6: Chapter 6 Zheng's Butcher Shop

Ye Jing walked for about an hour down the mountain, wiping the sweat from his face.

Although today's trip into the mountains was full of unexpected events, fortunately, it was more a scare than a real danger.

He carried a leather bag on his back, and the Mountain Delicacy Chicken and wild rabbits inside struggled every now and then.

It was now afternoon, and he encountered many fellow villagers on the way, who saw him carrying the bag down the mountain again.

They couldn't help but tease him: "Old Man Ye! Stepped in dog poop luck again? Got yourself some mountain chickens?"

Ye Jing hunched his back, leaning on his staff and smiling as he made some small talk to brush them off.

Wild chickens were common and of low value, so they wouldn't arouse the envy of others.

However, Ye Jing didn't dare to talk with the villagers for long. Taxes were high these days, and if people knew there was a Mountain Delicacy Chicken in the bag...

With his frail body, he feared being robbed and could only leave quickly.

Ye Jing returned home cautiously all the way.

Wu Guiyun was busy lighting the fire to cook. When she saw Ye Jing returning with a bag and cautiously closing the door behind him...

She hurried out to ask, "Father, you didn't go into the mountains again, did you?"

Ye Jing coughed, opened the cloth bag, and revealed the Mountain Delicacy Chicken.

The brilliant feathers of the Mountain Delicacy Chicken left Wu Guiyun utterly amazed. Her eyes widened instantly, her face full of disbelief.

The two children, Ye Tianyao and Ye Tianhao, also crowded together to look.

"Is... is this a Mountain Delicacy Chicken?"

"Grandpa caught another wild chicken!"

Before his family could finish being surprised, Ye Jing said, "Gui Yun, this is indeed a Mountain Delicacy Chicken. I'm going to Yuanhe Town nearby to sell these wild games right now!"

This Mountain Delicacy Chicken had to be sold while it was still alive. If it died, the quality of the meat would be greatly reduced, it wouldn't replenish Blood Qi, and the price would plummet.

Therefore, Ye Jing had to sell it as quickly as possible while the Mountain Delicacy Chicken was still alive.

Hearing this, Wu Guiyun naturally understood Ye Jing's urgency, but she didn't feel comfortable letting her father-in-law walk alone. So she hurriedly said, "Father, how about I go instead? Yuanhe Town is far, and it's too much work for you to walk there alone."

Ye Jing glanced at Liu Xianglan, who was still lying in bed breastfeeding their grandson, and said decisively, "Gui Yun! These old bones of mine are still sturdy. With Hei Feng accompanying me, going alone is no problem. Besides, I know the owner of the butcher shop in Yuanhe Town; I'm familiar with the place, so it'll be easier to negotiate the price.

You stay here to take care of the children and Xianglan. Just wait for me to come back in peace."

Wu Guiyun had no choice but to agree, not forgetting to bring Ye Jing some corn cakes and water to serve as dry rations.

"Father, please be careful on the road!"

Ye Jing nodded and left the house with the Mountain Delicacy Chicken and the other prey from the chicken coop.

The road to Yuanhe Town was difficult to travel, and Ye Jing walked slowly. Even though it was broad daylight, Ye Jing didn't dare to relax.

Although he was traveling on the official road, the world was very unsettled these days. Bandits were everywhere, and any slight carelessness could lead to being robbed.

It took Ye Jing about four hours to walk to Yuanhe Town.

The small town was not like a county seat. The bluestone paths of Yuanhe Town were slippery, and there were only a few scattered small shops, such as a rice shop, a butcher shop, a pharmacy, and so on, for daily convenience.

Butcher shops were even rarer, so after turning through two alleys, Ye Jing quickly spotted "Zhengs Meat Shop" at the end of the long street.

At this time, there was a burly middle-aged man at the shop, chopping bones with a cleaver. Seeing Ye Jing approach, he was stunned for a moment, then put down the knife and called out with great surprise, "Uncle Ye!"

Ye Jing smiled and greeted him while leaning on his staff, "Dali, long time no see. You've inherited Old Zhengs Meat Shop, and business seems to be doing quite well."

Zheng Dali's father had done business with Ye Jing in the early years. His father was an honest and kind man, so whenever Ye Jing caught prey in the past, he would always send it to Zhengs Meat Shop.

Later, as Ye Jing grew older and could no longer hunt, he rarely came to Yuanhe Town.

