Chapter 445 - 426: Buying Horses

After wandering around for half the day, the group ate some of the local specialties: stir-fried rice noodles, naan, and salted milk tea.

Yun Jiao felt the salted milk tea tasted a bit off.

’Mmm, I still prefer sweet things.’

When they had more or less finished their sightseeing, they wanted to go to the post office to mail the raw stones they had bought back home.

Yun Chendong said, "Use a truck."

Yun Chenxi nodded as well. "I also think a truck would be better. Dad, don’t worry. It’ll be easier for the two of us to find a truck here. While we’re at it, why don’t we ship a couple of horses back, too?"

Yun Jiao thought about her massive island and figured raising a couple of horses wouldn’t be a problem.

So she said, "I’ll buy them."

"I’ve already bought an island, I can raise horses."

The two brothers truly admired their younger sister. The wealthiest person in their family was, ironically, the youngest.

But all that money was earned by Jiaojiao herself, through her own skill, pulling things from the sea. They weren’t jealous.

On the contrary, life at home was great now because of Jiaojiao. Being jealous would just make them ungrateful wretches.

Seeing that both his son and daughter wanted to buy horses, Yun Linhai didn’t hesitate anymore and went along to pick them out.

Shen Yunlian said, "Why pick them out here? People in the village raise horses too. Let’s just go ask in the village if anyone is selling. If not, we can come back to town and buy them then."

Yun Linhai nodded. "Oh, that’s right. Quite a few people in the village have horses."

"Alright, let’s head back first then."

Just like when they arrived, they took a tractor back.

It was already afternoon when they got back. The cured meat in the courtyard was still being smoked, already giving off a fragrant aroma.

The elderly landlady was taking good care of it.

Yun Jiao and the others had also brought back some food for the elderly landlord and landlady.

After Lu Yu finished her work, she came over with her children.

Besides her daughter, Little Guo’er, she also had an older son.

As they were chatting, Shen Yunlian brought up the matter of the horses.

The landlord’s family only raised some sheep since there weren’t many people; they didn’t have horses.

Lu Yu’s family raised horses, and her eyes lit up when she heard they wanted to buy some.

"We sell our horses, too."

But she also said, "You can go take a look. If you see any you like, you can buy them. If not, I can take you to see what other families have."

Shen Yunlian took her hand. "Then let’s agree on this first: you can’t get mad if we don’t pick any of yours."

Lu Yu shook her head. "I won’t. When you’re choosing a horse, you have to find one you like. But, not to brag, the horses my family raises are some of the best in the village. My husband used to be the designated horse breeder for the production brigade, so he’s very experienced."

"Come on, I’ll take you to have a look."

Lu Yu enthusiastically led them to her family’s horse pasture.

The area here was vast and sparsely populated, so those who raised cattle, sheep, and horses all had their own pastures.

Lu Yu’s husband never expected such a big deal to fall into his lap while he was just sitting at home.

Their pasture was very clean, though a certain smell was unavoidable.

No matter what animals you raise, there will always be a smell.

But those horses were truly beautiful.

Yun Jiao and the others’ eyes lit up.

"It’s getting a little dark now, so it’s hard to see clearly. If you want to choose, come back tomorrow morning. You can see how they run then."

It was indeed hard to see clearly, so everyone agreed.

「Early the next morning」Yun Jiao and her family went to see the horses.

The horses, let out for the morning, were running freely.

Some of them ran farther and farther away, and Lu Yu’s husband quickly mounted a horse to chase after them.

He returned, panting, having tied ropes around the horse’s front and hind hooves.

"This horse is too wild. It tries to run off every chance it gets."

He was helpless. His family’s horses were well-raised and purebred, so their prices were a bit higher. If a horse ran off, he would lose at least ten thousand yuan.

Don’t just look at how expensive the horses are; the pasture requires money to operate and maintain. Fodder for the cattle, sheep, and horses, plus necessary medicines and so on, cost a lot of money each year.

