Chapter 18 Cooperation
Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao stood opposite each other. Xu Hexiao saw the jujubes behind Lin Qi at a glance. Lin Qi moved her nose and smelled Xu Hexiao's meaty aroma. Lin Qi's eyes fell on the basket in the other's hand, which was filled with wild grapes.
Where does the smell of meat come from?
"Eat grapes?" Xu Hexiao handed a bunch of grapes to Lin Qi.
Wild grapes grow smaller than cultivated ones, and even though they are a deep black, they taste sweet with a strong sour taste. Lin Qi has tried them, and to be honest, they are not very good.
But she doesn't mind.
Lin Qi took it, returned the favor, and gave the other person a handful of dates. "Sweet."
Xu Hexiao also took it and took a bite on the spot. Then, his eyes lit up, "It's really sweet."
Xu Hexiao ate all the jujubes in a few bites and asked, "Where did you pick them? Do you have any more?"
"Over there." Lin Qi pointed in a direction and said, "No more."
"Is it really gone, or is it fake?" Xu Hexiao questioned.
Lin Qi ignored him and continued walking forward.
"Give me some more jujubes, and I'll exchange them with you." Xu Hexiao took out something wrapped in leaves from under the grapes. The thing was not big, only slightly larger than an adult man's fist.
The smell of grilled meat.
Lin Qi swallowed her saliva and looked away with difficulty, "No need."
Xu Hexiao frowned, "Why?" You can find jujubes again, but the meat is hard to find.
"Here you go, Grandpa." Xu Hexiao and Old Man Xu were thinner than her, so she couldn't snatch the meat from them. As for the jujubes, she would just give them to them.
Lin Qi grabbed two handfuls of jujubes and put them into Xu Hexiao's basket.
Xu Hexiao looked at the thin woman with a complicated expression. Is she really stupid? But she knows everything.
"I have more." Xu Hexiao took out two leaf-wrapped objects from under the basket. "I found a nest of pheasants. I was afraid that if I cooked them in the village, they would smell too good and people would know about it. So I had to roast them in the mountains and bring them back."
"Grandpa is weak and can't eat too much at one time. It's hot now and it will stink if left overnight. It's just right for you."
"Take it. Didn't I take your fish yesterday?"
Xu Hexiao found that he had said a lot today, almost saying everything he was going to say in a month.
Lin Qi accepted Xu Hexiao's roasted pheasant and started eating it right away. She ate it right away because the pheasant smelled so good that she couldn't resist the temptation. She also ate it because there were people at the educated youth point and it was difficult for her to explain the origin of the pheasant. She also didn't like eating it alone.
"Grandpa likes to eat sweet food, can you give me some more jujubes?" Xu Hexiao asked again.
"You don't like it?" Why do I feel like you like it more! You don't eat pheasants, but only eat jujubes along the way. You're going to eat all the jujubes, so why don't you leave them for your grandfather? Lin Qi complained in her heart.
Xu Hexiao's face froze, and his ears felt hot. He turned his head away and said uncomfortably, "It's not bad."
That's love. Lin Qi pondered for a moment and said, "I want a sealed glass jar. Do you have one?"
I don't know what he was thinking about, Xu Hexiao's expression changed, "Did you see it that day?"
If she hadn't seen it, she wouldn't have asked about the sealed glass jar, especially not about him, a down-and-out bad guy living in a straw hut.
Lin Qi did see it, saw the two bottles of malted milk, which were in glass jars. She had thought seriously about selling things these days, but she had no connections and was physically challenged, so it was very difficult to sell things successfully. If she couldn't sell them herself, she might as well find a partner.
Lin Qi took a fancy to Xu Hexiao. Xu Hexiao had connections, and his identity was sensitive and his situation was difficult, so he would be more cautious than anyone else.
Lin Qi nodded, "I saw it."
"As expected." Xu Hexiao smiled bitterly and decided not to hide it. "The crime of speculation is not light. I'll give you the glass jar and you can help me hide it, okay?"
"Okay, I won't tell you." Lin Qi said seriously, "I want to speculate too."
Xu Hexiao was stunned. "You are speculating? Forget it. You can't do it, and you don't need it. Our commune has a market every fifth day. If you need it, you can go to the market to buy and sell."
Is there a market?
Lin Qi was a little surprised, but what was there at the market?
Xu Hexiao seemed to know what Lin Qi was thinking, and continued, "You can exchange all kinds of agricultural products at the market. Almost everything you have seen in the village can be found at the market. You can take these jujubes to sell, but don't take too many, or people will be jealous."
Besides, we have it on Guai Zao Mountain, but I’m afraid it’s not easy to sell.
"Do you have money? Do you have tickets?" Lin Qi asked.
"I have money, but no tickets." Xu Hexiao answered simply.
Lin Qi shook her head, "No, I need a ticket."
She has to buy cotton to make a quilt, otherwise she will be frozen to death when winter comes.
Xu Hexiao looked embarrassed, he didn't have a ticket either. Bad elements like him rarely went to the market or the supply and marketing cooperative. If people knew he had extra money, he and his grandfather's straw hut would become uneasy.
"I want to make jujube honey. It's very sweet and can be sold." Lin Qi looked directly into Xu Hexiao's eyes. At this moment, she was no longer the ignorant little fool, but a normal person who was sober as ever.
Xu Hexiao was stunned again. He really wanted to ask, "Are you stupid?", but he felt it was inappropriate, so he didn't ask.
He pondered for a long while before gritting his teeth and said, "I can help you sell it, but I can't decide the price. With my status, I can't negotiate terms with others."
