Chapter 161 The Return of the Rat (Please vote and subscribe)

Mao Li and his group of nearly 30 people were brought to the city. Ten men carried two trees together. They tied two wooden sticks to the trees and hung them with ropes, like a sedan chair. The remaining 20 women each carried a bag of tung oil seeds in a rattan basket or animal skin.

Luo Chong also put down his work and turned to the city. He had to do the transaction himself.

While walking on the road, Luo Chong asked the tribesmen around him to bring a few large wooden barrels, which were used to hold tung oil seeds. The price agreed with the Li tribe before was that a barrel of tung oil seeds, that is, a volume of 100 liters, could be exchanged for a large bowl of white salt.

"Han leader, we are here to give you the trees, as well as the poisonous fruits you want. I hope you can exchange them for some pottery and white salt as agreed." Mao Li waited in the city for a while. When he saw Luo Chong coming, he immediately went up to Luo Chong to talk about the transaction.

"Of course, I never lie. As long as what you send is what I want, I will definitely exchange it for you."

As Luo Chong spoke, he came to the tribesmen of the Li tribe and checked the things they sent.

Two small trees as thick as arms were about four or five meters tall. The roots were indeed wrapped with animal skins according to Luo Chong's requirements. The roots and soil were about the size of a backpack.

The straight trunk was wrapped with a layer of grayish-white smooth bark. The oval crown was not trimmed at all. The branches above were covered with large leaves with three points and flower buds that had just emerged. However, the roots were cut off and after two consecutive days of travel, the leaves and flower buds had wilted, but it was still possible to recognize that this was a tung tree at a glance.

The backpacks that the women put on the ground were full of black tung seeds, each about the size of two soybeans. Luo Chong had never seen what this thing looked like, but he had a way to confirm it.

He took two bricks from the oxcart that was transporting bricks on the road, put one of them on the ground, and then placed a tung seed on it. He used another brick to flatten and crush it. The crushed tung seed immediately released a smell similar to paint.

That was the unique smell of tung oil, but it was not as pungent as paint, and the smell of tung oil was non-toxic. Even if the furniture that had just been painted was placed in the house, it would not harm the health. It was just that some people did not like the smell of tung oil.

At this time, Luo Chong was very happy to smell this unpleasant smell. He was not wrong, and the Li tribe did not fool him. This was the tung seed he wanted.

"The things are all right. Now we can trade. First, pour all your tung seeds into the wooden barrel. Let's see how many there are." Luo Chong took the lead in checking the goods, and then began to ask them to count.

"Okay, no problem, you go and pour all those poisonous fruits into that big wooden barrel." After hearing Luo Chong's words, Mao Li also immediately directed his tribesmen to work.

Their backpacks were not small. Basically, it would take less than three baskets of tung seeds to fill a 100-liter wooden barrel. After they emptied all the tung seeds, the 20 people only filled seven and a half barrels with these seeds. The eighth barrel was only half full.

Luo Chong took a quick look and had an idea in his mind, so he said to Mao Li.

"One barrel of tree seeds equals a large bowl of white salt. One tree also equals a large bowl of white salt. You brought two trees, less than eight barrels of tree seeds, which can be exchanged for nine and a half bowls of white salt. Do you want to exchange all of it for white salt or for some pottery? If you want to exchange for pottery, this barrel of tree seeds can be exchanged for a pottery pot or two pottery bowls. What do you want?"

"Here, here." Mao Li counted addition and subtraction within ten with his fingers, frowned, and muttered to himself, as if he was considering how much to exchange.

"We, we need four bowls of white salt, five clay pots, and two smaller clay bowls. Is that okay?" Mao Li said, untying a long snakeskin bag from his waist and handing it to Luo Chong, obviously coming prepared.

"Of course no problem, come, fill them with salt, let him watch, and bring five clay pots and two small bowls to them." Luo Chong handed the snakeskin bag to the soldiers next to him and arranged for them to get the things.

After a while, several people from the Han tribe brought the things they needed, and two people brought half a bucket of salt. They filled four large bowls for Mao Li. Mao Li pinched a little to taste it, but the tribesmen didn't care. They asked you to eat as much as you wanted. How much can you eat?

"Han leader, do you want these tree seeds and trees next time?" Mao Li waited for the white salt to be filled. The four large bowls weighed about 20 kilograms, and he carried them all by himself. Then he asked Luo Chong.

"Of course, whether it's tree seeds or trees, we want them. You don't have to worry about whether I can use them up. As long as you can send them, I will definitely have something to exchange for you. I won't let you suffer a loss." Luo Chong answered affirmatively. The more of this thing, the better.

"That's good, that's good. I will send you another batch in a few days. Then we will leave first. See you next time." After the transaction, Mao Li wanted to go home immediately. He had been out with so many people for two days, and it would take two more days to go back. He was a little worried because it took too long.

"Wait a minute."

"Han leader, is there anything else?"

"Oh, I'm telling you, next time you send trees over, you can cut off those branches and leave only a few main trunks. You don't need to bring so many leaves. This way, it will be easier for you to walk." Luo Chong pointed to the crowns of the two small trees and explained to them.

"Oh, so that's how it is. That's great. If we can cut off so many, we can save a lot of effort on the road. In this way, only two men can move a tree. Next time, we can change a few more pottery pots. Thank you. The Han tribe and our Li tribe will be best friends."

After listening to Luo Chong's instructions, Mao Li happily saluted Luo Chong and said goodbye.

Luo Chong nodded lightly. In fact, he asked Mao Li to cut off the crowns because he was afraid that the leaves would consume more water on the road. Anyway, they can grow again after transplanting, so what's the problem.

The team from the Li tribe crossed the stream again and went home. Luo Chong immediately found two places to plant trees on the main roads planned in the city. He asked people to dig holes to bury the trees, and then used several wooden sticks as supports to straighten the trees, hoping that these trees would not be blown down by the wind because of unstable roots.

Two tung trees were planted, and seven or eight barrels of tung seeds were temporarily sealed. Luo Chong did not have time to work on the oil pressing now, so it would be better to get the half-finished spinning machine out first.

But when Luo Chong just returned to the carpentry group, another tribesman came behind to report the news.

"Chief."

"What's the matter again?"

"The team led by Captain Rat to attack the Fire Tribe has returned. It is still half a day's journey from here. They sent a warrior riding a deer back to report the news in advance."

"What, they are here so soon, bring that warrior over to let me see."

(End of this chapter)