Chapter 009: The Bazaar

The old man, upon seeing the price inquiry from this side of the vast sea, muttered a remark and then fell silent, resuming his smoking. After taking a couple of puffs, he realized that his cigarette was already finished, and he began to mindlessly tap the ash and prepare the tobacco for another smoke.

Two hundred yuan was handed over to the old man, and then Cang Hai picked up the dog and prepared to leave

Cang Hai smiled and said: "The yellow dog is better!"

The old man, upon hearing Cang Hai's words, couldn't help but lift his head, pulling the pipe from his mouth, and with a tone of both admiration and reproach, remarked: "You young fellow have a bit of discernment!"

"Old man, how much is this dog?" Cang Hai pointed at the yellow puppy lying motionless in the dung tray.

The so-called mule and horse market is not just a place for selling mules and horses, nor is there anything like greenhouses; it is simply a large open space. People gather in clusters, each negotiating for the mules and horses they favor. If you are unfamiliar with the process, you can hire some mule and horse brokers for around 20 to 30 yuan or a pack of good cigarettes, and they will assist you in selecting a good mule.

Cang Hai crouched down and caught the yellow puppy in the dung shovel. Upon flipping it over, he discovered it was a male puppy. After observing it carefully, he placed the puppy back into the dung shovel.

The hound is characterized by a steady temperament; being overly lively is actually not beneficial. For instance, in hunting, this overly lively black dog would certainly not become the leader of the pack, because dogs, much like humans, tend to find that those who are excessively lively generally can only serve as subordinates, never as leaders

two hundred

It is unclear whether the old man was praising Cang Hai or criticizing him; in any case, after that single remark, the old man resumed smoking in silence.

Just as Cang Hai was about to turn around, he suddenly heard a voice coming from beside him

Raising a tiger head yellow was a dream of Cang Hai in his childhood. However, it was unfortunate that in the past, he struggled to make ends meet and had no extra food to feed a dog. But now that he has money, upon seeing a genuine tiger head yellow, he suddenly developed the desire to buy a dog

Since there is no rush on this side of the vast sea, and since I have turned up here, I might as well take a look around. So, I hurriedly finished the meat skewers in my hand before stepping into the mule and horse market, which was filled with the pungent smell of livestock urine.

After walking for a while, I noticed that the town was much livelier today than it was yesterday. The roadside stalls that were not there last night seemed to have sprouted up this morning like young shoots in early spring. Each vendor stood beside their stall, huddling their hands together against the slight chill of the winter wind, occasionally stamping their feet to warm themselves up.

After a lengthy discourse, Cang Hai failed to gain the trust of the middle-aged man; instead, he heightened the man's vigilance. In the eyes of the middle-aged man, Cang Hai appeared to be nothing more than a lackey.

Listening to the accent, one can tell that the man squatting down is not a local.

Seeing the two puppies, Cang Hai could not help but walk over, stretching his neck to take a closer look at them. The black dog appeared very lively, currently gnawing on the rattan of the dung basket with its mouth open, exuding an energetic demeanor, while the yellow puppy was lying in the dung basket, seemingly dozing off.

After walking a few steps, I saw a group of dog sellers gathered together. In the past, only local dogs were sold here, but ten years later, when I saw this place again, there were many foreign breeds, such as Golden Retrievers and Huskies, which almost occupied half of the dog market. This indicates that the trend of raising foreign dogs has already spread from coastal cities to small villages.

The old man ignored him and continued to puff on his cigarette.

In front of the old man lay a rattan dung scoop, an item that many may not have seen before. It has three sides with a surrounding edge and one open side, resembling a dustpan but with an additional T-shaped handle about several decimeters high. This tool, commonly used in rural areas for collecting animal dung, is typically woven from rattan.

The middle-aged man is preparing to buy a local dog to raise, but his motivation for keeping a local dog is not due to personal preference; rather, it is to showcase his uniqueness. When everyone else is raising foreign dogs, he chooses a local dog to appear unconventional. From time to time, he is ready to boast about how we Chinese should raise Chinese dogs.

The middle-aged man saw that someone was preparing to buy a dog, and the one they had chosen was not the black dog he wanted. He then shouted towards the sea, "Little brother, do you think this old man is stubborn? A little mutt only costs about 30 to 50, yet he is selling it for 200 here. Isn't he deliberately trying to take us for fools?"

In addition to mules and horses, there are also vendors selling chickens, sheep, and geese, as well as those selling dogs. To put it simply, almost any living creature, whether poultry or livestock, can be found for sale here.

The old man raised his head and glanced at the young man squatting across from him, who was already half-grown

In the morning, after getting out of bed, Cang Hai had a light breakfast and then went out for a stroll. He inquired with his aunt about the location of the motorcycle shop in town and leisurely made his way there.

