BYBOTE Chapter 60: Business from Good Karma

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Songlin Town had a main street that divided the entire town in half. The southern side was home to the wealthy, while the northern side housed the majority of the town’s commoners and poor folk. Yonglin Alley was a prime example. Once you stepped into this area, it was hard to find a single person wearing intact clothing, and even harder to see someone who looked remotely healthy.

Most of the people here were thin and sallow-faced, giving off the impression of chronic malnutrition. The few who were in relatively good shape, like Wan Dayun, were an exception. But during the day, most of them were out struggling to make a living, so the streets here were usually empty.

Today was an exception.

“Uncle, over there! The house with two big stones in front of the door—that’s my home.” Wan Dayun’s daughter led the way, looking thrilled that Xi Yanqing had come to visit her house.

“Pardon the mess, Brother Xi,” Wan Dayun said. “I’m usually busy at the butcher shop, so not many people come by.”

“That’s just how it is when you’re busy—sometimes you barely have time to eat,” Xi Yanqing replied. He had experienced hardship himself. While he hadn’t lived in such difficult conditions, there was a time in his modern life when he had to run around making money for tuition. The toughest times were probably just as bad.

“I don’t mind for myself, but it’s hard on the kids,” Wan Dayun wiped his sweat and pushed open the door with a creak. “Erxue! We have a guest! Bring out two bowls of water!”

“Got it, Dad!” A young girl’s voice called from inside.

Xi Yanqing assumed that since this girl had been left at home, she must be older than the one called Damei. But when he heard Wan Dayun calling her Erxue, he became uncertain.

A moment later, a little girl emerged from the house. She was even younger than the first one—around five or six years old. She had large, dark eyes, and when she smiled, she had dimples. She was quite adorable. She carried out two bowls of water, handing one to Wan Dayun and offering the other to Xi Yanqing.

“Uncle, have some water.”

“This is my second daughter,” Wan Dayun said, handing Xi Yanqing a stool. “Brother Xi, have a seat. My place is small, but I hope you don’t mind. I’ll just change my clothes, and then we can head to the butcher shop.”

“No need to be so formal, Brother Wan,” Xi Yanqing appreciated this little act of respect—changing into clean clothes to properly welcome a guest. He took the bowl of water from the little girl and smiled. “Thank you, little one.”

“You’re welcome,” Wan Xue replied. She glanced at Xi Yanqing’s cloth bundle, then ran off to play with the other three children.

Xi Yanqing casually observed his surroundings. This was a small courtyard with a single house whose walls were already leaning. To the west was an old warehouse, also in poor condition. The courtyard was empty—not a single animal in sight—but it was quiet.

The children occasionally sneaked glances at him, whispering in low voices.

Xi Yanqing beckoned to the youngest child.

There was something that didn’t quite add up. If he remembered correctly, Boss Hong had said that Wan Dayun’s wife nearly lost her life giving birth to their third child and had been bedridden ever since. So why did Wan Dayun have four children?

Shouldn’t there only be three? It was unlikely that his wife had another child after becoming bedridden. Upon closer inspection, the youngest child didn’t quite resemble the other three in terms of facial features or expressions.

“My wife coughs badly at night and can’t sleep a wink. She finally manages to rest at this time of day—nothing can wake her,” Wan Dayun explained as he changed into a cleaner set of clothes with only one patch. Then he turned to his children. “You all behave at home. The medicine is already boiled, and your food is in the pot. Erxue, don’t forget to give your mother her medicine. Damei, make sure you all eat on time.”

“Got it, Dad! Don’t worry!” the two girls responded in unison.

“Will they manage on their own?” Xi Yanqing asked as they left. “The eldest is only six or seven.”

“She’s actually nine—just small for her age,” Wan Dayun sighed. “I had no choice in the past—carrying one, leading another. Things are a bit better now.”

“That must’ve been tough,” Xi Yanqing said, then suddenly stopped.

He had just heard some soft, childish voices from inside: “Smells so good!” and “Uncle must have food on him!”

That reminded him—he still had some steamed buns and lamb in his bundle!

“What’s wrong?” Wan Dayun asked.

“Nothing, let’s go.”

Xi Yanqing had originally wanted to take out the food and give it to the children before leaving. But after thinking about it, he realized this was his first time meeting them—what if their father didn’t feel comfortable accepting food from a stranger? Besides, the buns and lamb were already cold. Instead of letting the kids eat them cold, it would be better to give them to Wan Dayun later, so he could properly prepare them for the children.

This time, Xi Yanqing had come to discuss whether Wan Dayun could start selling lamb from his friend’s ranch. After all, negotiating with multiple butchers individually was far less efficient than securing a steady supplier.

Judging by Wan Dayun’s situation, he clearly didn’t have time to raise livestock himself, which meant he must be sourcing his meat from someone else.