Now that Zheng Dali had inherited his father's butcher shop, he was very friendly upon seeing Ye Jing: "Uncle Ye, you haven't been here for over ten years. Why did you suddenly come over today?"

Ye Jing smiled and lifted the leather bag in his hand: "I've come this time because I want to sell some wild goods."

Zheng Dali looked at the bulging bag and teased with a smile, "Uncle Ye, your two sons must have caught this, right? It looks like a heavy load."

“No, I caught it myself.” Ye Jing waved his hand.

“You caught it?” Zheng Dali looked surprised. He looked the grey-haired old man up and down, unable to connect the old man before him with a hunter.

Ye Jing sighed helplessly, "I have no choice. Taxes are getting higher every year, so these old bones of mine naturally have to go into the mountains! Take a look at the goods first and give your uncle a fair price."

Amidst his surprise, Zheng Dali wiped his greasy hands with a rag, took the cloth bag, looked inside, and let out a "Whoa."

“Uncle Ye, you really are still going strong! You actually caught a Mountain Delicacy Chicken!”

Ye Jing laughed, "It was just a stroke of luck. Besides this Mountain Delicacy Chicken, there are also a few wild rabbits and mountain chickens in the bag, all caught yesterday. Take a look at them too."

Zheng Dali looked at the wild chickens and rabbits; they were all in good condition.

He counted on his fingers and said, "According to current meat prices, Mountain Delicacy Chicken meat isn't cheap. I estimate the weight and will give you two taels of silver. As for the rabbit and wild chicken meat, I'll round it up to five hundred copper coins. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Ye Jing felt the price was fair, so he nodded and said, "Alright, but do you still take the skins?"

Zheng Dali grinned and pointed to his butcher's block, "I'm a meat seller, not a fur trader. Why would I need these skins?"

“Fine then, skin them and keep them for me, and sell the meat at the price!” Ye Jing said.

Zheng Dali said happily, "Deal, Uncle Ye. Then I'll carve out the meat first!"

With that, Zheng Dali picked up the butcher knife and skillfully skinned and carved the meat.

Ye Jing didn't forget to remind him, "Dali, skin them well. I'm going to take them to the fur shop later to sell for money, so I can buy some snacks for my grandchildren."

“Uncle Ye really dotes on his grandchildren. Don't worry, my, Zheng Dali's, meat-carving technique is top-notch. Not a single hair will be damaged!”

Zheng Dali laughed.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had removed the complete rabbit fur, and along with the wild chickens, he also plucked the feathers of the Mountain Delicacy Chicken clean, packing them into a cloth bag for Ye Jing.

Zheng Dali took the meat and gave Ye Jing two taels and five hundred copper coins.

With the silver tucked into his robe, Ye Jing also asked for some scrap bones that Zheng Dali didn't want to feed to Hei Feng.

He let this old dog, who had been running around with him for several days, have a taste of meat.

After bidding farewell to Zheng Dali, Ye Jing immediately walked toward the fur shop.

The manager of the fur shop sat behind a high counter. Seeing an old man enter, he didn't even look up and asked, "What skins are you selling?"

Ye Jing knew the manager was slighting him. He stepped forward and handed over the rabbit skins, wild chicken feathers, and Mountain Delicacy Chicken feathers.

When the manager saw the Mountain Delicacy Chicken feathers, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he calmly inspected the quality of the material.

“The skins are good. Rabbit skins are eighty copper coins each, wild chicken feathers are sixty, and Mountain Delicacy Chicken feathers are five hundred. Altogether, it's about seven hundred and eighty copper coins.”

Ye Jing was startled. He looked up and asked, "Manager, why are these furs and feathers worth so much?"

A few years ago, he had only sold rabbit fur for fifty copper coins, and now it had actually risen to eighty.

The manager explained, "Isn't it because our Yan State is about to go to war with the Jin State? The war in the north is intense, and there's a desperate shortage of winter clothing. In the future, the price of fur might even go up. Especially fox skins, which are eight hundred copper coins each. If you can still catch prey, just bring the skins to me."

Ye Jing nodded and agreed after hearing this.

No matter how tense the war in the north was, it was far less important than the family being able to live a stable life.

Gathering enough tax money was the most important thing.

He stuffed the money into his robe and carefully left the fur shop with his dog.

Ye Jing didn't forget to do some shopping at the market to replenish the family's grain and oil before heading toward home.

After all the exertion, it was already dark by the time he returned home.