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🕑 Added 2025-01-19 11:10:46 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 118 - Being a Dutton
Before stepping through the gates of the livestock trading market, both of them caught a strong whiff of cow manure.
Susie’s reaction was more comical, while Dante managed to maintain his composure, though he was still affected by the sudden smell.
For ranchers, cowboys, or ranch owners, the scent was something they had long gotten used to. But for someone like Susie, it was almost overwhelming!
The people coming and going were curious about how a beautiful woman like Susie was standing next to Dante in a place like this, one that most women found unpleasant.
It wasn’t common to see tourists here. The women present were either from ranching families or locals fascinated by this world.
“Are you okay?” Dante teased, amused by the comical reaction of a businesswoman who had always lived in the city.
Susie nodded and replied, “It’s nothing as long as I don’t breathe through my nose…”
“Perfect, then. Let’s go; the auction’s about to start.”
Compared to the empty pastoral areas, this place was much livelier.
Most of the people moving about were rough-looking men, some even holding bottles of wine in their hands.
When they got tired of shopping, they’d pause for a drink to ease their fatigue.
From the bulletin board at the entrance, it was clear that today featured a breeding cattle auction, and Dante, just for the experience, planned to join the fun.
Dante had been through too much in recent days and needed a chance to unwind. As it was, he found himself curious about the cattle trading process, something he had never been involved in before.
The smell, however, was undeniably strong.
Aside from the scent of manure, the air was thick with the smell of cows. No high-class woman like Susie would typically want to set foot in a place like this, though she was certainly different.
Despite the strong smell, the market’s sanitary conditions were surprisingly good. The walking paths were clean, so there was no need to worry about stepping in anything unpleasant.
The outermost part of the trading market consisted of a circle of red brick buildings, connected to a large outdoor trading area, resembling a simple, low-budget stadium.
To get a full view of the outdoor trading site, one had to climb a narrow, two-story staircase.
The first level housed the livestock area. All the cattle were fenced in and divided into lots, waiting to be traded. Outside the fences, buyers observed them up close.
The second level was for bidders, consisting of intersecting hollow corridors where auctioneers moved, encouraging buyers to approach the cattle and bid on each pen.
The auctioneer held a small stick, passionately introducing the cattle, while buyers hurriedly placed their bids, accompanied by the sound of cows mooing one after another.
Their efficiency was impressive—several cows could find buyers in just a few minutes, sometimes even less than a minute.
The cattle waiting to be sold were herded into various pens, and ranchers observed them with trained eyes, searching for clues in their appearance and gait.
However, what interested Dante was the premium experience, so he entered what looked like a closed stadium where a more sophisticated auction was taking place, selling cattle in batches.
Judging by their attire, Susie and Dante were the least familiar with the market. Yet, despite never having been there, Dante grasped the workings of the cattle trade more easily than an outsider.
“The smell here is better,” Susie remarked, visibly more relaxed after arriving at a place with better conditions than the outdoor areas.
Dante, seated beside her at the highest point of the auction area, explained, “What we’re looking at here is high-quality cattle. These animals have been carefully bred over many years to be the best on the market, allowing ranchers to replenish their herds with premium stock.”
What they were watching wasn’t cattle for consumption but animals meant to enhance the genetic diversity of ranches—like his father’s ranch, which often attended such auctions to acquire new cattle.
“Do they do this all year round?”
“No, what we’re seeing is the last auction of the year and the easiest one to win. Winter, after all, lowers the prices of these cattle,” Dante replied, showing his awareness of the situation.
Winter, just a few months away, would be a challenge for ranchers. The low temperatures would persist in the river valleys for a while. Before then, ranchers would need to stock up on hay and clean drinking water, or they’d face serious trouble.
Each year, a large number of cows and sheep froze to death in the pastures, sometimes bankrupting ranchers who lacked the funds to withstand such losses.
That’s why, at this auction, many ranchers were eager to sell their cattle.
“Who’s starting at 5,000?”
“I have 5,000 from the gentleman in seat 049. Let’s go—who will give me 5,500?”
“I have 5,500.”
Dante, holding a paddle in his hand, raised it, signaling he was willing to pay more.
He knew he needed cattle and now had the experienced staff to take care of them.
The purchases he made today would help keep his drug farms hidden.
“Oh, I didn’t expect to see him here.”
As Dante was purchasing his third batch of cattle, he spotted a man in an elegant suit, followed by another man with braided hair.
“Do you know him?” Susie asked, shifting her gaze from the cattle to the man who had caught Dante’s attention.
Dante, remaining composed, replied, “His name is Thomas Rainwater, and surprisingly, he seems to hate my family.”
Comments
Nato J
Indian reservation Chief, that will be interesting show down. His father and Thomas in a fist fight
