bookrandom Chapter 467 Opportunity
Chapter 467 Opportunity
Early in the morning, before the sky was fully light, the village roosters crowed loudly.
Li Xiaohua sat up on the kang (a heated brick bed), rubbed her eyes, and looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky.
Waking up early has become a habit, and even now that the college entrance exam is over, she can't sleep in anymore.
She heard the sound of a broom sweeping across the ground in the yard; she knew it was her sister-in-law shoveling snow.
Li Xiaohua quickly got dressed and got off the kang (a heated brick bed). When she opened the door, she saw Li Xiaoyun bending over, carefully sweeping the snow in the yard.
"Sister-in-law, let me do it." Li Xiaohua walked over quickly, wanting to take the broom.
Li Xiaoyun straightened up and brushed the snowflakes off her clothes: "It's alright, I've almost finished sweeping. Your brother took Wangchen to visit Wang Ergou's house, saying he was going to feed Xiaojin."
"Little Jin?" Li Xiaohua was taken aback, then remembered, "Oh, isn't that the golden eagle that Brother Er Gou trained?"
“That’s right,” Li Xiaoyun said with a smile and a shake of her head. “Wang Chenyi kept clamoring to go out and play early this morning, so he dragged your brother to see the birds.”
Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Li Xiangyang walked in, holding Li Wangchen's little hand.
The little one's cheeks were rosy, and he excitedly waved his other hand: "Mommy, Auntie! Little Gold is amazing! It caught a big rabbit!"
"Speak slowly, don't rush, wash your hands first, it's time to eat." Li Xiaoyun bent down and tidied her son's wind-blown hair.
Li Wangchen obediently responded and tiptoed into the house.
At breakfast time, the family sat around the kang table.
Li Xiaoyun cooked a pot of millet porridge, served with pickled vegetables and leftover wild rabbit meat from yesterday.
After Li Wangchen finished the last mouthful of millet porridge in his bowl, his little face still smeared with porridge, he couldn't wait to shout, "Dad! Mom! Little Jin is so awesome! Can we raise a golden eagle too?"
Li Xiangyang paused, holding the rough porcelain bowl. "Silly boy, you can't just raise a golden eagle like that. Those things eat meat. If it can catch its own prey, that's fine, but if it can't, you'll have to buy it."
Li Xiaoyun wiped his face and said irritably, "You bet. Even without considering the cost of raising it, it's so fierce. It's not a pet for a child. Look at your small frame, what if it scratches you?"
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.
"Brother Xiangyang! Is Brother Xiangyang home?"
It was Zhang Weiping's voice.
Li Xiangyang quickly put down his chopsticks, pushed open the door, and went out: "What's wrong, Weiping? Why are you in such a hurry so early in the morning?"
Zhang Weiping lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "A stranger came to the village entrance and whispered to Old Zheng for a long time, it seems he wants to buy mountain produce."
Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat: "Buying mountain goods? What's their background?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I heard they came from the county town." Zhang Weiping scratched his head. "Old Zheng seemed quite happy; I guess they offered a good price."
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up.
In this day and age, anyone who dares to buy mountain products privately must have some connections.
Such people are often well-informed and have unconventional connections.
"Let's go take a look." Li Xiangyang put on his cotton-padded coat and walked outside.
The two arrived at the village entrance and, sure enough, saw Old Zheng talking to a middle-aged man.
The man was in his forties, wearing a slightly worn military overcoat, with a shrewd smile on his face.
Seeing Li Xiangyang approach, Old Zheng quickly greeted him, "Xiangyang, you've come at the right time. This Boss Liu is from the county town; he specializes in buying mountain products."
Boss Liu immediately stood up and warmly extended his hand: "I've long admired Master Li's reputation; it's great to finally meet you in person today."
Li Xiangyang shook hands with him and sized him up: "What kind of business does Mr. Liu run?"
"It's a small business," Mr. Liu chuckled. "Mainly buying mountain products and transporting them south. People there like our Northeastern specialties."
