Chapter 227 Exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City: Strike First!
The three mountain peaks where the Yangshan disaster victims live.
Inside the greenhouses, gleaming under the blazing sun, countless disaster victims, beaming with smiles, harvested crops taller than themselves from the fields.
In the cornfield, a disaster victim forcefully broke off an ear of corn, barely able to encircle the whole ear with both hands. He then padded his hands with the corn and grinned, saying, "This corn is really plump! The kernels are full too. This one alone probably weighs a pound."
In the neighboring potato field, someone strained to lift a potato vine, revealing over thirty potatoes, each the size of two fists, hanging from its roots. He exclaimed, "What are you talking about? Our potatoes are the real deal! One vine can yield dozens of kilograms of potatoes! The yield per acre is terrifying!"
Someone nearby, looking at everyone holding piles of newly harvested crops, remarked, "Back when Boss Lu said that the yield per mu in the greenhouse was over a thousand jin, many people didn't believe it. Now, I don't think anyone doubts it anymore."
Several disaster victims who had previously discussed the matter privately felt a little embarrassed.
Lu Xuan's estimate of an average yield of over 1,000 jin per mu was lowered by rice and wheat. In reality, the actual yields per mu for corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, and cabbages far exceeded Lu Xuan's estimate.
Looking at the mountains of freshly dug potatoes piled up on the ground, and the golden corn filling many baskets and plastic boxes, the satisfaction on the faces of the disaster victims was beyond words.
Although the mutated crops in the field look strange, both purple and green, they don't mind if they are multicolored, as long as the yield is high enough.
One person said, "After I receive my share of food, I plan to exchange half for nutritional supplements and keep the other half for my family."
Immediately, someone chimed in, "That's what I think too! Our crops are growing so well, they must taste amazing. We should keep some for ourselves to try."
During this period, they mainly consumed nutritional supplements.
Being full means being able to eat your fill but not really feeling like you've eaten anything. People will still grow some vegetables or pick some wild vegetables and mushrooms to make a cold dish or a soup to fill the gaps.
Just as everyone was immersed in the joy of the harvest, someone suddenly ran over excitedly and shouted, "Boss Lu and the others are here! There are so many people this time!"
"I see the blacksmith is here too!"
The people inside the greenhouse perked up. Boss Lu has arrived?
Doesn't that mean they can trade for more supplies they'll need during the hottest season?
They wouldn't even dare to dream of treasures like spatial rings and refrigerators, but bio-clothes... at least they could stock up on a few cooling patches for when they went out, right?
Remembering that Lu Xuan had only stayed in Yangshan for a short time before leaving, the disaster victims quickened their pace in their work.
·
Grandpa Chen, Grandpa Miao, Boss Wang, and the others received Lu Xuan's advance message yesterday, but they were still surprised when they saw the number of people coming.
"Village Chief Li, Brother Zhang, you've come too?" Old Master Chen looked at Li Tie and Old Master Zhang and the others in surprise.
Li Tie chuckled and said, "Yes, nothing major happened at home. We just wanted to come and see you since Ah Xuan came out this time."
The only settlement they ever came into contact with after leaving the mountains was Yangshan County. They experienced a lot there, so their feelings about it were naturally different from those of the other settlements Lu Xuan had visited.
After exchanging a few words, Li Tie, knowing they still had business to discuss with Lu Xuan, suggested they take a walk around the mountain.
Miao Lao asked Miao An to take the villagers on a tour.
Once all the irrelevant people had left and only Lu Xuan remained, neither side exchanged any unnecessary words and immediately began settling the debt.
Grandpa Chen handed the spatial ring containing the grain to Lu Xuan.
"This contains rice and wheat that were harvested a couple of days ago, dried and threshed, as well as some sweet potatoes and corn, totaling 2.5 million jin of grain. There are still many crops in the fields that haven't been harvested yet, so the final yield is uncertain. I've prepared enough for half of the total debt."
Lu Xuan quickly scanned the space with his mental power. The space was filled to the brim with rice, wheat, potatoes, and sweet potatoes that could be used for planting, giving off a sense of pride that he was not worried about food and clothing.
After confirming that the quantity matched, Lu Xuan took out a spatial ring of the same size to replace him, then took out the IOU, wrote down the amount of debt that had been repaid, and asked Old Master Chen and the others to confirm it.
Once both parties confirmed that everything was correct, this part of the debt was considered paid off.
