I'll take two taels of silver with me. If it doesn't, it won't interfere with your work; it'll only take a short while."

Qiu Fangning said, "Okay, you give it a try."

Beijiwu walked to the vehicle frame, and the two men nearby heard the conversation but did not stop him.

Butcher Qiu Fangning joined in the commotion, looking at the ox and saying, "Look at this ox, it knows you've come to rescue it, the way it looks at people is different. This ox is over three years old, if it can come back to life, it can still be used for five or six years."

The cow clearly sensed that Arctic Warrior had come to rescue it, and kept looking at Arctic Warrior with its big eyes, hoping to receive help.

Arctic Martial reached out and touched its thigh bone.

"Moo!"

The ox let out a painful cry.

Beijiwu held down the bones of the cow's leg and body with one hand, and pressed down hard with the other.

He was incredibly strong; what would normally be a simple task of hammering a wooden board to correct a misalignment became remarkably easy in his hands.

With a creak, the sound of the cow bone snapping back into place came from the bone.

Beijiwu walked to the side and untied the rope. The ox lifted its body and stumbled off the vehicle.

To prevent the cow from falling, Beijiwu caught the cow that was about to collapse.

Qiu Fangning looked at the cow that had stood up again with surprise in his eyes.

"You actually saved it." Qiu Fangning looked at the ox that could stand and walk on its own, and quickly said with a smile, "Alright, I'll sell it to you for two taels of silver. You have the ability to make money."

Beijiwu took out his last bit of silver and readily paid for the cow.

Beigong Dingbian and Beitian Biao walked over and looked at Beijiwu, who was paying for the cow.

"Master Wu, what did you buy?"

Beijiwu said, "I bought a cow."

Kitada Biao saw the yellow ox next to him, which looked like it had just come of age.

"how much is it?"

Beijiwu said, "Two taels of silver."

Kitada Biao immediately asked, "Why is it so cheap? Even an old ox costs three or four ounces. This ox is almost in its prime and is just the right age to work."

Beijiwu said, "I was sick just now, but I'm better now."

Too lazy to explain too much, Beijiwu led the ox, which had no reins, and patted its head to make it follow him to the cart.

Beitian Biao said to Qiu Fangning, "I'd also like to buy a cow, two taels of silver, right?"

Qiu Fangning laughed and said, "Just that one. If you want a sick or dead cow, my shop is in the city, and I can sell you seven or eight cows every month."

Kitada Biao immediately said, "I want the best! Just like that one!"

***
Ignoring the conversation over there, Beijiwu tidied up the oxcart and let the ox lie down on it to go home, so as to avoid further injury or fractures.

Before long, the group went home together. Kitada Biao also learned that Beiji Wu had rescued a cow with a broken leg and bought a wounded cow that could only be sold for a little over one tael of silver.

The group walked along the road, with some grain and heavy loads on their horses. The people walked, so as not to put too much burden on the oxen and horses.

Bei Gong Dingbian said with a smile, "Thanks to Master Wu today, we saved a lot of money by buying goods together. Last year, a pound of salt cost fifty coins, but this year it cost forty-three coins. We bought two hundred pounds and saved on the market tax and the cost of wine!"

Kitada Biao and Kitada Tiger were both convinced. They realized that buying things together could save money, and quite a lot of money at that, so they would definitely do things together in the future.

With Beiji Wu leading the way, the three of them didn't have to worry about bandits or wild beasts jumping out when they went out.

On the contrary, they would love for some wild boar bandits to jump out, so they could kill them and enrich themselves!
Arctic Wu still had that bird-like demeanor that didn't really want to talk to people, but in the eyes of the villagers, he was already a very good person.

Four men protected an oxcart as they walked through the undulating, desolate mountain valleys. They left the official road and entered a main road filled with withered wheat fields, then walked onto a quiet path overgrown with weeds and grass, finally arriving at the remote entrance to Beitian Village.

They returned to the village safely and smoothly with more than ten taels of silver worth of supplies.

"Master Wu is back!"

Aunt Beigong, who was waiting for her son at the village entrance, greeted him happily.

Seeing that all four had returned safely, everyone gathered together and happily looked at the goods that had brought them back.

(End of this chapter)