Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 120: Treating a dead horse as a living horse doctor

Once the deal was done, the people around, seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, all left to wander off to other places.

However, none of the people from Lujiawan left.

Such "large" transactions usually have a receipt as proof; otherwise, it's not uncommon for unscrupulous individuals to take the money and then falsely accuse the buyer of stealing a horse.

The horse owner was prepared. He took out a pre-prepared transaction slip, filled in the amount, pressed his fingerprint on it, and then exchanged money for the slip, thus completing the transaction.

Watching the horse owner leave with the money and pulling the cart, Secretary Yang of the brigade walked up to Chen Fan and clicked his tongue, "You made a lot of money selling turtle meat today? You even bought a sick horse for 25 yuan without a second thought?"

Chen Fan stroked the horse's head, stood up, and said with a smile, "I was lucky. There hadn't been a market for ten years, and everyone was so bored that they bought whatever they saw. I made two buckets of soft-shelled turtles and earned a few dozen yuan in total. That should be enough for a prosperous New Year."

Today, he's the only one selling cooked meat, and the aroma, in particular, travels from north to south, filling the entire market; it's impossible to hide it.

However, apart from Jiang Lili who was by his side, no one else knew exactly how much he earned, so they gave a discount on his income.

The feeling is different when it comes to a few tens of yuan versus a hundred or so yuan; this way, you can attract fewer people who are jealous.

But even tens of yuan is a lot.

Accountant Liu exclaimed, her mouth agape, "She actually made tens of yuan? That's a senior technician's monthly salary!"

Ye Shubao grinned, "Goodness, the total dividends for all the members this year probably don't even amount to what you earn in a single day."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "That can't be compared. This is just a one-off deal for me. When the market opens next time, there will definitely be many people selling turtle meat, and I won't make much money then."

Yang Chuanfu said, "Even if many people come to sell, they definitely can't outsell you. Your skills are the best; how can others compare?"

Chen Fan shook his head, "I'll only do it this once, I don't plan to do it again."

He was certain that at the next market day, there would be at least 2 or 30 vendors selling turtle meat. This was only if the people of Lujiawan spread the word slowly; otherwise, given enough time, the word would spread to several nearby production brigades, and there could be hundreds of vendors doing it.

For the members, the turtles were free; they only needed to add some oil, salt, and seasonings, making it a business with virtually no cost.

As long as there are many sellers, these members, thinking that they can make a little money, will definitely engage in a price war.

Chen Fan didn't want to work so hard only to earn a few dollars in the end.

He'd be better off reading a book more, and why sell turtle meat, which is far superior to pork, so cheaply? Wouldn't it be better to keep it for himself?

Zhang Wenliang, who was standing next to him holding a milk jug, looked at him and chuckled, "You really don't plan to continue?"

Chen Fan shook his head decisively, "I'm not doing it."

Zhang Wenliang said, "How about this, if we open another market, I'll provide the turtles and the oil, salt, and seasonings, and you can cook for me. Once we make money, I'll give you half, okay?"

Before Chen Fan could speak, Accountant Liu clapped his hands and laughed, "That's a great idea. If Xiao Chen agrees, I'd like to do this business too."

Zhang Changjiang laughed and scolded from the side, "You guys want to be capitalists, don't you?"

Zhang Wenliang argued vehemently, "A capitalist is one person who hires many workers, but we are a group of people hiring Master Chen alone. How can he be a capitalist?"

Chen Fan laughed heartily, "Sure, as long as I can manage, whoever wants to do it can come to me." He didn't mention anything about splitting it in half.

Unlike in the future, we should be upfront and clear about things beforehand, especially anything involving money.

In this day and age, relationships are still the priority among acquaintances and friends. If anyone dares to cheat their partner, once the news gets out, no one will want to associate with them anymore. Therefore, Chen Fan is not worried about being cheated.

Besides, we haven't even received the money yet, so arguing about it is pointless and will only damage our relationship.

Seeing that Chen Fan followed the rules and knew when to advance and retreat, Xiao Liewen, who had been silent until now, nodded, then squatted down and looked at the little pony, "What do you plan to do with this little guy?"

Chen Fan said, "I want to see the veterinarian in town again."

Master Liu also came over, patting the foal's back. "You don't need to look for the commune's veterinarian. That horse owner already went to them. That's about all they can do; they're not of much use unless you take it to the county town. But..."

He touched the foal's belly again, "In this state, it probably can't go far. If we take it all the way to the county town, its condition will most likely worsen, and it might even die halfway there."

As she spoke, she looked up at Chen Fan and said, "Don't waste any more money. Why don't you take it back and get some herbs to treat it slowly? Maybe there'll still be a chance."

Chen Fan frowned slightly. Master Liu had raised livestock for decades. He might not be a qualified veterinarian, but his understanding of livestock was probably better than that of many veteran veterinarians. His words could not be ignored.

After a moment's thought, Chen Fan asked, "Master Liu, are there any books on veterinary medicine for sale in town?"

Master Liu was taken aback when he heard this. "You're going to buy a book and treat it yourself?"

Chen Fan squatted down and stroked the horse's head. The foal nuzzled against him. He then looked at Master Liu and laughed, "Even last-minute preparations can be effective. We'll try anything, even if it's a dead horse. If it survives, it's lucky; if not..."

He hugged the horse's head and rubbed it, looking at the little horse's bright eyes, and grinned, "I did my best."

Master Liu nodded slightly with a serious face, "You are a thoughtful person."

He paused for a moment, then looked up and smiled, “I don’t know if the commune’s bookstore sells books, but I know where to find them. I’ve heard from the people at the commune’s veterinary station that they are all self-taught and semi-illiterate, and they learned their skills slowly from their masters. They can’t understand the veterinary books that are issued to them by the higher-ups.”

"Anyway, they won't understand it, so I'll just put on a brave face and get you a few books to see if this little guy is really meant for you."

He stood up and waved his hand, "Bring a cart. The little guy can't walk, so we'll have to take him back. I'll go to the vet station first and be right back."

Mr. Liu is quite old, but he's a man of action; he left as soon as he finished speaking.

Zhang Wenliang returned the milk jug to Chen Fan and pointed to the side, saying, "There's a vendor over there selling withered lotus leaves. Five leaves for one cent. Go buy some and cover this up. I'll go pull your cart."

Are there still people selling withered lotus leaves?
Chen Fan held the jar and looked over there. People were coming and going, but he couldn't tell which house it was.

Jiang Lili immediately said, "I'll go."

After saying that, he walked forward.

Ye Shubao walked over, looked at the buffalo milk in his jar, then at the foal, and said, "You just bought milk and a foal comes along, what a coincidence."

As soon as he spoke, Chen Fan realized that the little guy was only a month old. Even if he was cured, what would he eat in the future?
(End of this chapter)