Zhang Ermu's eyes lit up at the suggestion. Although he hadn't seen Li Chenmo process fur before, he believed his friend's brother would know how. After all, soldiers were often taught survival and practical skills in the barracks.
"Then, I'll trouble you with this matter, Brother Chenze."
"It's no trouble at all. It's getting late, I should head back now," Li Chenze said, standing up from the ground.
Looking at his tired friend, Zhang Ermu said, "Brother Chenze, take whatever you like. Half of these things are yours."
Hearing this, Li Chenze chuckled and replied, "Ermu, if you keep doing this every ti I help you, when will you save enough to marry a wife?"
Then, he added with a grin, "Just give so of your at jerky when you make it. It's been a long ti since I tasted your cooking."
Hearing this, Zhang Ermu nodded and said, "I will send so over once it's done."
Li Chenze smiled and nodded, "Good."
After Li Chenze left, Zhang Ermu quickly cleaned up the at and stored it in the underground cellar. Exhausted, he decided not to process it that night. It was better to wash up, rest, and handle it the next day.
At 2 o'clock in the morning, Zhang Ermu woke up and went to find Bajie at Su Lide's house. He walked lightly under the moonlight, checking his surroundings as he went. Since the houses were far apart, it took him almost an hour to reach the Su family's ho.
When he arrived, he saw a group of people busy moving things in the backyard. He walked over and called, "Bajie."
Hearing the familiar voice, Bajie walked over and asked with a smile, "Brother Zhang, do you have fresh mushrooms for sale again?"
"Today I ca to ask if you are interested in buying bear at and paws," Zhang Ermu replied.
There was also a gallbladder and bile, but he planned to sell those to Doctor Xie. As for the fur, he wanted to use it to make sothing for his wife as part of a betrothal gift.
The mont Bajie heard that he has bear at and paws, his eyes widened in shock. Although the governnt didn't forbid people to hunt bears, it was extrely risky. Out of a hundred attempts, the success rate might be less than 5%. Without a gun, hunting a bear without injury was almost impossible.
With this in mind, Bajie was skeptical that the goods were genuine and asked, "Brother Zhang, can I check the goods?"
Zhang Ermu nodded and replied, "Sure, they are at my house."
Without wasting ti, Bajie grabbed his bicycle and said, "Let's go."
Thanks to the bicycle, they reached Zhang Ermu's house in less than fifteen minutes. As soon as he parked his bicycle, Bajie asked, "Brother Zhang, where are they?"
"Follow ," Zhang Ermu said, leading him to the underground cellar.
Carrying an oil lamp, the two of them went down. Seeing the sacks and bamboo baskets, Bajie's eyes lit up. He opened one of the sacks but found only wild boar at.
Turning around, he said with a frown, "Brother Zhang, this is wild boar at."
Walking to the other side, Zhang Ermu opened another sack and said, "It's here.".
This ti, Bajie saw that the at inside was indeed bear at. Although he had only seen bear at once before, Houzi had personally taught him how to distinguish it. Confident in his skills, he carefully examined the goods.
"How much do you have?" he asked.
"I have a total of 447 kilograms of at. There are also four paws, each weighing around ten kilograms," Zhang Ermu replied.
"What about the gallbladder, bile, and fur?" Bajie asked again.
Zhang Ermu shook his head and said, "Those aren't for sale."
Hearing this, Bajie was disappointed. If he was able to obtain those items, it would have guaranteed a significant profit. But since the other party had no intention of selling, he didn't insist.
"How much are you willing to pay for these goods?" Zhang Ermu asked.
This was Bajie's first ti buying bear at and paws, but he knew the black-market rates. After thinking for a mont, he said, "80 yuan per kilogram for the at and 250 yuan per paw."
Zhang Ermu fell silent at his words. The price Bajie offered was higher than he had expected, but he knew how cunning Bajie could be. He likely started with a price at least 40% below his bottom line.
Thinking about the black-market price of fresh mushrooms, Zhang Ermu's eyes glinted as he said, "120 yuan per kilogram for the at and 400 yuan per paw."
When Bajie heard this, he took a sharp breath. This person's appetite wasn't small!
The mont he spoke, he wanted to eat the whole elephant ah!
Though the price was above his bottom line, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. Bear at was a rare commodity. If he missed this opportunity, who knew when another would co?
After a few seconds of silence, Bajie said, "Brother Zhang, your price is too high. Can you lower it a bit?"
Zhang Ermu had no intention of lowering his price. Unlike fresh mushrooms, which he could gather regularly in the mountains, encountering a bear was a once-in-a-lifeti event. Lowering the price would an losing out on a rare opportunity to earn big.
"This is my lowest offer. If you are not interested, I will find another middleman. I heard soone else is also looking for a mushroom supplier," he said casually.
Hearing this, Bajie quickly said, "Brother Zhang, how could you say that?"
To ease the tension, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to Zhang Ermu while saying, "Brother Zhang, we have known each other for a while and done business together. You know my brothers and I are trustworthy."
"If you switch partners, what if you et a scamr? Or soone greedy enough to covet your goods? That could endanger you and your family ah," he added.
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