Chapter 118, exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City: Their experiences were fundamentally different...
Braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork ribs, boiled fish fillets, stir-fried beef with scallions, Mapo tofu, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, cucumber salad, fish head tofu soup... and appetizers like spicy and sour radish and pickled bamboo shoots!
Chen Bing's mouth was practically watering.
What kind of family is this? They still have fresh meat, fish, and tofu to eat during a famine!
Their staple food is even refined rice! Luxurious! Absolutely too luxurious!
Soon, Lu Qing brought over several more pots of drinks in glass containers.
Chen Bing: "!!!"
Chen Bing didn't recognize what it was, but the viewers in the live stream were very familiar with it.
Peach and orange juice, mixed fruit tea, honey orange tea, pear wine—although the plum juice wasn't served because it had cooled down, everything else was delicious!
Before Lu Xuan and his group even started drinking, the audience had already started chugging their drinks without any hesitation.
Chen Bing's wife, Yang, looked at the steaming food in front of her, glancing at Lu Qing one moment and then at the small kitchen the next, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.
She hadn't been busy for long, so why did she suddenly bring out so many steaming dishes?
And the abundance of the food was comparable to the banquets they used to hold for happy occasions in their family.
Ms. Yang noticed that her two children were constantly swallowing their saliva while looking at the dishes on the table, their eyes unable to look away. She blushed and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
Seeing this, Lu Qing smiled and said, "If you don't mind, let's eat together. The four of us can't eat this much."
Normally, their family meals consist of four dishes and a soup, but today, with several more guests, she specially doubled the amount.
There will definitely be no leftovers; we could finish even a few more tables of food.
However, the Chen family was unaware of this. Furthermore, Lu Chen proactively placed chopsticks in the hands of Miss Chen Yao, who was three years older than him, and Brother Chen Rui, who was a few months younger than him. Chen Bing, who didn't want to refuse, laughed loudly and said, "Then we won't be polite."
The Lu family is clearly not poor, so what's there to be reserved about if they can come up with so much?
Eat them! Eat them out of house and home!
Chen Bing nodded to Yang Shi and the two children. The three of them brightened up and quickly reached for the dishes they liked with their chopsticks.
The vegetables are fresh and sweet, the fish is tender and smooth, the braised pork melts in your mouth, the ribs are sweet and sour, and the beef is not tough at all, it is tender yet chewy, and the more you eat, the more delicious it becomes.
After eating too much meat, you can pick up a few bites of cucumber to cleanse your palate, or have a couple of bites of spicy and sour radish or pickled bamboo shoots to whet your appetite. You can then eat as much food as you want!
Chen Bing and Yang Shi, being adults, at least had some self-control. Chen Yao and Chen Rui, on the other hand, ate so much that they almost buried their heads in their bowls. The former stomped his feet excitedly, while the latter made indistinct 'woo-woo' noises from time to time.
After a burst of gulping, the family, who had already eaten lunch, unsurprisingly ate until they were stuffed.
The family of four leaned back in their chairs in a similar manner, their bellies slightly protruding, one hand gently stroking their bellies, their faces full of satisfaction.
Viewers in the live stream couldn't help but joke: 【Haha, how many months has it been?】
She's already showing, at least four months pregnant!
[Chen Bing and his wife are one thing, but the two kids are just children. Let them go, you beasts! Hahaha.]
Vision finally got to experience sharing.
[Hehehe, we're so lucky! We can eat as much as we want without feeling full!]
Although... no matter how much we eat, it's all fake; they're the ones who actually eat the delicious food.
【What?! You tell me?!】
I don't like hearing that! Take it back!
During the meal, the Chen family members didn't drink soup or juice to fill their stomachs. They only chose a beverage recommended by the Lu family after they were completely full.
Yang and her two children drank peach and orange juice, while Chen Bing poured a little of all the drinks, including pear wine, to taste. The pear wine tasted quite good, but drinking alcohol can lead to trouble, so he restrained himself and chose honey orange tea.
After finishing almost a cup of beverage, with his stomach full of food and water, Chen Bing regretfully put down the cup and began to lavish praise on Lu Xuan and the other three.
"Your food smells amazing! This is the best meal I've ever had in my entire life since the earthquake!"