Grandpa Chen and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they were confident in paying off their debts after seeing the greenhouse's output, the psychological pressure of carrying so much debt was still immense. Now that they had paid off a portion of it, they felt a significant weight lifted off their shoulders.
Mr. Wang asked impatiently, "Mr. Lu must have brought quite a lot of supplies this time, right?"
Grandpa Chen also said, "After the harvest, everyone has more food in their hands. Recently, many people have come to us wanting to exchange for bio-clothes, and some even want to pool their money to buy a refrigerator. Unfortunately, we didn't exchange enough before, and we're getting a headache from all the pressure."
Mr. Miao added, "We also want to replace more cooling patches and dry ice. These two items are being used up more quickly than expected. As it gets hotter, we plan to stock up on more to make it easier for everyone to travel."
Lu Xuan nodded and said, "No problem, these supplies are unlimited. Just tell me how many you need."
Lu Xuan also brought up the matter of the evolution fluid.
Last time I came, I missed Yangshan County, so I naturally couldn't leave it out this time.
Upon hearing that they too could obtain the elixir that granted them immortality, the people in charge were overjoyed and, fearing that Lu Xuan might change his mind, quickly offered grain as a trade.
As for other supplies, in addition to what they just mentioned, supplies that are both necessities and consumables, such as nutrients, salt, sugar, and fruit, will also need to be traded in another batch.
In addition, a batch of new supplies such as instant noodles, compressed biscuits, and self-heating rice were also added.
After all the transactions, Lu Xuan's side gained nearly a million catties of mutated grain.
"By the way," Lu Xuan reminded after putting away the grain, "the capital has already started sending people to various places for disaster relief. The county government office in Yangshan County no longer exists. Later, the higher-ups should send new officials to manage it. You can prepare yourselves in advance."
Grandpa Chen and the others, who were delighted with the newly acquired supplies, paused for a moment.
The changes in the expressions of Boss Wang, Landlord Liu, and others were particularly noticeable.
Since the gambling den and the county government collapsed, the entire county has been controlled by them and Old Master Chen and others.
Over time, they had instinctively come to regard this place as their own territory. Now, suddenly hearing that the higher-ups wanted to come and take what was already taken, they inevitably felt some resistance and unease.
But then again, they realized they couldn't possibly rebel and declare themselves kings. With the situation stable, it was only natural for the higher-ups to send someone to take over, and it seemed they had no reason to be dissatisfied.
When Lu Xuan mentioned that it was General Huo Tiankuo, who led the Huo family army, who was the one who came forward to suppress the rebellion that took advantage of the disaster to oppress the people, the thoughts in the hearts of the group were instantly suppressed.
What a joke! They are just merchants with a little influence in a small county. How could they possibly challenge the nationally renowned and invincible Huo family army?
Since they had already amassed a considerable fortune by swallowing up two other forces and through several transactions with Lu Xuan, handing over power was no big deal and they wouldn't lose anything.
Old Master Chen, Old Master Miao, and Master Zhang were all happy and had no complaints whatsoever.
They were all getting old, and even though they were in good health after eating the mutated fruit, they were still bothered by having to worry about so many things all day long.
As long as the new magistrate isn't an incompetent old beast like the previous one, they'll be happy to relax and enjoy their retirement.
·
While Lu Xuan and Old Master Chen were talking, the other villagers, led by Miao An, had already started wandering around the residential area on the mountain.
Looking at the white mist formed by the dry ice being poured on the mountain road, Grandpa Zhang sighed, "This feels like I've gone back to when I was still in the Yunlu Mountains."
Li Tie glanced at the greenhouses that could be vaguely seen in the open space in the distance, and said with his hands behind his back, "Our conditions were not as good as theirs back then."
At that time, Lu Xuan had not yet obtained greenhouse materials from the gods, so they could only rely on manual tilling and sowing. They also had to connect bamboo water pipes to the ground and fill buckets with water to water the ground little by little.
While dry ice mist is refreshing, it's still not as comfortable as air conditioning.
However, the house was surrounded by white mist, which at first glance gave it a somewhat ethereal and fairy-tale-like feel.
The premise is that you cannot examine the house closely.
Mobile cabins are one thing, but thatched huts really shattered their beautiful fantasy of paradise.
If we're talking about a fairyland, their own village is more like it.
As for Jin He, who was from Yangshan County, Wu Yue was surrounded by other familiar disaster victims, reminiscing about the past. His expression was both surprised and moved.
