Chapter 80
From that day on, Tong Shu and his friends would run into the young man waiting by the river every few days. Over time, they gradually became familiar with each other. He introduced himself as Tian Zhaozhao, a local from G Province. Before the disaster, he worked in e-commerce to help farmers. He owned several large warehouses nearby, and it was thanks to those warehouses that he was able to keep his family and several colleagues alive until now.
"Thank you so much for the vegetables you've provided during this time. We've stored a lot of durable grains, but we're really at our wits' end with fresh vegetables. We've been eating sweet potato leaves every day, and we're getting sick of them." That morning, Tian Zhaozhao came to hand over the work to them again. Usually, when he appeared, he would express any new needs to Tong Shu and the others, and Tong Shu and the others could take this opportunity to mention any other materials they needed.
"The land on the other side of the river is more fertile, and things that grow there are easier to survive." Tong Shu made up a bunch of nonsense, taking advantage of their ignorance. Actually, she wasn't entirely making things up. The two elderly people in her family couldn't do heavy work, so they had been busy farming and raising livestock lately. You could tell how well they had been eating by looking at the flock of rapidly growing, plump chickens.
Grandpa Tong also cultivated a lot of farmland around the wooden house. The island had all kinds of seeds, and the old man didn't pick and choose. He planted whatever he wanted to eat. After a while, the Tong family was able to eat different vegetables every day.
“We recently took a trip to the north. There’s a lot of scrap iron and steel there, but the road is quite long. Transporting it by hand is tiring and slow. We tried to make a cart ourselves, but it collapsed after a short time. The cart you gave us is much sturdier. Sister Hua, could you help us out and get us another cart when you have time?” Tian Zhaozhao asked.
The amount of steel bars needed to build a house is not small, and they are willing to find ways to improve efficiency. Tong Shu is also very willing to cooperate: "Okay, I'll deliver it to you in a couple of days when it's finished."
Tian Zhaozhao nodded her thanks.
Today, Tong Shu delivered 1,000 jin (500 kg) of lettuce. Tian Zhaozhao had already informed Tong Shu and brought two people with him to count it. Seeing that they could grow so much lettuce in such a short time, he guessed that the other side must be a much larger organization than theirs. Just looking at their supplies and equipment, it was far beyond what his small e-commerce company owner could match. Before the disaster, they must have been a very powerful large company or a large family.
That was the speculation, but Tian Zhaozhao remained very tactful, never uttering a word about things he shouldn't ask, and never even entertaining the thought of going to the other side of the river to take a look. Tong Shu also greatly appreciated Tian Zhaozhao's sense of propriety; cooperating with such a smart person was very comfortable, and with such a neighbor, the Tong family would feel more at ease living by the river in the future.
Back home, Grandpa Tong walked over with a beaming smile, holding a handful of Lala vine seeds in his hand.
"Master, what makes you so happy?" Tong Shu asked with a smile.
"It's all about his field." Grandma Tong picked a bunch of green beans and brought them into the house. When Tong Shu asked, she interjected with a smile.
“Your second aunt’s husband is really resourceful. The seedlings I planted in the field used to get destroyed by mushrooms every night. He told me to plant some vines in the field. Now that the vines have grown, the mushrooms are no longer growing in my field.” Grandpa Tong said happily, “It’s true that one thing can subdue another. I’m going to plant vines in my cornfield too.”
The old man is planting more and more these days. The island is now fully mechanized, and Qin Jiaqiang can manage it all by himself. He also brings Tong Songming and Wang Jianye to work on their land. The vegetables and crops that Tong Shu and the others trade with Tian Zhaozhao are all grown on the island, while what Grandpa Tong grows is for his own family. Even so, the number of people they eat can't keep up with the harvest, and sometimes they have to give some to Tian Zhaozhao and the others. This makes Tian Zhaozhao very happy, and she is very accommodating to their family's requests.
Today, a new batch of steel was brought back from the other side of the strait. The men were too busy to help Grandpa Tong farm anymore, so they all went to the island to help Tong Songming. Grandpa Tong was busy by himself, but he was quite happy.
The three sisters, Shu Hua and her sister, couldn't stay idle either. They took Qin Xiaoxiao, who was gradually recovering, to Grandpa Tong's field to harvest vegetables, cut some pig feed, and feed the chicks and lambs. Qin Xiaoxiao really liked the fluffy lambs, but unfortunately, the lambs had a bad temper and kept butting her with their heads. After playing with them a few times, she got bored and could only watch the mother hen lay eggs and hatch chicks.
Life went on peacefully yet fulfillingly.
On the day Tong Shu's house was topped out, Tian Zhaozhao met with them again on the other side of the river. This time, he looked somewhat troubled, and he opened his mouth several times but swallowed his words back.
"Is there something wrong? Just tell me." Tong Shu still had a good impression of Tian Zhaozhao. After all, they would be spending a lot of time together in the future, and she didn't mind helping him within her means.
