TFWYH – Chapter 57 No Loss

As soon as those words left her mouth, both the nephew and Ling Yue froze.

The nephew emphasized again, “San Ya-jie, this is a sick horse. You still want it?”

“Depends on the price.” Tang Wan really did intend to buy it, but she didn’t make it sound absolute.

The nephew frowned, thought for a moment, then said, “San Ya-jie, listen, I won’t rip you off. I paid a full sixty-five taels of silver for this horse. If you really want it, I’ll sell it to you at the going rate for beef. That’s what I’d get if I hauled it to a restaurant anyway.”

A loss was a loss, no matter who ended up with it.

It was destined to end up as meat on a plate, so the price might as well match.

That’s how this business worked—big profits, big risks.

But this one horse had wiped him out.

This year might as well have been for nothing.

Sigh…

He felt like crying but had nowhere to do it.

Tang Wan nodded. “Weigh it.”

Beef went for only about eighteen to twenty copper coins a jin. This horse was so thin, she figured it couldn’t be more than 1,500 jin.

Score!

Without another word, the nephew led the horse to be weighed.

Weighing large animals while they were alive was a hassle. Dead ones were easier—you could just butcher them and total the parts.

Luckily, this was the livestock market. There was a special spot for weighing large goods right in the center.

There stood a massive contraption, like a giant seesaw, except the pivot was much lower. One end held a huge cage; the other, an enormous tray.

After a quick word with the attendant, the nephew led the sick horse into the cage. Workers began piling stones on the empty tray until the seesaw balanced.

Only then did the nephew pull the horse back out.

The workers tallied up the stones’ combined weight.

It was basically the same principle as Cao Chong weighing the elephant, except with a “seesaw” instead of a boat.

Finally, the nephew came over with the calculation slip and handed it to Tang Wan. “San Ya-jie, take a look. The horse weighs 1,372 jin. At twenty copper coins per jin, that’s twenty-seven taels and four hundred forty coins. We’re acquaintances, so I’ll round it—twenty-seven taels even if you want it.”

Twenty-seven taels!

Ling Yue nearly collapsed when she heard the number.

Afraid Tang Wan might actually agree, she quickly dragged her to the side and whispered, “Sister-in-law, you really want to buy it?”

“Mm.” Tang Wan nodded honestly.

Ling Yue was about to lose her mind. “Spend twenty-seven taels on a half-dead horse? Our silver doesn’t fall from the sky! And I’ve heard horse meat is tough and gamey. It’s not even as tasty as beef!”

Tang Wan gave her a speechless look.

This girl had just been acting like the Virgin Mary, pitying the poor horse, and now that it involved her own pocket, she suddenly didn’t find it so pitiful anymore.

But this wasn’t the time to explain. Tang Wan just patted her shoulder, her face solemn. “Trust me.”

Your sister isn’t the type to take a loss.

Ling Yue: …

What if I really don’t want to trust you?

Tang Wan didn’t care whether she believed or not. She went back to the nephew. “If I buy the horse, do I still get the handcart for free?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll take it.”

With that, money and goods exchanged hands.

When they left the livestock market, Tang Wan was leading the horse.

Ling Yue followed behind, pulling the cart with a dark face, her mood clearly sour.

Seeing that, Tang Wan finally explained, “The horse is sick, but I can cure it.”