But as far as Xi Yanqing knew, no one in the area was raising pigs, sheep, or cattle on a large scale. There was a livestock market, but it was mostly individual sellers, with some having just a few more animals than others.

“You’re right, Brother Xi. No one here has large-scale livestock farms. There used to be a pig farm, but an outbreak of swine fever wiped them out, and the owner hanged himself over the losses. Since then, no one dares to raise animals in bulk. Most families just keep two or three pigs, maybe five or six at most, to sell for extra money. My shop has a steady supply because I go door to door a month in advance, making arrangements with the sellers.”

“So you don’t have any long-term supplier relationships?” Xi Yanqing’s eyes lit up—this was perfect!

“Exactly. I just buy from whoever has stock at the time.”

Wan Dayun was open about this because Xi Yanqing had vouched for him at Boss Jing’s place earlier, allowing him to get medicine for his wife. He was truly grateful to Xi Yanqing.

“Brother Wan, to be honest, I have a friend who runs a sheep farm. He doesn’t raise pigs or cattle—only sheep. He has about forty right now and wants to sell some. If it’s convenient for you, would you be interested in checking out his stock? If it works for you, you can start sourcing from us—we’ll definitely give you a good price.”

“That sounds great! If it works out, it’d save me a lot of trouble running around.”

As they talked, they arrived at Yunji Butcher Shop. Xi Yanqing then asked about daily sales figures and price fluctuations for each type of meat.

If it weren’t for Shopkeeper Jing mentioning that he sold medicinal herbs and ice cream, and if Wan Dayun hadn’t happened to see Xi Yanqing two or three times at the pharmacy and Fuyue Restaurant, Xi Yanqing would have almost been suspected of trying to steal business.

Xi Yanqing wanted to understand the market as much as possible. After all, he didn’t just want to sell sheep—he also raised and sold chickens and ducks. Naturally, the more he knew, the better.

"Brother Xi, thanks to you vouching for me in front of Shopkeeper Jing today, I was able to solve a big problem. How about this? Stay here for lunch before you go. I don’t have anything fancy, but with all this meat, I can make you whatever you want," Wan Dayun said sincerely, as there was still a stove burning nearby.

"Brother Wan, don’t trouble yourself. My wife made me some food before I left home. If you don’t mind eating the kind of food you're used to, let’s just eat together." Xi Yanqing took out some steamed buns and mutton. "Since you have a stove here, we can toast the buns and heat up the mutton. Eating the meat inside the bun tastes really good."

"Ha, I won’t lie to you—I already smelled the delicious aroma from your bag a while ago," Wan Dayun said. "I’ll go grab a jug of wine!"

"No, no, no," Xi Yanqing quickly stopped him. "You still have business to do in the afternoon, and besides, my wife is pregnant. If I drink wine at a time like this and go home smelling of alcohol, she might overthink it. Then where would I go to argue my case?"

"Ha, you brat, why do you make it sound like your wife is a tigress?" Wan Dayun joked.

"A tigress?" Xi Yanqing slowly tore apart a steamed bun, then suddenly chuckled. "He’s carrying my little tiger cub. Calling him a tigress isn’t too far off, I suppose. But really, he just has a sharp tongue—his heart is soft."

"Alright then, no wine today. Let’s try your wife’s cooking instead." Wan Dayun wasn’t particularly fond of meat, even though he sold it for a living. Good cuts were too valuable to eat himself, and he had already eaten plenty of leftover scraps that wouldn’t sell. He never found them particularly delicious. At best, high-quality meat had a better texture.

But when he followed Xi Yanqing’s method—putting the meat inside a toasted bun—he was stunned.

How could it be this good?!

The aroma was incredible!

The toasted bun turned golden and crispy on the outside, and when bitten into, it made a satisfying "crunch" sound. Inside, the bun absorbed the juices from the stir-fried mutton, making it moist rather than dry. The mutton was tender but not greasy.

Wan Dayun took a huge bite. "Brother Xi, I have to say, your wife’s cooking is really something."

Despite selling meat for years, he had never eaten it this way. Usually, it was just a bite of steamed bun followed by a bite of meat—and that was only when times weren’t too tight at home, allowing for some stir-fried meat scraps. But back then, it never seemed all that special. Why did it taste so amazing today?

"If it weren’t so busy at home, and if my wife weren’t in a condition that makes it inconvenient for her to go out, I’d want to set up a stall to sell these," Xi Yanqing said. "Everyone who tries them says they’re delicious."

"They are delicious," Wan Dayun agreed.

He devoured three in no time, washing them down with hot water.

Although he looked thin, his appetite was solid. Xi Yanqing figured that since they had just met, Wan Dayun was probably holding back a bit. Otherwise, he could definitely eat more.

