Li Lanzhen followed the village chief and his entourage to the village chief's house.

The village chief's house has a small courtyard, and he seems to live a better life than the surrounding families.

The walls are a meter high made of mud, and the houses on top are all made of wood and broad leaves.

Li Lanzhen was very puzzled. Even if they were poor, they should still have strength, right? The mountains were not lacking in stones or soil, and they were close to the sea, so they were not lacking in water.

You can also build mud houses by mixing soil and straw into mud, which is much sturdier than tree sheds and thatched huts.

She thought this to herself, but didn't ask it aloud.

Every place has its own way of life, and she can't give instructions on how others should live.

At the village entrance, we encountered a group of people, young and old, all following the village chief, but they were all standing outside the fence gate of the village chief's house.

The village chief ignored them and led Li Lanzhen into his own yard.

Li Lanzhen found a tree stump to sit on; the yard smelled strongly of fish.

There were many simple wooden shelves against the fence, filled with large winnowing baskets.

Inside, fish and shrimp were drying in the sun. The strong fishy smell must be coming from these dried seafood items.

After sitting for a while, a woman who looked to be around 50 years old came over with half a bowl of water.

"Hey girl, have some water."

Li Lanzhen was indeed a little thirsty after walking all the way, so she picked up the water bowl and held it to her lips, ready to drink.

However, the rim of the bowl was filthy and hadn't been washed properly, and the fishy smell was so strong that she almost vomited.

But since it's already on my lips, it would be a bit awkward not to drink it.

So he simply tossed his head up, and all the water entered the space.

She pretended to wipe her mouth and put the bowl down.

Without further ado, he spoke succinctly to the village chief.

"Village chief, let me take a look at the dried seafood you're drying."

Before the village chief could even take a sip of water, he heard Li Lanzhen wanted to see the dried goods, so he hurriedly tilted his head back and drank half a bowl of water in one gulp.

He wiped his mouth, chuckled, and led her to a nearby room to see the dried goods they were drying.

“My benefactor sister, come with me. We usually dry our clothes in the sun, clean them, and put them in this room.”

Almost every household here keeps some in stock; it's clean, hygienic, and of good quality, so you can rest assured.

Li Lanzhen followed the couple inside.

The room was quite large, and the four walls were very sturdy and airtight.

On the wall facing the yard, there are two small windows, presumably for ventilation. Along the wall, there are three layers of shelves.

The shelves were filled with baskets woven from rattan.

There are many different sizes, and they all have lids on top to cover the dust.

Li Lanzhen was quite satisfied with this.

The unclean drinking bowl from earlier made Li Lanzhen highly suspicious that the hygiene of their dried seafood was questionable!

Therefore, she needs to check more carefully.

The village chief opened all the basket lids, and Li Lanzhen looked at them one by one.

Golden dried shrimp, pinkish-white shrimp shells, kelp and seaweed, various dried fish, and dried squid.

Golden fish belly, plump black sea cucumber, and dried abalone with intact shape and light, translucent color.

The dried scallops are whole, plump, and golden in color...

Li Lanzhen picked up each item and examined them carefully, even tapping them a few times in her palm.

There was no sand, it was very clean, and the shapes were all intact and full, so it looked quite good.

Surprisingly, this dilapidated little fishing village has a surprisingly good way of processing dried seafood.

As Li Lanzhen looked at the dried seafood, several pairs of eyes were fixed on her.

She didn't pay attention; the village chief and the others must be observing her expression.

Li Lanzhen spun around a few times and clapped her hands.

"Great, I'll take everything you have here."

I can exchange it for grain, or silver if you prefer.

Take a look, how many of these of the quality you have, give me a quantity.

Also, give me a figure on how much grain you want to exchange for dried seafood.

The village chief's face beamed with a smile he couldn't suppress.

His skin, tanned dark from years of exposure to the wind, now showed deep black wrinkles as he smiled.

"My esteemed guest, what kind of food do you have on hand?"

What kind of food do you need?

When the village chief and the others heard Li Lanzhen ask this question, they were all stunned.

What does that mean? Does it mean that whatever food we want, she will have it?

"Old rice, brown rice, bran, anything is fine, as long as it's edible."

After the village chief finished speaking, the people standing around him nodded vigorously, their eyes fixed on Li Lanzhen, as if afraid she would say there weren't that many.

Li Lanzhen felt a little sad when she heard him talk about the grain.

Because they had never eaten white rice or refined flour, they didn't even dare to voice these desires.

"Yes! We have all these grains. I also have a grain with a relatively high yield: sweet potatoes and potatoes."

You can cultivate any patch of land you clear on this mountain, and you can grow two crops a year.

"Ah, are there still such good seeds?"

"We've never heard of them. What are sweet potatoes and potatoes?"

Li Lanzhen walked into the courtyard, picked up the basket that was under the stone table, and placed it on the stone table.

Uncovering the cloth covering the basket, a dozen or so sweet potatoes and potatoes were taken out from the space.

"Look, village chief, this is called a sweet potato, and this is called a potato."

Give me a knife.

A man next to her immediately gave her a long fish-killing knife.

After Li Lanzhen took it, she peeled the sweet potato, cut it into slices, and picked up a slice to eat with a crunching sound.

"You should eat some too. Try this; it's a sweet potato. Sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, but potatoes can't."

The village chief and the others quickly reached out and each took a piece, imitating Li Lanzhen as they ate it with gusto.

After taking a couple of bites, the group nodded in surprise, delight, and excitement.

"It's so delicious, sweet and juicy."

Li Lanzhen looked at a mud-walled hearth in the courtyard, with a water boiler on top. The kettle on the boiler was blackened.

The village chief's wife had already started a fire and was boiling water.

She picked up the sweet potatoes and potatoes and went over, saying, "Village chief, do you have a pot? You can wash them, cut them into pieces, and put them in the pot to cook."

It can be cooked into porridge, or you can cook it whole and eat it like a steamed bun after it's cooked.

They can also be roasted in the fire pit and eaten.

The village chief was delighted, "Alright, alright, you can't peel it anymore, just wash it clean, just wash it clean."

"My esteemed guest is having dinner at my house today."

Li Lanzhen wanted to refuse, but she was afraid that if the food in the unwashed bowl smelled fishy, ​​she wouldn't be able to eat it.

But it's hard to refuse such a group of simple and warm-hearted people.

A thought suddenly struck him: he could take out a set of bowls and chopsticks from his spatial storage.

"Okay, we'll eat at the village chief's house today."

Let's cook all these sweet potatoes and potatoes and eat them.

She quickly went into her basket and took out a dozen potatoes and sweet potatoes.

I dare not take any more, or I'll be exposed.

Then he took out a large bowl and a pair of chopsticks.

Three or four dark-skinned, thin children surrounded the sweet potato peel he had just peeled, each grabbing a piece and stuffing it into their mouths to eat.

Seeing Li Lanzhen approaching, she quickly put her hands behind her back and lowered her head shyly.

Li Lanzhen didn't say anything, took her things and went to sit on the stool by the fire pit.