All the horses at Lu Yu’s house were very spirited.

Yun Jiao actually took a liking to the black horse.

’Yep, the one that tried to escape.’

"This one? If you don’t know how to ride, you’d best not choose it. It’s too wild, and it escapes easily."

Yun Jiao replied, "It’s fine. I’ll put it on my island. It’s not like it can run into the sea, right?"

’Although, if it roams around the island recklessly, it could easily get eaten by other wild animals.’

’So I’ll have to build a fence.’

"An island? You live on an island?"

Shen Yunlian chuckled and shook her head. "No, our Jiaojiao bought an island herself."

Lu Yu’s jaw dropped.

’She... she bought an island?!’

’Does that mean what I think it means?’

As for why Shen Yunlian wasn’t afraid of showing off their wealth now, it was, of course, because of the distance.

This wasn’t their own village. Being so far away, what was there to fear from people with bad intentions?

Now that she was here, she was eager to brag about her daughter.

Lu Yu and her husband looked at Yun Jiao, their faces filled with shock.

"The island your Jiaojiao bought, is it an island in the sea?"

"Well, not bought exactly. She just purchased the usage rights. Isn’t there a policy now where you can lease land and forests? We live by the sea, so Jiaojiao leased an island."

"She’s a great swimmer and has good luck, so she’s always able to find things in the sea to sell. That’s how she saved up the money for herself."

Lu Yu looked at Yun Jiao, then at Shen Yunlian and the others, feeling incredibly envious.

"Your Jiaojiao is just too amazing."

"As long as you have a place to keep it, you can buy the black horse. But the price is a bit steep. Even with a discount, it’ll be at least fifteen thousand yuan."

Yun Jiao was already stroking the black horse’s head.

She held a handful of grass to feed it, and the black horse obediently lowered its head and began to eat.

The mane on the black horse’s neck looked smooth and beautiful, glossy and dark.

"Mom, I want this one."

Shen Yunlian replied, "You can choose whichever one you like."

With the black horse chosen, Yun Jiao led it in a circle, then picked out a reddish-brown horse.

Or rather, it was a horse that Yun Jiao and the black horse chose together.

The reddish-brown horse was a mare. Yun Jiao noticed that the black horse was hostile to other horses that got close, but not this particular mare.

That mare cost thirteen thousand yuan.

Both horses looked very healthy, and their builds were excellent.

The two horses together would cost nearly thirty thousand, and since they didn’t have the cash, they had to make another trip into town to withdraw money.

After all the back and forth, the transaction was finally complete.

The horses were kept at Lu Yu’s house for the time being while Yun Chendong and Yun Chenxi went to find a truck.

The "connections" they mentioned were actually a truck transport team formed by a group of retired soldiers.

Their two horses—live animals, no less—and the stones could all be transported in a single truck.

The price was a little steep, but as long as everything arrived safely, it was fine.

Before they knew it, Yun Chendong and his brother’s leave was over.

It was also time for Yun Jiao and the others to leave.

On the day before their departure, the truck arrived. They loaded the two horses first. The truck was also packed with plenty of fodder, enough to last them until they reached Sea City in the south.

After seeing the truck off, it was time for Yun Jiao and her family to depart as well.

Their train tickets were for the afternoon. That morning, they got up early and delivered some of the smoked meat to the military base.

Parting was difficult, but goodbyes were inevitable.

"You two take good care of yourselves. Don’t make the family worry."

Shen Yunlian, her eyes red, patted her two sons’ shoulders.

Yun Linhai didn’t say anything, just patted them as well.

Yun Jiao, however, hugged them.

"Big Brother, Second Brother, I’ll come back to see you again."

Yun Chenxi, his own eyes red, pinched her nose.

"By next time, we might have been transferred somewhere else."

Yun Jiao replied, "No matter where you are, I’ll find you."

"Okay!"