Jin He earned a decent living as a blacksmith, but his blacksmithing skills were of little use during the cataclysm, and he did not have an easy time.
Needless to say, Wu Yue is already married into someone else's family; how could he possibly live a life of luxury?
But look at them now.
Jin He, already tall, visibly became even more robust, with thick muscles all over his body. Wu Yue's thin, long face, which was thin when he left, became rounder, and it was obvious that he had enjoyed a lot of good life in Yunlu Village.
The two returned to their old acquaintances, somewhat like returning home in glory.
Wu Yue's mother, Zhou, also came with the village chief and others this time. She brought some not-too-valuable but very useful ice packs, heatstroke medicine, and some fresh fruit, which she gave to the disaster victims by finding neighbors with whom she had good relations.
Now, even the neighbors who benefited from this became the envy of everyone.
Those who knew Gao Dalin asked Wu Yue, the hunter, how he came to be, and learned that he had gone to do business elsewhere, which they found quite regrettable.
If Gao Dalin comes, maybe those who know him will also benefit.
...
Zhang Chengming, Xiong Mao, and other able-bodied men from the original Yunlu Village had little to reminisce about, so they asked Miao An where they could set up a stall.
Miao An asked curiously, "Are you going to set up a stall?"
Zhang Chengming laughed and said, "Yes, we brought a lot of supplies."
Miao An asked, "What exactly are they?"
Xiong Mao said smugly, "Apart from particularly rare and precious materials, or large appliances, we have all the other materials that Lu Xuan has traded with you."
The disaster victims who were talking to Wu Yue and Jin He not far away heard this and immediately asked Jin He and the other man, "Is what they said true?"
Jin He nodded first and said, "We also brought a lot of supplies with us. We came back to see some people we know, and mainly to do business."
Someone pressed further, "Do you also have those cool-looking bio-suits?"
Wu Yue nodded, "Yes, one piece of supplies weighing sixty jin."
The disaster victims immediately became excited.
"It's much cheaper than exchanging for something here! Great! Come on, I'll take you to the stalls, and then tell us the prices of the other supplies."
The supplies that Grandpa Chen and the others received were ultimately a safety net for them, ensuring that the disaster victims would not starve to death if unexpected situations occurred and supplies ran out. Supplies were not distributed every day, nor were they distributed to everyone.
If the prices offered by these young people from Yunlu Village are not too high, there are plenty of people in Yangshan who have just received their newly harvested grain and are willing to stock up on more good stuff for their families.
Once they reached a flat area where they were setting up their stall, Zhang Chengming and the others each took out a long table and began moving the goods from their storage space onto it.
Nutritional supplements, salt, sugar, and cooling patches are kept together, while more expensive items include common fruits, dried seaweed, fresh seafood, toilet paper, glow sticks for lighting, pinecone lamps, sturdy and durable starlight cotton suits, sleeping bags, commonly used medicines, sunscreen spray, moisturizer, and lip balm, which are relatively rarer items.
The seafood is all caught by themselves. Apart from the time and effort spent, the actual material cost is zero, and the profit is quite high.
In addition, the more valuable supplies are bio-suits, hoverboards, and ultra-small space rings with capacities of 5 cubic meters and 10 cubic meters that no one in the village uses anymore.
Many of these items were things the disaster victims had only heard about but never seen.
The supplies that Lu Xuan and Old Master Chen traded for couldn't be provided to everyone. Most people had only heard about some good things, and this was the first time they had seen the actual items.
In addition to the items mentioned above, various chilled drinks and unlimited instant noodles from the livestreamer's shop were also on display.
The young men even slyly cooked a pot of instant noodles on the spot, causing the rich aroma of instant noodles to waft throughout the entire street.
"Gulp."
The disaster victims surrounding the stall couldn't help but drool.
Before long, someone couldn't resist asking the price of the noodles, and took out a small bag of dried mushrooms and wild vegetables to order a bowl.
The young man who helped serve the noodles also suggested that the other person get a cold drink with it.
Enjoy a bowl of hot noodles amidst the dry ice fog, followed by a glass of chilled plum juice or a sweet and sour passion fruit juice with lemon for added refreshment.
That taste is unforgettable for anyone who has tried it.
The disaster victims who bought the noodles were initially reluctant to part with them, but after hearing the descriptions from the able-bodied young people, and thinking about how they had been taking nutritional supplements for many days, what harm was there in indulging once in a while? So they gritted their teeth and bought a large cup of passion fruit juice.
