Chapter 47: 47 Scraping Fur
Translator: 549690339
The fear of being blamed for taking advantage of others led to a quarrel between Aunt Zhang and Granny Sun.
“It’s still thirteen cents per jin, no price increase,” Xiao Yishan stated. This stopped the argument between the two old women, which had been growing more heated.
A villager said happily, “Dashan, you’re always so fair.”
Aunt Zhang also weighed in, “Dashan, you’re such a good-hearted person.”
Xiao Yishan did not respond. He was well aware that even if he lost a cent for each jin, it amounted to only a few tens of cents in total. And he was not the only hunter in the village. The other hunters, while not as diligent as he was in hunting in the mountains, rarely came home empty-handed.
If there was frequent game for sale in the village, and his was a cent cheaper, more people would come to him. Also, do not underestimate the power of a single cent, if a product was more expensive, villagers would hesitate to spend more money. However, if it’s cheaper by a cent, he could sell more, even if someone buys more, they would only get one or two jin, people would buy and
eat just enough. They are usually unwilling to buy much.
The calculation was quite similar. This is why he occasionally sells his game slightly cheaper by a cent or two per jin.
Upon hearing this, Granny Sun was satisfied, “Dashan, I’ll buy … half a jin then. ”
Villager Wang Adou laughed, “Granny Sun, you were so fierce just now, why are you only buying half a jin? Before I came here, I heard Grandpa Sun telling you to buy a jin. Are you skimping on the household food again?”
Aunt Zhang revealed the truth, “This is her clever tactic. Adou, if it weren’t for the fact that you heard old Sun say to buy a jin, Granny Sun could bring back half a jin of meat, claim to have bought a jin, and once it is cooked in the pot with plenty of vegetables, spread over a few meals, who could tell whether she bought half a jin or a jin? In doing so, she saved six or seven copper coins.”
Feeling embarrassed and angry, Granny Sun retorted, “Aunt Zhang, are you picking a fight with me? So what if I skimp on household food? I’m not skimping on your household, am I? If my husband has no objections, why are you making a fuss?
“Oh-ho!” Aunt Zhang slapped her thigh, “So, you’re angry now, old granny? When did I mind your family’s business? I’m just saying your skill in saving money is brilliant, but it’s not right to skimp on your own family.” She turned to the people around, “All you little wives and daughters-in-law, don’t learn from Granny Sun! Everyone else wants their family to eat well, but she’s always looking for ways to skimp on her family…”
“Ha-ha-ha….” The villagers all laughed. Someone asked,” Granny Sun, you said you’re buying half a jin, it’s six and a half cents. Or do you expect Dashan to round down the half cent for you? If we split a copper coin in half, no one will accept it.”
Granny Sun did indeed have such a thought, and her face turned red with embarrassment, but she denied it,” I’m not that stingy. Dashan, weigh me a jin later.’
While everyone chatted and laughed, Xiao Yishan collected the money for the wild pheasant and rabbit, and then dragged the eighty jin roe deer to a corner of the yard. The place was slightly lower than the rest of the yard, with a simple waist-high platform set up. On the platform was the cleaver and a scaling knife that Xiao Yishan had fetched from the kitchen cupboard.
He skillfully removed the roe deer’s fur and placed it to one side. After gutting it, he tossed the roe deer onto the platform and used the cleaver to chop off its head and limbs.
“Dashan’s skill in peeling skin is really impressive…didn’t cause any damage at all…” Wang Adou said admiringly as he watched..