Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 62 Tuoba Niu 2
Arctic Martial's expression was not good.

Tuoba Niu, who was following Beiji Wu, was also very cautious.

The two rode their horses together to the commune, where there was a forest nearby, where many horses and donkeys were tied up.

Beijiwu asked, "Are my horses good horses or bad horses?"

The painting itself isn't valuable, but it was painted with great care by Beijiwu.

When he learned that it would cost one hundred taels, Beiji Wu was overjoyed.

In fact, even if it were sold for ten taels of silver, Beijiwu would have been willing to exchange it for money.

But if they agreed on one hundred taels but only gave him a rickety horse worth fifteen taels, then the next time he sees Xia Qiu, Beiji Wu will definitely teach him the consequences of humiliating a violent man!
According to Arctic Martial, there are different levels of deception.

If Tuoba Niu's deception is level one, then Xia Qiu's trickery and deception are level nine!
Tuoba Niu felt much more relaxed after seeing that Beiji Wu was no longer angry with him.

“Master Wu, these ten horses of yours are all good horses. They can be sold for ten taels of silver here at the horse market. If they were in a place in the south where there is a shortage of good horses, they would start at least at twenty taels of silver.”

Beijiwu felt much more comfortable and a smile appeared on his face.

“Alright, just take good care of these livestock.” Beijiwu smiled. “It’s normal to make or lose money in business. As long as you’re satisfied, that’s all that matters. I won’t hold a grudge about what happened before. Just do things properly from now on. I don’t mind if you make a little extra money. Just tell the truth. We Mountain Farmers hate dishonest people.”

Tuoba Niu hurriedly replied, "Yes! Don't worry, Master Wu!"

"Alright, go inside and eat." Beijiwu shouted to the others at the entrance of the dining hall, "This guy is here to help us raise our livestock. He's been helping out in the village for the past month. We'll provide him with meals as if he were one of our own. Mu Chuanliang, you can take him to stay at your house."

Mu Chuanliang had just returned from the fields and, upon hearing this, replied, "Yes, clan leader."

The ten fine horses of the Arctic Warriors are used for riding, and perhaps they can also be used for combat in the future.

These horses have been living together for a long time and are familiar with each other, so keeping them together is easy.

Because the cattle worked for various families, they were raised by each family in turns.

After leaving the Arctic, Mu Chuanliang came over and started talking to Tuoba Niu.

"Master, do you know how to build a cowshed? How do you build a shed for more than ten cows?"

After dismounting, Tuoba Niu smiled and said, "I know, these are the cattle I raise. They need to be separated, otherwise some of them are particularly bad and like to kill other cattle. Cattle and horses cannot be raised together, they will fight. Horses are cunning and wicked, they will kick cattle to death."

Upon seeing that Tuoba Niu was a master cattle herder, the villagers' attitude towards this Hu man became noticeably more respectful.

A capable person can always find a way to earn more money, no matter where they are.

Kitada called out to his grandson, "Go and get my sake! Let's treat the old master well!"

Tuoba Niu laughed and said, "The mountain farmers are so generous!"

When everyone took off their hats at mealtime, Tuoba Niu saw that all the men and women in the village, young and old, had short hair like monks, and he knew that this was not the custom of the Han people.

Of course, Arctic Wu doesn't give off the feeling of being Han Chinese.

Although the Han Chinese soldiers on the border also went out to massacre and rob villages, it was always a collective action.

Arctic Martial is different. Arctic Martial goes out every now and then, and each time he comes back, he brings back a lot of spoils.

Neither the people of Beitian Village nor those outside who knew about this matter regarded Beijiwu as a Han Chinese.

If Beijiwu were to rebel, the entire village would not be surprised.

Whether it's forcing people to kneel before him or dividing up land, cattle, and other resources, it's all part of the process of rebellion.

In inland areas, people certainly wouldn't dare get too close to the Arctic Army. But it's different in the frequently rebellious Northern Plains; the people there only follow the strong.

Whoever has the strongest fist, whoever can lead everyone to have enough to eat and live a good life, is the boss.

The weaker the concept of the rule of law in a region, the more common rebellions are.

Tuoba Niu placed his personal belongings on the table, the iron and bronze utensils making a clattering sound.

Kitada asked curiously, "What kind of thing is in this bundle?"

Tuoba Niu was also afraid that these people would think the bundle was full of money and would try to rob and kill him, so he took the initiative to open the bundle and introduce it.

"This is a tool for putting rings on cows. I've been raising cattle since I was a child. I can put rings on cows' noses, make large horseshoes, and help with the birthing of cattle and sheep."

Upon hearing that Tuoba Niu possessed so many skills, Beitian Gen became even more polite.

Kitada lowered his head and leaned closer to ask, "Master, how much did our clan chief pay you for this trip?"

Tuoba Niu had just been nearly beaten to death by Arctic Wu, so he dared not ask for any wages.

"I admire Master Wu's reputation, so I dare not accept any money. Just provide food and lodging. In a couple of days, I'll go home and bring a few women over to help the men in your village find three wives!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers in the vicinity had an even better impression of the old man!
Kitada Ne stood up and said, "Master, you're a guest after all. The first bowl of rice after the pot is opened should be served to you!"

Mu Chuanliang and the others had no objections; prioritizing the guests was the proper thing to do.

Even if it means that your own wife and children eat little or nothing, you can't let your guests go hungry.

Soon the kitchen brought out pork soup, stew, whole wheat steamed buns, millet porridge, pickled vegetables, and eggs.

Tuoba Niu, Beitian Gen, and Beigong Dingbian ate together. Mu Chuanliang was not familiar with the Beigong and Beitian families, so he ate with his mother and children in the courtyard.

There weren't many tables in the room, and the dining hall wasn't fully completed yet; it couldn't accommodate more than one or two hundred people.

Most people eat out with their bowls, and they can eat whatever they want, whether it's dry or soupy.

Arctic Warriors don't care how much they eat, as long as they don't steal or take it home to hide.

Adults and children alike ate as much as they wanted, and the women in Beijiwu's family also didn't set any restrictions on three cakes or three bowls of porridge.

Arctic Martial Arts aims to make these women stronger, fatter, and with larger breasts and buttocks.

While Tuoba Niu was chatting with several men in the canteen, he saw an old woman and a child nearby drinking bowl after bowl of food.

"Why do you eat so much here? Aren't those old women afraid of not having enough to eat in the winter?"

Tuoba Niu felt that the people here were wasting their time and couldn't help but ask why.

Kitada looked hesitant and slowly said, "That's what I thought at first too, but these past few days the clan chief has made us do more heavy work, like plowing the fields, building houses, and carrying water, so we've been eating as much as we want."

Bei Gongding took a sip of wine from his bowl and casually said, "Let's eat! The clan chief told everyone to eat as much as they want. He said he'd figure out a way to make money if we ran out. We'll be going out in a while, and there will be several cartloads of stuff. What's there to be afraid of?"

Kitada thought so too, and said earnestly, "The clan chief is a capable man, he must have a way!"

Tuoba Niu felt speechless. This mountain farmer tribe can't survive, so they come down the mountain to rob people?
Tuoba Niu shouldn't meddle in other people's business.

In Tuoba Niu's mind, this place was a mountain stronghold where he could do business properly.

They'll rob when they're broke or out of food, but they're actually quite good to their own people.

(End of this chapter)