“…It’s like this, Sister Hua.” After considering for a moment, Tian Zhaozhao said, “It’s also because I didn’t manage my people well. A former colleague of mine has relatives living in a small county town nearby. Life is not easy there. We have been doing business with you recently, and now each household has some surplus. So she took some time to go there and deliver grain to her relatives.”
Tian Zhaozhao secretly glanced at Tong Shu's expression and continued, "Actually, I know a little about this. After all, everyone has their own selfish motives. As long as it doesn't affect us, I don't care. But this colleague's relative is a bit... a bit out of line. Yesterday, her whole family of relatives came to us with the rest of their village, asking us to take them in, insisting that they stay and work for us..."
Tong Shu listened, her brows furrowing tightly, and her tone hardening: "A village? How many people are there? Is there anyone in charge?"
"...There are about fifty of them. The previous village chief and village party secretary are all dead. They are survivors from several surrounding villages who came together," Tian Zhaozhao said softly.
As long as no one crosses the river to disturb their lives, Tong Shu doesn't care how many people are on the other side. However, the more people there are, the more likely someone will have designs on them, which gives Tong Shu a bit of a headache.
"You want to take them in?" Tong Shu asked.
Tian Zhaozhao pursed her lips and nodded with difficulty. Those people had already moved into the office building, and there were many elderly people and children living there. He couldn't bring himself to kick them out.
Tong Shu gave Tian Zhaozhao a deep look and said, "You should know that I don't want anyone to cross the river, nor do I want anyone to inquire about what's going on here."
"I understand! I always emphasize this to them. I'll also keep a close eye on the newcomers and make sure they don't bother you." Tian Zhaozhao said eagerly, "Don't worry, Sister Hua, I'll manage them well. The more people we have, the more we can help you with your work..."
Feeling Tong Shu's gaze, Tian Zhaozhao felt a little guilty, wondering how much more materials Tong Shu and the others needed, while her own food requirements were increasing.
Tong Shu looked away only after Tian Zhaozhao lowered her head, and said cryptically, "Alright. I think you know in your heart that once you open this door, more and more people will come to you for help. Our transaction can continue now, but if even one person on your side crosses the line, our transaction will end immediately. Besides, we have other options besides you, since labor is available everywhere."
Tong Shu lowered her voice and said, word by word, "We need a lot of materials, and we need to build a lot of houses."
Tian Zhaozhao swallowed hard, his hands clammy with cold sweat. He nodded and whispered, "I understand. I will absolutely, absolutely not let anyone cross the river."
"Hmm." Tong Shu was fairly satisfied with his attitude. She glanced at the pile of red bricks and scrap iron that was much larger than before and smiled. "A new batch of corn has ripened in the field. Some are sweet and some are sticky. I've tasted them, and they taste good. I'll bring you a thousand catties tomorrow. Have someone come and transport them this afternoon."
Tian Zhaozhao nodded absentmindedly. She watched Tong Shu turn and leave after speaking, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.
He only breathed a long sigh of relief when Tong Shu's small boat reached the shore and disappeared from sight.
Every time Sister Hua comes to discuss business, she doesn't have many people around her. She leaves as soon as she finishes speaking, very carefree. The things that they moved in an afternoon can be moved by these people who don't know when they will arrive, and they can finish moving everything in a morning.
Tian Zhaozhao felt a mixture of envy and awe towards the mysterious organization across the river. Judging from what they said this time, these people planned to build many houses over there—how many people must that be?
I must have a good talk with the newcomers, and also give everyone a warning. We absolutely cannot afford to offend the people on the other side of the river. Tian Zhaozhao thought fearfully.
Tong Shu achieved the desired effect. In Tian Zhaozhao's mind, she was now the leader of a well-equipped and well-supplied thousand-person gang. Right now, this leader was wearing an old T-shirt and a straw hat, bending over and passionately picking corn cobs in the cornfield.
"Shushu is getting more and more imposing. She was completely intimidated by that young man just now," Wang Jianye said with a smile, stepping on the hollowed-out corn stalks.
“She can only fool those younger than her.” Wang Jie didn’t give her any face: “Although the young boss is smart, she still lacks experience. Our Shushu may not be very old, but she has seen a lot in the past year. She can easily fool a young man like Tian Zhaozhao.”
"Stop pretending to be an elder when you talk to me!" Tong Shu felt a chill run down her spine from his tone and threw a corncob at the back of Wang Jie's head with pinpoint accuracy.
"Ouch!" Wang Jie quickly covered his head. "Before, she would at most curse at me, but now she attacks me at the slightest disagreement. You bandit! You female bandit!"
Tong Shu gritted her teeth, threw the corn in her hand into the basket, and pounced on Wang Jie. The two wrestled together like they did when they were children, making the elders on the side laugh non-stop.
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