That day, the cattle dealers at the Tanghe Town cattle market were rather helpless, as they had run into a few very unruly fellas.
There was really no solution. Those so-called rules were merely universally accepted norms, not any legally mandated laws. If people wanted to break the rules, what could anyone really do to stop them?
Unlike the village markets, managing a county cattle market is tough due to the large numbers of people. The cattle market staff mainly charged management fees and wrote receipts. They didn’t have much authority beyond that.
So Yan Fei and Heizi felt no shame at all. As soon as they spotted a cow they liked, they would go and haggle. They basically bought any cow they could, unless the owner was asking for an absurdly high price. They completely disregarded the annoyed looks from the surrounding cattle dealers.
Even when they struck a deal, the problem was that the other cattle dealers would lose out on business. Because Yan Fei and Heizi would always give higher offers than the dealers, the cow owners would definitely not settle for lower prices once they had left.
Tian Dafu felt a bit uncomfortable about this. Heizi reassured him, "Look, do you think it’s easy for us common folks to raise cattle? We work hard for months or even years, but the money we get from selling our cattle barely covers the hard work. These greedy dealers are the ones making the real money. What we’re doing now is pure justice—we’re helping everyone make some extra cash. What’s there for you to feel uneasy about? Are we offering less money than these greedy dealers? Look at how happy the farmers are who are selling their cattle!"
Although Heizi’s statement wasn’t entirely accurate, it did have some truth to it.
Cattle dealers buy cattle to resell, so it’s natural for them to try to lower the prices. However, if there were no dealers to buy the cattle, and villagers only sold to each other, then the price of cattle wouldn’t go up.
As for whether the dealers areunethical or not, if you think they are, then they are. If you think they’re just trying to make ends meet by selling cattle, then that’s fine, too. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Either way, after hearing Heizi’s words, Tian Dafu suddenly felt rejuvenated. He was now a champion for justice. The looks he gave the cattle dealers were like the ones you’d give to archenemies.
The three of them stirring things up wasn’t actually a bad thing. As a result of their actions, transaction prices at the market likely ended up higher than usual, and the market’s efficiency improved significantly. Other people were now scared that these three would swipe away the cattle they liked!
The farmers selling cattle weren’t fools. They knew that the price offered by these three was fair. Some even approached them voluntarily, asking them to judge whether their cattle were worth buying.
Three heads, four heads, five heads...
When these three started buying two or three cows, the whole cattle market’s attention began to follow them. They continued buying enthusiastically—they couldn’t help it. Spending money itself was a joyous act, let alone doing so in a prank-like manner. The three young men found it increasingly fun.
In the end, almost everyone at the cattle market was paying attention to them. Wherever they went, the crowd’s attention followed. Many people who had already sold their cattle started following them around, watching them stroll through the cattle market making purchases.
Everyone was amazed by how much money these three were willing to throw down on cattle. People were curious to see just how many cows they would end up buying. Next to them, others deliberately lowered their voices when negotiating prices, as if they felt embarrassed for haggling over the price for just one or two cows. It made them seem petty in comparison.
The money spent on buying cattle flowed out like water. After Heizi negotiated the price for another cow, Yan Fei took out the money to pay for it, and glancing at the money left in his pocket, found he only had about three thousand left. Even he was taken aback with surprise.
Once he had over ten thousand, plus almost thirty thousand from selling cattle. Now he had spent so much already?
"How many cows did we actually buy?" Not only did Yan Fei question this in his mind, but he also voiced it out loud.
At this question from Yan Fei, Heizi instantly snapped out of his buying frenzy. Even while leading a cow, he was still quite bewildered, "I think we’ve bought quite a few, haven’t we?"
While speaking, the two turned and looked toward Tian Dafu who was following behind them.
At this moment, Tian Dafu was standing not far away, his face flushed with nerves, leading three to four cows, and a few more tied on both sides to the pegs.
However, the pair was confused as the people of the cattle market seemed to crowd around them, and they could not clearly see how many cows they had bought.
As the two tried to make their way through the crowd with their cattle, people began to make way for him. The cattle market was already bustling. The gaps between the pegs used to tether the cattle were narrow, and the surroundings were full of cattle. The crowd struggled to create a small path for them.
In his anxiety, Heizi shouted out to Tian Dafu, "Da Fu, how many cows have we bought in total?"
Before Tian Dafu could reply, a voice from the crowd suddenly shouted, "Including the one in your hand, you’ve bought ten!"
There was a sudden lively uproar in the crowd, with murmurs and whispers. Some even shouted at them, "Cattle raisers from Sancha River are truly awesome! They bought ten cows at once!"
Someone in the crowd even started cheering, "Whether one is awesome or not depends on the quantity of cattle! Buying ten at once—that’s what truly awesome is!"
When villagers called someone "Awesome" at such a time, it was definitely a compliment. They were truly impressed!
When Heizi heard that they had purchased ten heads of cattle, he was taken aback. Looking confused, he asked Yan Fei, "Brother Fei, did we really buy this many cows?"