Zhang Da Nao sneered and said disdainfully, "Believe it or not. Anyway, our village chief said that exchanging grain for your Huangjing and Tianqi this time is to help you, it's doing good deeds. You have to remember Er Gouzi's kindness and goodwill."
Wang Huanchun frowned, not believing a single word of what Zhang Da Nao said.
However, the last sentence was the truth.
When the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, it is truly a great favor that someone would exchange precious grains for these medicinal herbs that cannot be eaten.
No sooner said than done, someone came running over, panting, carrying a burlap sack.
"Zhang Da Nao, I have over twenty catties of Solomon's Seal and over a catty of Panax notoginseng. How much grain can I exchange for them?"
Zhang Da Nao chuckled as he announced the numbers: "One pound of Polygonatum can be exchanged for one pound of coarse grains, and one pound of Panax notoginseng can be exchanged for two pounds of coarse grains. Oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar are separate."
"Big Head, you're really ripping me off! Coarse grains cost at most 15 cents a pound, but my Solomon's Seal can fetch at least 50 cents a pound in the county!" The man was a little unhappy.
“You can’t say that. What kind of weather is this? The mountains are blocked by heavy snow. We’re carrying grain to your doorstep, shouldn’t we be paid for our labor? Besides, you don’t have to exchange it. Grain is so precious these days. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll give you money. Polygonatum is one yuan a pound, and Panax notoginseng is one yuan and fifty cents a pound. That’s high enough, isn’t it?” Zhang Da Nao said unhurriedly.
One yuan per pound?
The middle-aged man carrying the sacks had his eyes light up. But then he thought, "What's the use of money if you can't buy anything these days?"
He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I'll trade ten catties of Polygonatum for ten catties of coarse grains, and the rest for money!"
“No problem!” Zhang Da Nao nodded, then turned to Wang Huanchun and asked, “Your Highness, does your village committee have a balance scale? Can I borrow it?”
"Yes, yes, yes, wait here, I'll go get it for you!" Wang Huanchun immediately responded.
Like Zhangjia Village, Wangcun was assigned the task of growing fruit by the authorities, and a balance scale was always kept in the village committee office.
As the news spread, more and more villagers came with their own Polygonatum and Panax notoginseng, surrounding Zhang Da Tou to exchange for grain and money.
When there are many people, it's inevitable that there will be a lot of chatter and discussion.
"Hey, do you guys think Zhang Da Nao is bragging? Is that kid from the Ming family really that capable?"
"I think it's half true and half false. I met Er Gouzi in the mountains before. He didn't look like an ordinary person. He was someone who could do great things. But to say that he was on good terms with the police station chief and was friends with the hospital director is a bit of a stretch."
"Right, why are they collecting so much Polygonatum and Panax notoginseng? To sell them in the county?"
"Nonsense, why would we keep it for ourselves if we weren't going to sell it?"
"That big-headed guy offered one yuan per jin for Polygonatum... He's definitely going to make a profit. How much do you think he can sell it for in the county? One yuan and twenty cents? Or one yuan and fifty cents?"
"What? Are you jealous? Let me tell you, we can't do this kind of business. Be careful we don't accuse you of speculation and profiteering!"
"The people of Zhangjia Village aren't afraid, so how could we be more cowardly than them?"
"I can't explain it to you! That Er Gouzi must have gotten in touch with the supply and marketing cooperative. It's fine if he sells, but if we sell, it's hard to say."
Profitable businesses always attract envy.
Some people are clueless about the situation, while others are clear-headed.
Similar scenarios were playing out in various surrounding villages.
Of the 500 jin of coarse grains Zhang Cheng brought back, 400 jin were taken out, and white rice, white flour, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were also used.
In this way, Zhangjia Village truly has no shortage of food.
Because of this incident, Zhang Cheng's name became widely known throughout the surrounding area.
Some are grateful to him, some envy him, and naturally, many more are jealous of him.
at the same time.
