The pheasants were divided into three groups and stuffed into three wooden cages, each over four feet long.
This meant five or six pheasants lived in each four-foot cage.
Each pheasant had ample space; looking at the density, Chen Xiaobei was reminded of raising chickens at home in his previous life. At that density, he could have stuffed ten more pheasants in.
However, Chen Xiaobei didn't want to overcrowd them. Giving the pheasants a bit of freedom would improve their mood.
Only with good moods would their eggs taste better, right?
The next morning, Chen Xiaobei first headed to the vegetable patch behind the house.
This trip to the city would involve selling both vegetables and fish; it was going to be another busy day.
With the experience from last time, Chen Xiaobei directly cut one-third of the vegetables.
This amount of vegetables could be sold in three batches.
Back home, Chen Xiaobei asked Cui Hongyu to help load a large water缸 onto the donkey cart. After filling it halfway with water, he then put the several large fish inside.
After arranging the fish, Chen Xiaobei tied up the leafy greens, piling them neatly onto the donkey cart.
With everything packed, Chen Xiaobei prepared to depart.
As he drove the donkey cart through the village, the villagers he encountered greeted him warmly.
Many villagers' eyes were filled with envy. From their gazes, Chen Xiaobei could sense that someone would likely come knocking on his door again to learn how to grow vegetables after he returned.
Upon entering the county town, Chen Xiaobei first went to find Old Wu.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Old Wu's face lit up with a smile, the kind of joy that comes from reuniting with an old friend. "Brother Xiaobei, you're finally here. I've been thinking about you every day these past few days. Your vegetables should be ready for harvest."
Chen Xiaobei laughed heartily, "You can even set up a stall to tell fortunes now; you're quite accurate."
They chatted and laughed as they unloaded the vegetables. After estimating the weight, Old Wu handed Chen Xiaobei one hundred copper coins.
Chen Xiaobei didn't stand on ceremony. He knew these vegetables weighed at least a hundred jin. Of course, he also had to let Old Wu make a profit.
After a few more pleasantries with Old Wu, Chen Xiaobei drove his cart straight to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant.
Such large fish had to be sold for a good price, and to get a good price, one had to find the right buyer.
The Drunken Immortal Restaurant was the most upscale establishment in the county town, so selling to them was the most suitable option.
The proprietor of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, Tian Wen, was overjoyed to see Chen Xiaobei bring such a large fish. "Oh, little brother, such a large live fish is truly rare. Name your price."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, a one-foot-long fish sold for two copper coins. This two-foot-long one should fetch at least four times that. With this in mind, he held up his hand and gestured, "This large fish should be at least eight liang."
This price was clearly within Tian Wen's acceptable range, and he agreed without batting an eye, "Alright, alright, eight liang it is."
Chen Xiaobei hadn't expected Tian Wen to agree so readily.
But then he thought, eight liang was reasonable. A strong laborer's daily wage was only five liang, and a large fish was equivalent to a day and a half's work. This was already an exorbitant price. Of course, in this era of relative material scarcity, this fish was indeed worth that price.
After selling the fish, Chen Xiaobei began to wander again. He still needed to buy some coarse grains to feed the pheasants. He couldn't afford rice, so he had to find other feed for them.
The market had places that specialized in selling grains. There was high-grade white rice, unhulled grains, and even some grain that had been soaked or infested with worms. While worm-eaten grain was not fit for human consumption, it was a good option for Chen Xiaobei to feed his pheasants.
With both grains and worms, vegetables and staple food, the pheasants would be delighted.
This kind of grain was very cheap. Chen Xiaobei bought a large sack for ten copper coins.
At the same time, Chen Xiaobei also made an arrangement with the seller. If they had more of this kind of grain, they should send it directly to Old Wu, who would accept it on his behalf, as he would be coming by every so often anyway.
Of course, if the pheasants needed grain, people also needed meat. Chen Xiaobei bought another two jin of pork. He also picked up some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar before heading home happily.
As he reached the entrance of the village, Chen Xiaobei froze.
More than a dozen carts were parked by the roadside at the village entrance, each laden with over ten boxes. He didn't know what was inside.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, the village guards rushed over to report, "Brother Xiaobei, that fellow named Sun Jian is here again. He's waiting for you under the big locust tree!"
Chen Xiaobei immediately understood. Sun Jian had mentioned providing chains at the time, so this was likely him delivering the goods.
Indeed, when he arrived under the big locust tree, Sun Jian was chatting with Li Dong and a few others.
Sun Jian and Li Dong had met several times before and were quite familiar with each other, chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was cordial.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Sun Jian proudly announced, "Brother Xiaobei, I've brought all the chains for you. They're just outside the village. Have someone receive them."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and said to Li Dong with a smile, "Leave it to Li Dong!"
Sun Jian laughed heartily, "Excellent, excellent. Then please, the two of you, come with me to check them."
He followed Sun Jian out of the village and to the first cart.
Sun Jian reached out and casually opened the topmost wooden box. Inside, the chains were made of iron rings as thick as an arm.
In an era with relatively crude craftsmanship, only by increasing the diameter of the iron rings could the relative bearing capacity be improved.
Therefore, these iron rings were made as thick as an arm.
Of course, making such thick iron rings also required a considerable amount of material.
This was why ancient dynasties had always strictly controlled iron; material scarcity was still a problem.
"Brother Xiaobei, the chains in the boxes are all this thick. Each box contains about ten feet of chain."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei secretly lamented. A ten-foot chain this thick would be impossible for one person to handle. It would require two people to carry it up the mountain.
Seeing his silence, Sun Jian thought Chen Xiaobei was having second thoughts and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'll double the shipping fee."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, this was the opportune moment; if not now, then when? He sighed, "These chains are too heavy. The porters won't be willing to do it!"
"Brother Sun, transporting one of these chains up there will cost at least this much."
Chen Xiaobei spread out his five fingers and moved them back and forth.
One flip meant ten, another flip meant twenty, and another flip meant thirty. Finally, Sun Jian was dizzy. "Oh dear, brother, just name a number. You're making me dizzy."
Chen Xiaobei thought, "This is exactly what I want; if you're not dizzy, how can I fish in troubled waters?"
With this in mind, he chuckled.
"Transporting one up to that canyon will cost at least fifty copper coins."
Fifty liang per chain, four chains per box, over ten boxes per cart, and over a dozen carts. Counting on his fingers, that would amount to tens of taels of silver.