Li Xiangyang secretly admired him.
In this day and age, those who dare to do business across provinces are no ordinary people.
You either have connections, you have courage, or both.
Although the times are not yet fully open, opportunities have already begun to emerge.
"I wonder what kind of mountain products Mr. Liu buys?" Li Xiangyang asked.
"We buy mushrooms, wood ear fungus, pine nuts, and hazelnuts, starting at one yuan per jin (500g), though the quality is the main factor," said Boss Liu, lowering his voice. "If you have animal hides, the price is even more negotiable. Roe deer hides are five yuan each, fox hides start at fifty yuan, and if it's mink, three hundred yuan is no problem."
"Is there anything better?" Li Xiangyang asked calmly.
Boss Liu leaned closer and lowered his voice: "If you have bear skins, tiger skins, leopard skins, etc.," he held up one finger, "there's no upper limit."
Li Xiangyang had made up his mind.
This Mr. Liu clearly has connections.
"How long does Mr. Liu plan to stay here?"
"Three to five days," Boss Liu said with a smile, "It mainly depends on the delivery situation. If Master Li has good goods, I'll definitely take them first."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Okay, I'll think about it."
After seeing Boss Liu off, Old Zheng couldn't help but say, "Xiangyang, that price isn't low. If you have any stock, you might as well sell it now."
Li Xiangyang smiled and asked, "Uncle Zheng, what are your plans?"
"It's just some mountain produce, let whoever wants to sell it sell it. But there aren't many people, and the whole village has quite a few, so I'm worried he won't be able to buy it all." Old Zheng was somewhat skeptical of the other party's capabilities.
“It should be fine,” Li Xiangyang said. “These days, anyone who dares to do business across provinces has some connections. Anyway, it’s cash on delivery. I’ll go back and see what I can sell back home.”
After saying goodbye to Zheng Dehou, Li Xiangyang headed home.
When she got home, Li Xiaoyun was cleaning up the dishes.
Seeing him return, he asked, "How did it go?"
Li Xiangyang explained the situation.
After listening, Li Xiaoyun seemed thoughtful: "The price is quite good. What are your plans?"
"Since someone's buying them, let's take this opportunity to earn more. Let's show him the things we haven't bought yet and test the prices."
As he spoke, Li Xiangyang took out several well-preserved hides, all of which were the spoils of his previous hunting trips, which he had been reluctant to sell.
There are two fox pelts and one badger pelt, and they are in good condition.
In the afternoon, Li Xiangyang took the leather to Boss Liu.
Boss Liu was collecting mountain products at Old Zhang's house at the east end of the village when he saw Li Xiangyang arrive, and immediately put down what he was doing.
"Master Li is here!" Boss Liu's eyes lit up. "Good stuff?"
Li Xiangyang handed over the leather.
Mr. Liu took it and examined it carefully, his fingers gently stroking the fur, a satisfied look on his face.
"Excellent fur!" he exclaimed. "The fox fur is of pure color, without any stray hairs, and the badger pelt is also well tanned."
After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Two fox pelts, I'll give you one hundred and twenty. Badger pelt, thirty. That'll be one hundred and fifty in total. Is that alright?"
It's a bit higher than the price I just mentioned.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Deal."
Mr. Liu readily pulled out his money: "Mr. Li, I've heard you're a famous hunter in this area. Do you have any better goods?"
Li Xiangyang glanced at him: "For example?"
"Like wolf pelts, bear pelts," Boss Liu licked his lips, "or other rare items. Prices are negotiable."
Li Xiangyang was silent for a moment: "I'll think about it."
"No rush, no rush," Boss Liu quickly said. "I'll be staying here for a few more days. If Master Li has any goods, just let me know."
Before leaving, Mr. Liu added, "Mr. Li, some things may be valuable, but you still need to be careful. You're a sensible person; you should understand what I mean."
Li Xiangyang nodded and turned to leave.