Inside the mud house.
Zhang Cheng was rolling up his sleeves, the fire in the stove was blazing, and the wolf meat in the iron pot was sizzling as it was stir-fried. Although the wolf meat had a slightly gamey smell, its pure aroma was irresistible, making one's mouth water.
After serving the stir-fried wolf meat, Zhang Cheng added water to the pot and brought it to a boil. He grabbed a piece of the kneaded dough next to him, pinched it into his palm, and squeezed it tightly. The plump white dough squeezed out from between his fingers and fell into the boiling water with a splash.
This is called finger-kneading or hand-rolling noodles; it's a convenient and filling method.
After cooking for a while, seeing that the noodles had all floated to the surface and were almost cooked through, Zhang Cheng added some pickled vegetables to the pot to enhance the flavor.
"Honey, time to eat noodles!"
Zhang Cheng happily served Shi Yangyang a large bowl of steaming hot food.
Shi Yangyang sat on a small stool, watching Zhang Cheng busy himself, feeling uneasy and wondering whether he should confront Zhang Cheng about the truth.
But she didn't dare; she was afraid of implicating Zhang Cheng. Her family's case was far too complicated; if she hadn't pretended to be insane, she probably would have been arrested long ago.
"Eat up, what are you daydreaming about!" Zhang Cheng saw Shi Yangyang staring at the bowl on the table without moving, so he gently tapped the rim of the bowl with his chopsticks. "It won't taste good if it gets cold!"
Shi Yangyang blinked, picked up her chopsticks, lowered her head, and began to slurp her food.
A dozen minutes later, Zhang Cheng patted his full stomach, looking completely satisfied.
"Honey, I'm going out for a walk to digest my food!"
Once you've eaten and drunk your fill, it's easy to get restless. Zhang Cheng stood up, stretched, and swayed out of the mud house.
Those young people who were close to him, such as Zhang Da Nao and Zhang Jianhao, all carried loads to nearby villages to collect medicinal herbs.
Zhang Cheng had nowhere to go, so he just wandered aimlessly around the village.
Now every family has enough to eat, and the old women in the village are no longer afraid of the cold. They gather in groups of three or five at the entrance of the alley, basking in the sun and chatting about everyday life.
Of course, eight out of ten of their conversations revolved around Zhang Cheng.
When they saw Zhang Cheng strolling over, they all teased him with smiles.
"Hey, Er Gouzi! I heard that last night, that female educated youth, Li Yuanyuan, even crept up to your wall?" A fat auntie's voice was incredibly loud.
"Er Gouzi, you're really something! Of the dozen or so female educated youths who came here back then, Shi Yangyang and Li Yuanyuan were the prettiest. Now look what's happened, one is your wife, and the other wants to be your mistress..." another chimed in.
"That Li Yuanyuan is really pretty, with a big bottom, she looks like she could have a son. Er Gouzi, if you're interested, your auntie will help you make the connection, I guarantee it'll be done without anyone knowing."
Zhang Cheng rolled his eyes. Good heavens, you're yelling like this in public and you promise not to let anyone else know? It's like they've ripped his face off, thrown it on the ground, and trampled on it a hundred times with a shoe that's been through dog poop!
Unable to bear the inappropriate language of these old women, he quickened his pace, practically fleeing in panic.
As Zhang Cheng ran off into the distance, the group of old women burst into laughter.
"Zhang Cheng, Zhang Cheng!!!"
Just as Zhang Cheng was about to reach his doorstep, he heard a hurried shout from behind.
Zhang Cheng turned around and saw Zhao Qingwan running breathlessly, her face full of panic. He raised an eyebrow: "Did you need something?"
As a married man, Zhang Cheng felt he should keep his distance from these women to avoid being gossiped about by them again. He didn't want to experience that feeling of social death again.
Zhao Qingwan ran over, clutching her knees and panting heavily, almost crying out in distress: "Yuanyuan... Yuanyuan is missing!"
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