After finishing lunch, six buns remained. That’s right—Xi Yanqing had brought quite a lot, intending to let the manager and owner of Fuyue Restaurant try them as well. It wouldn’t have been good to bring too few.

Instead of packing up the leftovers, Xi Yanqing said, "I can always make more when I get home. Since Brother Wan likes the taste, take these back for your kids to try. Children love trying new things."

Wan Dayun didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted them. But he wasn’t about to take them for free either. Before Xi Yanqing left, he stuffed a strip of beef into his hands—a cut from the ribs, with some tendons and skin attached, perfect for stewing.

And so, Xi Yanqing went home, having exchanged his buns and mutton for some beef.

_

As the days grew longer, he returned home while it was still light outside.

"You’re back, Qing-ge?" Luo Fei was in the courtyard watering the sheep when he heard the door open.

"How did it go? Was everything smooth?"

"It’s still too early to say," Xi Yanqing walked over and took the small basin from him. "How many times have I told you not to squat like that? You’ll get dizzy when you stand up."

"I know, I know. But how come every time I don’t listen, you always catch me?" Luo Fei grabbed Xi Yanqing’s hand to stand up. "What do you mean, 'too early to say'? Did they try the toasted buns with mutton?"

"No, I gave them to someone else." Xi Yanqing explained what had happened in town. "Given the situation, if I had tried to push our mutton-filled buns at that moment, no matter how tasty they were, Manager Hong probably wouldn’t have gotten a good impression of us. That guy is sharp, but he’s also quite reasonable. So, after delivering the ice cream, I left.

"As for whether Wan Dayun will eventually help us sell these buns with mutton, that’s still uncertain. For now, we should focus on getting him to buy our sheep. But I think the chances are pretty good. He’s short on money right now, and just selling fresh meat doesn’t seem to be enough. If he’s willing to expand his offerings, it’d be a win-win situation for both of us."

"Mm, see? This is why people should always be kind. If you hadn’t helped him, none of this would have happened," Luo Fei said. After entering the house, he turned to face Xi Yanqing. "Qing-ge, do you know what makes you so attractive?"

"What?"

"It’s the way you always seem so sincere and reliable," Luo Fei tilted his head at Xi Yanqing. "You know, back when we first met in this village, I had the upper hand—because you liked me. But before I knew it, you had me wrapped around your finger."

"What are you talking about? Since when did you have the upper hand?" Xi Yanqing changed his clothes as he spoke. "Have you ever seen a seed planter sowing seeds upwards?"

"Not outside, but we have one at home," Luo Fei poked Xi Yanqing’s waist. "And that’s you."

"Well then, you must be the one operating it. Otherwise, how could I be planting upwards?" Xi Yanqing smirked before pecking Luo Fei on the lips. "Little rascal."

"Hey, don’t act innocent after taking advantage of me! Besides, I’m a licensed driver. And haven’t you heard? The strength of a relationship can be measured by how often a couple jokes about dirty things."

"Hmm, that actually makes some sense," Xi Yanqing chuckled. "Was our little tiger well-behaved today? Did he kick you?"

"Of course! Every morning he is practicing kicks, and every afternoon is for sleeping," Luo Fei frowned at his growing belly.

Though he didn’t usually notice it, as it got bigger, it definitely felt awkward. Unlike Han Xu, Luo Fei was eager to "unload" as soon as possible.

Whenever he visited Han Xu’s baby, the little one was always calm and quiet, an angelic child. Because of that, Luo Fei looked forward even more to meeting his own little tiger.

They had already prepared an entire cabinet full of tiny clothes, blankets, socks, suspenders, and diapers.

Xi Yanqing was also eager to meet their child—but first, he wanted to finish building their new house, so the baby could be born in their new home.

While Xi Yanqing was eager to meet the child soon, he was even more determined to finish building their new house before the baby was born, hoping the child could be born in a brand-new home.

Once the ground had fully thawed, the hired workers began digging the foundation. Since all three houses were to be built identically, the excavation process was relatively straightforward—everything was the same, including the size, layout, and height. Once they figured out the design of one house, the others followed the same blueprint.

Luo Tian had lived in Huaping Village for many years and knew a lot of people. He was meticulous in his dealings, which ensured that the workers he hired were all reliable and hardworking, with no one trying to slack off or cut corners. The workers arrived at Jing Rong’s place at the crack of dawn, had lunch there at midday, and left for home only when the sun was about to set. There were a total of fourteen workers, each with their own area of expertise.

Lunch was prepared by Li Yuehua and Han Liushi. Two large pots were set up in Jing Rong’s courtyard, and by midday, the air was filled with the aroma of food. While the meals weren’t anything extravagant, there was plenty of porridge, steamed buns, and pickled vegetables—more than enough to keep the workers satisfied.

