I want to be a good person

"My hometown was attacked by the Japanese, so I had to buy a few animals to prepare for the famine. It would be easier than using a ruler to measure the sky when escaping."

"Hey, this damned little Japanese, he's not tall, but he's got a lot of tricks. I don't know what those masters are thinking. He's good at harming the common people, but why can't he tolerate that short guy?"

"Uncle, stop talking about this. Complaining is useless. They are all high up and think differently from us. They see farther and think more deeply."

"Bullshit, the common people have no work to do, nothing to eat or wear, they can't survive, so they have to rebel."

"Uncle, stop talking. How much do you want to sell this donkey for?"

"I am illiterate and have no ideals. I just think you are a scholar, so I talk to you. The opera also says that if an official does not serve the people, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes. These people know how to farm and grow sweet potatoes, but they are still cheating and deceiving people in various ways. It's all in their bones."

"Alas, I can't figure it out. It's not something a commoner like me should worry about. Business is not going well, and I have nothing to do."

"Yes, yes, those are the high and mighty masters in the temple. We, the common people, should just live first."

"That makes sense. Come here. This is our big black donkey from Texas. It has a black head and is completely black without any stray hairs. Look at its physique. It is 1 meters tall, strong, with a big frame and weighs 35 kilograms. It eats a lot of food, such as corn, millet, and soybean stalks, corn cakes, bean cakes, and cottonseed cakes for oil extraction. It is relatively easy to feed and is obedient and doesn't kick its feet."

"How much is one?"

"For 16 yuan, I want Yuan Datou instead of Sun Xiaotou."

The vendors saw that the students would definitely not use their sleeves to negotiate prices, so they had no choice but to bargain.

"what about this?"

"This is a three-pink, also black, with white on the nose, around the eyes and under the belly. This one is one dollar cheaper, has a smaller body, and walks faster."

"Where's the calf?"

"Well, 10 yuan."

"Oh, I remember now. Donkeys are easy to keep in the countryside, but not in the city."

Zhang Aiguo looked at the vendor with some confusion. He saw that he was wearing a tattered leather hat with two furry earmuffs that were unusually high, one sticking up and the other hanging down. He was wearing a sheepskin coat with long sleeves that were rolled up, black cotton trousers, and he didn't know what kind of shoes he was wearing, they looked like felt shoes from outside the city. He was covered in dust and his face was weather-beaten and dark.

Zhang Aiguo felt a little warm in his heart and took out the Lao Dao cigarette and handed it over.

"Uncle, have a cigarette"

"Hey, foreign cigarettes, I'll have one."

He took a cigarette out of the box, put it in his mouth, and returned the cigarette to Zhang Aiguo.

"Uncle, take this and smoke it. This cigarette is a bit strong and powerful."

Zhang Aiguo prefers the soft aroma of Hardman and the clean and comfortable aftertaste. Laodao is a bit strong. When he was young, he smoked just to show off. When he got older, he smoked to drive away his worries. As he got older, it became a habit. The taste and sentiment are the only choices. In addition, tobacco can also relieve pain and stop bleeding.

The vendor smiled, put the cigarette in his pocket, lit it with a match, took a deep breath, and blew out a smoke ring, slightly improving the smell of the air.

"You don't understand, right? Your elders may understand. Donkeys have a stomach, and they can't chew cud like cows or sheep. The feed must be dry, hard, and crisp. If you eat too much soft grass or half-dry and half-wet grass, you will get sick easily. It's hard to find dry feed in the city. Since you are not old enough, I won't lie to you."

"Thank you, uncle. How convenient do you think it is to buy it?"

"I think you should buy a horse. Although it is more expensive, it is suitable for raising in the city. In the city, there are usually horse-drawn carriages, while donkeys, cows and mules are mostly in the countryside. Think about it yourself, is this the case?"

Zhang Aiguo thought about it and realized that it was true. It was impossible to fill the space with all kinds of dry straw.

"Listen to the advice and eat your fill, uncle, I'll buy a horse"

"Well, I've been to school, I don't give in to my own opinions, I don't care, the chestnut horse, the black horse, the blue horse, and the white one."

