The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 30 Buying a Cat

The next day, Yang Ming got up early and made breakfast. Today, he was going to sign a contract with the village.

Wei Qingqing was frightened last night and didn't get out of bed this morning. She was still asleep wrapped in a towel, but she probably didn't have any sweet dreams. Her brows were always furrowed and her face was a little pale.

"Qingqing, dinner's ready..." Yang Ming placed the kang table on the kang and gently nudged Wei Qingqing.

"Hmm..." Wei Qingqing frowned, opened her eyes, "You eat, I don't want to eat, I just want to sleep." After saying that, she covered her head with a towel.

Yang Ming sighed helplessly, knowing that she had been frightened last night and was not in good spirits today. He could only eat by himself. After finishing his meal, he washed his own bowl and chopsticks, took a few clean bowls, and put the food on them. He said, "Qingqing, I won't move the table down from the kang. The food is on the table. Remember to eat when you are hungry. I'm going to the county to get some money today and sign the contract with the village."

"Okay! Go ahead!" Wei Qingqing said vaguely.

So Yang Ming first took out the briefcase, took out 5 yuan, and gave it to Sister Liu to pay the contract fee. The rest was for her to repair the mountain. The briefcase Yang Ming brought back yesterday contained 228000 yuan. When he went to the market, Wei Qingqing took the change. Now he took out another 5 yuan, leaving 17 yuan.

Yang Ming stuffed the remaining money into the large wardrobe, emptied the briefcase, took the money he needed, and went out.

Yang Ming first drove his truck to the village committee, where he met up with the Party Secretary Zheng Dabao and the village head Wang Quangen. The two of them were already waiting at the entrance of the brigade. Although Wang Quangen wanted to scheme against Yang Ming, the township's requirement for the village to repair roads was a real task that had to be completed. Since he was hitching a ride with Yang Ming today, he couldn't show him any displeasure, so he nodded and that was enough. Zheng Dabao, on the other hand, greeted Yang Ming with a beaming smile.

After the two village officials got into the car, Yang Ming drove towards Yunggu County.

Yunggu County is a small county town, not rich, but not too poor either. The people's consumption level is considered moderate. Today happens to be the big market day in Yunggu County. As soon as I entered the county town, I saw all kinds of stalls on both sides of the road, selling flowers, trees, birds, pigeons, dogs...

The county town market is much larger than the rural market in terms of both the number of people and the scale. The roads are full of people, and trucks can only move forward little by little if they want to go forward.

"Alright, let's get off here. You go get the money. We'll meet here around 10 o'clock," Zheng Dabao said, seeing that the truck couldn't pick up speed anymore.

"Okay!" Yang Ming nodded, stopped the car, and the two village officials got out.

Since the car wouldn't move, Yang Ming simply parked it in a roadside parking space. Anyway, the car was advanced enough that it couldn't be driven without a key, and if he made too much noise, it would sound an alarm and call the police directly, so he didn't have to worry about any car thieves trying to steal it.

Although it was Yang Ming's first time in Yungu County, he knew what he was doing. After asking around, he easily found the bank, withdrew 35 yuan, put it in a safe, and then headed back to where he had parked.

After tossing the briefcase into the truck cab, Yang Ming strolled around the market while waiting for Zheng Dabao and Wang Quangen to return.

"Grandpa, why is there only dogs and pigeons in this livestock market? Where are the larger animals?" Yang Ming looked around for a long time but didn't see a single vendor selling large animals like cattle, sheep, pigs, or donkeys. He couldn't help but ask an old man carrying a birdcage covered with a black cloth.

"Young man, you're not from around here, are you?" The old man looked Yang Ming up and down.

"Uh! I'm definitely not a local," Yang Ming said.

"No wonder. This isn't the livestock market. See those dog sellers? That's the dog market. And those flower sellers over there? That's the flower market. And those bird sellers? That's the bird market. Those big animals are too dirty, they poop and pee everywhere, so they're not allowed to sell them here. If you want to buy some, see that dirt road? Just follow that dirt road, and you'll see the livestock market..." The old man pointed out a dirt road to Yang Ming. This dirt road was a side road on the highway that led to the fields, where livestock manure was used as fertilizer.

"Thank you, sir..." Yang Ming thanked him repeatedly, then remembered that Wei Qingqing had been frightened by a mouse last night, and thought about buying a cat to put on the kang (heated brick bed) at home, so he asked, "Sir, do you know where I can buy a cat?"

