Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 154

After thinking for a while, he said, "How about I go buy antiques with Sha Zhu again after some time?"

"All you know is buying antiques. Last time, Sha Zhu got four big yellow croakers for free. Are you trying to use the same trick again?"

“Last time it was just an accident; that Buddha statue wasn’t even worth 5 yuan,” Xu Wude said stubbornly.

Mrs. Xu rolled her eyes and said, "This won't do. Come up with another idea."

"Where can I find a solution right now?"

But this opportunity soon presented itself to Xu Wood.

Hüwood would go to the countryside every month to show movies, which was a good opportunity to earn some extra money.

After arriving at Zuojiazhuang, we went to my cousin's house while it was still early.

Xu Wude's cousin, Wu Mancang, raises pigs in this village. The two have a good relationship and often visit each other. Since Xu Wude is coming to show a movie, he should let him know in advance and stay overnight at his cousin's house.

"Mancang, are you home?"

Xu Wude smelled a pungent stench as soon as he stood outside the yard. He pushed open the gate and saw three pigsties, which should have been in the west wing, with three large sows inside.

"Yes, who is it?"

Someone answered from inside the main room.

Xu Wude pinched his nose and went into the house, asking, "Didn't you keep the sow in the back? How did you get her to the front yard?"

"There are 20 half-grown pigs in the back pigpen, but there's no room to keep them, so we had to move the sows to the front."

As Wu Mancang spoke, he handed her a cup of hot water.

Xu Wude didn't answer, and asked in surprise, "You said you raised more than 20 pigs again? Didn't you sell the piglets before?"

Wu Mancang's previous practice was to raise only three large sows, and after the piglets were born, he would raise them to a weight of over 10 jin (5 catties) and then sell them all.

I didn't expect that during this period of not seeing him, he would keep the piglets at home.

Wu Mancang said with some pride, "Haven't you seen how high the price of live pigs is? So I decided to keep the piglets and raise them myself, so I can earn more money that way."

"Is this reliable? You know you're incredibly wealthy, and you don't even count the live animals. Why don't you just sell the piglets directly and cash in?"

"But I earn more this way. Besides, I've been raising sows for so many years and I have a lot of experience. As long as there is no swine fever, there won't be any problems. Once all 20-odd pigs are raised, I can make a lot of money. When that time comes, I will have enough money to buy a house in the city."

"African swine fever?"

Upon hearing this word, Xu Wude's expression changed.

He said, "Mancang, are you confused? There's swine fever in Northeast China now, and I heard a lot of pigs have died."

"What? You said there's a swine fever outbreak in Northeast China?" Mancang's face, which had been somewhat smug just moments before, instantly turned ashen.

Chapter 112 Hwwood's plot succeeds

The reason why people with vast fortunes but no livestock don't count is because the livestock industry has a long cycle and low risk resistance.

Often, a single outbreak of chicken plague or swine fever can wipe out six months of hard work and leave you with a mountain of debt.

When Mancang heard Xu Wude say that there was an outbreak of swine fever in Northeast China, he knew that he was doomed.

Once swine fever breaks out in one place, it will quickly spread to the surrounding areas. Don't think that just because the two places are far apart, swine fever won't spread to Beijing.

It should be noted that the connection between Northeast China and Beijing is still very close at present. In just three to five days, there may be news of an epidemic in Beijing.

"How do you know there really is swine fever over there?"

Xu Wude said, "Our steel rolling mill has been doing much better recently. A few days ago, we sent a batch of steel to the Northeast. Our factory's escorts told us that they were so scared there that they didn't even eat pork."

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Xu Wude said, "You had been selling the piglets all along, I had no idea you were raising piglets."

"It's over, it's over! With this swine fever outbreak, we're probably going to lose a fortune!"

Mancang slumped into his chair, his face ashen, muttering repeatedly, "It's over, it's over."

Xu Wude sighed. The outbreak of swine fever was a natural disaster, something that was beyond human control.

He advised, "Mancang, why don't you sell the pigs before anyone else knows?"

Mancang's eyes lit up, then dimmed again. He said, "The pigs only weigh seventy or eighty jin now. It's impossible to sell them as large pigs, and no one will buy them as piglets either."

What Mancang didn't say was that the pigs had grown to this size and their body shape was basically complete; all that was left was to fatten them up.

Selling now would definitely result in a significant loss.

Xu Wude advised, "You have to sell even if you lose money. Otherwise, if the swine fever really spreads, you won't even be able to sell it if you get infected."

"But it's not easy to sell at this time."