The young and strong men running the stall also gave away two cloves of garlic and a small dish of pickled bamboo shoots.
The instant noodles are spicy and delicious, and the garlic cloves and pickled bamboo shoots perfectly cut through the greasiness of the soup. The passion fruit juice is refreshing and appetizing, making you want to keep slurping the noodles. The combination of these foods is simply amazing!
The disaster victim slurped down most of a bowl of noodles before finally looking up and exclaiming loudly, "That was awesome!!!"
Other disaster victims who were scrambling to exchange for other supplies or were observing the situation couldn't resist ordering a bowl of noodles to eat as well.
The street was suddenly filled with the slurping sounds of people slurping noodles.
·
The trading stalls in Yunlu Village were extremely popular as soon as they were set up, with even other stall owners on the same street crowding over to exchange goods.
Whether it's necessities or other 'luxury goods,' with a base of over 70,000 people, even if many are still busy in the fields and haven't come over yet, even if only one in a hundred people buys a luxury item, any goods that are put out will be quickly snapped up, and there's never enough to go around.
Lu Xuan supplied Zhang Chengming and others with goods at half price, and they then sold them at the same price as the villagers or at a slightly higher price.
In just one afternoon, almost everyone had acquired over two thousand kilograms of supplies.
After deducting costs, they made a net profit of over a thousand kilograms.
Zhang Chengming couldn't help but sigh to the others, "Indeed, doing business is much more 'money-making' than farming."
The purchasing power in large gathering places is much higher than in small places. Although their earnings from the two trips were not small, they were still far less than those in Yangshan County.
Despite having already spent hundreds of kilograms of supplies, the disaster victims, still feeling unsatisfied, asked them, "How long will you stay here?"
If they stay longer, they can go out and collect more supplies as soon as possible to exchange for other things.
The wild vegetables are too old, the mushrooms are too dry to grow, but surely we can find firewood?
Zhang Chengming said, "Seven days at most."
They came with Lu Xuan this time not only because they felt that the larger settlements would be more profitable, but also because the grain in the other smaller settlements had not yet been harvested, and they wouldn't be able to earn much more supplies by going there.
After they finish this busy trip and go back to rest for a few days, it will be their turn to collect the debts.
Then it was Li Jing's turn to be replaced.
However, the second group of people will not come here, but will go to the next gathering place that Lu Xuan is going to.
...
In the evening, another lively welcome banquet was held. Because there were many more people this time, the banquet was even more lively than the last one.
After a satisfying meal, the villagers of Yunlu Village returned to their mobile cabins to rest.
Lu Xuan finally had some free time to organize his gains for the day.
The debt of Yangshan County was 2.5 million jin, plus the million jin of bulk transactions. Lu Xuan kept 200,000 jin for fans to draw lots, and returned the rest to the system.
Lu Xuan went fishing at the seaside twice in the past month and earned back a lot of points.
However, after spending money on wholesale goods to the young and strong in the village, and on the large-scale transactions with Grandpa Chen and others today, the remaining balance is less than 200 million yuan.
After more than three million catties of grain were harvested, the total points rose to over one billion.
[Congratulations to the streamer on regaining double-digit points! That's no easy feat.]
【What nonsense are you spouting? Recouping this much in just over a month? That's incredibly fast, not difficult at all.】
[Exactly! This is only the first stop and they've already brought in 800 million! I remember the other settlements they came from all owed more debt than Yangshan, right? This streamer is really going to make a fortune collecting debts this time.]
Can you earn 10 billion points in one go?
"Well... there's still quite a bit to go, but I should be able to earn the points from half a warship."
[Half a warship would be awesome! I wish I could have that kind of fun too.]
Lu Xuan, in a good mood after receiving a large sum of money, said, "You won't earn points, but the lottery will give you some fun. From now on, I'll draw a lottery for you every time I receive a payment. Consider it a celebration for all. How about it?"
【Wow, the streamer is awesome!】
Wow! The streamer is getting more and more extravagant!
[Dad, look at me! Don't I look like your long-lost son?]
[Two hundred thousand catties of mutated grain, I refuse to believe I can't win! *rubbing hands*]
Everyone is familiar with the lottery process, so Lu Xuan simply clicked the lottery button and sent out all 200,000 jin of various mutated grains that he had reserved.
The tens of thousands of people who won the prize in the live chat were instantly plunged into a sea of joy.