"Cats? Cats aren't even on the market yet! If you want to buy one, you can only rely on luck. Look around near the dog market and pigeon market. Those things are clean; they bury their own poop and pee," the old man said.

"Thank you, sir!" Yang Ming thanked him repeatedly and began wandering around the dog market and pigeon market, looking for someone to sell a cat.

"Sir, how much are these dogs?" Yang Ming spotted a pair of spotted dogs at the dog market and immediately went over to them, only to find that both dogs were disabled when he got closer.

"These two dogs of mine are purebred Dalmatians. Their left front legs were broken by a clamp, but they're fine for breeding. You can take them home and use them for breeding without any problems. One dog is male and the other is female." The man selling the dogs was middle-aged, and there was a trace of regret on his face. It would break anyone's heart to see two good dogs ruined like this.

Yang Ming looked at the two dogs, which were chained together. Neither the male nor the female dog could escape. The male dog was quite large, but it seemed a bit listless, probably because it had been working as a breeding dog lately and was now weak. The female dog, on the other hand, was in good spirits and was clearly nursing.

"Your two dogs aren't in good shape, especially the male one. His hind legs are trembling from exhaustion. You've probably been letting him breed a lot these days. And the female one, she's definitely raising puppies..." Yang Ming said.

"Hehe, since they're already useless, we should naturally let them breed." The middle-aged man selling dogs chuckled. "Brother, if you want them, a thousand yuan will do, and you can take them away."

"It's hard to say..." Yang Ming shook his head slightly. "This male dog is probably completely drained. The female dog can still raise a puppy, but where am I going to breed it? I can only raise a hybrid. Here's what I'll do: four hundred, I'll take both dogs."

"Alright, four hundred it is..." The middle-aged man nodded readily. He hadn't planned to sell the two dogs for much money. Just as Yang Ming said, the male dog had been ruined by him, and whether it could be used as a breeding dog was still uncertain. Everyone who knew about dogs shook their heads when they saw the male dog. Only the female dog was okay. Asking for a thousand yuan was an exorbitant price. He was just waiting for Yang Ming to come down and negotiate the price.

Yang Ming took out his wallet from his pocket and handed the middle-aged man four RMB notes. After the middle-aged man verified that there were no notes, he disappeared into the crowd to prevent Yang Ming from changing his mind.

Yang Ming led the two spotted dogs back to the truck, picked them up and put them on the back of the truck bed, and tied them to the railing. The two dogs behaved themselves and lay down on the back of the truck bed as soon as they got on.

Yang Ming wandered around the market again, but did not find any cats for sale.

"Hey kid, what are you looking for? Still haven't found a cat to sell?"

As Yang Ming was searching around, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw it was the old man who had been carrying a birdcage and introducing him to the market.

"Hmm! We haven't found it yet!" Yang Ming nodded and said.

"Come with me, there's a cat seller over at the bird market, he's our neighbor..." The old man patted Yang Ming on the shoulder.

"You're so kind, thank you so much..." Yang Ming was overjoyed.

"What are you thanking me for? That stinky cat ate more than ten of my yellow birds. If they don't sell their lousy cat soon, I'll beat it to death..." The old man was furious when he mentioned his neighbor's cat.

Yang Ming was sweating profusely: So that's how it is?

The bird market has many kinds of birds, including parrots, yellow finches, mynas, warblers, larks, thrushes, and dozens of other species, all kept in cages, chirping away.

Led by the old man, Yang Ming found the cat seller, who was also an old man. When he saw the young man brought by his old neighbor, a bitter smile appeared on his lips. It seemed that his old friend really hated our cat.

The cat was indeed a formidable one. Just by looking at its sharp eyes, you could tell it was a powerful old cat. Its pupils shrank to slits in the sunlight, making one's heart tremble. Its black fur gleamed, and although its claws were retracted, Yang Ming was certain that once they were extended, a mouse would surely die under its claws.

"How much is this black cat?" Yang Ming asked.

"You were introduced by that old man, so it'll be 30!" The old man selling cats glanced at his neighbor and said bitterly.

"Can you catch the mouse?" Yang Ming asked again.

"I've never seen this before, but it's quite good at catching birds," said the old man selling cats.

"How dare you say that? Catching a bird in a cage, what kind of skill is that?" The old man carrying the birdcage became so angry that he blew his beard and glared at her when the topic of catching birds came up.

"Alright, I'll take it..." Anyway, thirty yuan wasn't much, and Yang Ming quite liked the black cat, so he didn't haggle. He paid and was about to leave with the cat when he suddenly heard a voice behind him: "I'll take it, I'll take it, I'll take it..."