That day, Luo Tian was once again supervising the construction at Jing Rong’s place as usual. As for Jing Rong and Luo Yong, they had all gone to help Xi Yanqing.

This year, Xi Yanqing planned to revamp his vegetable garden. Last year, he had set aside a section specifically for Luo Fei, turning it into a fruit garden that produced a variety of delicious fruits. Now, he intended to expand it even further—not only to satisfy Luo Fei’s cravings but also to grow more ingredients for making ice cream.

The vegetable garden at the new house was even larger than the one at their current residence, so Xi Yanqing planned to make full use of it. He decided to plant perennial fruit trees behind the new house, while the annual crops would be grown in the vegetable garden behind their current home.

As for vegetables, the gardens behind Jing Rong and Luo Yong’s homes were more than sufficient to feed their families, so Xi Yanqing chose to focus solely on fruit cultivation.

The brothers were straightforward and easygoing. When Xi Yanqing finished organizing the vegetable garden behind the current house and moved on to the new property, Luo Yong and Jing Rong suggested simply merging the gardens into one large plot. That way, Xi Yanqing could plant whatever he wanted without worrying about space, as long as they had enough vegetables to eat.

When it came to farming, Xi Yanqing was undoubtedly the expert. This was evident from last year’s harvest.

"Different people have different strengths," Luo Yong and Han Yang fully acknowledged Xi Yanqing’s expertise.

After preparing his rice seeds, Han Yang had asked Xi Yanqing to teach him the dry-seeding and sparse planting method this year.

However, since it wasn’t time for seedling cultivation yet, Han Yang went to help Luo Ji plow the fields first.

“What kind of fruit tree is this? I’ve never seen it before,” Jing Rong asked while helping Xi Yanqing move the saplings.

“This is a raspberry tree. You’ve never eaten raspberries?” Xi Yanqing carefully transferred the saplings with a large clump of soil attached to increase their survival rate. It would have been difficult to do without so many hands helping.

“Never. I’ve never even heard of it,” Jing Rong replied. “Is it tasty?”

“It’s delicious!” Luo Fei chimed in. “Everything Qing-ge grows tastes great. Raspberries, black nightshade berries, wild grapes, watermelons—they’re all amazing. He even has blueberry bushes.”

“Out of everything you just listed, I’ve only had watermelons and wild grapes…” Jing Rong suddenly felt a little left out.

“Well, you’re in for a treat this year,” Luo Fei licked his lips. “I need to grab some dried plums. Otherwise, I won’t be able to stop salivating.”

Just then, a voice called out from outside the gate. “Is anyone home?”

At that moment, Xi Yanqing and Luo Yong had just finished digging up the last of the fruit trees.

“Yes! Just a moment, I’ll be right there!” Luo Fei responded.

“Wait a sec, wife,” Xi Yanqing said. “It’s probably Wan Dayun. I’ll come with you.” He called for Jing Rong and the others. “Come on, he’s probably here to check out the sheep. Let’s all go take a look.”

Sure enough, it was Wan Dayun. However, he wasn’t here about the lamb-stuffed buns but rather to follow up on the conversation he had with Xi Yanqing about buying sheep.

Since Xi Yanqing had helped him out before, Wan Dayun had kept this in mind. Now that he had almost finished purchasing sheep from other scattered sellers, he followed the address that Xi Yanqing had given him and came straight over.

Luo Yong, who had bought meat from town before, recognized him.

Jing Rong, having visited the butchers’ shops in town, also found him familiar.

After a brief introduction from Xi Yanqing, they took Wan Dayun to see the sheep. The flock wasn’t kept at home; Luo Ru had taken them out to graze. This setup allowed Jing Rong to focus on heavier labor tasks, making the best use of manpower.

The weather was getting warmer, and the sheep spent longer periods outside. The more time they spent grazing, the more fresh grass they ate. Fresh pasture was far more nutritious than dried fodder, so Luo Ru typically let them graze for half the day before bringing them home.

She was far more reliable at tending and counting the sheep than Luo Yong.

At this time, Luo Ru was still out in the fields with the flock. After the start of spring, the sheep had gained a noticeable amount of weight from all the fresh grass. They lazily nibbled on the pasture, occasionally bleating, looking quite adorable.

“There they are,” Jing Rong pointed to a large patch of fluffy white shapes halfway up the hillside. “Our younger sister is watching them.”

“That’s quite a lot of sheep,” Wan Dayun remarked as he and the others walked closer. “But these don’t seem to be the same breed as the ones I usually see around here. Their horns look different.”

“I brought them from my hometown,” Jing Rong explained. “They’re a different breed from the local ones.”

“I was wondering why the lamb that Xi Yanqing brought the other day was so tender,” Wan Dayun said. “Alright, how about I take two today? Would that be okay, Jing Rong?”

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