Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 119 Buying a Horse
Chen Fan and Jiang Lili exchanged a glance, then looked ahead and saw a large crowd of people packed together, several layers deep, and they wondered what had happened.

When he walked over, he realized that there were several familiar faces in the crowd.

Secretary Yang, Captain Zhang, Captain Xiao, and Captain Ye from the brigade headquarters are all here, as are Captain Yang and custodian Huang from Team 6, along with several other members of the Lujiawan commune.

Chen Fan immediately called out, "Captain, what's going on?"

Upon hearing the voice, someone turned around and saw that it was Chen Fan. They immediately made way for him, saying, "Master Chen is here too. There's a little foal here."

Chen Fan thanked them as he walked inside, his mind filled with questions. A little pony?

Jiang Lili hadn't originally intended to go in, but seeing that the other members were still waiting for her to pass through, she followed Chen Fan inside with her head down.

After a few steps, Chen Fan reached the innermost part and finally saw what was going on.

A man sat on a bench, his face full of sorrow, with a small pony in front of him.

Perhaps worried that the foal might get cold, they also laid three layers of straw mats on the ground.

The little colt was listless, curled up on the straw mat, its eyes half-open and half-closed, showing no interest in the pile of hay near its mouth.

While looking at Xiao Ma, Chen Fan leaned over to his team leader, Yang, and whispered, "Are they going to sell Xiao Ma?"

Before Yang Chuanfu could speak, Master Liu, who was standing to the side, said, "This horse is sick, and the owner wants to sell it."

Chen Fan then noticed that he was there too. He tilted his head and looked at Master Liu, asking curiously, "Who would buy a sick horse?"

If it's a healthy foal, there are plenty of people willing to buy it for 5 or 60 yuan. But if it's a sick horse, and you can't cure it after buying it, wouldn't you lose a fortune?
Master Liu smacked his lips and sighed, "This foal just ate something bad and has an upset stomach, but it doesn't have any other problems. Foal meat is tender, and some greedy people will buy it and slaughter it to eat."

Upon hearing his words, the horse owner's already distressed face became even more bitter, as if tears were about to drip from it. "My foal had already been reserved by our team. We agreed on 60 yuan, and the groom would come and take it away after it was weaned in three months."

Now, just a month after the baby turned one, a problem has arisen. I've spent three or four dollars and taken three veterinarians to see the baby, but none of them have helped.

"I had no choice. You all know what's going on in Ganjiacun this year. Many fields were flooded, and a day's work only pays a little over two cents. I was hoping to sell this little colt for some money so things would be better next year, but now it's all gone."

He reached out and patted the foal's head, then sighed deeply, "My little horse, don't blame me, I had no choice. I couldn't bear to eat you, so I had to sell you."

The foal seemed to understand him, raised its head and shook it, but then lay down again, its eyes even more dim and lifeless.

Seeing this scene, the voice that Chen Fan had just heard rang in his ears again.

"Poor thing."

"Pity."

Master Liu shook his head repeatedly, his eyes filled with reluctance. "I just took a look, and this horse is indeed a fine horse. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a Japanese horse that hasn't been crossbred yet."

The horse owner immediately looked up, his face full of regret, and said, "Master Liu has a good eye. This is a purebred Japanese horse that I specially went to Qingshan Commune next door to breed. It cost me 3 yuan to breed it back then. The Japanese devils have been gone for more than 30 years. Every Japanese horse that dies is one less. It will be difficult to find one again in the future."

Hearing their conversation, Chen Fan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Are those the Japanese warhorses?"

Master Liu nodded and explained in a low voice, "The Japanese horse was bred by the Japanese over nearly forty years at great expense. They found the world's best warhorses and bred them with local ponies. They are fast, have great endurance, and are much taller than our local horses. They are one of the best warhorses."

When our main force attacked back then, we captured a batch of warhorses. We took the good ones with us, and left the old, weak, sick and disabled ones to be used as draft horses for plowing. A group of us old guys were even recruited to be in charge of raising horses. At that time, we had the intention of keeping a batch of horses as breeding horses.

As a result, a batch was slaughtered during the famine, and with the prohibition against going east or west for ten years, another batch was wasted. This horse owner is right; it'll be difficult to find purebred Japanese horses again.”

He sighed deeply, looking at the foal, and said, "I just saw this horse; it's a truly fine horse, capable of being used as a warhorse with proper training. But this illness has taken it to three veterinarians who couldn't cure it. I'm afraid it won't make it." Chen Fan looked at him, then at the foal, and said, "You know how to raise horses, but you can't?"

Master Liu chuckled, "You really overestimate me. If it were a common ailment, I could cure it with a handful of herbs, but for such a serious illness, even veterinarians can't cure it. What can I do?"

Chen Fan looked at the little horse's blank stare and couldn't help but take a step forward, only to realize that he was still holding the milk jug.

He looked around and walked straight up to Zhang Wenliang. "Brother Sanhu, give me a hug."

Zhang Wenliang glanced into the jar. "This looks like milk?"

Chen Fan chuckled. "There's a place over there selling water buffalo milk. It looked pretty fresh, so I bought some."

Zhang Wenliang nodded in realization, but didn't say anything.

Chen Fan handed the jar to him, then turned around, walked to Xiao Ma, squatted down, and looked at it.

Master Liu chimed in, "What, Xiao Chen, you can cook horse meat?"

Upon hearing this, the horse owner felt a sudden pang in his heart, but thinking of his family's situation, he simply covered his face and refused to look.

Chen Fan turned around and smiled. "No, I just wanted to check on the horses."

Then, stroking the horse's head, it neighed a few times and asked, "Where do you feel unwell?"

Little Horse suddenly froze, tilted its head to look at Chen Fan, and whimpered twice, "My stomach hurts."

After it finished crying, its eyes, which had been as dark as death, suddenly brightened, filled with grievance, and tears welled up in its eyes.

Those who witnessed this scene were all amazed.

Master Liu exclaimed loudly, "Oh my, this foal is destined for you!"

Hearing the commotion around him, the horse owner immediately looked up, and when he saw what was in front of him, he was stunned.

Chen Fan stroked the horse's head, looking at the pitiful foal rubbing against him, and made a decision. He turned to the owner and asked, "How much do you want for this horse?"

The surroundings immediately fell silent. Secretary Yang and the others wanted to persuade Chen Fan, since the horse looked like it was already in bad shape and would most likely not survive if bought back; they could only wait for it to die and be slaughtered for meat.

But horse meat has no oil at all and is worthless, so why waste money to buy a horse?

But when they saw the horse again, everyone felt a lump in their throat and couldn't say a word.

Rural people who raise livestock naturally know that some animals are spiritually gifted. If they don't show it, that's fine. But if they do show it, unless there's really no other way, they'll avoid killing or selling them if possible.

The horse clung to Chen Fan so tightly, clearly seeing him as its savior, a stark contrast to its behavior earlier. Perhaps they really were destined for each other?
The horse owner was stunned for several seconds before muttering, "3, 30."

Master Liu immediately said, "This horse is almost dead, and you're still selling it for 30?"

The horse owner, his face contorted with grief, gritted his teeth. "25 yuan, that's the lowest I can go. I spent 3 yuan on breeding, 3 or 4 yuan on vet treatment, and then there's the mare's feed for the whole year..."

Chen Fan waved his hand to interrupt him, "Okay, it'll be 25 yuan, deal."

(End of this chapter)