TATLC Chapter 25 – Buying a Mule

At the Chen family’s house.

“Da-ge, are you going to town again?” Chen Xiaocai asked, watching Chen Xiaomi busily preparing.

Chen Xiaomi nodded.

Chen Xiaocai rolled his eyes. The last time his big brother went to town was more than twenty days ago.

During this period, the game his big brother hunted seemed to have decreased, and a large portion of it was cooked and eaten.

His big brother used to be very cautious, always thinking about saving money. However, recently, he developed a fondness for good food. Whenever he caught rabbits or pheasants, he would go to Lu Lin to discuss whether they should stir-fry, steam, or braise them! It was very different from before; he seemed… much more cheerful.

And honestly, Lu Lin’s cooking was really good.

Xiaomai had grown much stronger during this time and showed great enthusiasm when going out to collect firewood with him.

Chen Xiaocai noticed that his third brother Xiaomai seemed quite strong too. Since Xiaomai had been sick before, this wasn’t noticeable. Chen Xiaocai secretly suspected that his third brother would become a second version of his big brother.

Chen Xiaomi rolled his eyes. Winter had already arrived, and it would probably get colder in the coming days.

After discussing with Lu Lin, Chen Xiaomi decided to sell another batch of wine. The wine from last time was well-received by both the restaurant and its manager. One jar could sell for eight hundred wen, which was equivalent to a whole pig.

After entering the town, Chen Xiaomi first went to the restaurant and sold 10 jars of wine, earning eight taels of silver. Afterward, the two of them visited the Yang family and sold another 10 jars to Young Master Yang, also for eight taels of silver.

With sixteen taels of silver in hand, Chen Xiaomi felt an unprecedented sense of wealth.

When Chen Xiaomi hunted the tiger before, he also enjoyed a period of prosperity, but that had been extremely dangerous.

Now, earning sixteen taels of silver effortlessly made Chen Xiaomi feel somewhat unreal.

“Let’s go check out the livestock market,” Lu Lin suggested again.

Last time, they couldn’t buy a mule, Lu Lin was somewhat disappointed. Now with so much silver, buying a mule shouldn’t be a big deal.

Although it wasn’t his first time walking the mountain path, Lu Lin still found the journey to town exhausting. Having an animal to ride for the return trip would be so much better.

Chen Xiaomi glanced at Lu Lin and asked with confusion, “Is walking still tiring even when you’re not carrying anything?”

Lu Lin nodded and smiled bitterly, “Yes, it’s very tiring.”

Chen Xiaomi looked at Lu Lin and tilted his head. “I think it’s fine though…” Before, whenever Chen Xiaomi came to town, he always carried heavy items. Now on the journey, he only needed to bring an empty basket, which made him feel much more relaxed compared to before.

Lu Lin watched him and silently rolled his eyes in his heart. Even with a new body, I still can’t handle hardship. What a crime! The original owner of this body had been tough and hardworking, after all.

“Let’s check out the livestock market. If there’s something suitable, we’ll buy one,” Chen Xiaomi said, his eyes bright with excitement.

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiaomi with suspicion. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

Chen Xiaomi glanced at Lu Lin and said, “We’ll probably need to travel frequently between town and the village anyway.”

Chen Xiaomi thought that since the small store inside Lu Lin’s body could keep things fresh, even if they used up everything in there, they could store mountain goods and sell them in town during deep winter.

When winter deepened and food became scarce, game meat and wild vegetables could fetch quite a price in town.

…

Lu Lin and Chen Xiaomi went to the livestock market together. Last time, they didn’t find suitable livestock, but this time they came across a fine mule.

Behind the mule was a decent cart that looked quite new.

Chen Xiaomi inquired and learned that the mule cart belonged to a family in town. Their son owed the gambling house a sum of money, and they were forced to sell their livestock to meet the urgent need.

Chen Xiaomi haggled with the seller, and they finally closed the deal at seven taels of silver, six for the mule, and the cart was basically a giveaway for one tael.

Chen Xiaomi looked at Lu Lin and asked, “What else do you think we need to buy?”

Lu Lin thought for a moment and said, “Let’s buy some large bones.”

In his previous life, Lu Lin liked to eat stewed bone soup. Back then, bones were more expensive than meat, but here, ten wen could buy a pile of bones. It could be considered a bargain.

Chen Xiaomi nodded. “Okay.”

Chen Xiaomi licked his lips. The taste of yam and bone soup was really delicious. Recently he had only caught small game, which didn’t provide bones suitable for soup.

Chen Xiaomi spent thirty wen and bought all the bones a butcher’s entire stock of bones.

The two spent another three hundred wen on a new cotton quilt. Old quilts were much cheaper. The same price could buy two used ones, and village families generally bought secondhand. However, new cotton quilts were much warmer and felt thicker to the touch.

Chen Xiaomi drove the mule cart back home.

As he cracked the whip, Chen Xiaomi felt a sense of vigor and vitality.

While Chen Xiaomi drove outside, Lu Lin lazed in the cart. With this new means of transportation, Lu Lin felt his quality of life had finally improved a step.