He should be thankful that others are willing to do business with him. Xu Hexiao smiled bitterly.
"It's okay. I'll give you a 10% profit." Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they were willing to help her sell, that would be enough. She believed that her products would be sold at a higher price once they were tasted.
"I don't want the 10% profit, just give me some jujube honey." Jujubes are so sweet, and the jujube honey must be sweeter.
"good."
Lin Qi came out of the mountain and finished eating the roast chicken in her hand, gnawing every bone till it was clean.
"It's dangerous in the mountains, don't go deep into the mountains," Xu Hexiao reminded.
Lin Qi nodded, but it was not certain whether she would listen or not.
"There are a lot of people at the educated youth site, and you bring back too many things. It's okay once or twice, but if it happens too many times, everyone's mentality will probably be unbalanced." Xu Hexiao thought of her bucket full of fish and shrimp, and now her backpack full of jujubes. What kind of luck is this to be able to harvest so many things every time!
Lin Qi could sense the concern in Xu Hexiao's tone. She was surprised, but also a little touched. She said obediently, "I know."
Xu Hexiao gave her a clue that she could start a fire in the mountains, which saved her the trouble of collecting firewood. However, if she wanted to start a fire in the mountains, she still had to prepare an iron plate and a clay pot, and it would be best if she had an iron pot.
She is not in a hurry and takes the long term view.
After leaving the mountains, the sun had already set and the sky was gradually getting dark.
"I'll go first, you take your time, I'll bring the glass jar to you in a while." Xu Hexiao said, walking quickly forward.
Lin Qi watched his thin and frail figure walking further and further away until he disappeared, then she withdrew her gaze.
It was not far from the foot of the mountain to the educated youth point. When Lin Qi was about to enter the village, Xu Hexiao hurried over. He didn't have time to say a word to Lin Qi. He stuffed something wrapped in black cloth into Lin Qi's arms and hurried away.
As soon as he left, Lin Qi met someone head-on.
"Lin Qi, just came down from the mountain?" Uncle Luo greeted Lin Qi with a smile.
Lin Qi stood still and grinned, "Yes."
"Is it heavy? I'll help you get it to the educated youth site." Without waiting for Lin Qi to refuse, Uncle Luo stretched out his hands to take Lin Qi's backpack.
Lin Qi wanted to refuse, but looking at the people coming and going in the village, she did not refuse, "Thank you, Second Uncle."
"Don't be so polite to your second uncle." Uncle Luo carried Lin Qi's backpack on his back, and taking into account Lin Qi's speed, he followed her slowly.
Along the way, people they met looked at Lin Qi with curiosity and greeted her second uncle. Uncle Luo sent them away after just a few words.
But there are also some who are difficult to deal with, such as the young man in front of him.
"Uncle, what's in the backpack?" The young man stared at the backpack with restless eyes.
"It's not a good thing, just some wild vegetables and wild grapes." replied the second uncle.
"Oh, grapes! They're good stuff. Give me a few bunches. I'll take them back for my nephews and nieces to taste." The young man reached for the basket.
Uncle Luo quickly pushed the young man's hand away and said, "If you want to eat, go find it on the mountain yourself. It's not easy for a girl to carry it down from the mountain. Besides, there are too many people in the educated youth camp, and there won't be enough for them to share."
"Oh, it's the little fool's thing." The young man said sarcastically.
Uncle Luo frowned, "Luo Fu, you must have eaten cow dung, your mouth stinks!"
Luo Fu's face froze. He didn't dare to confront his elders directly, and muttered, "He was originally a fool."
After saying that, Luo Fu walked away.
"Don't take his words to heart." Uncle Luo looked at Lin Qi worriedly, afraid that she would feel uncomfortable.
Lin Qi's eyes were empty. When she saw Uncle Luo looking at her, she slowly came to her senses and asked in confusion, "What?"
Uncle Luo heaved a sigh of relief, "Nothing."
With Uncle Luo around, Lin Qi's backpack returned safely to the educated youth point, without even a leaf missing.
Uncle Luo put down the backpack and said, "Uncle is going back. If you need any heavy work in the future, you can come to him. I don't know anything else, but I have plenty of strength."
Lin Qi didn't comment. She pointed at the straw hat on Uncle Luo's head and said, "Give it to me."
Uncle Luo didn't know what she wanted the straw hat for, but he took it off and handed it to her, "Take it if you like it. Uncle Luo's is old, I'll give you a new one in a few days."
"No need." Lin Qi took the straw hat and began to put things into it. She put a bunch of grapes first, and then grabbed two large handfuls of jujubes. The hat was full. She returned the hat to her second uncle, "Give it to Luo Wei."
Uncle Luo smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed. "Thank you, Qiqi."
He didn't care about these grapes and dates, but Lin Qi gave them to him, which showed that she was not completely ignorant of interpersonal relationships. It was good to understand the ways of the world. If you understand the ways of the world, you will be more easily accepted by the team.
After seeing off Uncle Luo, Lin Qi took out some jujubes and grapes from the backpack and put them in a wooden basin to soak in cold water. The backpack was no longer as full as when she was on the mountain. Lin Qi took the backpack back to her room and placed it next to her wooden bed. She also took the black package that Xu Hexiao had given her back and put the two together.
Lin Qi cooked dinner again. She made wild vegetable shrimp cakes and cooked wild vegetable soup. Halfway through dinner, Ming Kangjian and six others came back.
"There are wild fruits in the basin." Lin Qi said without raising her head.
When they heard that there were wild fruits, the six of them looked towards the wooden basin on the ground.
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