Chapter 254 Exchange
"Okay! Four loaves of bread?"
The man was delighted to hear about four loaves of bread and nodded repeatedly.
I let him choose four styles he liked, and I packed them in a plastic bag.
Then they brought a large bag of pine nuts, two bottles of milk, dried hazelnuts, dried wood ear mushrooms, beef jerky, and even two kerosene lamps.
The reason for putting away kerosene lamps is that solar power is becoming less and less reliable, and the house might lose power completely one day, so it's better to be prepared.
Looking at the last three loaves of bread in the basket, and then at the group of people in front of me, I smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry, all of today's loaves have been replaced."
The person in first place frowned unhappily: "There are still three left. I'll be next!"
Looking at the three loaves of bread, I could only reply apologetically, "I'm so sorry, these were meant for someone else, I can't exchange them anymore."
Seeing that I was polite, the man left disappointed and said nothing more.
While the crowd was still there, I started promoting my soy sauce and soybean paste.
"Don't rush off, I still have soy sauce, soybean paste, and vinegar here. Does anyone need any?"
Everyone stared in surprise.
"This salt isn't enough to eat, we can also make soybean paste and soy sauce? And we can even make our own vinegar?"
"I also made a small jar at home, but it uses too much salt. It's such a waste."
Seeing this rare and precious thing, no one wanted to leave.
Indeed, this soybean paste, soy sauce, and vinegar are all very precious.
Then I'll exchange it for something more expensive, so that no one feels unfair.
How do you change this?
"I don't necessarily want anything; I'll just pay whatever price the supplies offer."
"Meat, please. Some meat will do."
No one was planning to buy it, and people in the crowd started giving me suggestions.
Do you want some dish soap?
Dish soap?
Intrigued, I looked up to find the person speaking and saw a woman holding a basket, smiling at me. That must be her.
What's your dish soap made of?
"I can't tell you that, but it's freshly made and it's great for removing grease. You can also use it for washing clothes and taking a bath."
As she spoke, she handed over a mineral water bottle.
I unscrewed the cap and smelled it; it actually smelled very similar to the dish soap I used before the apocalypse.
Moreover, it is completely transparent, and there is no trace of soapberry or other substances used.
"Let's switch. Do you want soy sauce or vinegar?"
The woman hesitated for a moment and then said, "I'd like a bottle of soy sauce."
I took a bottle of soy sauce and held it in my hand: "This soy sauce has been made all winter and has used up a lot of salt. Could you give me some extra dish soap?"
"Okay, okay, here are three bottles for you."
The three bottles of dish soap felt heavy in my hand; if I use them sparingly, they'll last me a long time washing dishes.
The woman added, "Not only can you use it to wash dishes, but you can also use it to wash clothes, take a bath, and wash your hair. It's all-natural."
"Wait, where do you live? If we need them, I'd like to exchange some with you."
I called out to the woman who was about to leave.
The lady smiled and pointed to the White Town base.
"I live here. You can ask around and find out if someone makes dish soap."
Although I can make my own dish soap and body wash using soapberries, it's been so many years since the apocalypse, who wouldn't want to use something new!
Maybe next time I can use the soap I made myself to exchange for some dish soap with her.
The remaining soybean paste, soy sauce, and vinegar at the stall remained untouched; only a few people stood there waiting to see who would be able to trade them for them.
I silently put another bottle of soy sauce into the basket.
After a while, a girl wearing an apron came to the stall.
"Sister Chengcheng."
I recognized her at a glance; it was Xiaoting.
"Xiaoting? It's been so many years."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, she got down to business.
“I just heard from someone that you can exchange soy sauce and vinegar here, so my mother-in-law asked me to come and take a look.”
"It can be exchanged, take a look."
Xiaoting squatted down and looked at the large jar of soy sauce and the two bottles of vinegar in front of her.
"Are you out of soy sauce?"
"Yes, the soy sauce has been replaced."
"Then I'll go ask my mother-in-law."
Xiaoting ran out and then ran back.
"We'd like two bottles of vinegar. The stall also has pork and beef. Would you like to come and take a look?"
Aunt Liu nudged me lightly with her elbow, signaling me to come over.
Holding two bottles of vinegar, I followed Xiaoting to the meat stall.
I recognized Xiaoting's mother-in-law; it turned out to be the family that frequently exchanged milk.
"Why are you selling meat now?"
"The weather has been normal in the last two years, so the scale of cattle farming has increased. Now we not only exchange milk, but also occasionally slaughter a cow to exchange for meat."
This mother-in-law's personality is much more cheerful than before.
"I only have two bottles of vinegar here, please replace them as you see fit."
"Making vinegar is quite a skill. I haven't eaten vinegar in years."
As she spoke, she chopped off a small piece of beef rib for me.
That's a huge piece of meat, it looks like it weighs over 30 pounds.
"No, no, that's too much."
Although I can be greedy for small gains, I still can't feel at ease about such big gains.
The two signed for a while, and finally the woman gave in. "I'll take half of this beef rib, cut in half."
Even just half a steak can weigh over ten pounds.
The cost of my aged vinegar is just some brown sugar, it's really worth it!
He took a large piece of pork rib and threw it onto the donkey cart. Several dogs became restless and started sniffing around the cart.
The last jar of soybean paste was also sold out amidst Brother Liu's shouts.
In return, I received a large barrel of sunflower oil that I pressed myself.
Freshly pressed sunflower oil is especially fragrant, and it will definitely make stir-fries taste even better. I'm extremely satisfied.
As the crowds at the market began to disperse, I sat in front of the stall, gazing in the direction where the old woman had disappeared.
"Come on, little sister, your sister-in-law will cook you something delicious when we get home."
Aunt Liu packed up her stall and asked me to go home with her.
"Let's wait a little longer."
Aunt Liu asked, puzzled, "What are you waiting for?"
"Wait for that old lady who wanted to exchange her bread earlier."
When Aunt Liu heard me say that, she laughed and patted my shoulder: "Oh dear, let's go, girl. The market's already over. I guess you're not going to come back now."
I insisted on sitting and waiting for a while: "Sister-in-law, you go home and cook first, I'll be there in a bit."
As Liu's wife packed her things and was about to leave, the old lady and the child reappeared in the distance.
I stood up excitedly and waved in that direction.
The old lady quickened her pace and came over, carrying a cloth bag in her hand.
She walked up to me and eagerly opened the cloth bag, which contained walnuts and hazelnuts.
"Coming, coming! Did I keep you from getting home?"
"It's alright, I've saved some bread for you!"
I took two loaves of bread from the basket and handed them over, but I kept the other goat milk bread for Tuantuan.
Looking at this big bag of walnuts, exchanging it for two loaves of bread seems a bit too little.
I poured the bag into the basket, then handed it back halfway through.
"These are enough for two loaves of bread; take the rest back with you."
The old lady pushed the cloth bag toward me, saying, "Oh, no need, no need. I said it was for you, and it is for you."
"Okay, I can't take advantage of you."
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