Goldfield
Chapter 97: The Sick Donkey

The cattle and horse market is located in the northernmost part of the city. It was an open area surrounded by a wooden fence. Today, the cattle and horse markets are bustling with activity. The people selling oxen, horses, and mules were all gathered here. The air gives off the smell of animal feces, making it very unpleasant.

“I sell calves! This calf is only two months old. Very sturdy! Brother, I can sell calves to you at a cheaper price if you want. ”

“My brother see my mule. She is only two years old so it is a good time to start working.. ”.

“It looks like there's a problem with your ankle. He can't walk so what do I need him for? ”

“The cow is too small. I want a calf that can work in early spring. ”.

“Uncle, look...” me.

…

His ears were full of all sorts of sounds. However, Xiaocao felt that voice felt very familiar. On his way, he asked some people about the price of their oxen and mules. But all their prices are expensive. As his father had said, if they did not pay Little Shitou's school fees, then they might be able to afford it. But even so, they still did not have enough money to equip it with a cart.

It was unknown if Heaven had deliberately put himself up against Xiaocao, but he did not see many people selling donkeys after touring the market once. Sometimes there will be families selling donkeys; however, the price they ask for is beyond reasonable limits. The price they asked for was even higher than the price of an ox.

“Hei! There was a lot of noise and excitement. Let's go and see.. ”Yu Hai also know that it is not easy to reach an agreement when buying animals. So unlike Xiaocao who had a grim expression on his face, when he saw there was a crowd of people in front of them, he immediately pulled his daughter's hand and walked into the crowd.

As if he was giving help, a man said, “Expert learners, your donkey is sick to the point that he will stop breathing. But you still ask for a high price. Who's gonna buy it? Let it. Forgetit. I am a kind person. I'll pity you and pay eight hundred copper coins to buy your donkey carriage! ” The middle-aged man with a shrewd face looked at the donkey that was as thin as firewood.

Xiaocao, who passed through the crowd, saw a young boy crouching in front of a donkey. The youngster was around sixteen to seventeen years old, and he was wearing a long uniformed dress from Rongxuan Academy. The donkey was so thin that only bones remained. It lay weakly on the ground as it did not have the energy to stand. If his stomach didn't move up and down, he'd think the donkey was dead. The youngster's face was filled with sadness as he shook his head. He calmly said, “No, no! To make a donkey wagon, it takes one tael of silver. My father was waiting for the money I got from the donkey cart to save his life! Eight hundred copper coins is not even enough for two packs of medicine .. ”

The middle-aged man impatiently asked, “Sarjana Pedantic, how much money do you want to sell to this half-dead donkey?”

“Three... three taels of silver! My father is very sick. He needed this money to go to the doctor. ”The young scholar seemed to understand that the asking price was a bit excessive, so his voice was barely audible.

But he also had no choice. All the valuables in his family had been sold to pay for his school fees. They relied on these donkey carts to help people carry their belongings or transport people to the city for money to survive. However, he never expected that five days ago, the donkey started vomiting and diarrhea. It was very painful, so they found some veterinarians. No veterinarian can help. His father was anxious and suffered from excessive deep heat and eventually caught a cold. Now, his father could not get out of his bed.

There was no money at home to invite the doctor, so he brought the sick donkey to the market to try his luck …

The middle-aged man sneered at him and rudely said, “You want me to pay three taels of silver for that sick donkey? Little student, you should know that a healthy and large male donkey costs only five taels of silver. And your ass.. tsk, tsk! I'm worried that even if you kill him and sell his meat, you won't even be able to get a few taels of silver. I've already shown you some attention by paying eight hundred copper coins for that sick donkey! ”

“Ya, yes! Who will pay three taels of silver for a donkey that will die? ”

“Eight hundred copper coins too little. That amount is not even enough to buy a donkey cart. If it was me, I wouldn't want to sell it either..... ”.

“This child is too pitiful. Looking at the clothes that the boy was wearing, he must be a student of Rongxuan Academy. If he didn't need the money too much, he probably wouldn't be here and let people point and gossip about him ..

The audience surrounding him was divided into two parties. One side said that the young man went crazy thinking about money, while the other side sympathized and felt sorry for the boy.

The young scholar's face was pale. His gaze looked crazy as he stared at the struggling donkey at the door of death. He kept saying, “No, no. My father waited for the money I earned from selling donkeys to save his life. She was waiting for me to save her life ... ”.

Yu Xiaocao was somewhat touched by the piety of the young scholar's son as he looked at him. He thought back to when his father was between life and death. He recalled how sad they were and how helpless the feeling of the entire family was. Xiaocao shouted for a small holy stone in his mind, [Little Ketan Dumpling, will you save this donkey?]

A mini golden kitten came out from Xiaocao's chest with his tattered cotton-coated jacket. He stuck out his small head and lazily glanced at the donkey and gently but in an unhappy voice, he said, [Scented master, what do you think of me for? You used me as bait fish and to save people. Now, you want me to save the pet. I don't want to! Me, your father, will strike!]

Imagine a very small kitten with one of his legs crossed over the other, holding both of his front legs, with his head tilted to the side, and calling himself ‘ayah’. The scene was quite funny but also a bit strange.

The small holy stone recalled how every time he helped Xiaocao do something, his strength would restore itself in various degrees of magnitude, especially when it had saved Yu Hai. After saving Yu Hai, the little holy stone was able to materialize a physical body. It felt like what Xiaocao said made a lot of sense. So, reluctantly said, [As long as the donkey doesn't stop breathing, then I can save him.].

