Chapter 10: Is the Bone-Cleaver for Sale?

“Come quickly, the little cub is eating so heartily.”

Qin Xiaoyu glanced at the panda cub and saw its belly was full and round. The worry that had been hanging over her finally eased.

Her gaze then fell upon a gray animal. When she realized what it was, her eyes widened in surprise. “Such a big rabbit.”

Grandma Qin smiled warmly. “This is a Hua Ming rabbit. Don’t be fooled by its size—it’s quite gentle.”

Qin Xiaoyu reached out to touch it, then gently squeezed it, her eyes involuntarily lighting up.

Goodness, the meat feels firm too.

“Did you borrow it?” Qin Xiaoyu asked.

“We bought it from someone. It cost three thousand silver dollars. Don’t worry, I’ve kept track of the expenses for you,” Grandma Qin said with a teasing look, amused by her granddaughter.

Qin Xiaoyu kept a straight face. It’s just a rabbit—why so expensive?

She glanced back at the panda cub.

Well, it’s okay if it’s a bit pricey, as long as she can take care of it.

“I’m still just a kid. I don’t have any money,” Qin Xiaoyu shrugged.

Grandma Qin looked at her meaningfully.

Qin Xiaoyu: …

Boldly, she reached out her hand. “I’m going out to buy some things. Can I use your phone to pay?”

Grandma Qin was speechless; her granddaughter certainly had a thick skin.

Still, she took out the phone without hesitation and handed it over, muttering a couple of warnings.

“Buy what you need, but don’t waste money.”

“Okay!”

Turning the corner outside, she saw the market ahead, with the words “Tangshui Town Market” boldly displayed.

It happened to be market day, so there were many people coming and going.

She wandered through the stalls but found nothing she wanted to buy. She had no interest in food or drinks—nothing here compared to what was available after the apocalypse.

The tools were all very ordinary; nothing caught her eye except for a bone-cutting cleaver at the pork stall—but the butcher was using it.

Qin Xiaoyu thought for a moment and then approached him. “Uncle, where did you get that cleaver? Could you sell me one?”

The butcher: …

Coming to the pork stall and not buying pork, but wanting a cleaver?

“Go away, kid, go play somewhere else,” the butcher said impatiently, shooing her off.

“Would you sell it for 300?” Qin Xiaoyu asked.

The butcher’s scowl twitched. This plump girl had a sharp eye. He had paid 299 for that cleaver—so the extra one dollar was just his effort fee?

“The cleaver on Pindao costs over 299. Go ask your mom to buy it,” the butcher waved his hand, as if shooing away flies. “Go, don’t block the way.”

Qin Xiaoyu looked longingly at the cleaver, calculating in her mind whether ordering now could get it delivered by 6 p.m. tomorrow.

The online market was chaotic; unlikely.

The butcher had just finished serving a customer and had some idle time. Seeing the plump girl still staring at his cleaver, he took out his phone to check.

“Look, this is the ‘Dragon-Slaying Bone-Cleaver.’ Go ask your mom to buy it. Don’t even think about my cleaver—if I give it to you, what would I use?”

Qin Xiaoyu scanned the code and checked the address—it was in Songshan City, not far from Songshan Zoo.

She looked once more at the cleaver in his hand. For some reason, she really wanted it.

After taking a few steps, she couldn’t help but turn back. “Uncle, will you sell it for 500?”

The butcher rolled his eyes. “Three thousand, not a cent less. Take it or leave it.”

Qin Xiaoyu: …

Why that price again?

But one more glance at the cleaver, then another, and she couldn’t help looking back again.

The butcher: …

Whose kid is this? Quite annoying.

Just as she was about to leave the market, Qin Xiaoyu returned once more, took out her phone, and said to the butcher,

“Three thousand it is. I’ll scan the code.”

The butcher’s eyes widened, his voice rising: “Which spoiled child is this?”

Someone nearby recognized her immediately and called out, “That’s the chubby granddaughter of Old Qin from the Qin Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.”

Old Qin’s granddaughter? The butcher slammed his cleaver on the table and shouted hoarsely, “Chubby girl, if you want that cleaver, go home and have your grandpa come here to buy it.”

Since he wouldn’t sell the cleaver to a child, what could Qin Xiaoyu do? She left, turning back every few steps.

Once out of sight, she sprinted quickly and, just stepping into the clinic, began to shout.

“Grandpa, I want that bone-cleaver from the pork stall at the market, but the butcher won’t sell it to me. He says he needs you to come…”

Before she could finish, she noticed many people inside the clinic and instinctively swallowed her words.

Usually, mostly elderly people came to the clinic, but today there were many young people.

Looking closer, most were buying medicines for bruises and sprains.

Auntie and two cousins were there, helping out.

Qin Xiaoyu thought for a moment and ran over to help, but pushed Grandma Qin out.

“Grandma, I’ll gather the herbs. You go buy the cleaver for me.”

“The Dragon-Slaying Bone-Cleaver. They say it’s bought from Pindao, the address’s in the neighboring city, but I want the one he has in his hand. That butcher has a dark heart and bullies kids. Remember to bargain.”

“Alright.”

Grandma Qin took the phone back and checked the balance—three thousand exactly, not a cent spent by her granddaughter.

Just one cleaver shouldn’t cost much.

After about an hour’s work, Grandma Qin returned, holding the cleaver in one hand and a heavy bag in the other.

Seeing her granddaughter’s eyes shining, she rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.

“Three thousand. Not a cent less. I’ve kept the account for you.”

When she went, a crowd was discussing rumors about the apocalypse coming. They were reluctant to sell for even a penny less.

They said if the apocalypse really came, it was better to keep the cleaver for protection.

Thankfully, they weren’t too heartless—they didn’t charge for the remaining pork and packed it all up for her: half a rack of ribs, a pork leg, and some fatback—over ten pounds in total.

Qin Xiaoyu swung the cleaver a couple of times. It felt quite handy. The only drawback was its short length—only about thirty-five centimeters in total.

As she held it, carefully examining it, a wrinkled hand reached around from behind and took the cleaver from her.

“Grandma, what are you doing?” Qin Xiaoyu asked.

“Chopping ribs,” Grandma Qin replied, then walked away with the cleaver.

Shortly after, the sound of chopping bones came from the kitchen, accompanied by Grandma Qin’s exclamation.

“This cleaver is surprisingly good.”

Qin Xiaoyu ran to the kitchen and saw her grandmother chopping ribs and then the pork leg bones. She looked effortless.

Only the chopping technique was uneven, with some pieces bigger than others.

By lunchtime, the clinic was still crowded. The usually unpopular injury medicines had sold out completely, along with many other medicines. Even the tonic herbs were almost gone.

Seeing this, they hurriedly closed the clinic for the day.

Looking out from the upstairs window, Qin Xiaoyu saw the street bustling with people, almost everyone carrying a fair amount of goods. The scene looked chaotic, with sirens occasionally wailing.

It seemed many people had bought into the online rumors about the apocalypse.

Feeling a surge of emotion, Qin Xiaoyu pondered whether it was time to write another article, after all—the earth was supposedly crossing over by six o’clock tomorrow afternoon.