Early the next morning, the two uncles set off for home, leaving Grandma to accompany Zhou Cang and Zhang Yue.
"Brother Da, don't you think something's off?" After leaving the Village, Wang Tiezhu asked as he walked, dragging the empty sled.
"That child Fugui wasn't this sharp before."
After all, he was his own nephew, whom he'd watched grow up since childhood. Coming to Fugui's home this time and seeing the young man shoot up, he was still a bit unaccustomed.
"Yes, he's changed a lot. Last time I saw him, he only knew how to smile at us, and now he can hunt by himself."
"Maybe children without parents just smarten up." Wang Tieshan's voice was low. His brother-in-law was a famous Hunter within a ten-mile radius. Just by looking at Fugui's physique, you could guess what his father was like.
Years ago, when Wang Tieshan and his brother visited during the New Year, they had sparred with Fu Gui's father. Even together, they couldn't take him down!
He and his brother were already six feet tall and weighed two hundred pounds, but they were thrown out and into a snowdrift with just one move!
It was also this brother-in-law who avenged him, killing the Black Bear with just a spear and a bow.
And he became a legend in these mountains.
How could he have been gored to death by a wild boar! He could even hold down a wild boar with one hand!
Wang Tieshan had always wanted to go back into the mountains to see the place where Fu Gui's father had the accident, Wild Boar Gully.
He always suspected there was something fishy about Fu Gui's father's death. One must know that the most dangerous things in these mountains are not wild beasts, but people!
Zhou Cang was also dragging a sled at this time. He was going to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative in Town to sell a roe deer and get some New Year's goods. He wanted to buy some cloth and cotton to make new clothes for both Zhang Yue and Grandma.
Although it was nearing the New Year, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative wasn't very lively. A slightly plump middle-aged female clerk was sitting behind the counter, dozing with her eyes narrowed.
There were three or two people wandering around inside the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, unclear if they were really buying things or just seeking warmth compared to outside.
Zhou Cang dragged the large bag to the counter. He could already feel someone watching him from behind, but could they really openly rob him in broad daylight inside the Supply and Marketing Cooperative?
"Hello, do you buy mountain goods?" Zhou Cang asked.
The plump woman didn't open her eyes.
Didn't hear?
"Hello!" Zhou Cang raised his voice.
"Oh my goodness, what are you shouting about?" the woman shrieked.
Zhou Cang frowned slightly. "Do you buy mountain goods?"
"What mountain goods?" the woman asked, staring intently at the large bag.
"Roe deer."
"Roe deer?!" The woman immediately stood up upon hearing this, her eyes scanning Zhou Cang up and down.
"Yes, we buy. 3 mao per jin for unskinned, 5 mao for pure meat, 2 mao for offal." The woman quickly quoted a price.
"This... isn't that a bit low?" Zhou Cang probably knew that prices were low in this era, but he still felt it was too little. When he came, he had specifically inquired about the price of pork, which was around 7 mao per jin.
This was wild game, how could it possibly be cheaper than pork?
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he felt the plump woman pursing her lips, her eyes darting sneakily at him.
Zhou Cang understood. This woman was deliberately lowering the price!
So he hoisted the bag onto his shoulder and left. Yesterday, when he mentioned selling the roe deer, Second Uncle had told him that the Supply and Marketing Cooperative might lower the price. The clerks often acquired goods cheaply in the name of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and then secretly sold them at a higher price themselves.
"If the price is too low, go wander around across from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Someone will buy mountain goods, and the price will be fairer." These were Second Uncle's exact words.
As soon as he stepped out of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's door, before Zhou Cang even had a chance to look around, an old man in a black padded jacket immediately came up to him.
"Young man, what's in the bag?" the old man asked.
"Roe deer."
"Oh, good stuff! How about it, how much do you want to sell it for? I'll buy it!" The old man smiled with narrowed eyes, which made Zhou Cang feel very uneasy.
In his previous life, he was a war god on the battlefield, but facing ordinary townspeople, he truly felt a bit powerless.
"I don't know either, you decide on the price." Zhou Cang said as he opened the bag to show the old man.
The old man leaned in to look, then reached out, grabbed the opening of the bag, and lifted it, weighing it twice.
"It's less than fifty jin. In the deep winter, it has little fat and thick fur. It can yield twenty jin of lean meat. Adding the offal and a roe deer hide, I'll give you forty-five yuan in total, how about that?"
"Fifty yuan. I'll sell to you again next time I have one." Zhou Cang said, holding up five fingers.
"Alright, you're an interesting young man. Fifty it is!"
"My surname is Sun, they all call me Old Sun. I often come here to buy mountain goods. If you don't see me, you can find me at the grocery store at the end of the street."
As he spoke, he counted out ten five-yuan banknotes and handed them to Zhou Cang.
This was considered the first pot of gold he had earned since his rebirth!
Zhou Cang put the money in his pocket. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered that buying grain and cloth at this time required grain coupons and cloth coupons.
And now he only had money.
"Sun Grandpa, where can I buy cloth coupons?"
"Oh, what a coincidence, young man, I have them right here!" The address "Sun Grandpa" pleased the old man, making him grin broadly. He lowered his voice and said with a smile.
"Good heavens, is this old man specifically into profiteering and speculation?" Zhou Cang couldn't help but take a few extra looks at the old man.
He was an unremarkable old man. If anything, he was just much cleaner than ordinary Village old men.
Couldn't have imagined he was a middleman?
"Young man, what's with that look? I'm not a bad person, just tell me what else you need."
Zhou Cang was secretly pleased. This Old Sun could pull out a wad of banknotes to buy the roe deer without batting an eye, and he could also deal in coupons. He clearly had some capability.
In this era, many people could obtain coupons through various so-called channels and then sell them at high prices or trade them for profit. This kind of business couldn't be done without some status and family background.
So he pulled out two five-yuan notes. "Then let's trade for some coupons."
"I have grain coupons, cloth coupons, oil coupons, candy coupons, pastry coupons, tofu coupons, vegetable coupons, soap coupons, coal coupons, match coupons, light bulb coupons, bicycle coupons, cotton coupons, shoe coupons, and cigarette coupons. Which ones do you want?" The old man listed more than a dozen types of coupons in one breath, almost choking.
After catching his breath a few times, he continued, "If you want grain, rice is 1 mao 2 fen per jin, flour is 1 mao 6 fen, and eggs are 3 fen each."
Zhou Cang's head was spinning from listening. He slapped all fifty yuan into Old Sun's hand. "Stop, stop, stop. This is all the money I have. Give me enough coupons to buy some rice and flour, I want eggs too, and candy too, and some fabric, cotton, soap, matches, and whatever else."
"Young man, this is our first time doing business. You trust an old man like me?" Old Sun asked, raising the money in his hand. This was a month's salary for two workers in the city. This young man actually handed it over without even blinking?
But for Zhou Cang, even knowing that money was more valuable in this era, it was really hard to see fifty yuan as a huge sum. It was just a roe deer, wasn't it?
There were plenty of these things in the mountains. Couldn't he get one in minutes?
"I trust you. I can tell you're an honest person!" Zhou Cang said with a serious expression.
"Hiss!" Old Sun slapped his thigh. "Alright, just for that sentence, I'll be your friend!"