Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 203 Master Chen's Benevolence

It was the same spot as last time, and there was still a large crowd surrounding it.

What a coincidence, Secretary Yang and a few others were also inside.

Upon seeing Chen Fan and his group approach, Secretary Yang immediately waved and asked, "Are you here to check on the horses?"

Chen Fan nodded, greeted Captain Zhang, Xiao Liewen, and Ye Shubao, then looked at the horse tied to the willow tree, and then at the horse seller next to it—the same person who sold the pony last time. He then said softly, "Why isn't anyone buying this horse? Is it sick again?"

Xiao Liewen looked regretful, put his hands behind his back, and said with a sigh, "That's right. If it were a good horse, he wouldn't have sold it, and there wouldn't be no one to buy it now."

In rural areas, the livestock that sells the most easily is the water buffalo. A strong adult water buffalo can fetch 200 yuan, and a calf can cost around 100 yuan. It's a real commodity, and as soon as word gets out, people will be scrambling to buy it.

Next are horses, mules, and donkeys. Horses and mules are more sought after than donkeys, and the most expensive of these are breeding mares, also known as mares.

Zhao Yi, who is known as one of the three great masters of the Qing Dynasty's Xingling School along with Yuan Mei and Zhang Wentao, wrote a book called "Gaiyu Congkao: Mare, Shine, and Stud," which records that "before the Tang Dynasty, mares were called grass horses. After the establishment of the pasture system, they were called 'task horses,' and later people changed the name to 'stud horse' by adding the horse radical."

Therefore, a mare is a female horse, a gelding is a castrated horse, and a stallion is a riding horse without a saddle. There is also a male horse, which is the opposite of a female horse, and in some places it specifically refers to a horse used for breeding.

A mature mare costs between 120 and 150 yuan, a stallion that can be bred costs around 130 yuan, geldings are even cheaper, around 90 to 110 yuan, and foals are half the price.

Mules are offspring of horses and donkeys. Due to meiosis, male mules are basically infertile, and female mules have only a very small chance of giving birth to a foal after mating with a horse or donkey.

However, mules have a greater load-bearing capacity than horses and donkeys, so their price is only slightly lower than that of horses, around 100 to 120 yuan.

The cheapest are donkeys and oxen, with strong young ones costing only 80 to 100 yuan, and both old and young ones will be discounted.

So if there's nothing wrong with this healthy mare, she should be in high demand for 150 yuan.

After all, it is a purebred Japanese horse. Not only is it tall and beautiful, but its load-bearing capacity and endurance are no worse than mules, and even stronger. It is normal to trade it at the top price.

But now, half a morning has passed and no one has shown any interest in the horse, so there's only one possibility.

Like the pony Chen Fan bought, this horse is sick!
While pondering, Chen Fan stepped forward, squatted down, and touched the horse.

The mare lay on the ground, not even glancing at him, her eyes devoid of any life.

Gan Laibao, who was selling horses, had already seen him. His eyes held a bitter smile mixed with hope. He greeted him first, "Master Chen."

Chen Fan looked up at him and asked, "Why is Master Gan selling the horse?"

Gan Laibao sighed, "I don't know if it's because the foal was sold. Since the foal left, this mare hasn't been eating properly. She only eats a little bit of hay every day, and she doesn't run anymore. She just lies in the stable, not moving at all. She only moves when you pull her. In less than a month, she has lost a lot of weight. If this continues, even if she doesn't die, she won't be able to work."

No wonder they had to sell the horse; if a horse can't work, it's useless!
Chen Fan blinked, about to speak, when Xiao Liewen, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and said loudly, "What you're saying isn't right. According to you, you're blaming Xiao Chen for buying your horse? Does that mean you should return it to him? Or are you going to force him to buy this sick horse?"

People around them, regardless of whether they were from Lujiawan or not, all chimed in to support them.

“One thing at a time. Everyone in the production brigades knows that if it weren’t for Master Chen’s kindness in buying your pony, that pony would have ended up being eaten sooner or later. How can you blame Master Chen?”

"Regardless of how your mare got sick, what are you trying to do by immediately shifting the blame onto Master Chen?"

"Old Gan, although we are both from Ganjiacun, and you are still my distant cousin, I still have to say something to you: this is not how you conduct yourself!"

"Exactly, Master Chen kindly bought your horse, did he buy the wrong one?"

They talked back and forth, making Gan Laibao blush and quickly explain, "That's not what I meant, that's really not what I meant..."

Chen Fan looked back at the indignant crowd, somewhat bewildered.

It's often said that you should help those who are reasonable, not your relatives, but that applies to internal matters. At the very least, it applies to a large group where everyone knows each other and has a good relationship. Only then would you say "help those who are reasonable, not your relatives."

But when it comes to external relations, the rural areas these days emphasize "working together with one heart." Regardless of who is right or wrong, you can't be biased in your stance, otherwise you won't be able to survive in this village!
Now, Gan Laibao has only said one sentence, yet so many people are standing up for him, including people from Ganjiacun. This is very strange.