The cook's skills are only at a slightly above-average level, but the superior quality of the ingredients themselves is enough to make up for all shortcomings.
The three members of the Yang family nodded in agreement.
The viewers in the live stream were envious.
Of course it's delicious! The Lu family eats only mutated vegetables, so the nutritional value and taste are both excellent.
Chen Bing used every compliment he could think of to praise the Lu family, lamenting that his appetite was too small to eat much, while also marveling at their good appetites.
Of all the dishes, the four members of their family only ate a small portion; the rest was eaten by the Lu family!
Even more outrageous, while he was showering Lu Qing with compliments, Lei Yan, after clearing away the empty plates, magically produced a large plate of fruit, adorned with sliced watermelon, oranges, strawberries, grapes, and other out-of-season, enormous fruits.
The rich, sweet fruity aroma, unlike anything they had ever smelled before, wafted towards their noses, almost intoxicating Chen Bing and Yang Shi, who were already stunned by it.
This tastes way too sweet!
While showing off several strawberries and grapes, Lu Chen enthusiastically invited Chen Yao and Chen Rui, "Come and eat! These fruits are delicious, especially sweet!"
Chen Yao looked down at her stomach, shook her head in annoyance, and said, "I'm full, I can't eat anymore, thank you, little brother."
He said he was full, but his eyes just wouldn't leave his mouth.
Chen Rui was also very full, but the little guy was really craving fruit. He wanted to eat some but didn't dare to continue, and he was so anxious that he almost cried.
Seeing how pitiful the little guy was, Lu Qing comforted him, "Don't worry, if you can't eat now, you can wait until you've digested before eating. When we get to the county town, you can take any leftover fruit back with you."
Chen Rui patted his chest and breathed a big sigh of relief, which made the aunties in the live broadcast room exclaim how cute he was and how they wanted to steal him away.
Chen Bing patted his son's head and thanked Lu Qing, saying, "Thank you for your expense."
Lu Qing waved her hand, "This little bit is nothing."
She wasn't trying to be generous; she just wanted to show off their wealth so that Mr. Chen would be more likely to make the deal.
Sure enough, Chen Bing, who had been holding back for a long time, couldn't wait to ask Lu Xuan, "I wonder if Brother Lu would be interested in exchanging some supplies with our caravan?"
Li Tie had previously told him to use the goods in the truck as payment for the ride, and he guessed that this request was made by Lu Xuan.
It seems this young man, Mr. Lu, is interested in his goods.
Those things are of little use to disaster victims who are struggling to survive, but they can improve the quality of life for wealthy families who have no shortage of supplies.
After the major earthquake, he was able to continue supporting his guards and protecting their family by quickly exchanging these supplies at a high price for a batch of food.
Despite some unpleasant incidents such as guards leaving or even stabbing people in the back, compared to other disaster victims, they believed that the caravan's life was not bad, and they were quite proud and satisfied with it.
But after seeing the Lu family's life, I realized that even during the days of fleeing famine, one could live so happily!
He's way off!
The Lu family has too many good things; I want them!
Fresh vegetables, meat, fruit, and an abundance of grain, along with the transparent covers worn by the people of Yunlu Village.
The cover seemed to have the same effect as a raincoat, both providing rain protection, and it appeared seamless and not bulky at all, making it many times better than a raincoat.
He wants them all!
Oh, and we can't miss the crossbows that the two guys following Li Tie are carrying, which look pretty powerful!
He wanted too much; he was only afraid that the caravan wouldn't have enough goods.
Once they reach the county town, he might not be able to exchange these supplies, so this is a crucial time to seize the opportunity.
This time, Lu Xuan finally spoke a little more, nodding and asking, "How much do you want to trade?"
Before Chen Bing could speak, Lu Xuan calmly reminded him, "If the quantity of fresh ingredients is too small, they have no value for trading. But if there are too many, can you guarantee they won't spoil under abnormal weather conditions?"
Chen Bing felt that Lu Xuan's choice of words was a bit strange, but it was not difficult to understand.
He swallowed back the suggestion of ordering a hundred pounds of ingredients, his face showing difficulty: "This is indeed a bit of a problem..."
Lu Xuan glanced at him, then casually picked up the backpack that was behind him and started taking things out of it.