Mancang said, "No wonder pork prices have been a bit cheap these past few days. I didn't think much of it before, but now that you mention it, it seems a lot of people have received this news."

When Xu Wood heard it, he didn't care. Several days had passed, and surely others had received the message.

I don't know how to persuade them.

Mancang sighed, "If only someone could take over from the start, I'd be completely useless at raising pigs again."

Xu Wude had a sudden thought: should he sell the pigs to He Yuzhu before the news spread?

It's known that He Yuzhu recently opened his shop to buy livestock, and it's said that he's started a slaughtering business.

“Full warehouse, I’ve pointed you in the right place. Go sell it to Sha Zhu.”

"Shazhu? You mean the guy who sells braised meat in your yard?"

“Yes, he’s buying pigs now, saying he’ll take as many as you have. If you try to sell these 20-odd pigs separately, they won’t be easy to sell. You might as well sell them all to Sha Zhu at once.”

Xu Wude had a clever plan: he solved his cousin's problem of selling pigs, and in doing so, he could also take advantage of Sha Zhu.

Who told him not to want to be his son-in-law? Let him lose money. I'm very happy. If the epidemic spreads to Beijing, people will stop buying pork, and Sha Zhu's business will be greatly affected. He will earn much less money in the future.

"Will it work?" Mancang was still a little hesitant.

"Why don't you give it a try? Maybe you'll sell it," said Xu Wude.

"Alright, I'll listen to you. Let's sell them quickly and turn them into cash. Otherwise, if swine fever comes, they won't be worth a single penny."

Wu Mancang gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

Pigs infected with swine fever cannot be eaten; otherwise, you will lose every penny.

"From now on, you shouldn't raise pigs. You should find another job and go back to work honestly."

“Fine, as long as it can be sold, I’ll sell the house too and move to my wife’s hometown.”

After discussing it for a while, Wu Mancang didn't even have time to watch the movie and went straight to Beijing.

Soon we arrived at Yandaixie Street, which was at its busiest time of day, with braised meat shops bustling with customers and thriving business.

He Yuzhu was chatting leisurely with several shopkeepers when he saw a farmer walking towards him.

Wu Mancang came up to him and said, "Boss He, right? I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with you."

"It's me, please wait a moment."

After speaking, He Yuzhu said to the shopkeepers, "Excuse me, gentlemen."

"You're too kind, Mr. He. Please make yourself at home."

He Yuzhu invited Wu Mancang to the back study, poured him tea, and then asked, "May I ask who you are...?"

Ever since He Yuzhu became famous for buying the Buddha statue, people have frequently come to his door with antiques, wanting to sell them to this idiot.

Fortunately, He Yuzhu gradually developed the ability to appraise antiques, so he didn't suffer any losses and bought some when the price was right.

I thought Wu Mancang was also here to sell antiques.

"Boss He, do you still buy pigs?" Wu Mancang asked.

"Go ahead and take it all in, take it all in!"

He Yuzhu was slightly disappointed, thinking it was an antique shop.

After all, it's already past dinner time; who would come to sell pigs at this hour?

Then he said, "If you're selling pigs, just deliver them during the day. I'll tell you where to pick them up; it's in the alley behind here."

"It's not just one or two. I have three large sows and more than 20 pigs weighing 70 or 80 pounds each. I wonder if you would buy them?"

After asking, Wu Mancang was a little uneasy. If He Yuzhu was willing to accept the offer, it would mean that He Yuzhu did not know about the epidemic.

Sell ​​all the pigs to He Yuzhu at once so you can get your money back quickly. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to sell the pigs.

He Yuzhu frowned slightly. Although he had a sign advertising to buy pigs, it was actually just advertising for Dayong; he wasn't actually buying pigs himself.

I was a little surprised when I heard that they were going to sell a batch of more than 20 piglets weighing 70 or 80 pounds each.

Normally, no one would sell a pig of this weight. Da Yong only accepts large pigs weighing over 120 jin (60 catties), and he doesn't accept pigs that haven't gained weight yet.

Why are you selling pigs at this time?

“I have no choice but to do this. My wife is sick and needs money for medical treatment. I also have to take care of her. I simply don’t have the time or energy to take care of these pigs. So I’m thinking of selling all three sows and more than 20 piglets in the yard so that I can focus all my energy on taking care of my wife.”

He Yuzhu was somewhat moved. It was truly rare for someone to treat his wife like this. He said, "Okay, if there's no problem with the pig, then I'll take them all."

"However, the price of your pigs cannot be high."