"Brother, there are so many people here."
"That's normal. Humans are social animals after all. For many people, this might be one of the few relaxing activities available."
Xiao ixue covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Ziwen is right. Every day when we open our eyes, we have to run around for food. Only this ti allows for a brief mont of relaxation."
Qin Ziwen noticed Deng Guang hadn't co downstairs. "Sister-in-law, where's Brother Deng?"
Xiao ixue said, "He's tired and taking a nap. Wenwen will go call him later."
"Kitchen knives, kitchen knives, stainless steel kitchen knives!"
"Cutting boards, cutting boards, large solid wood cutting boards!"
The hawking voices from nearby were particularly noticeable. The two families weren't far away - one selling kitchen knives, the other selling cutting boards.
This unconventional scene attracted many people to stop and watch.
Soone laughed, "What use is your cutting board? At least kitchen knives can chop things. With such a huge forest outside, isn't this like selling sand in the desert?"
The seller was an old scholar wearing round-frad glasses and a Chinese tunic suit. Even when questioned, he didn't get angry but just chuckled confidently. "This isn't selling sand in the desert, but rather selling purified water in the ocean."
"What's the difference?"
"Can you drink seawater directly? Sa principle - there are indeed many trees outside, but without tools, trees will always remain just trees and won't beco tools. You're not Lu Zhishen who could uproot a willow tree with his bare hands."
"Look at my large round cutting board - diater one foot, one inch, three fen; thickness one inch, five fen. Just attach a handle to the back and it becos a shield. When you usually use kitchen knives to chop wood boards, you should know how durable this thing is."
"One foot, one inch? Your cutting board isn't that big!"
The old scholar maintained his composure. "I was referring to Tang dynasty asurents."
Soone else said, "What about the handle? There's no handle on this. If you want to deceive people, at least put so effort into it. This is just a plain cutting board. Without a handle, what use is it?"
The old scholar smiled faintly. "Didn't soone obtain a carpenter's hut yesterday? With the tools from the carpenter's hut, how difficult would it be to add a handle to the cutting board?"
"Then why wouldn't I just go to that person and buy a processed shield directly?"
The old scholar seed stumped. He hemd and hawed, his face turning red, then launched into argunts.
Comnts like "My cutting board develops spiritual energy after long use"; "This was passed down from my great-grandfather"; "With cutting boards, it's all about the age" and similar statents.
This provoked roaring laughter from the amused onlookers.
"So how much for your cutting board?"
The old scholar in the Chinese tunic suit said casually, "Just give whatever food you can spare. I have a small appetite and get full easily."
"Forget it, seeing how you're so old and still out here trying to scam people isn't easy. Here are so grasshoppers I caught yesterday. Want them?" The person took out a bag.
"Let see." The old scholar took the bag, glanced at it, then chuckled. "Okay, of course. Haven't eaten these things in many years."
After taking the bag, he stood up and patted his buttocks. "I heard the carpenter's hut is in Building 7. If you want to add a handle, you can go find him. The tools there are complete - probably can make other wooden tools too. Consider this information my free gift to you."
After the old scholar walked away, he circled around a large area and eventually returned to Building 7.
In the stairwell, the old scholar took off his glasses, breathed on them, and wiped off the fog.
He walked up to the 7th floor.
Knocking on the door, the now-glasses-wearing old scholar said cheerfully, "Mission accomplished. The promotional effect you wanted has been achieved."
Huang Tao, who had been eavesdropping from upstairs, hesitated. "I feel like this advertising approach is a bit crude. Probably so people can see through it."
The old scholar didn't mind, saying happily, "So what if they see through it? Only you have these tools right now. Scarcity creates value. Boss Huang, I've completed my task."
"Wait here, I'll get you the at." Huang Tao turned and went into the kitchen.
Soon, he ca out carrying a bag and handed it to the old scholar.
After receiving it, the old scholar clasped his hands and offered congratulations: "Then I wish Boss Huang prosperity and a successful business opening!"
Watching the old scholar's retreating back, Huang Tao frowned deeply. This old man had approached him last night on his own initiative, saying he could help drive business and even introduced him to a neighbor who used to be a carpenter.
As paynt, he demanded three jin of crocodile at. After careful consideration, Huang Tao decided to agree.
It wasn't really for the business drive, but mainly for the neighbor who used to be a carpenter.
After all, without a carpenter, the carpenter's hut would be useless, and all the at he'd previously spent would be completely wasted.
......