Vacuum-packed vegetables (non-mutated), vacuum-packed meat (wild boar/wolf meat), vacuum-packed wild vegetables and mushrooms with average taste, and original sweet potatoes that were too numerous to process.
Lu Xuan took more and more, and Chen Bingze became more and more excited as he looked at them, almost jumping up with excitement.
Yang, standing beside her, also looked quite delighted.
If she could exchange all these supplies, she would no longer have to worry about her two children living a hard life.
The overjoyed couple were unaware that the live stream room had already been filled with laughter.
[Wow! All they brought out were supplies that the streamer's family wouldn't eat!]
[Someone wanted to trade you something nice, but you're just clearing out your old, unused stock! That's really shady!]
[Who's criticizing him! Can't you speak properly! So what if it's a hidden gem? Chen Bing likes it too, doesn't he? Look at him smiling like an idiot, pshaw, like a child!]
[Exactly! Only a wealthy streamer would be willing to give away so much. Who else could afford to give away these supplies? These are life-saving supplies that would be in high demand outside.]
It's not that I'm disgusted by the food, I just thought we'd at least trade some of our Star Alliance's high-tech products. And look at Mr. Chen's country bumpkin face.
High-tech? No need, no need. A little bit of ordinary supplies will suffice. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?
[What high-tech stuff? A hoverbus? He'd like that, but can he afford it?]
Chen Bing held a bag of wild boar meat that looked very fresh. He glanced at his backpack, which seemed to be still full, and wondered, "Can this bag really hold that much?" But as Lu Xuan explained the purpose of the vacuum packaging, his attention was instantly diverted.
"This...vacuum packaging? Can it really keep meat from spoiling for months?" Chen Bing exclaimed excitedly, his face full of amazement.
Yang and the Chen siblings also stared wide-eyed in surprise.
Chen Bing couldn't help but ask, "How did you do that? Can I switch to this vacuum packaging method?"
Look! Who said they wanted to see high-tech products? They brought it up themselves, didn't they?
[No wonder he's a shrewd merchant who can lead caravans through the extreme heat; he has some foresight.]
Lu Xuan took out a vacuum packaging machine from his bag.
Chen Bing's eyelids twitched, and he couldn't help but glance again at the seemingly bottomless backpack.
This seems like a good thing.
Lu Xuan put the barely touched fruit on the table into a bag and demonstrated how to use it on the spot.
Chen Bing understood it at a glance, and his gaze toward the vacuum packaging machine instantly became so intense that it seemed as if he wanted to burn through it.
He wants this!!!
With this, he could not only exchange for more fresh ingredients, but also, once the situation stabilized, he could use this treasure to trade local specialties in both the north and south, buying them at low prices and selling them at high prices.
Exorbitant profits!
Absolutely exorbitant profits!
Chen Bing's eyes lit up dramatically. "Brother Lu! I want this! I'll take it no matter how much it costs!"
Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow and spread his palm: "Five hundred catties of supplies, of which staple food must be no less than one hundred catties."
"Hiss—!" Chen Bing leaned back tactically and gasped.
Even Madam Yang couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
The other three members of the Lu family, who were just there to look at him, glanced at Lu Xuan with surprise on their faces.
The latter looked completely unfazed.
The price of the vacuum packaging machine is the same as that of the 10 cubic meter space. He and the villagers asked for 200 jin for the latter, but Chen Bing is just an outsider, so the price is naturally doubled. Well... on top of that, add a little more to make it a round number.
He was quick to offer a price, but it was a hardship for Chen Bing.
Before the transaction even started, the pain in his face was already making him wince.
It's really expensive... No, I can't say that.
Chen Bing paused slightly.
The temperature has dropped recently, and it has rained. The disaster is over. Five hundred kilograms of supplies, even if they are all food, are not worth much money.
The high price of grain only applies during years of famine.
But then again, he couldn't guarantee that the disaster would end soon and that his family would be able to return to a peaceful life immediately.
Leaving aside distant examples, the ubiquitous underground fissures encountered along the way would greatly affect the imperial court's rule over the regions.
Natural disasters may have passed, but man-made disasters may not necessarily stop.
Chen Bing became increasingly conflicted as he thought about it, his expression showing intense struggle, his whole being almost twisted into a knot, making the viewers in the live stream feel sorry for him.
