Chapter 178: Chapter 177: Not Buying

The kids were the happiest ones entering the city.

Each family followed their parents, looking here and there, thrilled beyond measure.

Si Niang secretly whispered to her sister Jinhua, “My dad is studying at the county academy.”

Jinhua cooperatively exclaimed, and said her third uncle was really amazing, making Liu Ji, who was eavesdropping, laugh until his face twisted.

Today at the city gate, he was indeed the center of attention.

He wanted to see if the people back in the village would still call him a scoundrel once he returned.

While Liu Zhong and He wanted to buy vegetables, Liu Ji led them, leaving Jinhua and Jinbao who were inconvenient to buy things, to follow Old Liu.

Qin Yao brought Da Lang and the other three to accompany Old Liu to look at the farming tools first.

With six and a half people trailing behind, it was quite lively.

Luckily, Da Lang, Second Lang, and Jinbao felt responsible as older brothers, each holding onto a younger sibling, obediently following the adults.

However, as soon as they saw a vendor holding up a target filled with red candied hawthorns, they couldn’t move a step further.

Old Liu raised his hand pretending to hit, but Jinhua quickly said, “Dad gave us copper coins, we’ll buy it ourselves!”

“How much money do you have to speak so grandly?” Old Liu asked irritably. The raised hand eventually didn’t come down, instead halfway retracting.

Jinhua quickly pulled out two copper coins from the small pocket sewn by Mother!

Jinbao was amazed, “Why didn’t my dad give me any?”

Everyone at home was a child. Why did Uncle give Jinhua money, but his dad didn’t give him any?

“Grandpa, that’s unfair, I want some too!” Jinbao angrily held out his hand, only to receive a slap from Old Liu.

“Go ask your parents for money, I can’t handle you.”

Seeing Jinbao deflated, Second Lang laughed unscrupulously, “Ha-ha-ha, you’re the only one without pocket money, while all of us have some!”

Mother gives each of them fifty cents a month. Their previous allowance was taken by their useless dad, which they regretted so much, thinking they should have spent it earlier.

Since then, when Qin Yao gave them pocket money each month, the four siblings quickly spent a bit, be it on paper with Qin Yao’s help, or asking people in the village going to the city to buy some meat, they just had to spend it.

Otherwise, there’s no telling when the useless dad might trick them again, squandering it for nothing.

Under Jinbao’s incredulous gaze, Second Lang took out the siblings’ pocket money, and the four siblings each got a candied hawthorn.

Da Lang didn’t want to eat his, saying it was for grandpa. Old Liu was genuinely surprised, deeply moved as he looked at the candied hawthorn being offered.

“Good child Da Lang, you eat it yourself, grandpa doesn’t like this.” Old Liu smiled, gently patting Da Lang’s shoulder, feeling the child had suddenly grown and become more handsome.

Da Lang shook his head, directly shoving the candied hawthorn into Old Liu’s hand, “You have it, it’s sweet.”

Qin Yao also said, “Give it a try.”

Old Liu confirmed once more that Da Lang really didn’t want to eat it, so he happily accepted it,

“Then I, an old man, will try it. Usually just seeing the kids clamor to eat it, I’ll have a taste and see what makes them pine for it so much.”

Jinbao immediately rushed in front of grandpa, “Grandpa, later I’ll help you in the field to harvest wheat. I’ve grown up too and can do more for the family, right?”

Old Liu exclaimed, looking surprisingly at Liu Jinbao, this fellow who loved to complain, “You’d go down to the field to cut wheat? Don’t call out for the washroom the moment you reach the field’s edge.”

“No way!” Jinbao clung to his grandpa’s arm, eyes fixed on the candied hawthorn, spouting sweet words even he didn’t believe, about letting grandpa rest, letting his grandson take over.

Old Liu was amused by his greedy look, and in the end, gave him the candied hawthorn,

Jinbao immediately turned to Second Lang with a triumphant face, see, I have candied hawthorn too!

Second Lang rolled his eyes, too lazy to bicker with him, enjoying his own candied hawthorn, which was wonderfully sweet and sour.

Sanlang and Si Niang finished the front part and couldn’t bite the back, so they held up the candied hawthorns in their hands, asking their big brother and second brother to help break off the upper section of the bamboo skewer.

Da Lang and Second Lang scolded them for being truly silly while breaking off the sharp ends of the sticks for them.

The kids ate quickly, and by the time they reached the place selling farming tools, their candied hawthorns were just empty sticks.

Old Liu bought two iron hoes, without handles, planning to sharpen some wood himself later to make handles.

Seeing iron plows for sale, he gritted his teeth and bought a set.

These farming tools weren’t cheap. Just these three items cost Old Liu three taels of silver.

Carrying the iron plow and two hoes, Old Liu felt both heartache and joy.

Now with two sets of iron plows and two more iron hoes at home, spring plowing would be much easier.

However, the spent silver, the money from last year’s grain sales, were nearly all gone.

Liu Zhong also needed to host a banquet, and although there would be some gift money, it barely balanced out the expenses, with so many social obligations given away.

Qin Yao wanted to check out the livestock market. Although she wasn’t planning to buy a horse for now, if she found an affordably priced ox, it might be worth considering.

Plowing was a task not just feared by Liu Ji, even she dreaded it!

Da Lang and Second Lang could help with some fieldwork, but only to a limited extent.

Old Liu, thinking, even if we can’t afford it, can’t we at least have a look? happily joined in.

On the way, Qin Yao suddenly remembered Liu Fei’s marriage and curiously asked, “Dad, how’s the match for little brother?”

At this mention, Old Liu looked distressed, “Not well, he didn’t like any of them. Doesn’t he realize his own state? Yet he’s picky, saying he wants someone with a good temper, capable and good-looking.”

“For a nice girl like that, isn’t it obvious they might not be interested in us? And even if there was one, we couldn’t afford the dowry.”

Qin Yao raised her eyebrows in surprise, regretting she asked.

Seeing Old Liu about to go on a rant, Qin Yao quickly changed the subject, “Dad, look over there, there’s someone selling a cow and cart together, let’s go have a look!”

“Where?” Old Liu was indeed attracted, calling Jinbao to hold his sister’s hand and follow, as the group of old and young squeezed into the crowd.

It turned out to be a second-hand ox cart, just bought less than a year ago. The seller urgently needed money, eager to sell at a low price, along with his cart, for sixteen taels of silver.

Many were interested and haggling over the price.

The seller, touching the cow with tears in his eyes, insisted on sixteen taels, refusing to budge.

Old Liu, carrying the iron plow, bravely approached to inspect it, not fearing dirt, inspecting the cow’s teeth thoroughly, crouching to touch its legs and belly, even picking up its hooves to look, showing impressive expertise.

After checking, he nodded with satisfaction.

The seller was delighted, thinking he was about to make a sale, but unexpectedly, the man turned to his daughter-in-law and said:

“The cow is really good, but unfortunately, we can’t afford it, let’s go.”

Qin Yao’s family only rented ten acres of land, and Old Liu never thought they’d need an ox to plow such a small amount.

When Qin Yao pulled out silver to pay, the old man was almost frightened, hurriedly blocking the way, “What are you doing! Put the silver away, we’re not buying, not buying!”

This last ’not buying’ was directed at the seller.

The seller, already distressed from being haggled down on price, almost cried seeing his last hope slip through.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep