Chapter 35 Market
At 3:30 pm the next day, Chu Qiang slowly stopped his pickup truck in front of the fairy. Just as he got out of the truck, a bright yellow spike stuck in his face.
Chu Qiang jumped back, his back hitting the car door with a loud "thud." The fairy laughed heartily, her thorns rustling as she laughed. Chu Qiang winced in pain, rubbing his back and groaning, "Since you saved me last night, I won't hold it against you."
Inside the pickup truck was a hydraulic pallet truck. The truck was heavy and made a lot of noise when it rolled on the ground. The little fairy, unhappy with the noise, fired spikes at it several times. The sharp spikes thudded against the forklift, but unfortunately only chipped off a little paint.
After realizing that the little fairy just liked to joke around with him, Chu Qiang's fear of it lessened considerably. Seeing that the little fairy wasn't even sparing the forklift, Chu Qiang was both amused and exasperated: "My little darling, don't break the forklift! Do you know how much effort I put into finding it? Stop playing around! If you break it, I'll make Engineer Jiang pay for it."
Hearing that her actions would cause trouble for Engineer Jiang, the little fairy twisted her body and leaned listlessly against the courtyard wall. She swayed her little ball and hummed listlessly, "Cartoons..."
Chu Qiang shrugged: "I can't help you with that. You'll have to discuss it with Jiang Gong."
As soon as she finished speaking, the little fairy became even more listless. Jiang Rong only allowed it to watch TV for two hours a day, and it had already used up its quota. Now it could only pass the time by counting the sharp thorns on its body.
It was 3 p.m. and the sun was blazing. Chu Qiang's back was burning hot from the sun after only a few words with the fairy. He dragged the delivery cart quickly towards the yard: "Xiao Jiang, is everything ready? It's all done over there."
After leaving Jiang Rong's house early this morning, Chu Qiang went to several nearby villages to start promoting the event. After most of the day's work, the first market since the major crisis is about to open.
Upon entering Jiang Rong's house, Chu Qiang felt a chill. This chill was even lower than the lowest temperature set by the air conditioner. Looking closer, he saw a thick layer of cardboard laid out in the living room, on which sat four round baskets woven from rattan.
The baskets, with lids, are nearly 1.5 meters in diameter and 1.2 meters in height, resembling rice buckets used by villagers to store grain. Each basket sits on a standard wooden tray, giving them a particularly imposing appearance.
Chu Qiang strode towards the baskets, and before Jiang Rong could stop him, he had already lifted the lid of the outermost basket.
The basket was woven from vines that Jiang Rong had cultivated using her supernatural abilities. Each vine was as thick as a thumb, so its sturdiness was self-evident. The inner wall of the basket was evenly covered with a thick layer of cotton quilt, and to prevent the quilt from clumping together and affecting its effectiveness, Jiang Rong had also used thin vines to weigh it down tightly.
The inside of the quilt was wrapped with a layer of plastic film, inside which was a frozen mineral water bottle, and inside the mineral water bottle was several layers of plastic film... After being wrapped in this way, the basket became a simple artificial refrigerator.
The wolf carcasses were wrapped in a thin film and placed in the middle of the basket, with ice-cold mineral water bottles filling the gaps between each wolf.
Chu Qiang was completely convinced and couldn't help but give Jiang Rong a thumbs up: "As expected of Xiao Jiang, she actually came up with such a method."
On the way here, Chu Qiang was still wondering what method his childhood friend would use to cool down the wolf carcasses. More than thirty wolves—if they weren't cooled down in time, they'd definitely stink by the time they were sold.
Surprisingly, Jiang Rong actually made a makeshift refrigerator using a quilt and ice. The basket would stay at a low temperature until the ice melted. Typical Jiang Rong, so clever!
Jiang Rong covered each basket with a thick blanket: "It's a very simple insulation principle; you could do it too."
Chu Qiang waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, I can't." He felt hot just looking at the quilt and wanted to stay as far away as possible, let alone use it to cool down.
Guan Shao silently pulled up the hydraulic cart: "I'll take two baskets out with Chu Qiang first."
The pickup truck's cargo bed was small, barely enough to fit two baskets before it was full. Chu Qiang would have to make two trips to transport all the wolf meat. Since the pickup truck couldn't take the back roads, Chu Qiang would have to drive around for more than ten minutes to get to their village. Thinking about this, he was quite annoyed: "Xiao Jiang, I'm thinking of building a road between our two houses. This detour is too troublesome."
Although Chu Qiang's and Jiang Rong's villages are quite close as the crow flies, there is an elevation difference between them. Jiang Rong's village is almost fifty meters higher than Chu Qiang's, so if a straight road were built, it would be extremely bumpy. If a road were to be built, it would have to follow the contours of the mountain, creating a winding mountain road that would be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive.
Their village is divided between two production brigades, and before the major crisis, neither brigade wanted to pay for the road repairs. But now the situation is different. It goes without saying how important Jiang Rong is; if Chu Qiang weren't stuck with his own house, he would have moved to the vicinity of Jiang Rong's house long ago.
After hearing what Chu Qiang said, Jiang Rong nodded: "Indeed, having a different route would make things much more convenient."
Before awakening my wood-type superpower, my hometown's biggest advantage was its quietness and remoteness. The small valley sits above the Lingshan Reservoir, and you'd hardly see anyone there in a year. After the great crisis, many mutated plants and animals have appeared in the area, making it difficult for ordinary people to find this place, thus making it relatively safe to live here.
However, if a base is to be built, its greatest advantage might actually become an obstacle. Convenient transportation is essential for establishing a base. Otherwise, people seeking refuge might not be able to find its location, which would delay their plans.
The road repairs can wait; the most important thing now is to go to the market and see how many people are still around.
Chu Qiang's village was under the jurisdiction of the Fisheries Brigade, which comprised six villages; his village was Fisheries Village Three. The villagers used to make a living by fishing in the Lingshan Reservoir. At its peak, the village had over a hundred households. To provide a place for villagers to socialize, the village pooled its resources to build an activity center at the village entrance.
The activity center occupies two or three acres, with a two-story building inside and a fitness plaza. When Jiang Rong and his group arrived at the activity center, they saw dozens of cars parked in the fitness plaza, and people had already set up signs and stalls under the eaves of the building.
At a glance, there were at least seventy or eighty people present, all villagers from several nearby villages. It was the first time these fellow villagers had met since the major crisis, and they chatted warmly, their laughter filling the air. Seeing this atmosphere, the shadow cast by the crisis immediately dissipated somewhat.
Jiang Rong glanced at the items everyone had brought for exchange; they were incredibly diverse. Some brought condiments, some small appliances, some books… Overall, most people were exchanging things that weren't very practical.
Of course, some people brought practical things. For example, Uncle Li and his wife brought some freshly ripened fruit from their orchard. Others brought rice and fish.
The laughter subsided considerably when Jiang Rong got out of the pickup truck. They whispered among themselves, "Is that them?" "It should be. I saw him a few times when he was a kid. It's definitely Jiang Rong from the Jiang family."
Jiang Rong ignored the whispers and walked with Guan Shao, dragging the cart, toward a stall at the back of the building. A square table sat on the stall, with a cutting board and a cleaver on it. Uncle Chu stood in front of the table, waving repeatedly, "Here, here."
As the first basket was placed on the ground, Guan Shao opened its lid. A chill emanated from the basket, and those standing nearby smelled an unusual odor of blood.
Guan Shao reached into the basket and pulled a wolf out. Weighing over two hundred pounds, he easily placed the wolf on the square table. The wolf's body made a dull thud as it touched the table, and those around gasped: "It's a wolf, a real wolf!"
"Good heavens, this wolf must weigh several hundred pounds! If I encounter it, I'm doomed."
"These superhumans are amazing! They managed to defeat such a terrifying mutated wolf. They're truly formidable!"
Seeing everyone's reaction, Jiang Rong's lips curled slightly. It seemed that bringing the wolves in front of everyone to divide them was a wise move. Only by letting everyone see firsthand how big the mutated wolves were could they truly be convinced of their strength.
The wolf, which was caught in the early hours of this morning, had already begun to stiffen. Because it was bent over, it didn't look as fierce as it did yesterday. However, it still imposingly occupied the entire square table. Although these wolves had been bled beforehand by Guan Shao, a fishy, pungent smell still wafted out the moment the plastic film was removed from their bodies.
Upon smelling the aroma, the people around did not back away; instead, they eagerly gathered around. They pointed and talked about the table, their expressions revealing obvious excitement and anticipation.
See, so what if they're mutant wolves? They still end up as their food.
Guan Shao put a noose around the wolf's neck and hung it from the beam next to the square table. He lowered his voice and said to Jiang Rong, "You and Chu Qiang go and get the second batch. I'll take care of this."
Jiang Rong glanced at the people around her and said softly, "No rush. There aren't many people here now, so we don't know how the exchange is going. If more people come later, we can go back and drag it out."
As he spoke, he took out a large water bottle from his bag and handed it to Guan Shao: "Here, lemonade."
Guan Shao's smile deepened. He took the kettle, unscrewed the lid, and took a large gulp. The partially melted ice cubes in the kettle clinked against the glass, making a soft sound. The slightly sour lemonade went down his throat, and Guan Shao felt the summer heat subside considerably.
After finishing his lemonade, Guan Shao officially began preparing the wolf meat. Jiang Rong had witnessed his knife skills many times, and each time she saw them, she had a different feeling.
Those who saw Guan Shao's swordsmanship for the first time were stunned: "My goodness, he wields that sword so skillfully!"
"Who is this young man? Is he from around here? I've never seen him before?"
Shh, just watch and don't talk.
While everyone was watching Guan Shao skin the wolf, Jiang Rong retreated to the side of the square table. Next to the square table was a clean small table. Jiang Rong opened her backpack, took out a laptop, and placed it on the small table. The laptop started up with a pleasant sound, and several people in the crowd turned to look at it.
Their murmurs grew louder: "He even has a video game computer?"
"They must have solar panels at home, right? He's a superhuman, getting solar panels would be a piece of cake for him."
Jiang Rong lowered his eyes and skillfully opened the office software, quickly creating a spreadsheet. After finishing the spreadsheet, he cleared his throat and announced, "Those who wish to exchange for wolf meat, please come here to register first."
Upon hearing this, someone asked in confusion, "Wait, why do we need to register to exchange wolf meat?"
Jiang Rong smiled slightly and explained, "Since this is the first time everyone is exchanging items, there will inevitably be instances of people being taken advantage of or losing out. Recording these things will benefit everyone. I will first register what everyone brought, and then tell you how much meat you can exchange for each item. Once both parties agree that there are no problems, you can exchange the meat smoothly."
After Jiang Rong explained, the people present exchanged glances at what each other held, and then understood his actions. Most of the people who came here today were there for the wolf meat. Most of them hadn't eaten meat since the Great Crisis, and meat essence was expensive now, not to mention that they wanted to exchange for mutated wolf meat today.
The world has changed. Things that were valuable before the crisis are not necessarily valuable now. Take the simplest example: a set of cosmetics used to cost thousands of yuan, while a pound of peaches only cost a few yuan. But now, a set of cosmetics might not be worth ten pounds of peaches.
How much they could exchange for their goods depended entirely on Jiang Rong's judgment. This might leave some people feeling cheated. Jiang Rong would first glance at what they brought, then tell them how much meat they could exchange for. If they could accept it, they could leave their goods and take the meat; if not, they could simply turn around and leave. This would save a lot of time arguing and allow everyone to get the meat faster.
Seeing that everyone understood her intention, Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Please line up so I can register first."
Whether it was because everyone present was reasonable, or because Jiang Rong's status as a superhuman was enough to intimidate them, a line soon formed under the eaves. Jiang Rong carefully recorded the names, home addresses, and exchange items of these people, and then decided how much wolf meat to exchange based on the quality and quantity of the items they brought.
This is a job that demands exceptional eyesight and endurance; most people wouldn't be able to do it well. However, Jiang Rong has experience living in the base, so she can tell the other party the exchange quantity after just a quick glance.
It didn't take long for everyone to figure out the pattern. Jiang Rong prioritized edible items. The exchange ratio for unprocessed agricultural products and meat was roughly 15 to 1, meaning 15 jin of rice could be exchanged for one jin of wolf meat. Processed foods, such as instant noodles or canned goods, had an exchange ratio of about 6 to 1, meaning six packs of instant noodles could be exchanged for one jin of meat.
Second on the list are everyday necessities like tissues and medicine. These items can be exchanged for a decent amount of meat. One man exchanged two packs of tissues for 1.3 jin (approximately 0.65 kg) of meat, and another exchanged a box of anti-inflammatory medicine for 1 jin (approximately 0.5 kg) of meat.
Third on the list are precious metals like gold and silver; one gram of gold can be exchanged for one pound of meat. One woman couldn't accept this offer and ended up leaving with a gold bracelet.
The most useless items were small appliances; without electricity, they were just scrap metal and couldn't be exchanged for meat. But Jiang Rong wouldn't let these people leave disappointed: although they couldn't exchange them for meat, they could exchange them for bones. Guan Shao had left a lot of meat on the bones when he cut them, so the bones were quite a bargain.
The registration went smoothly, and more than thirty people had registered in no time. Everyone handed their things to Chu Qiang, who then loaded them onto the pickup truck. Those who had registered lined up again, waiting for Guan Shao to start distributing the meat.
Jiang Rong turned to look in Guan Shao's direction; Guan Shao was dealing with the second wolf. Just as he was considering whether to start dividing the meat, he heard a timid female voice: "Y-hello. Um... can I exchange for cat litter?"
Looking up, Jiang Rong saw a girl in a light green dress standing in front of her, her face flushed. The moment Jiang Rong saw the girl, she felt an unusual energy fluctuation emanating from her. If she wasn't mistaken, this girl was probably a superhuman.
The girl was tall and fair-skinned; among the group of people who were all covered in dust, her attire was remarkably clean. She was carrying a large bag of cat litter, and on the bag, a blue-eyed Ragdoll cat was staring directly at Jiang Rong.
Seeing Jiang Rong staring at her, the girl became even more nervous: "Can, can I exchange it?"
Before Jiang Rong could respond, the person next to the girl burst out laughing: "Girl, do you think this is still a peaceful and prosperous era? Even bringing a cat would be better than bringing cat litter. Cats can be eaten, but what can cat litter do?"
The girl lowered her head awkwardly, her face flushed, and her eyes were red and brimming with tears. "The cat...the cat is gone."
Jiang Rong looked carefully at the litter bag. To be honest, he hadn't expected anyone to bring cat litter to exchange for something. He fell silent for a moment, unsure how much to give in return.
The girl blinked, tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice barely audible: "Can I exchange it?"
Jiang Rong nodded: "Yes."
The girl's eyes suddenly lit up. "I...I have so much cat litter, hundreds of pounds. Can I get all of that?"
Jiang Rong smiled slightly: "Okay."
The girl stopped crying and smiled, wiping away her tears. "Then, I'll go home and get it now. Please wait for me a moment."
Jiang Rong waved her hand: "No rush, you can take the meat first, and bring the cat litter over when you have time." Then Jiang Rong gave her a price: "One bag of cat litter is 6.5kg, in exchange for half a pound of meat, can you accept that?"
The girl nodded repeatedly, overjoyed: "Okay, thank you, thank you!"
Jiang Rong placed her hands on the keyboard: "Name, home address".
The girl quickly replied, "My name is Ruan Hanyu, and I live in Fishery Village No. 6. I'd like to exchange for 20 bags of cat litter."
Jiang Rong typed furiously, when a sarcastic voice came from the crowd: "Hey, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman. When a beauty cries, even cat litter can be exchanged for meat. Did you hear that? Twenty bags of cat litter can be exchanged for ten pounds of meat. Old Qian's two bags of rice can't even compare to cat litter."
Hearing these whispers, Ruan Hanyu lowered her head again and nervously rubbed her hands. Jiang Rong filled out the form without changing her expression, then turned to the computer and said, "Sign here."
Hearing the whispers around him, Guan Shao slowed his movements. He turned to look at Ruan Hanyu, then at the cat litter in her hand. It must be said, Ruan Hanyu was a beautiful girl. She and Jiang Rong were very close as she bent down to sign, and they looked quite well-matched.
