Reborn in the 1980s, starting with fishing and hunting to build a fortune

Chapter 115 The Three Zhao Brothers Come to the Door

The three Zhao brothers, Jinzhu, Yinzhu, and Tiezhu, stood blankly at the entrance of the Li family compound.

Zhao Jinzhu gripped the copper pipe in his hand tightly, his knuckles turning white, and rubbed his chin repeatedly, looking extremely anxious.

He waited anxiously for something, but after looking at the door for a while and no one came out, he didn't dare to peek out.

They dared not urge them.

It was as if what was about to emerge from the Li family's gate was not a human, but a man-eating monster.

I'm really conflicted.

He didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong.

Yesterday, Li Xiangyang kindly exchanged his frozen sheep for three cents' worth of straw, saving his ranch and making him a benefactor to Old Zhao's family.

This matter should not be brought to light!

If other herders find out that the Li family has extra straw to sell, they will all flock to the Li family and spread the word about the Li family exchanging straw for sheep to the brigade, and then the Li family will be in real trouble.

These sheep are key products for the unified purchase and sale system in the pastoral area, and the brigade has repeatedly emphasized that private buying and selling is strictly prohibited.

What is the Li family planning to do by buying so many sheep again? There's no need for an investigation; they can be charged with speculation and arrested directly.

Yesterday, before Li Xiangyang left, he repeatedly told him that this matter must not be mentioned to a third person.

But he couldn't bear to see the sheep on his two cousins' ranch starve to death, so he told his two brothers that he had extra straw that could be exchanged for the frozen sheep. He was afraid they would cause trouble, so he brought them over.

By this time, it was almost completely dark, and the temperature had plummeted to minus twenty degrees Celsius. Water would freeze instantly. Outside the courtyard, the wind was biting cold, and a few snowflakes drifted slowly down from the sky.

Layer upon layer, covering the slightly thin bodies of the three Zhao brothers.

Within the team, they were all recognized as the most diligent and honest old herders.

At the beginning of the year, responding to the brigade's call, and with the approval of his elder brother Zhao Jinzhu, he contracted several hundred acres of pasture, emptying his family's savings.

They were making money and happily preparing for a good New Year. But then they encountered a terrible snow disaster, said to be a once-in-a-century event.

The three brothers remained silent for a moment. Seeing that the Li family had not yet come out, Zhao Tiezhu was still a little worried. He whispered to them, "Yinzhu and Tongzhu, listen carefully. If the Li family has extra straw and is willing to trade it for sheep, then we'll trade. If the Li family is unwilling to trade, then the three of us will turn around and leave."

No one is allowed to complain, and even less is anyone allowed to make things difficult for the Li family, understand?

"Yes, yes, yes—brother, whatever you say, we'll do. If the Li family doesn't have any more straw, we'll turn around and leave. We won't bother them or make things difficult for you."

Zhao Yinzhu and Zhao Tongzhu nodded repeatedly, assuring each other.

They had both given up hope.

As the snow disaster worsened day by day, and the fodder reserves on their own ranch were insufficient to feed all the sheep, they had already decided that, despite the huge losses, they would be ruthless enough to kill a few more castrated rams and immature ewes.

To ensure the survival of the pregnant ewes and breeding rams.

Although they knew that Brother Zhao Jinzhu had suddenly found them last night and told them that the Li family ranch might have extra straw, and that they could exchange it for frozen sheep for only three cents.

Ask them if they are willing?

They would definitely be willing.

Let alone three cents a pound of straw, they would trade it for a frozen sheep, or even five or six cents a pound, in exchange for a live sheep.

I wonder if the Li family has any extra straw they can exchange with them.

But at this point, they could only try their luck and ask first.

With a creak, the wooden door of the Li family's house was slowly opened, and a ray of earthy yellow light slowly shone out. A tall and upright young man walked over in the light.

"It's... Uncle Kim Joo!"

As soon as Li Xiangyang pushed open the door, he saw Zhao Jinzhu with an apologetic look on his face, and behind him were two of his relatives, Zhao Yinzhu and Zhao Tongzhu, who kept smiling.

