Chapter 288: A Guess
The marketplace in the town had a corner for buying and selling livestock. It was more of an alley that ran for approximately 200 meters. Both sides of the aisle were cluttered with cages containing chickens and ducks, as well as little puppies, rabbits, and even pigeons. They were all stacked against the walls of and from where buyers would pick and choose from. The chickens and ducks defecated, and their droppings were everywhere on the ground. This caused the entire alley to permeate with a horrible, pungent smell.
Standing on the top of a building, Ji Siying was holding an umbrella while looking at Xiao Luo beneath. She couldn’t help but knit her lovely brows from the awful stench that got to her. If it wasn’t for Xiao Luo being down there, she would have left at once.
Xiao Zhiyuan was deeply affected by Xiao Luo’s words. Others may criticize and mock at the things he believed in, he was able to simply laugh them all off. But when his own son actually said the same thing to him, it did him twice the hurt.
“Dad, it has been seven years. Both of you have persisted for that long, but your hard work has not paid off. Whenever I see you guys being busy and getting worn out at the farm, my heart really hurts. You’ve to wake up early regardless of the weather, mom needing to feed the pigs and clean up their feces every day.”
He knew that he would hurt his own father with those words, but Xiao Luo had to say it now. His parents were busy all year round, especially during the holidays where they’d be up to their ears in farm work, be it rain or s.h.i.+ne. He didn’t wish for his parents to always be so exhausted. Having a dream wasn’t wrong, but if one was heading down the wrong direction, they would only stray further and further from their goals.
“Dad, you can refuse my help, but you cannot refuse my wish to provide you both with a better life as your son!” Xiao Luo said.
Every word came from the bottom of his heart. How could he feel at ease when his parents lived their lives no better than the farm animals they raised? Every year when he returned home, he could see the signs of their struggles etched on their faces. He was in no position to help before, but now that he could, all of these had to change.
Hua Heying’s eyes turned red when she heard him speak. She wiped off the tears at the corner of her eyes. Seven years of toil, but when did she ever complain? For Xiao Zhiyuan’s dream, she bore hards.h.i.+p without complaint and worked from dusk till dawn.
When Hua Heying had trouble carrying the shoulder-pole, she’d move the load slowly, and even when she didn’t know how to farrow a birthing sow, she’d learn right on the spot. The same went for harvesting seaweeds, plowing the field, fertilizing the ground, growing vegetables, it was an endless journey of hards.h.i.+p.
She did the kind of work that a woman in a rural farm would do—dirty, tiring, and even bitter. Such ch.o.r.es constantly stiffened her shoulders, but they made her stronger. But they also made her skin rough and blemished, and she looked older than other women her age.
Was she tired?
Most certainly. But a loyal wife would follow her husband no matter what his lot was. Her husband’s dream would be her own. Not only was she willing to live a life of toil, but she would also have no regrets even if she were to lose ten years of her life for the sake of his dream. But now hearing her son bring up the subject so bluntly, gave her an unspeakable sense of bitterness and pain, and tears flowed uncontrollably from her reddened eyes.
When Xiao Zhiyuan saw his wife tearing up, his eyebrows drooped, as sympathy replaced his anger. In fact, he had long realized that he had been selfish, unwilling to be belittled, and bent on proving himself. Now, he couldn’t deny how cruel and unjust his decision was for his own wife.
It had been seven years, and his farm business was still in its development stage, generating a net profit of only 50 to 60 thousand dollars per year.
Perhaps his son was right. The way he operated his business might indeed be wrong!
“Fine, if you can sell these 50 ducks within half an hour, I’ll follow everything you say,” Xiao Zhiyuan said.
Hua Heying nudged Xiao Zhiyuan and stared at him, she said, “Even at the best of days, you only managed to sell 50 ducks in an entire day. Asking our son to sell 50 ducks within half an hour? Are you purposely making things difficult for him?”
Xiao Zhiyuan claimed innocence, pointing to Xiao Luo and said, “I didn’t come up with the idea, he did.”
“He doesn’t know the market here, so his a.s.sumptions can’t be taken literally. I’d say selling one duck within half an hour, will do. That will be enough for our son to prove his abilities,” Hua Heying said, intent on giving her son every chance of winning the wager.
“Huh? That is too easy, isn’t it?” Xiao Zhiyuan said, looking incredulous.
“Is it? He doesn’t know as many people like you over here, being able to sell one within half an hour is already much better than you, is it not?”
Xiao Zhiyuan felt offended after being belittled by his own wife.
“Hmph, I will not argue with a woman.”
Xiao Luo shook his head, smiling and said, “Dad, mum, stop arguing. We’ll stick with what I said just now, 50 ducks in half an hour.”
He wanted to get his father to finally reflect on his stubborn refusal to accept his help.
Xiao Zhiyuan looked at him with an appreciative nod.
On the other hand, Hua Heying looked worried and said, “Son, don’t over-rate yourself!”
“Mum, I’m not. Trust me, alright.”
With his usual stern-looking face, Xiao Zhiyuan looked impa.s.sively at Xiao Luo, and said, “Having confidence is a good thing, but blind confidence isn’t. That’s how the market here is. The ducks from our farm are matured ducks with a relatively lengthier growth cycle. They are only available when their feathers fully regrow after molting, so naturally, our prices are higher. Many people agree that our ducks are good but are scared away by its price. It’s not like they can’t afford it, but people here tend to be thrifty. They rather spend less to buy ducks that are still in the maturing stage than to spend more on matured ducks with better meat texture. Selling 50 ducks within half an hour is absolutely impossible.”
“Let me try, dad. Help me mark down the time.”
Xiao Luo smiled as he stepped over one of the cages and stood on the aisle.
The middle-aged woman who said that it was bad luck to buy a white-headed duck had turned back at that very moment. However, she still couldn’t seem to decide. Perhaps she still needed more time to consider.
Xiao Luo extended his hands and halted her, “Miss, are you going to buy ducks for the New Year?”
The middle-aged woman was startled briefly, then she said, “Yes, I want to buy ducks. But you have too many white-headed ducks, so I’m not considering buying from you.”
“Miss, white-headed ducks aren’t inauspicious. On the contrary, it symbolizes purity and prosperity. Black ducks are the ones that are not good.”
“White represents funerals, which is related to death. Why has it suddenly become ‘prosperity?’ Step aside, I don’t want to listen to your gibberish,” the middle-aged woman said, admonis.h.i.+ng Xiao Luo.
“Although white represents funerals, what is the purpose of funerals? Isn’t it to allow those who have pa.s.sed on to protect their offspring still in the world of the living so that they can live a better life?”
The middle-aged woman was infuriated and said, “You are literally inverting black and white. What makes you qualified to say that?”
“I’m a fortune teller, and I can tell fortune by reading one’s facial features as well, so of course I’m qualified to say so. If you don’t believe in me, I can show you what I’m capable of. Let me predict what you were in your past life, how about that?” Xiao Luo kept a confident smile on his face all the time.
“You want to read my past life?”
Contempt was written all over her face, and it was evident that she didn’t trust him one bit.
“Alright, let me try. You may be a… government servant?”
Xiao Luo observed the woman, and when he saw her hold back a snicker, he changed his prediction immediately and said, “But more superior to government servants. Such an occupation… ah, you were a teacher. You were a teacher in your past life, am I correct?”