"Who's mimicking my speech?" Yang Ming turned around in confusion and saw a large budgie, about a foot long, standing on a perch, talking incessantly. A thin iron chain connected its leg to the perch.

"Young man, I'm sorry, my parrot is too naughty..." The man selling the parrot was an old man in his sixties. When he saw Yang Ming looking over, he quickly apologized with a smile.

"My parrot is so naughty, my parrot is so naughty..." The budgie started mimicking its owner's speech again, but after being startled by the old man's stern face, it shrank its neck and stopped making noise.

"This parrot can really talk!" Yang Ming's interest was piqued.

"Young man, Old Liu's parrot is considered the best parrot in our county..." The old man who was leading Yang Ming to buy the cat interjected at this moment.

"Old Liu's parrot and Old Huang's bird are the two bestsellers in our county's bird market. Young man, you've really opened your eyes today, these two are right in front of you." The old man selling cats also came over.

"You have the nerve to say that? How many of Old Huang's yellow birds did your dead cat eat? Old Li's name is more famous in our bird market than ours! Everyone's afraid of you..." The old man selling parrots glared at the old man selling cats. "You finally managed to sell that dead cat today..."

Old Liu's parrot is the best talker, Old Huang's yellow bird is the best whistle whistle, and Old Li's cat eats caged birds... This is the most catchy saying at the Yunggu County bird market.

"Grandpa, your parrot is quite beautiful. Would you sell it?" Yang Ming asked.

"Sell, of course I'll sell. This is what Old Liu makes a living from," said Grandpa Li, who sells cats.

"Young man, if you really want this parrot, I'll make the decision. 300 yuan, you can take it. Old Liu's parrots don't have a fixed price. It's worth 100 yuan, or it's worth 1,000 yuan..." said Grandpa Huang, carrying the birdcage.

"Is this your parrot? You're going to make the decision for me?" Old Liu, the parrot seller, muttered.

"What do you mean? There's a big difference between one hundred yuan and one thousand yuan..." Yang Ming said, somewhat puzzled.

"Old Liu is an expert at tongue trimming parrots. No matter what kind of parrot it is, as long as Old Liu trims its tongue, it will definitely be able to talk. An ordinary parrot only costs thirty or forty yuan, but he can trim its tongue in two minutes without any labor costs. The price depends on his mood," Grandpa Huang explained.

Yang Ming looked the budgie up and down and thought the little guy was really quite energetic. Wei Qingqing was frightened last night, so buying her a talking parrot would be good to cheer her up. So he said, "Uncle Liu, if you agree, I'll take it for 300 yuan."

"I'll give Old Huang face today. If you really want it, you can take it for 300 yuan." Old Liu waved his hand, gave his two old friends a rather resentful look, and muttered, "This budgie of mine cost me three hundred yuan when I bought it..."

"You've been playing around for quite a while now..." Grandpa Huang said nonchalantly, lifting a corner of the black cloth on the cage in his hand and gently whistling inside. Immediately, a series of crisp responses came from inside the cage.

Yang Ming handed Grandpa Liu three hundred yuan, then picked up the parrot and said, "Gentlemen, I have to wait for someone, so I won't bother you any longer..."

"Okay! Go ahead, young man, take good care of my cat, Miaomiao. She's my granddaughter's favorite cat..." Grandpa Li waved his hand.

Yang Ming said goodbye to the three old men, carrying the parrot in one hand and the cat in the other, and returned to the truck. It has to be said that this black cat named Miaomiao is really cunning. It stared at the big parrot that Yang Ming was carrying, its eyes shining, definitely plotting when to have a feast on the big parrot.

"Meow……"

Just as Yang Ming got into the car, the big black cat suddenly let out a strange cry and jumped into his arms, its claws digging deep into his flesh, causing blood to gush out and stain his T-shirt blood red.

"Waaah..."

Yang Ming was initially shocked, not understanding why the usually docile black cat had suddenly gone berserk. Then he heard a low growl from a dog, turned around, and saw a large spotted dog peering through the rear window at the black cat in his arms, growling menacingly. He then realized that cats usually run away from dogs. If someone is holding a cat and encounters a dog on the street, the cat, unable to escape, will burrow into its owner's arms. In fact, out of fear, it might even instinctively extend its claws and scratch anything it touches. Cats are known for their restraint; sometimes they playfully bite their owners, but they never actually break their skin.

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