"Uncle, give me a fair price, I'll buy two"

"I tell you, it's better to use a big blue mule to pull the shaft of a two-horse carriage. It's more stable."

For the sake of half a pack of cigarettes, the vendor still said a lot.

"Well, please help me pick out two horses with saddles, fast horses, a black horse to pull the cart, and a cart that can support a shed. Please help me harness them."

"Okay, it depends on the buyer"

The vendor responded, picked one up, and led over a chestnut horse, tied it to the hitching post. The horse was 135 cm tall, estimated to weigh 360 kg, with a thick body and strong limbs. He put a special mat on the horse's back, took a saddle, and placed the front and back on the mat on the horse's back, and taught Zhang Aiguo how to tighten the front and back belly straps under the saddle and how to tighten the belly straps at other times.

Another dark horse was found, and Zhang Aiguo was asked to learn how to use it himself.

"Let me tell you, this Mongolian horse is very tolerant of rough breeding, has very good speed and endurance, can walk 8 kilometers in 60 hours, can walk 1 kilometers a day, can walk for several days in a row, it is very useful."

"So amazing"

"The operas all say that Temujin conquered the world with the help of Mongolian horses."

The donkey cart was harnessed, the left and right ear plates were installed, the cart shed was propped up, and the thick roof beams were thrown on the cart. After a period of busy work, everything was ready.

"Let me calculate the cost for you. The blackhead is 16 yuan each, and the Sophora japonica wood trolley with iron wheels is 5 yuan. The main thing is that the bearings are foreigners, so don't think it's expensive."

“I know. The price is fair.”

"This horse is more expensive, 31 dollars a piece. It is used in battles and is not easy to come over. It can be used as a war horse. The saddle is simple, but it is made of cowhide. The whole set will cost you 3 dollars. The total is 68 dollars."

"That's really not cheap"

"Business is difficult. There are too many taxes along the way. The Japanese also collect taxes."

"You bought a lot, so it's a good thing. I'll give you a small bag of corn, sorghum, and soybeans, enough to feed them for a few days. I'll also give you a saddlebag, two muzzles, two dung bags, and a short whip for driving the cart."

“Thank you, here’s the money.”

Zhang Aiguo bent down and took out 89 yuan from his bag, then stood up and handed it over.

In this era, only wealthy families could own horse-drawn carriages, and they needed someone to serve them. It was not easy to wash and feed them.

"Little brother, leave the animals here first, we have to go and handle the formalities"

“What procedures?”

"Large livestock such as cattle, donkeys, mules and horses are not allowed to be sold casually. If they are sold, they must be registered with the industry association and a certificate must be issued. Taxes must be paid with the certificate issued by the industry association. Once the tax is paid, it is legal. If there is an inspection, the receipt must be produced, otherwise it is stolen and will be confiscated from you."

"Okay, take me there."

When I arrived at the association, a yellow receipt was handwritten stating what was purchased.

"Uncle, is there a number?"

“Everything must be filed”

Finally, I got the tax receipt issued by the Livestock Tax Collection Bureau, which also served as a trading license, with a 5% tax and a payment of 4 and 4 cents.

"Uncle, it's not cheap."

"Well, you have to pay taxes. You have to pay taxes for everything you do. You have to pay them layer by layer. Keep the two forms safe. Be careful. It doesn't mean that everything is fine if it's legal. If you encounter an inspection, sometimes they will tear up your documents and confiscate them."

"Thank you"

The two horses were tied behind the cart. Zhang Aiguo inserted the whip into the ring of the cart and walked out, leading the donkey by hand.

After leaving the market, Zhang Aiguo got on the cart, held the whip in his hand, and drove like a driver, slowly heading towards a less crowded place. Three animals were too conspicuous and might easily bring disaster.

He turned into an alley and came out again, wearing a dog-skin hat, a black cotton jacket, and cotton trousers. The two Mongolian horses were harnessed up. The sound of crisp copper bells could be heard along the way, and the red tassel on the donkey's forehead fluttered in the wind.