Those who didn't win asked, unwillingly, "When will the streamer leave Yangshan?"
In other words, when is the next draw?
Lu Xuan: "Let's wait three days for the results of their evolution fluid distribution."
The crops in other settlements are not yet ripe, so going too early will only mean waiting anyway.
...
The distribution of evolution fluid in Yangshan County is relatively easy.
Chen Binghe and Miao Anhe had a personal relationship with Yunlu Village, so it was only natural for Old Master Chen and Old Master Miao to each secure a tube for the two of them at a base price.
For the other three groups, the people in charge each made their own bids, and whoever was willing to offer more supplies would be given priority.
If you are unwilling to pay a high price, you can wait for the next allocation at the original price.
In the end, Boss Wang, Boss Zheng, and Landlord Liu each received one.
Three days later, Chen Bing and Miao An both successfully awakened, gaining fire-type and wood-type abilities respectively.
Boss Wang and Boss Zheng failed to awaken their powers, while Landlord Liu only gained a power enhancement ability.
Having confirmed that there were no special abilities, Lu Xuan did not linger any longer. After saying goodbye to the delighted Grandpa Chen and the other villagers, he headed to his next destination.
Following the order of the last time, he should have gone to Luochuan this time, but after receiving a message from the robot he left at the Jiangnan base, Lu Xuan changed course and decided to go to the Jiangnan base first.
To avoid attracting attention, Lu Xuan created an inconspicuous appearance for himself and, for the first time ever, changed into the clothes of an ordinary disaster victim. He then took the opportunity to quietly infiltrate Licheng, the largest settlement in Jiangnan Prefecture.
After entering the city, they bypassed the main streets and entered the alleys, winding their way to a sparsely populated courtyard, where they went in to meet up with the robot he had left behind.
The robot, who also appeared to be an indistinct young man, took out a small X-shaped listening device and played the recorded content for Lu Xuan to listen to.
Soon, the hushed voices of the heads of various prominent families in Jiangnan, whom Lu Xuan vaguely recognized, could be heard from inside.
How long until the grain in the greenhouse is ripe?
"Five more days."
"To prevent us from defaulting on our debts, the man surnamed Lu will definitely come a day or two in advance. We'll collect the grain three days in advance and hide it away, leaving him to starve."
“But after he came last time, the Zhao family disappeared. What if…”
"And what if he refuses to provide us with those useful supplies after we've fallen out?"
"We were careless last time. We didn't expect an outsider like him to be so arrogant. This time, all our families are united. We refuse to believe that he, all by himself, would dare to oppose all of us!"
"Just arrest him. If he wants to live, he'll hand over the supplies. Then you can have as many as you want."
...
[I told you so! I knew those guys from Jiangnan would renege on their debt! And they were right!]
[To avoid repaying their debts, they'd rather harvest early. Don't they realize how much less grain they'll harvest? It's truly a lose-lose situation.]
[They probably felt that the losses from harvesting profits early were far outweighed by the debts they had to repay to the streamer.]
That is indeed true.
But thinking about it still makes me so angry!
Lu Xuan was not surprised at all by the contents of the recording.
What's there to be angry about if I already knew it?
What does the streamer plan to do?
[I think we didn't teach them a lesson enough last time. Dealing with two families who attacked the streamer wasn't enough; we should have wiped them all out!]
[We can just rob them when they've finished harvesting and haven't had time to hide their grain!]
[Sneak over to their grain storage location, and when they're not looking, rob them everything! They'll regret it!]
[If all else fails, the streamer sends a message to Huo Tiankuo, suggesting he come to Jiangnan next, using him as a tool to do their dirty work!]
Lu Xuan thought to himself that even if Huo Tiankuo came, he might not be able to deal much damage to these prominent families in Jiangnan.
Huo Tiankuo followed the path of a military general, engaging in large-scale, direct combat, while the prominent families of Jiangnan followed the path of civil officials, skilled in intrigue, scheming, and muddling through.
Based on the operational models of various dynasties throughout history, places like Jiangnan, with their complex situations and relatively favorable conditions, and not in urgent need of rescue, would mostly be dealt with only after other places had been largely subdued.
Lu Xuan thought of what he got from the second 100-pull guaranteed draw of Black Gold last month and said with a smile, "They won't start harvesting until two days later. I can start earlier than them."
Instead of waiting for others to take the lead, it's better to strike first.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thanks to "Changyushan" for throwing a landmine. Throwing time: 2025-06-06 22:05:49
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