With the guarantee of the Divine Stone, Xiaocao stepped forward and said to the young scholar, “Can you allow me to see the donkey?”

The young scholar's lifeless expression suddenly became hopeful when he heard Xiaocao's words. As if he was looking at his savior, he said, “Little girl, you.... do you want to buy my donkey?”

But when he saw the cotton-coated jacket filled with patches Xiaocao was wearing, his expression faded again. He forced his greed away and said, “Little girl, my donkey hurts. Better if you do not buy it.. ”.

Xiaocao saw that even though he had fallen into such a dire situation, he still had a kind and honest heart. She smiled, “My father and I have studied some medical treatments for pets. If the donkey can be saved, then I will buy it. ”

“OK good! Look at that donkey. My donkey is very capable, not even three years old. Before getting sick, everyone said my ass was good. ” The flame of hope once again lit up in the young scholar's eyes as he stared at Xiaocao's every move.

Xiaocao squatted in front of the donkey. He stretched out his hand to be placed between the donkey's nose and mouth. A stream of hot air gushed into his palm as the donkey breathed. Although his breathing was weak, it was clear.

Good if you're still breathing! He borrowed a broken bowl that pets used to drink water. He allowed Yu Hai to take off the water bag tied up on the side of his waist and pour the mystical stone water from the water bag into the bowl.

The donkey seemed to be able to sense the spiritual energy from the water as he raised his head with great difficulty. Sip by mouth, he slowly drank the mystical stone water from the bowl in Xiaocao's hand. After he finished the bowl of mystical stone water, he helplessly lay on the ground. Although the donkey no longer had the strength to stand, his eyes were clearer and more lively than before.

“How's my donkey? Little girl, can my donkey be saved? ” When the young student saw the donkey, who had not drunk water for a long time or eaten grass, drinking a bowl of water, the fire of hope in his heart grew even more burning.

The middle-aged man with a shrewd looking face made a cynical comment beside him, “The vets from the cattle and horse market all said that the donkey was incurable. What can a silly little girl do? I advise you to sell the donkey immediately before exhaling the last breath. Otherwise, it will be bad luck for you when it dies later. When it dies, I will not spend eight hundred copper coins to buy it. ”

The young scholar acted as if he did not hear the middle-aged man ridiculing him. He looked at Xiaocao as if he was his last chance at life. He did not even realize that his nails had pierced through the skin on his palms as he clenched them tightly.

The outsider thought that Xiaocao felt sorry for the donkey as he stroked the donkey's ribs. However, in fact, he used a colorful stone on his wrist to help the donkey cope with the disease in his body. In the space where others could not see, a soft ray of golden light entered the donkey from the colorful stone. In less than an instant, the donkey was able to raise his head and his eyes returned full of vigor.

Xiaocao smiled and nodded at the student, “The donkey is not seriously ill. I'll buy it! That's three taels of silver, isn't it?

“Y-yes!” The young student was in a daze as he stared at the silver Xiaocao had given him. He did not seem to believe that his sick donkey who was about to go to heaven would actually give him three taels of silver. For a moment, he foolishly stood there because he was not sure what to do.

Xiaocao saw that he had not moved for a while, so he thought that he wanted to retract his words. She whispered to him, “What's wrong? Didn't you say that your father was waiting for this money to save his life? Why aren't you in a hurry to him? ”

“Oh! Thank you, little girl. My benefactors, please leave your name. In the future, I want to repay your kindness! ” The young student saluted Xiaocao and his father.

Xiaocao replied, “What are you talking about? You sell something, and I just buy it. It's a fair trade. No need to pay anything. Quick go, your father's illness can't be delayed! ” Fang Zimo misses his ailing father. Seeing that the two did not want to leave their names, he bowed towards them again and left the market while tightly holding the silver.

The middle-aged man, who could not take advantage of the student, wryly said, “Little girl, you are still young. There are many kinds of people in this world. Many pretended to be sick in order to gain the sympathy of the people. You were cheated by someone else, but you still haven't noticed it. ”

“Thank you, uncle, for the reminder! However, the student was wearing a long dress from Rongxuan Academy. Rongxuan Academy accepts students based on their moral character. I'm sure he's not a fraud. ” Xiaocao is not an eight-year-old who can be easily cheated. He had spent three taels of silver to buy donkeys and donkey carts. This is much cheaper than buying a donkey and then asking someone to make a donkey car for him.

The middle-aged man stared at the relatively new donkey wagon one last time. He coldly snorted, “You will suffer losses if you close your ears to an older person. I'm just reminding you because I'm sure you might save up for a long time to be able to save three taels of silver. I don't want you to lose much in the end! ” After he finished talking, he swung his sleeve and left.

Xiaocao raised his eyebrows and disdainfully pursed his lips. He could not utilize that scholar so he could only utter a few hateful words. His moral character is…

However, Yu Hai was a little worried as he asked, “Cao’er, the donkey is very weak. He can't even stand up so how can we take him home? Your Grandpa Zhang's chariot can't load a donkey. ”.

Xiaocao confidently said, “Don't worry. I felt that when we returned in the afternoon, the donkey would be able to walk on its own! Dad, there's not much spice left at home. There are stores in the food market that sell cheap condiments. Let's take a look. ”