A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 56 The Duck Collecting Arrives

More than a month has passed since Zhang Ting and her group visited. Outside, the cold wind howls. The end of the year is drawing nearer. Icicles still cling to the roof beams. The wild boars no longer frolic in the snow as often; they spend the whole day indoors. Only occasionally, when the snow stops or the wind ceases, do they emerge to roll and play in the snow. The three blue wolves now hunt in the mountains.

Zhang Niu lived a leisurely life. Someone looked after Maotou Mountain, and he only needed to visit it occasionally. He was familiar with the pheasants from the family he had rescued last time. They stood out conspicuously among the flock.

The cycads and Buddha's hand citrons weren't damaged by the frost. Only a few trees in remote corners were frostbitten. But in the midst of the entire orchard, it wasn't considered a big deal. Zhang Niu suspected it was because he'd missed some trees during the initial watering, and thinking about it, that seemed quite plausible. Luckily, the frost damage wasn't severe; otherwise, replanting next spring would have been a real hassle.

The end of the year is approaching. The village's large ducks have all grown to seven or eight pounds. They spend their days wandering around the stream in large flocks. A few days ago, the village chief even came to Kaixin Xiaozhu to see Zhang Niu, asking when the village's large ducks would be ready for sale. Zhang Niu replied that someone would come to buy them in about a week. The village chief's anxious heart was finally at ease.

This morning, Boss Wang called to say that it hadn't snowed today and the sun was shining. He said he was coming to Zhangjia Village to buy large ducks and that he would wait for him at the village entrance.

The road was slippery. Unable to ride his bike, Zhang Niu had to walk to the village. On the way, he called the village head and asked the villagers to bring their ducks back first, so they wouldn't be too busy catching them later.

The phone rang, and the village loudspeaker, which hadn't been used in a long time, broadcast an announcement: "This is the village head. Zhang Jiawa just called. He said that the duck traders are here today. Everyone who raises ducks should hurry back so as not to keep them waiting."

Zhang Niu, who was on the road, also heard the loudspeaker. He thought the village chief was working quite quickly.

So the village was filled with the sounds of women calling for their ducks. Some playful ducks were still quacking and running around in the alleys, refusing to go back to their sheds.

Look, even the village kids have joined the duck-catching team. They're small, but they're quick at catching ducks. Two or three of them together can corner the ducks.

The children who caught the ducks would receive persimmons or sweet potato fries from the older women—soft, sweet fries that filled their little pockets. They'd still be munching on them.

Catching ducks was something the little kids had to do. They'd run to whichever family had the most food, and the village would instantly become bustling and lively.

Watching the little kids run past, Zhang Niu was in a good mood. He used to enjoy doing that himself. Looking back now, he had quite a few memories.

"Zhang Wa, help me stop that black duck up ahead and catch it."

Lost in thought, Zhang Niu saw Aunt Wen calling out to him from around the corner. It turned out a black duck was running towards Zhang Niu, flapping its wings and quacking loudly.

He spread his arms, bent down, and shouted, "Go...go."

The duck in front was startled and turned back. Zhang Niu quickly followed, cornering Aunt Wen. Aunt Wen, holding the duck, praised, "If you hadn't been there, we wouldn't have been able to catch this duck."

"No need, you're raising ducks at home too?" he asked.

"I only raised thirty ducks. There's plenty of rice and other things at home, so they're easy to raise." After saying that, he picked up the ducks and left.

Zhang Niu did the math himself. He figured the village should be able to catch around a thousand large, mutton ducks. They usually roam in flocks here and there, so it's a considerable number. He hoped that when they arrived, they could help raise the price, which would be a reasonable explanation to the village.

When you get to the big camphor tree at the entrance of the village, you can see the village chief already waiting for the buyers.

"Village chief, have you been waiting long? The car won't get here anytime soon, especially in the dead of winter. It's hard to drive on the icy snow. Go home and sit for a while."

"I won't sit down. It's rare for the sun to be out today, so it's nice to soak up some sun," he replied with a smile.

Just moments ago we were talking about Cao Cao. In the blink of an eye, we heard a loudspeaker blaring from afar, "They're here!"

In the distance, I could see a truck with a tipper. A utility vehicle was leading the way. Needless to say, the one in front was Boss Wang's truck. Every time he came here, he complained that the dirt road was no good, and he always drove that old utility vehicle back.

On the truck parked next to the camphor tree, you can see rows of iron cages. They're already full of ducks.

Today, Boss Wang was wearing a thick blue down jacket, completely bundled up. "Sorry to keep you waiting. The dirt road was a bit slippery, so I'm a little late. Please forgive me."

"What are you talking about? I just came down too. Why isn't the other one here?" Zhang Niu frowned and asked, noticing that one of the bosses was missing.

"That guy... I heard he has some important guests coming today. He can't come, but he asked me to take him in first. I'll settle things with him later." He chuckled.

It goes without saying that the inferior ducks were left for the boss.

"Where did you get those ducks that are laying eggs on your truck?" I see they're unloading caged ducks from that truck.

"I bought them from afar. These ducks don't lay eggs, so I bought them cheaply. I'll make roast duck for them. I'll send you a few to try later."

"No need. I don't really like roasted duck. It doesn't really taste like anything."

The village chief, who was watching from the side, interjected, "Um, how much will the ducks be sold for this time?"

"You must be the village chief." He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to the village chief.

The village chief held a cigarette behind his ear, waiting for Boss Wang's reply.

"Recently, the price of duck meat and other similar items in the city has been rising. Brother Zhang said these ducks are all large, free-range, domesticated ducks, which is why I came here. Other places are buying them for 7.5 yuan per jin (500g). If your ducks are plump enough, and definitely large, free-range, domesticated ducks, you can set the price at 8 yuan per jin. Is that fair?"

The village chief was satisfied with the price of eight yuan per jin (approximately 0.5 kg). "Alright, the ducks will definitely be big, chubby ducks. We can take a look later."

Zhang Niu also thought the price was good. He estimated it was even higher than the market price for loose items. "Thank you, Boss Wang."

"No need to thank me. The goods are good. Of course the price should be higher."

The village chief also went back to the village committee to notify the villagers to bring their ducks outside.

Zhang Niu and Boss Wang were chatting idly on the side. Boss Wang even took out a whole box of canned dace from the car. "Here, take it back and try it. It's from the factory, it's free."

It's quite heavy to carry. "Then I won't be polite. This canned food goes well with drinks. Especially the fermented black beans."

"When are you planning to sell those ducks? I'm getting ready to make a profit," he suddenly asked.

"What's the rush? They're still molting. They'll definitely be ready to go before the end of the year," Zhang Niu assured him.

"That's good. Molting ducks don't sell very well."

Second update. Please add to your favorites and recommend. Thank you for the question raised by liumangtu. I recommend a friend's new book, *Wind and Thunder Continent* (book number 1365160). Read about the storm that Leng Feng, possessing both supernatural and spiritual powers, will unleash on this continent. Worth a check out.