Cloud Old Man, Yun Daman, and Little Xi Tian sat on the sleigh.
The "Cow Buying Trio" was unhurriedly heading towards the county town, enjoying the winter scenery and chatting happily…
“Sister, are we really going to the county town?” Yun Daman asked.
Little Xi Tian sat up on the sleigh, brushed the snow off herself, and looked around.
Due to the snowfall, very few villagers were traveling to and from the county town; most were staying indoors…
Seeing that there was no one around, Little Xi Tian grinned, “It’s good enough, right here!~”
To create the illusion of driving the cattle back to the village and dispel the villagers’ suspicions, Little Xi Tian was going all out.
There were no dairy cows in the Heyang Commandery area. If the villagers asked, she would say she happened to meet a cattle dealer in the county town and bought over a dozen head at once…
The villagers wouldn’t go to the county town to specifically inquire about this matter, would they?
Cloud Old Man tightened the reins and let out a ‘whoa,’ and the bay horse slowly stopped.
“Daughter, there’s snow everywhere around here, not even a dry tree branch in sight. Where did the dairy cows come from?” Cloud Old Man asked.
Little Xi Tian’s eyes twinkled with a smile. She jumped off the sleigh and stretched softly, “Daddy, Big Brother, close your eyes…”
She was afraid of scaring her father and elder brother with the sudden appearance of so many dairy cows.
Cloud Old Man exchanged a glance with Yun Daman after hearing this, then they both covered their eyes.
Little Xi Tian looked around again, ensuring no one was passing by, before closing her eyes and letting her consciousness drift into the space…
Inside the space, it was perpetually green. The hillsides were teeming with countless animals, including donkeys, horses, cattle, sheep, roe deer, sika deer, and wild boars, among others.
Since the grass on the hillsides was inexhaustible, these animals faced no competition, and thus, all of them were plump and well-fed.
Compared to the delicate fruits, vegetables, and greens, these animals were generally easier to care for…
Little Xi Tian clapped her hands and carefully selected fifteen large dairy cows that were plump and healthy.
With a wave of her small hand, the dairy cows, which had been grazing under the warm sunlight, suddenly experienced a dizzying spin. By the time they reacted, they were all standing in the snow, looking bewildered.
What was going on?
The weather had changed too quickly, from summer to autumn with no transition, directly into the harsh winter…
The large dairy cows were indignant. They mooed loudly, as if venting their anger.
Cloud Old Man heard the mooing and suddenly opened his eyes. He then saw over a dozen large, fat, black and white spotted dairy cows standing around the horse-drawn sleigh.
Their nostrils puffed out hot air. Some cows were still chewing on lush green grass, being blown by the cold wind in a daze…
“Moo, moo, moo!~”
The milk produced by fifteen cows was enough for Little Xi Tian to make dairy products, and her family could also openly drink milk from now on.
“Oh my, so many cows! Haha, daughter, how did you make them appear?” Cloud Old Man jumped down from the sleigh.
Overcome with excitement, he slipped and fell to the ground with a ‘swoosh’…
Little Xi Tian smiled helplessly and stepped forward to help Cloud Old Man up, “Daddy, be careful!~”
“Daughter, Daddy is fine, haha, Daddy is just too happy!” Cloud Old Man was so happy his eyes disappeared.
After looking at the dairy cows, Yun Daman directly picked up Little Xi Tian and let her ride on his shoulders, “Sister, before, when I told the villagers you were a little god of wealth, a little fairy, a little lucky general, they didn’t believe me. Look, if she weren’t a celestial being, who could conjure live cattle out of thin air with empty hands? Haha…”
Cloud Old Man heard this and smacked Yun Daman on the forehead, “Hey, you blockhead! What did I tell you at home? Don’t always talk about conjuring cattle out of thin air in front of the villagers. Aren’t you causing trouble for Sweetie?”
Although he was scolding Yun Daman, he was incredibly excited inside.
“Hehe, Daddy, there are no outsiders here, can’t I just be happy for a moment!~” Yun Daman chuckled foolishly.
Carrying Little Xi Tian, he trotted to a large dairy cow and placed his sister on its back…
The furry cowhide was very soft and warm. As soon as Little Xi Tian’s short legs touched it, the large dairy cow lifted its head, wagged its tail, and mooed.
“Such cute big cows!” Yun Daman was utterly delighted.
Men in this era were very fond of large livestock, such as old oxen, fine horses, and robust mules, etc. Their affection was no less than men’s fondness for cars or watches today…
Little Xi Tian lay on the cow’s back, stroking its head, “Good girl, you’ll have to work hard for us when you get to our home!~”
After speaking, she looked at Cloud Old Man and Yun Daman, “Daddy, Big Brother, if the villagers ask, you know what to say, right!~”
They had already discussed it at home: they would say these dairy cows were bought from a cattle dealer in the county town.
They absolutely could not say that Little Xi Tian conjured them…
“Don’t worry, daughter, even if you don’t remind us, we all know!” Cloud Old Man said with a smile.
In the surrounding ten miles, which farming family could afford fifteen large dairy cows? These things were expensive.
With cows at home from now on, it would be a disservice to Little Xi Tian’s earnest efforts if they didn’t get rich.
Because dairy cows were very valuable, unlike sheep, wild boars, or roe deer, the Yun family attached great importance to this ‘cow buying operation’…
“Daddy, shall we drive the cows back? If we go home now, we’ll be back in time for lunch!~” Yun Daman said.
Cloud Old Man grunted, lifted his daughter from the cow’s back, “Daughter, let’s go home!”
Little Xi Tian giggled incessantly, like a little meatball, she jumped onto the sleigh and then wrapped herself up like a fat zongzi.
“Back to the village!~” her crisp little voice echoed across the wilderness.
Fifteen large dairy cows walked ahead, with the horse-drawn sleigh following slowly behind…
Yun Daman simply stopped sitting on the sleigh. He picked up a stick, drove the cattle along while humming a little tune, feeling exceptionally happy.
At noon, at the entrance of Dashui Village.
Aunt Zhang, having just finished feeding the pigs, was carrying a slop bucket out of her yard when she saw over a dozen dairy cows slowly entering the village.
Aunt Zhang froze on the spot, stunned for a long time before she finally reacted.
“Yun Yun Yun… Brother Yun, these, these cows are yours?” Aunt Zhang put down the slop bucket and rushed to a large dairy cow, patting its back.
So sturdy! Each cow must be worth over a hundred taels of silver.
Cloud Old Man, with his pipe in his mouth, said unhurriedly, “That’s right. Daman and I just bought them from the county town. Fifteen in total. How about it, aren’t these cows good-looking?”
Aunt Zhang: “……”
Look at you showing off.
The village chief had bought a large carp from Gougou Lake and was discussing how to prepare it with Du Laosan. Upon hearing that the Old Yun family had bought cows, he hurried over with a large group of villagers.