Ms. Liang came out of the kitchen, âWhat are you talking about! Why do you want revenge on our family so much? If others listen to this, theyâd think I abuse you!â
âWhy donât you blame your son? Heâs the one who provoked me!â
âYouâre older than him, so why canât you let him? Youâre both about to get married, and youâre acting so immature. How can you get along with your in-laws in the future!â
Mo Yan pulled Mo Ling inside the house, âSister, itâs a waste of energy to argue with them. Donât worry, Iâll prepare the horse and cart. You can make your wedding dress with peace of mind, waiting to be a beautiful bride. â
âThe workshop hasnât even turned a profit yet, and you still need to build Ms. Huaâs house. Where did you get so much money?â
âDonât worry about it, I have a solution.â
âStop counting on Lu Junming so much. Donât keep owing him so many favours. What if you canât pay him back in the future?â
âItâs okay, I know my limits.â
âYanâer, when I leave, what will you do?â
âSis, I will become stronger every day, so you can spend the rest of your days well. Rest assured.â
âIf you really canât stay in this family any longer, let Lu Junming take you away.â
âI donât need anyone to take me, I can go by myself.â
Mo Ling kept saying that she wanted to leave this family, but never had the heart to admit it. If she really wanted to leave, all she really needed were her legs.
Mo Lingâs marriage was imminent. Even though she was a daughter, all marriages are happy events, so they had to notify their relatives and friends. Now Ms. Liang has cut off ties with her former in-laws, they only had her natal brotherâs family left as relatives, Ms. Liang wanted to deliver the wedding invitations in person.
Mo Yan had always heard that she had an uncle, but she had never seen him. When Mo Ling got married, she had to have some knowledge of any of her relatives.
âMother, let me go to uncleâs house with you!â
âOkay! You havenât been there in several years.â
âThen Iâll hire a carriage!â
Ms. Liangâs thought, âNow that we have a work animal, we just need a car. Why donât we buy one and travel there by ourselves.â
Ms. Liang also cared about her reputation. Although this old donkey wasnât great, it was still their own work animal. For a divorcee, it was pretty good.
They led the donkey to the carriage dealer in town, wanting to buy a carriage for it, and Mo Yan wanted to see the carriage models they used as well.
This donkey was smaller than a horse, so the manager recommended a medium-sized cart for them. It was thinner and cheaper, so only cost five silver taels. Ms. Liang was very satisfied, and immediately asked the carriage dealer to fit a harness for the donkey, and sat on the carriage with Mo Feng.
The donkey and the carriage were purchased for a total of less than twenty silver taels.
Mo Yan said she had to go to the workshop, so didnât go home with them. She had looked at the models in town, and most of the carriages the manager had were simple. There were no landaus like the ones people in the city took.
âManager, do you sell landaus?â
The shopkeeper immediately replied, âYes! We already have the base, and make the covers on the spot, since we only sell one or two a year. What kind of landau do you want?â
âThen can I bring my own materials? This is a dowry carriage, so it should be festive and beautiful.â
âNo problem, if you bring the materials, it will be ready in a few days. Please choose a base for the landau first!â
Mo Yan had already taken a fancy to a carriage. The wood looked sturdy and the gaps between the joints were small, so the wood was very even. In addition to these, the front and rear of the landau were also carved, and the workmanship was fine.
âManager, how much does this carriage cost?â
âMiss, you have a good eye. This carriage is the best one we have. It was made from a large tree from my own yard. We were initially the ones who wanted to use it, but my wife said we had no use for such a good carriage, and itâd be better to just sell it. Itâs been here for several months, and many people have inquired about it, but it has never been sold because it is too expensive.â
âHow much?â
âFifteen silver taels.â
âHow about to make it a landau?â
âIf you get the materials yourself, eight silver taels, for a total of twenty-three silver taels.â
After some haggling, they finally settled on a price of twenty silver taels, and Mo Yan immediately went to the firm to choose materials. The material for the cover needed to be of some weight. After lengthy deliberation, Mo Yan finally chose a piece of material that wasnât too expensive.
The crimson birds embroidery were festive and unobtrusive in colour and pattern. The material, a mixture of silk and linen, was not only tough and glossy, but also had weight, which made it very suitable for the cover.
Another piece of fine linen of the same colour was chosen for the interior, and they were taken together to the carriage dealership. The manager was told to make it as soon as possible.
Now that she had a carriage, she still needed a horse. Mo Yan strolled to the livestock market alone, but didnât expect to see Daqiang sitting on a large rock slab, looking at the sky boredly.
âBrother Daqiang, what are you doing here?â
Daqiang saw that it was Mo Yan, and pointed to a red horse next to him, âYanâer, Iâm here to sell Mr. Cao horse.â
âIs that the Cao familyâs horse?â
âYes!â
âIs this horse getting on in years?â
Daqiang frowned, âItâs just seven or eight years old, itâs the prime of its life.â
âThen, why are you selling it?â
âMadam took Cao Zhang away again, and forced him into an unhappy marriage. Mr. Cao was depressed, and couldnât sleep well at night. He thought the horse was too noisy, so insisted that I sell it. This horse is good, if I had money, Iâd definitely keep it myself.â
âHow much would it cost?â
âThirty silver taels.â
Mo Yan didnât respond. Daqiang wasnât the brightest, but he could see she thought it was expensive. Since they were acquaintances, she also didnât want to bargain.
âYanâer, if you want this horse, the price is negotiable. How about 25 silver taels?â
As soon as he said that, several dealers wandering around the livestock market surrounded them and said, âIâll take this horse for twenty-five silver taels.â
This group of businessmen were very shrewd. They wandered around the livestock markets all year round and knew a lot about it. In their opinion, this horse would be too expensive if it was sold at thirty silver taels, but a bargain at twenty-five.
Mo Yan grabbed the horseâs rein, âIâve already bought this horse.â
One person said to Daqiang, âBrother, Iâll pay you twenty-six taels for this horse!â
The Cao familyâs horse would be considered good in this livestock market. These people have been wandering around here for a long time, waiting to buy this horse at a lowered price, but they didnât expect for Mo Yan, a little girl, to buy it first.
The man ignored Mo Yan, and grabbed the horseâs rein, refusing to let go as he waited for Daqiang to reply.
Daqiang also reached out and grabbed the horseâs reins, âThis horse has already been sold!â
He spoke a little too loudly, and attracted two of the people patrolling the street, âDid you just sell this horse? How much did you sell it for, pay the tax!â
Da Qiang and Mu Yan have never bought or sold livestock, so they didnât know they had to pay a tax to make deals here.
Then, the animal dealers stopped talking, and all retreated lazily, like they were waiting to watch a show.
Post-translation notes: Hey, so you know how I missed an update? I had a flight to a different country which ended up taking 30 hours longer than expected and sent me to Taiwan. Thankfully, Iâm where Iâm supposed to be now. Have a double post as thanks for waiting!