He was completely baffled.

He then asked, "You're so late, is it urgent that you need to see me...?"

Upon seeing that it was Li Xiangyang, Zhao Jinzhu initially avoided eye contact, feeling embarrassed to meet Li Xiangyang's gaze. After a long silence, he awkwardly smiled and said, "Xiangyang... it's not that I have something to ask you, it's that my two cousins ​​have something to ask you."

"Did Uncle Silver Pillar and Uncle Copper Pillar come to see me...?"

"Yes, yes, Xiangyang, we need to talk to you about something."

The two brothers, Zhao Yinzhu and Zhao Tongzhu, replied in a low voice.

Li Xiangyang glanced at the two hunched herdsmen behind Zhao Tiezhu and immediately guessed why they had come to see him.

Normally, the Li family and the Zhao family have almost no contact. They only exchanged a few words yesterday when he traded straw with Zhao Jinzhu for frozen sheep.

Today, Zhao Jinzhu brought two of his relatives to his door. They were both herders from the team, so they probably wanted to exchange sheep for straw.

"Uncle Yinzhu, Uncle Tongzhu, you also want to trade sheep for straw with me, right?" Li Xiangyang asked directly.

Anyway, his family still has extra straw to exchange. If they have sheep, then they can exchange it; it doesn't matter.

"Yes, yes, yes."

The two brothers, Zhao Yinzhu and Zhao Tongzhu, both grinned and whispered, "Xiangyang, we just wanted to trade you some frozen sheep for straw. We didn't know if you were available right now."

'

The two talked as they rubbed their hands together.

His attitude was extremely humble, even to the point of being a little too ingratiating.

This made Li Xiangyang feel a little uncomfortable.

He immediately replied, "Convenient."

"Is it convenient...?"

Upon hearing these two simple yet powerful words, the three Zhao brothers were astonished, their eyes instantly brightening. Even in the pitch-black snowy night, the light in their eyes could be seen.

They never expected that Li Xiangyang would agree so readily.

Because in their eyes, exchanging straw for frozen sheep at this time, and even offering to do so at a low price of three cents, would be a losing proposition.

So, before they came, they had already made preparations. Even if Li Xiangyang offered five or six cents a pound of straw, they would still trade with him.

Then Li Xiangyang asked, "When did your sheep freeze to death? How many were there?"

"Two, one for each of us, we can each trade one sheep, they just froze to death yesterday, the meat is still very fresh."

"Mm-hmm." Li Xiangyang nodded and said in a deep voice, "The purchase price for the sheep is the same as what I gave Uncle Jinzhu yesterday. If you think it's acceptable, bring the sheep over later."

"Yes, yes, we can all do it." The three Zhao brothers nodded repeatedly, their attitude even becoming somewhat humble.

It's clear they really had no other choice; otherwise, in this day and age, what middle-aged man would be willing to bow and scrape to a young man?

Li Xiangyang finally couldn't stand it anymore. He sighed and said seriously, "Uncle Jinzhu, Uncle Yinzhu, Uncle Tongzhu, you don't need to do this. I can make money by exchanging straw with you for sheep. I'm not giving it to you for free."

We're all equals, and you're all elders, right?

"Yes, yes, Xiangyang, thank you so much. If you ever need any help in the future, just let us know and the three Zhao brothers will come right away."

"No need for that. Society is getting better and better now. Everyone is working hard to make money and live a prosperous life."

"By the way, I see you're in a bit of a hurry. Why don't you go home now and bring the sheep back, and while you're at it, take some straw back with you before it gets dark?"

The second brother, Zhao Yinzhu, chuckled and said, "No need to go home to get it, we've already brought the sheep."

As he spoke, he walked to the haystack behind him, bent down, and pulled a burlap sack out from under the snow.

The sack was bulging, and when I opened it, I found it contained processed mutton, mutton bones, and offal.

It seems they came prepared and were genuinely anxious.

"Alright, bring them all in and weigh them." Li Xiangyang then opened the courtyard gate and let them in.

The two sheep were both ewes weighing around 50 pounds each, and they were each given 900 pounds of straw in exchange.