"How long has it been since we've seen such bright light? I wonder if we can exchange these lamps for other ones." Seeing these incandescent lamps in front of them, some villagers began to get restless again.
Although I can't exchange them myself, the village brought supplies this time, so I should be able to exchange one or two to take back.
"Brother Cheng, if we can exchange these incandescent bulbs, can we exchange a few for the village as well?" Yun Xun was also very interested in the incandescent bulbs. The village still had some machine oil stored in it. It was not suitable for large machinery to use now, but it was perfect for burning these incandescent bulbs.
"It's not on these lists, but we can ask later." Si Cheng's family also has these incandescent bulbs, and everyone in the village knows about them, but no one has come to borrow them. Even during the several large village gatherings, no one asked.
"Brother Cheng, we've all finished exchanging. We'll be at your turn after just one more village." Ma Donglai must have gotten what he wanted; the smile on his face never faded.
"Cousin, what did you change?" Yun Liping asked as she saw Ma Donglai approaching.
"We replaced some iron basins, quilts, and cotton, but there's not much else left. We only replaced a little bit of everything. There might be nothing left by tomorrow, and when the others come, there might not be anything left." Thinking of the villagers' frenzy inside, they wanted to take everything they saw into their arms.
"What's going on inside? Do you write your own message before exchanging it, or do you have to choose?" Yunqi was also curious about what was happening inside.
"There will be some samples inside, with the exchange ratios for various substances marked on them. If it's not marked, you'll have to ask around to see how much you can get in return." Ma Donglai briefly explained the situation inside. "You'd better keep track of the quantity of your items beforehand, otherwise it will be troublesome if you exceed or fall short, and you'll have to start calculating again."
Seeing that some people still didn't understand, I added, "Now it's all done by hand. Each of you is given a piece of scratch paper. You not only have to make a list, but also do the arithmetic calculations. Then we have them check it, and finally we check everything again. Only then is the exchange complete."
"That would take forever to calculate. No wonder they stay in each village for so long; they're spending all their time on calculations."
With Ma Dong's message, everyone quickly started calculating again, and they kept asking what was missing and crossing it off their lists.
Around 10 o'clock, it was finally Pinghe Village's turn, and everyone quickly took their belongings and went into the big tent.
"Put your things in that corner first." As soon as they entered, someone instructed them on how to arrange their belongings. On the other side, the table was filled with all sorts of supplies, just as Ma Donglai had said, all of which were individual samples.
"Put your things down here and get a piece of paper and a pen. Write down the types and quantities of the items you brought. See what you can exchange them for. Be quick, there are many villages waiting behind you." After explaining the exchange rules to them, the person ignored them and went to the back to handle other matters.
The villagers of Pinghe Village didn't care; now their eyes and hearts were all on those display stands.
As predicted, many items were in short supply, and some even had "remainder" markings, indicating that the quantities were running low.
Si Cheng handed over the matter of exchanging the items to Yun Qi, then walked up to Ma Tao and gently tapped his table.
"Wow, it's your village's turn so soon! I'm so busy I'm dizzy." Ma Tao was really overwhelmed by these numbers today, constantly doing statistics and calculations.
"It's nothing, I know you're busy. I just wanted to ask if we should exchange those incandescent light bulbs outside?" Si Cheng understood that he was busy. He had noticed Ma Tao as soon as he came in, but Ma Tao hadn't looked up once and had been busy calculating the whole time.
Ma Tao dragged a stool over from the side and placed it next to Si Cheng, gesturing for him to sit down and chat.
"If you need anything, just let me know. I might need your help in the future," Ma Tao said bluntly.
Upon hearing this, Si Cheng immediately thought of the open space in the village, but he didn't say anything directly. Instead, he listed out everything he wanted.
"Are all the things that were crossed off the list before no longer there?"
"We do reserve some, but I can apply for a replacement for you. If you're not in a hurry, you can wait for the next batch, and I can reserve some for you then. As for incandescent bulbs, does your village have any engine oil? Those things burn engine oil."
"There's still some stock left in the village. If it's just for lighting incandescent bulbs, it should last quite a while. As for fabric, clothing, and shoes, please reserve some more for us next time. If you need to prepay, we can make another trip." Since Si Cheng knew this person might be his new villager, he didn't stand on ceremony, but he didn't make things too difficult for him either.
“No need for that. I trust you. Besides, even if you don’t want these in-demand items, we won’t have trouble finding replacements. But does the village need any packaging bags? I mean, those bags made of a special material that are not only sturdy, durable, fireproof, and waterproof, but can also be repurposed for other items.” Afraid that he wouldn’t understand, Ma Tao went to a corner and took out a bag to show him.
"Can this be exchanged too? I don't know how?" As soon as Si Cheng saw the bag, he knew it was incredibly versatile. With a few modifications, it could easily become a large backpack for anyone going out in the village, much sturdier than other backpacks. That way, they wouldn't need to carry so many bags and needles and thread for mending anymore.
"We'll exchange it, but the exchange rate isn't high because the quantity isn't much, so we didn't take it out." Ma Tao knew there was hope when Si Cheng asked like this. He had asked several surrounding villages before, but they were reluctant when they heard that they had to exchange something for it.
Si Cheng looked at the proportions he had listed and pointed to the villagers present, asking, "Can each person have two?"
"That's about right. If it's any more, I don't have any more to spare." After estimating the approximate number of people and checking the inventory, Ma Tao agreed.
Si Cheng was surprised by this unexpected gain. He quickly gathered the villagers together, told them about it, and showed them the samples that Ma Tao had brought.
Anyone who has gone out with this fabric a few times knows that it's perfect. It's not only thick enough, but also sturdy enough, and judging by its appearance, it should be waterproof. It's much more practical than any travel bag.
Some of the quick-thinking individuals immediately realized that these bags could be repurposed into raincoats or used for seedling cultivation, and even offered to exchange more for them, given the incredibly attractive exchange rate.
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