Shen Qing bought a lot, and the shopkeeper from the livestock yard even gave her a cart.

It wasn’t a simple cart; it had a waterproof and sunproof canvas canopy!

Shen Qing had already ordered two carts in advance, enough for her own use, but she accepted the free gift with a cheerful heart.

She had the cart attached to the strongest donkey and then turned to Jiang Xiangxi, asking, “Do you think this would make a practical bride price?”

Guan the carpenter wouldn’t accept a bride price, no matter how much silver was given, he would still return it along with everything from his family.

Those who love their children are reluctant to spend money on themselves, but they are very generous when it comes to their children.

However, Jiang Xiangxi was marrying a woman, not entering a family as a son-in-law. When a man marries, he must do it properly.

Why should a daughter raised with such care be sent into the Jiang family without anything in return?

The Jiang family wasn’t good enough that a marriage could guarantee a life of luxury!

Jiang Xiangxi watched as his mother bought cakes, fabric, and sugar.

He already thought these were enough, but when he saw her buying silver hairpins and silver bracelets, he felt his capacity for accepting things was growing and expanding.

He no longer felt shaken by every purchase.

But when his mother spent sixty taels of silver, it still didn’t compare to the impact of giving a donkey and cart as a bride price!

A donkey costs eleven taels of silver, and the cart must be worth at least two and a half taels. In the village, marriage dowries were mostly around seven or eight taels.

When a man marries, he might cry about how much he had to spend, but when a daughter is married, it’s never enough.

His mother had voluntarily added more when arranging his marriage and had even prepared jewelry in advance for his younger sister who hadn’t yet come of age.

---

When four donkeys and a cow arrived at the village, it immediately caused a stir in the entire Seven-Li Village!

The children who had been playing with mud and throwing stones almost jumped up.

The news spread through the village quickly, and by the time Shen Qing had yet to arrive home, everyone from the elderly to babies in their mothers’ arms were eagerly watching the donkeys and the cow.

“It’s really a cow, the horns look so beautiful, I want to touch them!”

“Is that donkey over there? I think it looks kind of silly, but in a cute way.”

“Shen Qing bought so many animals at once, oh my goodness, how much silver did that cost?”

“Won’t we harvest wheat soon? And then we’ll need to plow the fields. The donkeys and the cow are definitely for farming and pulling the plow.”

“Right, you’re right!”

……

Listening to the excited analysis, only the Zhao Hong families thought it was impossible.

Shen Qing’s wheat wasn’t harvested; it had been swapped with their families. How could she buy donkeys and a cow just for plowing?

Could it be that she’s expanding her business?

Maybe to deliver brushes?

The more they thought about it, the more likely it seemed!

“Aunt, can my kid touch your donkey? He’s dreamed of touching one for so long; don’t worry, he’ll be very gentle, and if he dares to be rough, I’ll spank him!”

“My kid too! She’s been longing to touch one, can she?”

Someone spoke up, and the children, who had originally been quietly watching, immediately pulled on their parents’ clothes and looked at them with wide eyes full of hope.

The adults, unable to refuse, especially with the thought that this was a one-time opportunity, hurriedly asked for permission.

Shen Qing teased, “I can’t let you touch the donkey, but the donkey and cow are fine.”

“Come on, line up, touch from the side, be careful not to get kicked!”

It was just touching, and nothing would break, so why not?

The children cheered, and the adults were full of joy.

Shen Qing stepped aside while Jiang Xiangxi kept order.

Zhao Mingyue, who had also found some free time, came over to watch.

She pulled Shen Qing aside and asked, “Why did you suddenly buy so many large animals? It must take a lot of effort just to cut grass and feed them every day, right?”

“But the wheat harvest is just around the corner, and the donkeys and cows will come in handy. They’re practical after all.”

Shen Qing didn’t answer right away and instead actively suggested, “Third Aunt, have you ever thought about buying a donkey?”

“You and Da Bo can sell tofu in the city, so it’s not far, but what about Third Uncle and Da Xi? They have to travel many miles between villages with a cart to trade for beans. If they had a donkey, they wouldn’t need a cart anymore. They could take turns riding the donkey cart—much faster, less tiring, and they could visit more villages to trade for beans, making more silver!”

Zhao Mingyue had never thought of buying large livestock before.

She always thought walking a little wasn’t a big deal as long as they could earn money.

Not just her, her whole family thought the same way.

But after hearing Shen Qing’s words, she suddenly realized that a donkey wasn’t just for enjoyment; it could increase efficiency.

Faster travel meant more silver earned!

With the wheat harvest coming soon, her family had a lot of land, and this year’s harvest was looking good. In previous years, they didn’t need to worry, but this year, they had started making tofu and selling it, which took up a lot of manpower.

If they stopped making tofu for a few days, she would feel reluctant, but during the busy farming season, people were more willing to spend money on food. Tofu sales would increase, and they could earn more silver!

However, working nonstop was indeed tiring.

With a donkey, they wouldn’t need to carry heavy loads by hand.

For humans, a sack weighing a hundred pounds was tough, but for a donkey, it was nothing.

And for grinding flour…

The more Zhao Mingyue thought about it, the more she wished she could immediately go to the city and buy a donkey!

She dropped a sentence, “I’ll go home and discuss it with Third Uncle.”

Her family originally had twenty-nine taels of savings, and they had earned seven more taels selling tofu. Adding a few taels to buy a donkey wasn’t out of the question.

After all, buying it early would help with the wheat harvest and farming… saving labor for tofu production would earn more silver.

---

Jiang Erye and Jiang Ying also came to see.

They exchanged a look, and Jiang Ying asked, “Dad, if Third Aunt buys a donkey, should we also buy one?”

Their family had savings, and although they were usually reluctant to spend, they had earned a few extra taels from selling malt sugar recently.

If the flood really came in June, earning ten or more taels before then shouldn’t be too difficult.

Jiang Yang nodded and said, “We’ll buy a cow.”

A donkey was much cheaper by several taels of silver, but a donkey could carry three hundred pounds, while a cow could carry five to six hundred pounds.

The third family needed a donkey for grinding, so buying one made sense for them now or in the future. As for their family, they didn’t need one for grinding, but they did need a cow for carrying goods and plowing the land.

Jiang Ying quickly realized, “Yes, a cow is more practical for us!”

Their family not only had a lot of things but also many children.

If they had to flee from a disaster, the men would carry the goods, and the women would push the carts. But what about the children?

Walking a few miles was fine, but walking thirty or fifty miles was another story. The adults would have to endure, but the children would surely cry.

They couldn’t afford to leave their belongings behind, and they certainly couldn’t leave their children behind. It would drive them crazy!

Buying a cow would instantly lighten the load by five hundred pounds.

She looked at the donkey and cow from Shen Qing’s family, understanding that she was fully preparing for the potential flood disaster.

Maybe her small family could also take out silver to buy a donkey.

Then, the cow could carry the belongings, and the donkey could carry the children—Shen Qing’s advice would truly be worth it.