Chapter 21 - Buying A Goat
Yu Dong asked a few people about the price of the goats they were selling but the price that she received as response was sky high , Yu Dong was surprised, just for two goats she had to pay twelve taels ? That was equivalent to giving away the entire money that she earned from hunting the game and selling its meat !
Maybe Yu Dong had used up all her luck because she couldn't find a single seller who was ready to sell their goats at a reasonable price , the more she looked around , the more unreasonable the price became , the price seemed to be getting higher and higher by each second .
" Sister , sister - there let's go there " Yu Mai was bored at first when his sister took him in her arms and started looking around , Yu Mai was very happy . Being in his sister's arms was a novel experience for him but after all Yu Mai was a kid , he soon got bored of looking around and ruefully leaned his head on the crook of his sister's neck , he had been hoping for something interesting to watch thus when he saw that there was a mob of people bustling on their left , he immediately shouted at Yu Dong .
Yu Dong felt her ears buzz because of Yu Mai 's shout but didn't had the heart to scold him when he was grinning like that , so she could only sigh and walk in the direction where the crowd was gathered around , whatever it looks like she won't be able to buy a goat today , so she might as well look around .
Yu Dong squeezed through the crowd and saw that there was a mer in clothing that was even more tattered than hers , next to him were three goats , that were so thin that only skin and bones were left , the three of them were lying on the ground without even moving the slightest inch , if not for their moving abdomen , Yu Dong would have thought that goats were long dead . The mer seemed to be begging to the shrewd looking woman in front of him , he cut a sorry figure in comparison to the woman who was wearing resplendent robes " please , please , my wife - she , she is waiting for me . Please do buy these goats for six - no five taels from me , I promise I will agree to anything just let me save my wife , she is really important to me "
The woman who was standing in front of the mer frowned " its not like I don't want to buy but boy I'm doing a business here as well , you tell me who will buy these almost dead goats ?"
" but … but my wife is dying , the doctor said that without medicine prescribed by her - my wife will die in three days !" The mer cried out pitifully , his eyes turning red as he sobbed " I have a daughter and a mer to take care of , if my wife died where will I go ? Who will give me job ? What will happen to my kids - please I beg you just five taels !"
The mer was in so much emotional pain that he didn't even flinch as he kowtowed on the ground , however the woman in front of him didn't even bothered to look at him properly , she waved her hand impatiently" you want me to pay five taels for these sick goats ? A single healthy goat costs four taels together the three will amount to twelve taels , and that's when the goats are healthy , with these goats that are nothing but skin and bones , you won't even earn a single tael if you sell them to the butcher ! Five tales is too much , you better agree with my offer of two hundred cents and be happy !"
The mer shook his head , in dejection and stood up , if his house had any other valuables he would have agreed to this offer but all the valuables had been sold because he wanted to find a doctor for his wife , now he was penniless . If he sold these goats for two hundred cents then he might as well buy poison and die together with his kids and wife .
When the woman saw that the mer was leaving she spat on the ground and shouted " useless thing ! Do you really think some one would pay five taels for those sick goats ?"
The crowd also agreed with the woman they too nodded and exclamations could be heard "that's right five taels , a person can buy a good healthy goat in four taels what is he thinking ?"
" but two hundred is too little , even if the goats are dying they can are still alive - the shopkeeper should have given at least one tael ,to the poor mer -"
" the shopkeeper is here to earn not to run a charity , if she gives money to others just like that , then her shop might go bankrupt in just a few days !"
Yu Dong took a look at the three goats and her mind buzzer she immediately rushed after the mer carrying Yu Mai in her arms , once the two of them were out of the animal market , Yu Dong looked around and shouted " hey fellow brother , do you mind selling your goats to me ? I will pay five taels ?"
Yu Dong had a sympathetic attitude towards these mers who were treated like trash by the people in this world . She had three mers in her house as well and all three of them were so scared of her , that is to say the original owner , she could more or less understand there situation and couldn't help but pity them all the same . But the reason she was buying these goats wasn't because she pitied the mer , but because she knew that she could actually treat these goats with her spiritual energy and make them healthy again .
Which was why her heart felt a little guilty when the mer looked at her like she was his knight in shining armour " you - you will buy these goats from me ? " but then the mer looked at Yu Dong's tattered clothing and the thin and sickly looking Yu Mai and his eyes dimmed " you better not buy these , they are indeed really sick my brother in- someone fed them something wrong and they ended up getting diarrhoea"
Because of the slip of tongue Yu Dong understood the mer 's situation and knew that his luck was more or less similar to the original owner and her husbands "don't worry , I'm a hunter and I can treat animals as well as hunt them , you can sell them to me " though Yu Dong was talking to the mer she was channeling her spiritual energy to the goats that were being carried by the mer .
When she felt their pulse strengthen she sighed in relief good these goats can still be saved .
" alright " once the mer agreed , Yu Dong handed him five taels , took the three goats and picked one in her basket while Yu Mai and her picked up a goat each in their arms . The mer who had sold all of these sick goats that were closed to dying for five taels was shocked he gripped the silver taels in his hands and felt his eyes burn , true enough humanity wasn't dead .
Yu Dong saw the mer standing foolishly then she whispered " go didn't you say you have a sick wife to tend to ? "
" yes …yes thank you thank you so much " the mer made a big bow and thanked Yu Dong again and again " Sister I will remember this kindness , if we ever meet again , I promise I will make it up to you "
Yu Dong smiled and replied " what kindness ? You sold and I brought these goats what kindness ? You can go back and buy the medicine for your wife " with that she asked Yu Mai to start walking in front of her and left the mer behind , not knowing that one day she in the coming year this mer will become her future in law .