Guan Shao's movements slowed down even further.
After Ruan Hanyu signed the papers, Jiang Rong told her to go to another line. Suddenly, he felt a familiar gaze fixed on him. Turning his head, he saw that he and Guan Shao were looking at each other. Seeing the darkness in Guan Shao's eyes, Jiang Rong explained, "Cat litter can mask the smell."
Those seven simple words completely erased the emotions in Guan Shao's eyes. These days, mutated animals are all incredibly powerful. Yesterday, they released wolf blood in the yard, and even after washing it several times, the smell was still noticeable when entering. With cat litter, the smell is simply masked. Moreover, cat litter is also a great moisture-retaining material; even after use, it can still be used in the vegetable garden.
Guan Shao smiled and nodded, then picked up the kettle and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. Feels good!
Besides Ruan Hanyu, Jiang Rong also encountered another person who came to exchange something strange. This man, surnamed Pan and named Pan Xiaoquan, stood mysteriously in front of Jiang Rong and opened his sack: "Do you recognize this?"
Jiang Rong looked over and saw that the sack contained square, dark gray planks. The planks had some silver patterns on them, and at first glance, they looked somewhat familiar. But after thinking for a long time, he couldn't remember where he had seen these things before. So he could only shake his head: "Not really."
Pan Xiaoquan chuckled: "This is a good thing. Take another look, what is it?"
As he spoke, Pan Xiaoquan lowered his body and moved closer to Jiang Rong, but before he could get close, a cold glint flashed past his ear. Pan Xiaoquan felt a chill on his cheek, and when he reached down to touch it, he only felt a thin bead of blood.
Pan Xiaoquan swallowed hard in horror. He turned his head to look and saw a sharp dagger nailed to the wall behind him. The dagger was half-buried in the wall, and the wolf blood remaining on the blade was chilling.
Guan Shao said expressionlessly, "Sorry, my hand slipped."
Pan Xiaoquan's face twitched, revealing an expression even more unsightly than crying: "No, it's okay." How could this person be so terrifying? It felt like he was going to devour him.
Jiang Rong said seriously, "I'm sorry, I don't really recognize what you brought, so I can't exchange it for you."
Pan Xiaoquan could no longer maintain his air of mystery; he quickly said, "These are solar panels! Don't you recognize solar panels?"
Jiang Rong: ...
Upon closer inspection, these palm-sized chips did indeed resemble the components inside his solar panels. However, his solar panels were completely different from the ones in front of him. Could this be some kind of new type of solar energy?
Hearing Pan Xiaoquan's words, Chu Qiang strode over. He picked up a panel, examined it, and sneered, "Solar panel? Who are you trying to fool? Do you think we don't know what solar energy is? This is just ordinary solar cell, an unassembled piece of junk, nobody would even want it as scrap. Who are you trying to fool?"
Chu Qiang's face fell, and Pan Xiaoquan was terrified. "I was wrong, I was wrong! I thought it was something good! I was wrong!"
Just as Chu Qiang was about to grab Pan Xiaoquan and throw him out of the group, Jiang Rong stopped him: "Wait, where did you get these battery cells?"
Pan Xiaoquan was hesitant to speak at first, but when Chu Qiang swung his fist, he confessed everything: "I got it from my cousin Pan Pan. My cousin is also an ability user. He brought it back from outside. I thought it was something good, so I took a whole bag."
Jiang Rong looked at Chu Qiang: "Pan Pan? Do you remember him?"
After thinking for a moment, Chu Qiang said, "There are almost all the families in the Fifth Fishery Team with the surname Pan, but I'm not very familiar with them. I'll go there in a bit and ask." Everyone here has superpowers, so it's important to build relationships beforehand.
Pan Xiaoquan screamed, "Don't tell Pan Pan, he'll beat me to death!"
Jiang Rong smiled slightly and said to Chu Qiang, "Detain him first, then contact Pan Pan and have him come and pick him up." He liked to do favors like this.
Author's Note:
For those of you who have stockpiled 240 pounds of cat litter, when the apocalypse arrives, you can sprinkle the cat litter near your cave to keep zombies, mutated animals, and mutated plants away!
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