After a moment, Chen Bing finally made up his mind and raised his head with a firm expression, "We do have some food, but that's for us to eat ourselves, we can't give it away."
“Brother Lu should know what my goods are, right?” Chen Bing’s eyes gleamed. “If I were to sell those goods by weight, wouldn’t I be at a huge disadvantage?”
Lu Xuan readily changed his tune: "If you have the seeds I want, you can use your goods to offset the value of the packaging machine, and I can give you a big discount."
Chen Bing perked up. "What kind of seed?"
Lu Xuan parted his lips slightly: "Pepper."
To put it simply, Chen Bing's caravan's goods were a batch of medicinal herbs and spices.
The medicinal materials are mostly for dispelling cold, such as dried ginger, aconite, chuanxiong, cinnamon twig, and asarum.
Spices are mostly used in cooking, such as cinnamon, fennel, evodia, and pepper. They also have the effect of dispelling cold, but in Lu Xuan's mind, their role in flavoring is ranked higher than their medicinal value.
They had previously found Sichuan pepper and cinnamon trees in the mountains, but not black pepper.
This is probably because the first two are crops that actually exist in the local area, so migratory birds flying north and south are more likely to bring the seeds over.
Pepper is an overseas plant, and migratory birds cannot fly over it. When foreign merchants brought it over, it had mostly been processed, so it was impossible to find it in the mountains of the north.
Lu Xuan had been using supplies bought from the prefectural city, and now they were almost empty.
If we don't find a way to replenish it soon, we'll run out of pepper dishes.
Chen Bing was somewhat surprised, then said with difficulty, "Last year, I happened to get a small amount of unprocessed pepper seeds, but I left them at home when I went out. Now... I don't know if they're still there."
Even if it were there, it wouldn't grow if the climate wasn't suitable.
Even if the climate is suitable, it's been over a year, who knows if it will still sprout.
Chen Bingdao said, "If Brother Lu just wants pepper to eat, I should have enough. Who knows how many years it would take to plant it from seed."
Whether used as a spice or seasoning, this stuff is consumed in small quantities; buying ten or eight pounds is enough for a long time. Moderately wealthy families usually buy it by the ounce.
Lu Xuan didn't explain further, only saying, "If you can find intact pepper seeds in the county town, you can exchange them for fifty catties of spices and medicinal herbs, of which no less than ten catties must be pepper."
Chen Bing: "!"
A direct price reduction of ten times!
My heart is fluttering!
Lu Xuan: "However, I can't give you the packaging machine until we get the seeds. You can come to me anytime to exchange it while we're stuck in the county."
Chen Bing's expression froze for a moment, then he sighed, "This is the only way."
Since the two were not familiar with each other, he couldn't very well ask Lu Xuan to give him the treasure on credit.
Chen Bing reluctantly turned his gaze back and said, "Then let's exchange for other supplies first. I want all of these on the table, and also those transparent blouses that the villagers were wearing outside..."
Lu Xuan said, "Raincoat."
Chen Bingpin pondered the two words, inwardly praising their aptness, and nodded, saying, "It's the raincoats. If they're not too expensive, I'd like to get a new batch. And can we exchange our crossbows for these?"
Lu Xuan nodded: "No more than five items."
Chen Bing was surprised that he was actually willing to exchange weapons, and excitedly said, "Okay! Five pieces it is!"
Next, Chen Bing asked about the specific prices of these supplies and calculated how much he could provide.
"I wonder how much stock Brother Lu can actually bring out?"
Lu Xuan said casually, "It's more than enough to cover all your supplies."
Live stream viewers: Tsk, the streamer's talking is so pretentious! But he's good at it! I love it when streamers show off, it's so satisfying to watch!
Chen Bing was indeed taken aback. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Lu Xuan again.
"I suggest you don't replace them all; keep some of the herbs for dispelling cold."
Chen Bing's eyelids twitched, and he asked inquiringly, "What do you mean by that, Brother Lu?"
Lu Xuan's expression remained unchanged: "It means exactly what it says. We'll need it sometime soon."
Chen Bing looked unwell.
Could it be that his guess that the disaster wouldn't end there is really going to come true?
Is that possible?
How could Lu Xuan possibly predict what would happen in the future?
But what if? What if it actually works?
