Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Buying Livestock (Part 1)

"Father, this is...?" Zhou Anran was slightly taken aback.

She almost thought that her father had heard Xiao Qingya’s inner thoughts, but his next words made her feel relieved. He hadn’t.

"We have the spare key here. Since your family has fields here, you might need a place to stay if you want to develop them." Zhou Wenzhi stuffed the key into Zhou Anran’s hands.

She accepted it with a complicated heart, thanking him before they dispersed to get some rest for the night.

Tomorrow, they would go to the county’s market to pick two powerful oxen. Zhou Wenzhi even offered them to use the barn for their goats.

The next morning, Xiao Qingya woke up hugging the kitten in her arms. The System had regained its power back, and now could materialize into a cat or disappear like a ghost.

For breakfast, it ate like everyone else, receiving the same portion as Xiao Qingya.

[Host, now I understand why you have become so chubby.] The System commented, followed by a sigh as it ate the chicken leg.

Xiao Qingya huffed and threatened. [I am afraid you will be chubby too. Hand over the chicken leg to me!]

The System, now called Xiao Xue by the family, jumped away with the chicken leg between its teeth.

"Little Ya wants more chicken legs?" Zhou Shuran offered. She was worried when she saw the little one trying to grab the cat’s meal, so she thought Xiao Qingya was still hungry.

Xiao Qingya blushed slightly and shook her head. She made a quick excuse. "Mosquito."

The Xiao family members tried to hold back their laughter, and she immediately knew that her excuse was lousy.

She pursed her lips. Ever since the System had materialized into a cat, it had become quite lawless, always wandering around curiously.

Fortunately, it couldn’t speak to anyone else besides her, or else, it would grow even more wild and make trouble everywhere.

As soon as they finished breakfast, they went to the county’s market as planned. There were more stalls and shops, encompassing a wider area.

Zhou Wenzhi led them toward the area where people were selling livestock like chickens, goats, and oxen.

"One strong ox usually costs around fifteen to twenty taels," he explained. "The older ones cost less, but they aren’t as strong. To save money, people sometimes also chose sick ones and gambled on whether they could save it."

The moment they stepped into the area, the System had jumped from Xiao Qingya’s arms, but she forbade them from looking for it.

She just explained in an innocent manner while waving her hand childishly. "It will come back."

Seeing the little owner so calm, they went along with her words. Especially the Xiao family who knew that the cat wasn’t an ordinary entity.

The Ling siblings were also nowhere to be found, already running off.

"Let’s look around first." Zhou Wenzhi decided.

Zhou Anran had let her children, especially the twins, go sightseeing around the market themselves while the adults were trying to find suitable oxen and other livestocks. However, they insisted on joining.

Xiao Yuxi whispered in their mother’s ear. "Mother, let’s go get some goats?"

Ruffling her daughter’s soft hair, she told them in a gentle tone. "If you find any goat you like, tell your grandfather."

Zhou Wenzhi would know whether the livestock were good enough. He was the most experienced in the group compared to his daughters and grandchildren.

"Alright!" Xiao Yuxi clenched her fist and ran off somewhere.

Xiao Yuyan bit her lip and watched her elder sister run around on her own. She wanted to say something to their mother, but then hesitated and decided to stay silent, following them obediently.

"Brother, how much is this ox?" Zhou Wenzhi suddenly approached a person holding the rope of an ox behind him.

The person glanced at him, and his answer was pretty straightforward. "Twenty taels."

His ox had a bigger build compared to oxen sold by others beside him, however, it was rather skinny.

"His ox is so skinny, Brother. It might even be sick." Someone suddenly jumped into the conversation. "For such an ox, charging twenty taels is ridiculous."

"Brother, how about you take a look at our oxen here? We have more than one so that you can pick! They are definitely healthy and robust."

Upon seeing Zhou Wenzhi’s extraordinary aura which was different from ordinary people—more composed and well-learned like nobles—people tried to promote their oxen to him.

They guessed that he must have some money on him and wouldn’t haggle like these people who worked under unscrupulous merchants.

Zhou Wenzhi ignored them and told the man. "We will take it."

The person was a little surprised, and he nodded in acknowledgement. They finished the transaction quickly. After Zhou Wenzhi gave the money to him, he handed over the ropes to Zhou Wenzhi.

"Father..." Zhou Anran called out helplessly. She was about to take some money from her pouch just as Zhou Wenzhi took his own and paid the man.

Zhou Wenzhi raised his brows at her and patted Xiao Fenghao beside him. "Hao’er, take ox, we will look for another one."

[This ox really suits Second Brother... Eldest Brother is too elegant, so I understand why Grandfather would give it to Second Brother...] Xiao Qingya commented as she held Xiao Jingran’s hand.

Xiao Fenghao twitched his mouth. What does their little sister mean by that? He was more suited to hold the ox because it resembled him more compared to Eldest Brother?!

The thought made him a little dejected, and he secretly glanced at Xiao Jingran and shook his head.

Nevermind, he was an honest man and not as insidious as their eldest brother, anyway.

"Brother, are you looking for an ox?" Someone suddenly stopped their group. "I have a good ox here, do you want to take a look?"

At this moment, the System suddenly jumped to Xiao Qingya’s arms, and she heard the familiar notification sound again.

[Mission Triggered!]