The boss who was weaving grass rope noticed Qin Ziwen stopping at his stall and put down his work to start promoting. "Handso, want to buy a rabbit? Freshly caught today."
"Only dead rabbits? Any live ones?"
"Live ones?" The boss shook his head upon hearing this, finding it amusing. "These rabbits are as slippery as loaches. If you're not careful, they slip away. Killing them is much easier than catching them alive. I want salt. Do you have salt? One liang of salt and this rabbit is yours."
Qin Ziwen said nothing and walked straight away.
Salt?
Before finding a stable source of salt production, the salt in the residential complex would only decrease with use.
"Hey hey hey, you can bargain! Vegetables work too. Five jin of vegetables or fruit, four jin, even four jin is fine."
Qin Ziwen had already walked far away. He didn't lack this bit of rabbit at. A live rabbit would have so value to him, but a dead one was only worth a few liang of at.
At most, it added this fur.
But since the building had transmigrated with them, there were still plenty of clothes in the wardrobe.
After browsing for a while, he stopped.
On the stall before him were arranged cut-up bandages and dicated plasters.
Several people had gathered around the stall, seemingly interested in these bandages.
"Are these bandages expired?"
"These bandages were all bought from the pharmacy just a month ago. Here's the packaging box with the production date on it."
"How much?"
The stall owner was a woman in her twenties wearing a black top and jeans. Hearing the question, she also felt uncertain, unsure what price to set.
According to her heart's desire, naturally the more expensive the better - nobody would complain about having too much food.
But she knew this was impossible.
Moreover, if the price exceeded people's psychological expectations, it would only drive custors away. She had already gone hungry for a day.
The woman thought for a mont and said, "I want high-calorie food that can fill my stomach. You make offers, as long as the price is reasonable."
At the stall front, a man with upward-slanting eyes and soft, short hair spoke up. "One bag of instant noodles."
The woman's face lit up with joy - this price far exceeded her expectations.
But the second half of his sentence made her expression freeze. "For this entire box of bandages."
The woman shook her head. She bit her lip. "No, I have fifteen pieces here. It should be at least... five bags."
The woman held up five fingers.
Qin Ziwen spoke up. "Five bags of instant noodles would last you at most two days. How about three jin of crocodile at for all your bandages? Deal or not?"
The woman was stunned and quickly agreed.
Qin Ziwen instructed, "Wait here for . I'll go back to get the at."
He wasn't short on at now. Using three jin of at to exchange for bandages - strategic supplies that decreased with each use - was still worthwhile.
In this primitive forest environnt, sotis a seemingly insignificant small wound could beco infected and potentially kill soone.
"Hey, didn't you see I asked first?" The man with upward-slanting eyes who had spoken earlier turned around displeased, pointing at the woman in black. "Don't you have any manners? You're completely disrespectful. Clearly I made the first offer, you should respond to first."
The woman in black remained silent for a long mont, then nodded and said, "Sorry, your price is too low. I'm not selling."
Hearing this, the upward-slanting-eyed man's blood pressure rose, but he didn't know who to direct his anger toward.
This man's price was indeed higher than his, making him sowhat tempted himself.
Qin Ziwen said to him with a smile, "You have quite a lot of instant noodles, right? One jin of crocodile at for five bags of instant noodles. Deal or not?"
The upward-slanting-eyed man was first stunned, then angry. Who do you think you're looking down on!
"At least two jin!"
"Two jin of at..." Qin Ziwen dragged out his voice for a long ti, under the upward-slanting-eyed man's expectant gaze, "You'd need to offer at least eight bags of instant noodles to exchange."
The upward-slanting-eyed man hesitated for a long ti, then gritted his teeth. "Seven bags!"
"Deal."
Seeing the other party agree so readily, the upward-slanting-eyed man couldn't tell if he had gained or lost from the deal.
But he really wanted to eat at! For these past seven days he had been eating instant noodles every day, which didn't fill him up at all.
On the way ho to get the at, Qin Ziwu quietly voiced his doubt. "Brother, isn't exchanging two jin of at for seven bags of instant noodles a loss? Instant noodles are carbohydrates without protein or vitamins. They don't keep you full."
Qin Ziwen shook his head. "You can't calculate it that way. Instant noodles contain salt, and the flavor packets taste quite good. In this environnt, they count as delicious food."
"Delicious?" Qin Ziwu disagreed. "I'm sick of eating that stuff."
Qin Ziwen laughed heartily. "Say that after you've eaten bland food for two months. Besides, this fresh crocodile at can't be stored for too long. If we don't trade it quickly, it might spoil by then."
......
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