Chen Bing hesitated.
Lu Xuan said calmly, "It's not too late to regret it now and not change it."
Chen Bing glanced at his wife and children who were looking at him with concern, gritted his teeth, and said, "No regrets!"
The supplies are necessities and cannot be left unreplaced.
However, just in case, he also planned to keep one-third of the cold-dispelling herbs.
Lu Xuan roughly guessed his thoughts from his expression and nodded: "Then let's settle the score."
Since the caravan's supplies couldn't be traded immediately on the bus, the two only determined the trade volume first, and would actually exchange them when they got off the bus.
As for the agreed-upon fare of five catties of dried ginger, Lu Xuan waived it for him.
Chen Bing became even more certain that Lu Xuan was indeed the true leader of Yunlu Village!
...
With the deal finalized, Chen Bing finally relaxed.
Knowing that it would be a long time before we reached our destination, I decided to chat with them to pass the time.
Then it was Lu Qing and Lei Yan's turn, and Lu Chen went up.
Each person receives the people they are suited to receive. The women chat about private matters among women, while the children are easily captivated by toys and candy.
What Lei Yan and Chen Bing talked about, or what Chen Bing wanted to know, was mainly about life in Yunlu Village in the mountains.
Li Tie's previous description was too general, and Chen Bing was very curious about the specific details of their life in the mountains.
Lu Xuan, who had anticipated this, had already mentioned what they could say when discussing whether to travel together, so Lei Yan didn't hesitate to start talking to Chen Bing.
Unexpectedly, as they talked, Yang and her two children were drawn over and listened intently, as if they were listening to a story.
Coincidentally, the same topic was being discussed on the bus the caravan was traveling on.
A large, shaded plaza built around a towering tree;
The deep mountain waterfall has an inexhaustible water source and many large fish that can be caught.
Hunting and gathering resources without cost, cultivating fields in the mountains, and irrigating with water from the great waterfall;
After the earthquake, underground caves even appeared beneath the mountain cave!
Beautiful glowing mushrooms, delicious cave mushrooms, an underground river inhabited by giant pythons, and finally, a narrow escape from the giant python's mother's attack.
The Chen family members and the caravan guards were all in a daze.
Lei Yan and the villagers didn't say much about the yield of the reclaimed land, let alone mention the agate mine discovered in the cave.
The caravan members paid no attention; the mystery of the underground cave had captured their entire focus, leaving them no time to consider anything else.
Especially that giant python that gave the villagers nearly a thousand kilograms of python meat in one go—why didn't they encounter such free resources?
A hundred million mistake!
No, how can the differences in experiences between people be so vast!?
It feels like they experienced completely different disasters! QAQ!
What Chen Bing regrets most is that the cave exit, which is said to have been completely collapsed by an earthquake after he escaped.
When Lei Yan said that they had been gone for many days and could not find their way back, Chen Bing looked as if his wife had died.
Yang: ?
That's a treasure trove where the temperature inside remains about the same as it is now, even when the outside temperature is at its hottest, and there's no shortage of water!
According to Lei Yan, the underground cave system is so large that they have only explored the tip of the iceberg, and there are still countless treasures waiting to be discovered in the unexplored parts.
Chen Bing believed that even if the exit collapsed, most of the huge cavern would still remain intact.
He couldn't help but look down at the ground, as if trying to penetrate the bottom of the RV or even underground.
Perhaps the area they're currently passing through is also within the cave system; if X digs in that direction...
Soon, Chen Bing calmed his feverish mind and wiped his face.
Let's forget about it.
Just because an earthquake doesn't mean a building won't collapse in the future doesn't mean it won't collapse in the future.
Even if we did manage to dig it up, living underground isn't a long-term solution; we're not rabbits.
It's just a pity that I couldn't see it in person.
Just as he was lamenting, Lu Xuan suddenly said, "I think we can see city walls ahead. That should be our destination, right?"
Chen Bing: "..."
Chen Bing: "Huh???"
He abruptly stood up, shocked, and exclaimed, "So fast? How is that possible!"
Yang and her two children, who were standing nearby, also looked completely bewildered.
Chen Bing rushed forward and looked out through the glass window, only to discover that... what was gradually approaching was indeed Yangshan County, where he had grown up!
We actually arrived!
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