Chapter 583: Farm Woman 11
The little donkey was only about the size of a small adult dog. It nestled against its mother, looking quite pitiful. Tan You had always had a soft spot for young animals. A wave of compassion washed over her, and just like that, the Old Chen household gained two mounts.
Of course, one of them was still a foal. It would probably be another year or two before it could be put to work. Tan You wasn’t in a hurry. ’Raising this many kids is still raising, and raising a little donkey is still raising. What’s one more?’
Tan You sighed and patted the little donkey’s head. "From now on, you’ll be Little Jujube, and your mother will be Dazao."
Including the cart, it cost Tan You a full fifteen taels of silver. If the mother donkey hadn’t been weakened by just giving birth, she would have never been able to buy them for such a low price.
Leaving the horse market, only the youngest, Chen Xing, was sitting on the cart, holding the little donkey. The other four were all walking.
Tan You looked at Chen Yue. "If you get tired, you can ride in the donkey cart."
Chen Yue swung her little legs. "Mother, I’m not tired. What if we wear out Dazao? If I walk a little longer, she can rest a little longer."
Tan You stroked Dazao’s head. "Alright. If no one’s riding, Dazao won’t get so tired. Now we should go buy some other things. Is there anything you all want?"
Chen Xi mentally took stock of what they had at home. "Mother, I don’t need anything. We have everything at home."
An Wen was very sensible. "Aunt, I don’t want anything either."
Chen Yue licked her lips. "Mother, I want to eat meat."
Chen Xi shot Chen Yue a glare. "We’ve been eating quite well recently. Why are you always craving meat?"
Chen Yue muttered, "It’s all been lean meat and pork cracklings, and always stir-fried. Mother, I want to eat something braised."
Tan You said, "It’s not that I’m being stingy with you. It’s just that you all went so long without rich food. If we suddenly start eating heavy, greasy meals, your stomachs won’t be able to handle it, and you’ll easily get an upset stomach."
"Actually, I’ve been craving meat too. Let’s go buy some."
Once Tan You spoke, Chen Xi didn’t say another word. Chen Yue gave Chen Xi a triumphant crinkle of her nose. Seeing this, Tan You tapped Chen Yue on the forehead. "Ming Guang is just being considerate of our family, not trying to be mean to you all. We should normally be diligent and frugal."
Chen Yue took Chen Xi’s hand. "Big Sister, I was wrong."
Chen Xi wasn’t truly angry. Now that Tan You had sided with her, she gracefully accepted the apology. "I’m not mad. I just think it’s not easy for Mother to earn money, so we shouldn’t spend it recklessly."
Tan You usually didn’t interfere in the children’s squabbles, but when it came to major issues of right and wrong, she would intervene forcefully. So, for now, she just watched the children talk amongst themselves while she leisurely led Dazao along the side of the road.
After buying pork leaf lard and various other cuts of pork from the butcher’s stall, Tan You finally headed home, satisfied. It wasn’t just the children craving meat; Tan You was craving it too, okay?
’Back in modern society, who doesn’t eat meat every day? Even before I got the Beauty System, Tan Deming would buy meat at least once a month. It’s nothing like ancient times, where you might not even get a taste of meat once a year.’
In the half-month since she’d arrived, Tan You had gradually moved from making simple broths to stir-fries, but always with lean meat. She hadn’t dared to make anything too greasy, worried it would upset their stomachs.
Now that their bodies had mostly adjusted, Tan You planned to have a proper, hearty meat feast today.
When Tan You led Dazao back into the village, all of Miao Gou Village was in an uproar. The Old Chen family! They used to be the poorest family in the village, with only women and children left. And now she’d actually bought a donkey?
And she’d bought two of them at once! Although the big one looked sickly and the small one was still useless for now, they were donkeys—proper livestock! Then, looking at the clothes Tan You and the children were wearing, everyone was filled with envy.
After all, only the Clan Leader’s family had an ox-cart, and even that ox was old. The Clan Leader rarely used it, treasuring it immensely.
In no time, countless people flocked to the Old Chen home; it seemed like half the village had shown up. Of course, it was mainly an army of women. The men, mindful of their status and the need to maintain distance between the sexes, only stood outside the courtyard.
Faced with the probing questions from the aunties, Tan You remained tight-lipped. That morning, she had only delivered some soap to the Four Seas General Store. She hadn’t signed a formal contract or even met the store’s owner. Tan You was in no hurry to let the clan know about the soap business just yet.
So, Tan You just deflected their questions, talking in circles and offering a pile of useless words without revealing anything of substance. Listening in, Chen Xi and An Wen were amazed. ’You can talk like that?’
Just as it was getting to be mealtime, when everyone had to leave whether they wanted to or not, a horse-drawn carriage came trotting into the village. The driver looked around once before heading straight for the Old Chen home with clear purpose.
"Lady Wang, is Lady Wang at home?" Just as the villagers were about to leave, a voice called out from outside the courtyard. An Wen had sharp ears. "Aunt, that’s Manager Fan’s voice."
Tan You already knew who it was and couldn’t help but smile. "Everyone, I have a guest today, so it’s not convenient to host so many people. I’ll just have the Clan Leader and a few clan elders stay to help entertain our guest."
The Clan Leader, Chen Tianshui, was taken aback for a moment, then quickly recovered. "Yes, yes, that’s right. All of you, head home for now. We can talk about whatever it is later."
The aunties were reluctant to leave, hesitating and shuffling their feet. Tan You paid them no mind, simply leading An Wen and Chen Xi out of the courtyard gate. Just as they stepped out, they saw a man of about thirty getting down from the carriage.
"Lady Wang, this is the owner of our Four Seas General Store, Owner Xue. The owner happened to arrive at the shop today. It’s just a shame you left so quickly; we couldn’t catch up to you."
Manager Fan, acting as the middleman, was the first to introduce the newcomer to Tan You. Tan You looked him over; his clothes and bearing radiated an air of wealth.
"Owner Xue, please come in. This is the leader of our Chen clan, and these are the clan elders." Since Tan You had asked the clan leadership to stay, she naturally intended to borrow their influence.
’After all, I’m all alone here. Even if Manager Fan is a good person, I’ve never actually met this Xue Guanglin. What if he tries to use his power to bully me and steal my formula?’
The Clan Leader and the elders were confused, but they wouldn’t undermine Tan You at a time like this. To put it bluntly, the original owner of this body was a daughter-in-law of the Chen family. Her business, on a larger scale, was the entire clan’s business.
They could discuss any issues after the guests had left, but for now, they had to present a united front to outsiders.
Xue Guanglin was also momentarily taken aback to see so many people in the courtyard. But his reaction was swift. "It seems I’ve come at an inconvenient time. I didn’t realize you were entertaining guests today, milady."
Tan You smiled. "I’ve always been a straightforward person. Owner Xue, are you here about the soap?"
Xue Guanglin had already heard from Manager Fan that this Lady Wang preferred to be direct. He didn’t beat around the bush either. "Yes. The soap and scented soap you delivered to the shop today have all been snatched up."
"Are you truly unwilling to sell the formula, milady?"
Tan You let out a laugh. "The formula is definitely not for sale. Selling the formula would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. As a businessman, Owner Xue, you naturally understand what I mean."
Xue Guanglin sighed. "Yes, you are very farsighted, milady. It’s just that Four Seas also has shops in the prefectural city. I wonder if you would be able to satisfy our demand?"