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"What? You want to buy my chicken?" Sun Haizhu had been sitting on the mat for too long, and his eyes, which were originally squinting due to sleepiness, suddenly widened.
"Chicken or duck is fine." Tao Sai said seriously, not sounding like he was joking at all.
Sun Haizhu paused for a few seconds and said, "No, no, my chickens and ducks are now money trees. They lay eggs on time every day. I can exchange them for a lot of food."
"You ate quite a lot, didn't you?" Tao Sai smiled with pursed lips.
These words obviously touched Sun Haizhu's sore spot.
His family lives in the suburbs of Donghai City. There are five people in his family: him, his wife, his son, his daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter who just turned six.
The yard of their self-built house is spacious, housing chickens, ducks, and geese. Around the yard, they also grow onions, ginger, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, radishes, oranges, persimmons, pears, and other vegetables and fruits for their own consumption. Furthermore, their family owns several acres of land, growing two crops of rice each year. Their son and daughter-in-law both have jobs in the city, so the family can be considered well-off.
Even if a natural disaster strikes and a food crisis breaks out, their family can rely on the surplus food in the stainless steel storage tanks to survive for a year or two in the apocalypse.
If the farmland can still be cultivated without being damaged, and a harvest can be produced every year, even if nothing can be exchanged for goods from outside, the family can still achieve self-sufficiency with a little hardship.
But... thinking of this, Sun Haizhu was filled with anger.
Half a month ago, their husband was short-sighted and called people to their house. Then he emptied out thousands of kilograms of millet in their stainless steel storage tanks and exchanged them all for money.
On that day, Sun Haizhu came back from working in the fields, carrying a hoe and wondering what happened when he saw a van speeding past on the country road near his home. This was because the country road only reached their home and usually no one would drive there.
As a result, when he returned home, his wife pulled him into the house with tears in her eyes and showed him the bed full of banknotes. "Old Sun, let me tell you, we are rich now. We can finally buy a house in the city for our son..."
Sun Haizhu rushed to the barn, opened the stainless steel storage tank, and nearly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage from the anger. He chased after Boss Yang, the man who had collected his grain, and offered to exchange it for less, or even half. But Boss Yang not only refused to exchange a single grain, but also verbally abused him and had him kicked out.
Things had come to this, and it was too late to regret. Fortunately, they had more than just millet. Rice, made from millet, was their staple food, the one that truly filled their stomachs. After much deliberation, Sun Haizhu decided to take his eggs to the city to trade for rice. With five people in their family, they absolutely couldn't afford to go without their staple food.
He only traded for rice, because not only did his family need rice, but he also had to feed the chickens and ducks. The chickens and ducks in the shed laid eggs every day, so they also ate a lot.
For this reason, Sun Haizhu's son Sun Chao is considering killing some chickens and ducks, because they are difficult to raise. After killing them, he can have a meal of meat. If he can't finish it, he can pickle it and eat it slowly.
Sun Haizhu always felt that it was a stupid act to kill chickens for warmth and it was not worth it. He was reluctant to kill the chickens and ducks that he had raised with great effort just when they started laying eggs.
So when Tao Sai asked him if he wanted to sell, his first reaction was to refuse. He thought these poultry would be useful to keep until he got through the current difficulties.
Of course, unless the other party can offer him a deal that he cannot refuse, but he absolutely does not believe that the girl in front of him has such a family background.
"Uncle, I can reduce the burden on your family by exchanging chickens with you. After all, it's not good to raise too many chickens. If all the food is fed to the chickens, people will starve." Tao Sai said.
"It's okay to exchange, but do you have rice? I want 200 kilograms of rice in exchange for a chicken. If the amount is lower than this, girl, I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible. I won't exchange." Sun Haizhu said firmly.
When He Zhaonian heard this number, he quickly came over and whispered in Tao Sai's ear, "Sister Sai, what should I do? I don't have that much rice in my warehouse. I need to get it back to the ship."
Tao Sai waved his hand slightly. "What you left on the boat are the rations for your family. Besides, exchanging 200 kilograms of rice for only one chicken is too much of a loss."
Before the end of the world, the value of a laying hen and 200 kilograms of rice may not be much different, but when the end of the world comes and there is a food crisis, the situation is completely different.
Tao Sai was clear-headed. Rice could be eaten, filling the stomach and preventing starvation. Chickens, on the other hand, required food consumption to feed, and the risk of contracting disease. Even if they were killed and eaten, they would only yield a few pounds of meat. For ordinary refugees struggling to make ends meet, chickens and their products were luxuries. This was also the reason why this man couldn't sell his chicken and duck eggs.
He Zhaonian wanted to try again. He squatted down next to the small stool and said softly, "Uncle, my family runs a supermarket. Besides rice, I have a lot of other food to exchange with you. Would you like to take a look?"
Sun Haizhu simply ignored him and turned his face away.
Tao Sai stood there in silence for a minute, gave He Zhaonian a look that said "retreat", and then turned and left. He Zhaonian quickly caught up with her and asked in confusion, "Sister Sai, are you giving up just like that?"
He knew very well that Sister Sai was not the type to back down when faced with difficulties.
Walking out of the crowded market, Tao Sai asked him, "Then the old man only wants rice. What do you think it means?"
"...Does it mean that his family is short of rice? Short of food?" He Zhaonian scratched his head.
"Yes, there is a shortage, and a severe shortage," Tao Sai analyzed. "But this old man clearly hasn't figured it out yet. I guess he's just come out to trade and doesn't understand the current market. He's still confident, thinking he just hasn't met the right buyer yet. We'll have to wait and see. Elders of this age are more stubborn than you might think. Instead of trying to reason with him, why not wait for him to set up shop for a few days and come to his senses? It won't be too late to make a move then."