Moreover, with only two months left until the New Year, this episode has become increasingly lively

"Is it really as serious as you say?" The middle-aged man looked on with a face full of skepticism

Cang Hai said: "This is a genuine hunting dog, and it is a large breed. Once fully grown, it can reach the size of a Golden Retriever. If you let out three of them, they can hunt wild boars. Even if you do not feed them, the young pups will go out to forage for food on their own. As for guarding the house and yard, they are top-notch. Other dogs may be aggressive and harm strangers, but this breed can discern people's hearts; it only harms the wicked and does not harm strangers"

Upon inquiring, Cang Hai realized that today happened to be the day of the big market in the town

Not for sale

Cang Hai knew what he wanted to say, and since he had nothing else to do, he smiled and said: "This is indeed a native dog, but not all native dogs are the same. This dog is not an ordinary native dog; if you know how to take care of it, this dog is far superior to those foreign breeds."

I said, brother, you this ... ...

Although it is called Tiger Head Yellow, this dog actually comes in two colors: either pure yellow or pure black. There cannot be any other colors, nor can there be any mixed colors. Additionally, there cannot be instances of four eyes or curled tails. All mixed colors are considered hybrids, and once this dog is mixed, it loses the purebred's instinct and courage.

Upon observing the vast sea, it becomes evident that these two small dogs are not ordinary local dogs, but rather a unique breed of guard and hunting dogs from my hometown: the Tiger Head Yellow

After nearly ten years of not attending a large market, Cang Hai suddenly became interested, forgetting about buying a motorcycle, and began to stroll through the market. Before long, Cang Hai had a string of candied hawthorns in one hand and five or six skewers of grilled lamb in the other, while munching on them and stretching his neck to look around.

The middle-aged man glanced at the silly little yellow dog in Canghai's hands, then looked again at the little black dog still frolicking in the dung, and asked in confusion: "Why did you choose this listless yellow dog instead of this black dog?"

Cang Hai smiled and extended his hand to carefully pick up the little yellow dog, examining it closely. This time, he primarily focused on the dog's mouth and anus, while also checking for any issues on its body. After a thorough inspection, Cang Hai concluded that the little yellow dog was robust and had no significant problems. He then reached into his pocket and took out his wallet

That being said, as we are preparing to return home, how can a household be without a dog

In front of the old man, there are two small puppies in a dung shovel, seemingly just a month old, one black and one yellow, looking very adorable.

Hey, old man! Are you intentionally preparing to take this home because it won't sell?

The middle-aged man gazed at the vast sea, paused for a moment, and suddenly asked: "What is so good about it?"

The scientific names of the two puppies are unknown, but the locals in Canghai refer to them as "Hutouhuang," which is a particularly rare native large hunting dog.

The man over here is still rambling: "I said, old man, how can you conduct business like this? You've been silent for half a day. I genuinely want to buy your dog. How about this: other local dogs are thirty; I will give you eighty, is that acceptable?"

The most important thing is that this dog rarely gets sick and is easy to feed; leftover food is sufficient to sustain it. Moreover, as it grows, it appears robust, resembling a young calf, which is quite appealing. Even if you venture into an old forest, as long as you have it with you, it can guide you out safely if you get lost! The main point is that this dog is fierce. In the past, wealthy landlords would take it to the market; as long as they hung a money chain around its neck, not even in a crowded place would any thief dare to reach for the money hanging from the dog's neck.

As it turned and turned, the vast sea inadvertently led to the Mule Horse Market.

However, the little yellow dog is clearly different; its lack of barking and biting is not due to foolishness, but rather because it was born with a calm temperament

You old man, are you trying to deceive me? A local dog only costs around 30 to 50 yuan, yet you are asking for 200 for one...

Seeing that this person was untrustworthy, the vast sea chose to remain silent. A person, filled with joy, left while holding the tiger-headed yellow that they had just purchased.

Of course, those who generally raise tiger head yellow fish would not likely associate with this dog

The middle-aged man observed that the young fellow was not foolish; he had actually taken a few glances at the two hundred yuan dog before preparing to leave after completing the payment.

The two small native dogs have some differences in appearance compared to typical native dogs. Generally, native dogs have curled tails, while these two have tails that hang down, thin and straight. Additionally, their snouts are not as pointed and long as those of typical small native dogs; instead, these two have short and wide snouts, and their mouths are not the usual black, but rather a color that matches their fur. Both ears are also wide and appear to be slightly spread apart.

During the grand market, children from the city may not understand that it is actually a time when people from the countryside bring their home-produced goods to the town for exchange. On this day, vendors and small businesses from the surrounding towns gather in one town to trade, creating a particularly lively atmosphere

Cang Hai inadvertently turned his head and discovered that a man in his sixties was squatting opposite him. The old man was wearing a worn Zhongshan suit, which had faded somewhat from washing. Over the Zhongshan suit, he had on a sheepskin vest, and on his lower body, he wore old cotton trousers and worn cotton shoes. He had a pipe in his mouth and wore an expression that suggested he did not wish to engage with the middle-aged man across from him, as he puffed away at his pipe.