The second bamboo basket was opened, revealing smooth, fresh sweet potato vines.
The third bamboo basket was opened to reveal bundles of sugarcane roots, their white and tender appearance quite appealing.
Old Man Chen stared at the group of carpenters and said in a deep voice, "My family needs carpentry tools. One tool can be exchanged for ten catties of grain. If it's a set, I'll add another ten catties."
Immediately, everyone in the courtyard was in an uproar.
The man's pupils contracted, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
The elderly people resting on the heated kang in the inner room were disturbed and came out with their canes.
Everyone in the group, except for the village chief's family, was stunned by Chen's "nouveau riche" aura.
After thinking for a moment, the old man said, "Xiao Ze, bring out three sets for them."
“Okay, Uncle Cao,” the man replied.
Old Man Chen looked at the man and smiled, "I told you, you would be willing to make the exchange."
A smile can dissolve all enmity. The man smiled slightly and said, "Yes, I'd be happy to."
Old Man Chen asked for a handcart and a pair of wooden buckets.
Afterwards, the man led a group to their team to move grain.
The group found a spacious but dilapidated restaurant to make a brief stop.
Da Ya and the others searched the entire restaurant but found nothing.
When the eldest brother and the others returned, they brought out all the sweet potato vines, which filled three large carrying baskets.
These weren't enough, so they carried out three more loads of sugarcane roots, making a total of six large carrying baskets.
Still not enough, Old Man Chen had no choice but to take out the cactus and a few scattered pieces of Smilax glabra.
The man said, "Could you exchange some more Smilax glabra? I can give you a pair of wooden buckets."
Although cactus looks and tastes good, it doesn't keep as long as Smilax glabra.
Old Man Chen said, "I don't have much Smilax glabra left, so I can only exchange it for fifty catties for you."
"Okay, sure." That's a lot.
After the exchange, the man smiled and said, "I have two pieces of information that I can sell to you."
The first piece of news: 30 jin of grain.
The second piece of news: 10 jin of grain.
The high price caused everyone to frown.
Village Chief Bai instructed, "Bring the food over; we've already bought all the information."
The man said, "You won't regret hearing this first piece of news."
The towns around here are deserted; no businesses are open, and there's nothing to buy.
If you want to replenish your supplies, you can go to Ma'ao Village.
The village over there has been occupied by a group of refugees who have set up a market there. Passersby can go in and trade, but the fees are very high.
I have a map here for you. With this map, three people can enter for free.
And here's a piece of advice: don't contact anyone over there. Once you've resupplyed, leave as soon as possible.
After saying that, the man took out a yellowed cloth from his pocket, on which a map was drawn.
"It takes ten days to travel from here to there."
Village Chief Bai put the map away.
The man continued, "One last piece of advice: stay away from people from the Celestial Masters Sect in the future."
After saying that, the man led the group away.
"What kind of news is this? They didn't even explain it clearly, and they just gave them so much food for nothing." Soon, someone complained.
"Village chief, if we take so much food out to trade with them, what if they turn around and sell us out, and leak the news?"
“Yes, village chief, they might turn around and rob us.”
Village Chief Bai calmed everyone down and said, "Don't worry, it won't happen."
By choosing not to bring weapons into the trade, we were destined not to be enemies.
Unless there is a conflict of interest, a fight is unlikely.
If they had chosen to negotiate with weapons, they would have only received barrels and pottery in return.
You can't exchange it for expensive items like vehicles or strollers.
He was also reluctant to exchange food for it.
Without trust, no one dares to take another step.
Since they chose to have a sincere discussion, the other party also showed them great sincerity.
The elderly, weak, women, and children in that courtyard were their biggest weakness, and this was the greatest sincerity they could offer. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked the team to exchange their food for food.
The three village chiefs huddled together to study the map, and the group took a temporary rest before continuing their journey.
The group then gathered around Chen's house, asking if he was hiring.
Now that Chen Lao Er has something to eat, he'll definitely be up to something big and will need manpower to help him.
"Chen Lao Er, are you hiring? Anyone can cut down trees or saw wood."
"Master Chen, let me push your cart."
Everyone started offering their own jobs.
Old Man Chen calmed everyone down and said, "Starting today, my second son will be making a batch of donkey carts. We do need manpower, and those with work-related injuries will be given priority."
The person to push the donkey cart has already been chosen.
Later, Chen's Shop will update its inventory, and prices will fluctuate, with most items being discounted. Please check it out then.
Seeing that they couldn't get either job, no one complained. After all, the injured person was sacrificing for everyone, and the Chen family's actions were understandable.
But when they heard that Chen's shop would be updating its products and lowering prices, everyone got excited, and they still kept one or two of their kids' points.
"Boss Chen, will there be any new products on the shelves? Also, which ones have been discounted? Will there be limited quantities? I'll line up early when they're available."
Old Man Chen said, "More food and tools will be added at the event. The prices haven't been discussed yet, but they will be announced later."
The gong sounded, signaling it was time to continue the journey.
Zhou urged them to leave, saying, "We're leaving, we're leaving. Stop asking us questions. We already said we'd announce it later."
The handcart that Chen Jiaxin bought was for the children to take turns resting. If others wanted to ride the donkey cart, they could only get on and rest for a while before getting off and walking, otherwise the donkey would get tired.
"Village chief, something terrible has happened! A pregnant woman in the village has fainted, her water broke, and she's going into labor!"
A patrolman rushed over to report.
Upon hearing this, the three village chiefs immediately ordered the group to halt their journey.
The pregnant woman who was about to give birth was from a mountain village. She was sitting in a newly bought stroller. She was fine at first, but after walking for an hour and a half, she fainted and her water broke.
This fainting spell terrified everyone; if the baby wasn't born, it would suffocate inside the womb.
When the three village chiefs arrived, the doctor from Dashan Village had already woken the woman up with acupuncture. The team helped light a fire and surrounded the area with bamboo mats to facilitate the delivery.
At this moment, a midwife from Lotus Village also rushed over to help.
The midwife called out to everyone, "Quickly boil some water!" and then went inside.
The pregnant woman's screams continued incessantly. When the midwife went in to take a look, her heart sank. The pregnant woman's screams were weak and feeble. How could she give birth without strength?
The woman's mother-in-law came in, took three pieces of cooked Smilax glabra, and wanted to feed them to her daughter-in-law.
The midwife couldn't bear it and said, "Eating this stuff is useless. She needs to eat nourishing foods now, otherwise she won't have the strength to give birth."
The old woman burst into tears immediately, pleading, "What should we do? Please, please save my daughter-in-law and child. We've been longing for this child for so long."
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