Tao Sai didn't actually leave directly just now. She left transparent eyes on the old man, which allowed her to observe his vision at any time through the [Vision] skill and find his position at the first time.
After leaving the square, they went to the secluded alley where they had agreed to meet the stall owners. One hand delivered the goods, the other paid the balance. After everyone had left, Tao Sai loaded the supplies into the warehouse one by one.
In this way, except for the poultry and livestock he raised, Tao Sai successfully achieved his planned goal.
The space wormhole opened up onto the deck of the "Wee Light." He Zhaonian could no longer contain his inner joy: "Sister Sai, I finally got an upgrade, Wuhu!"
"Upgrade it." Tao Sai nodded slightly, took out his portion of supplies from the warehouse, and instructed, "Install the photovoltaic panels and batteries as soon as possible. If you encounter any problems, feel free to contact me."
The "Deep Sea Fish" has been installed several times, so it has some experience, and Zhou Ning also taught himself the knowledge of electrical engineering.
Five minutes later, in the blue beam of light, a second majestic fourth-level refuge ship was anchored near Haijiao Bay.
Tao Sai heard a series of knocking sounds. She followed the source of the sound to the stern and saw Zhou Weixing and An Song nailing a new shack with wooden strips.
"Taotao, you're back?" Zhou Ning called to Tao Sai, "We're repairing the chicken coop and rabbit cages."
"I haven't got any livestock or poultry yet, but there's no rush. I'll build the shed first. It's just a matter of time," said Tao Sai, who was very confident.
Tao Sai took out the supplies collected during this trip to the city from the [warehouse] one by one. He gave the new photovoltaic panels to Zhou Ning and others for installation, and kept the unused photovoltaic panels and batteries to be used when upgrading the level 5 ship or given to Tang Yingxue and others. He gave the down quilts, down jackets, cotton coats and other supplies to Aunt Li Yinzhu for unified sorting and storage, and would use them when the cold winter came.
After doing all this, Tao Sai found Cheng Cong watering the plants with a sprinkler in the middle of the high shelves on the deck.
"Cheng Cong, come here." Tao Sai waved at him and then took him all the way to the cockpit.
Several small-sized T-shirts and shorts bought cheaply from the market were placed on a chair in the room. Tao Sai pointed inside and said, "I bought clothes for you. Go in and try them on to see if they fit you."
Hearing this, Cheng Cong looked happy. He walked into the room and closed the door. Sure enough, he saw several new sets of clothes.
Two minutes later, Cheng Cong opened the door and walked out. He had changed out of his loose T-shirt and put on a short-sleeved shirt with a cartoon Nezha pattern on it and gray shorts on his lower body.
"Does it fit?" Tao Sai asked. She felt it was just right, neither too big nor too small.
"Yeah!" Cheng Cong nodded vigorously, obviously very satisfied with his new clothes, "Thank you, sister."
"The clothes in there are all yours. Take them back to your dormitory. Remember to change them frequently and keep them clean," Tao Sai instructed.
"Okay." Cheng Cong responded seriously, then went back to the room to pick up a few other sets of clothes. He also took the loose T-shirt in his hand, preparing to wash it and return it to Brother Ansong.
After Cheng Cong left, Tao Sai sat alone on the sofa, his hands relaxedly placed on the armrests, he closed his eyes, and activated his [Vision] skill.
She first turned her attention back to the market.
In this field of vision, the viewer was looking around, his eyes occasionally sweeping over the bustling crowd. There were also people trying to trade passing by the stall, and the two sides chatted for a few words and then walked away.
As his vision changed, Tao Sai could vaguely sense the sense of loss of the viewer himself.
It will take some time, there's no need to rush, Tao Sai thought.
Tao Sai changed the camera angle again and switched to the scrap yard owner. He was counting the scrap in the warehouse. There was nothing valuable here. The player had scanned the upgrade materials and would definitely not come back to fall into his trap.
As for her other visions, many of them had gradually faded. Tao Sai discovered that the chosen surrogate wasn't permanent; it had a time limit. The transparent eyes she'd initially placed on the guy at the courier station and Cheng Cong had vanished; she estimated they would only last about ten days. Of course, she also lost control of Tao Guohuai and his wife.
In the evening, the sky was full of rosy clouds, but dense cirrus clouds appeared on the horizon.
Zhou Ning noticed the changing celestial phenomena. She pointed in the direction of the thick cirrus clouds and said, "Taotao, look at the weather. It looks like a typhoon is coming again."
After the satellite network signal was interrupted, they lost the early warning of severe weather such as typhoons and could only make judgments by observing astronomical phenomena.
The current scene basically meets the signs before the arrival of a typhoon. After a while, a strong wind blew at the seaside, and the wind became stronger and stronger. The fourth-level ship anchored in the concave point began to sway with the waves.
The sun had just set, and just in case, as it would be too late at night, Tao Sai asked everyone to move the shelves and plastic storage boxes on the deck and quickly move them back to the large empty warehouse.
As night fell, raindrops fell densely, hitting the metal hull of the Deep Sea Fish with a clattering sound.
Tao Sai changed into an all-black outfit, including a quick-drying shirt, sweatpants, and waterproof tactical boots. She also put on a hooded raincoat on the outside.
Tao Sai did not bring anyone with her because a typhoon was coming soon and no one except her could move freely during the typhoon. She had [Gravity Adaptation] and did not have to worry about being blown away by the strong wind.
Heavy rain poured down, and a layer of water accumulated on the deck, but it quickly flowed back into the sea through the drainage system.
Tao Sai drank a bottle of colorless and tasteless nutrient solution, then put on the hood of his raincoat, zipped it up to his lower lip, and walked into the black rain curtain.
The hunter set off.
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