At this moment, Secretary Yang waved his hand to stop the others from criticizing him, and then pointed at Gan Laibao and asked, "Has he been taken to the veterinary station for a checkup? What did Station Chief Zhou say?"

Gan Laibao looked distressed and spread his hands. "Station Chief Zhou couldn't find anything wrong either. He said the horse shouldn't be sick, but he still prescribed some appetite-stimulating medicine, but it didn't work."

While they were talking, Chen Fan lowered his head and stroked the horse's head, asking softly, "What's wrong?" The mare finally reacted to his words and looked up at him.

Several seconds later, he hissed a few times, "The child is gone."

Chen Fan was speechless. It really was true!

In rural areas, countless cows and mares are reluctant to part with their calves and foals when they are sold. Even a sow will protect her piglets, let alone a horse, which is more intelligent.

Especially with mother dogs that have just given birth, some dogs will bare their teeth even if the owner dares to touch the puppies.

The foal was taken away before it was even a month old, and it's quite possible that the mare fell ill from longing for it.

"Ouch."

Chen Fan sighed, patted the horse's head, and realized that he had no choice but to buy the horse.

Asking him to sell the foal back would be impossible, not only would Gan Laibao be reluctant, but he also didn't seem like the type to come up with tens of dollars in cash. Besides, Gan Laibao had originally planned to sell the foal in the first place, so Chen Fan was even less likely to sell it to him.

Seeing the mare in this state was too much for him to bear, so the only solution was to buy the mare as well.

Well, luckily he made a lot of money today, otherwise he would have just watched helplessly.

Chen Fan clapped his hands, stood up, walked over to Gan Laibao, and asked, "Master Gan, how much is this horse?"

Before Gan Laibao could speak, Xiao Liewen stared at him wide-eyed, "You're really planning to buy it? What do you want to buy it for?"

Secretary Yang also chimed in with advice, "What use is a sick horse that Station Chief Zhou can't even find fault with?"

"To study the patient's condition!"

Chen Fan lied through his teeth, pointing at the horse lying on the ground and saying, "What a great case study! Even Station Chief Zhou couldn't find the cause of the illness, it must be some kind of difficult disease. I can buy it and study it slowly. If I can cure it, wouldn't that be a huge profit!"

Ye Shubao looked at Chen Fan carefully, then at the horse, and with a quick thought, he said, "If you ask me, what kind of livestock don't we have in our brigade? Horses, cattle, sheep, mules, donkeys. If you want to do research, we can bring you any one you want. There's really no need to buy this one."

Besides, even if you could cure this horse, what use would you have for it? You're a coordinator, not someone who pulls carriages. As for riding it, this horse is already an adult; it can only be used as a pack animal, not for carrying you around. It won't go far or fast, so why bother?

Hearing their words, Gan Laibao became increasingly anxious, but dared not utter another word.

After what just happened, he now understands that this matter really has nothing to do with Chen Fan.

If it weren't for Chen Fan, that foal would have ended up being eaten anyway. Even if the foal were gone, the mare would still be the same. It's really not worth it for Master Chen.

But he also wanted to cut his losses.

It's been almost morning, and quite a few people have come to inquire, but as soon as they hear it's a sick horse, none of them dare to buy it.

Liar?

They're all villagers from the surrounding area; try lying to them!
Only Master Chen was unafraid and asked the price, but he was stopped by several brigade leaders from Lujiawan. No wonder he was anxious.

After finally persuading Secretary Yang and the others, Chen Fan turned to Gan Laibao and asked, "How much are you planning to sell it for?"

Last time, Gan Laibao dared to bid, but now he doesn't even dare to bid. Otherwise, he'll be scolded by those people again, or what if Chen Fan doesn't buy it in the end?
He resignedly said, “I bought this horse five years ago for 50 yuan. I’ve taken better care of it than I have my own mother. I’ve fed it grass and radishes, but I’ve never stopped feeding it soybeans and salt. It costs me at least 5 yuan a year for feed. Mr. Chen, you can give me whatever you think is appropriate.”

They said they would give whatever they could, but they did give a minimum cost price, which was about 75 yuan.

After thinking it over, Chen Fan decided not to be too harsh and said, "One price, 100 yuan."

The horse wasn't sick at all. If he took it back to see the foal and raised it for a few more days, it would immediately become a good horse worth 150 yuan. But he didn't dare to pay too much, otherwise he would really become a fool in other people's eyes.

Even at this price, everyone around gave him a thumbs up, saying, "Master Chen is a kind and honest man!"

Gan Laibao was quite satisfied. He sold the horse and would go find a mature mule later. Horses were really too expensive to take care of!
Chen Fan slowly took out 100 yuan from the cloth bag. Secretary Yang helped write the transaction form, and then both parties pressed their fingerprints to settle the money and goods.

(End of this chapter)