tall and rhubarb

The journey went smoothly, and their ship finally arrived at the legendary pier ten days later.After the ship entered the port, Gao Chang and Da Huang also came out of the cabin. They spent almost all of the first few days in the cabin. In the next two days, Da Huang's symptoms of seasickness eased, and the two of them would appear occasionally. On the deck, cast nets and fish with everyone.

I have to say that the fish resources in the sea are really rich, and the dried salted fish they made during this time almost filled the cabin.Perhaps it was because the depth of the sea water was not enough, but for the time being, there was no big guy they couldn't deal with in this sea area.The biggest octopus only made their ship shake a few times, and was finally dragged onto the ship by this group of men who beat them like chicken blood. With big knives and shovels, several men rushed up and slashed at it. After stabbing violently, he was completely dead after a few strokes, and black ink was sprayed everywhere.

The most dangerous time, they encountered a group of more than 20 sharks. These sharks lingered near their ship for a long time, and finally left. Given their size and number, it was very difficult to deal with a ship.

The port in front of me is a little different from everyone’s imagination. Standing on the deck and watching the people coming and going below, Gao Chang feels very monotonous. They are either in military uniform or work clothes. People like them can’t see a single person for a long time. .

There are quite a few ships in the harbor. It can be seen that most of them are engaged in bulk trade. There are various national flags on the ships. It seems that the foreign trade here is also relatively active, but the magic is that the foreigners who come here to do business Even most of them are wearing military uniforms.

Bai Bao's face was also a little dignified. Seeing the scene in front of him, he knew that the current market economy had existed in name only, and the materials of various countries were in the hands of the government. The so-called trade was just a government-to-government transaction.

Gao Chang even exuded some spiritual power. He explored several seagoing ships that were closer to their ship, and found that the cabins were filled with food, cloth, or ammunition and weapons. Of course, there were also some metals and oil. Resources, almost no luxuries, even very few daily necessities.

You must know that no matter what age or social background, there are always some high-level people in this world. No matter whether they are tortured by hunger or cold, they can still live a good life and live a luxurious life. Commodity transactions have never stopped.But now, there are no luxuries, and what replaces them is a lot of food and weapons.

Under what circumstances will food and weapons be valued to the extreme?As long as you think about it a little bit, you can understand, isn't that the war years?

"I'm going to find a way out, do you want to come with me?" Bai Bao asked Gao Chang after the ship docked and before getting off the ship.

"I'm not going. It's up to you to deal with them. Pay attention to safety and bring a few more people with you." Gao Chang believes that Bai Bao can handle it. Right now he has a lot of cloth and dried meat. It is a rare item, no one will buy it, and the rest is just a matter of price.

After watching Bai Bao and the others disembark, Gao Chang and Da Huang also took out two boxes from the warehouse, one of which contained dried snake meat, and the other contained meat floss made of wild boar.It's not that I haven't thought about bringing a piece or two of cloth, but the cloth is too eye-catching. Gao Chang and the others are unfamiliar with the place, so it's always right to keep a low profile.

Gao Chang and Da Huang, each carrying a bamboo cage, walked side by side on the concrete pavement of the pier. After a while, a man in work clothes came to talk to him. He looked about 27 or [-] years old. yellow.

"Are you two looking for a place to live or want to change things?" The man asked straight to the point in a kind tone. This is a summary of his experience in finding a job on this pier. Talking about things can easily make people wary, and they just talk about things directly. The success rate is relatively higher.

"Change things." Their ship was parked in the harbor, and Da Huang hadn't suffered from seasickness for the past two days, and Gao Chang didn't plan to live outside. After all, there were their supplies on board, so they still needed to be careful.

"Oh, there is a trading center on the pier." The man replied.

"I've heard about it, and I'm just going to have a look." On the boat, Bai Bao had already briefly told everyone about the situation of the city.

"You can go and have a look first, but many customers report that there are not many things in the trading center, and the price is not suitable. There are also some problems in preservation of some seeds and the like. You know, they are public after all. Everyone doesn't pay much attention to their work." The man smiled and said in a low voice.

"Is there another place?" Gao Chang asked.

"Yes, there is another free market, but very few people know about it," the man replied.

"How is the guide fee calculated?" Gao Chang didn't believe that few people knew about it. In this special period, in this trade transfer station, it is impossible for any market to escape the eyes of the managers, but there are other The statement of a market is credible. If the trading hall on the wharf belongs to the government, then this market that exists in the dark probably belongs to officials.

"That depends on whether you have succeeded in the deal. If you don't succeed, forget it. If you make a deal, you have to give me [-]% of the travel fee." This year is not the best food, but it is not something that everyone can eat.

"Guiding the toll?" Gao Chang smiled.

"What do you call it a fee? Anyway, we have such a rule here. Not all the things we collect are for me. Without the support of the people above, I can't eat this bowl of rice."

"Then please take me there to have a look." Gao Chang nodded.

The man led the way, Gao Chang and Da Huang followed him, walked out of the pier, and walked on the bare street under the cold moonlight. They were used to the green mountains and plains, and Gao Chang felt a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. , This area seems to be a big warehouse, except for some houses used as warehouses, most of the others are empty, the streets, even the flower beds have been filled with cement, and the sewers are even blocked.

"Is there no agricultural production in this city?" Gao Chang couldn't help asking.

"No, at present, several agricultural bases are built on the plateau and the western region, and the management is very strict. Like here, there are no conditions for agricultural production. If you are not careful, you will lose control." Hearing what he said, it seems like those outside Plants and animals have been regarded as scourges by people on the plateau.

"What about your diet?"

"You mean fresh vegetables, right? Hehe, it's not bad to be able to eat dehydrated vegetables and pickled vegetables. Sometimes you're lucky and you can even get some cabbage leaves. Here, the soil is strictly controlled. The transactions here are related to The lifeblood of the country does not allow omissions, and the plateau is relatively better, but there is a lack of water, and it is not easy to grow vegetables..." When it came to these things, the other party was not restrained, and talked freely while walking.

"You also came from the plateau?"

"Yeah, when something happened, we moved there. My wife, children, and parents are all there. After all, that place is safe, but it's not easy to live a good life. No, I left my hometown and ran here to make a living. Here we come." The man smiled easily, but he clearly carried the burden of life on his shoulders.

After walking for about half an hour, they arrived near the train station, walked through several twisting alleys, and climbed up a rusty staircase. In front of Gao Chang and them was a company called "Flying Speed ​​Internet Cafe". old address.

"Duk Tuk, Tuk Tuk, Tuk, Tuk." Amidst several special rhythmic knocks on the door, the alloy door in front opened in response, and the firelight inside also shone through. fishy smell.

"It's not good to open the window when lighting the fire, so the smell is a bit strong." The man explained.

"Ah Hai, what is this man going to buy?" Several men in the room quickly gathered around, and through the light of the fire, Gao Chang could see a lot of goods piled up along the walls and blankets on the ground. These people probably live here.

"We came here with the boat, and we heard that there is a market, so we came to have a look." Without the man named Ah Hai passing on the message, Gao Chang explained his intentions.

"Hey, young man, this is not shopping on the street, don't you come here to make us happy." The man in his 50s tucked his hands into his sleeves and leaned lazily against the wall.

"I'm going to buy some sugarcane and plant it back. I wonder if you have any here?" In order not to let them misunderstand that he came for a stroll, Gao Chang first asked about the sugarcane. Not long ago in the village, when the Japanese woman came to beg for brown sugar , Gao Chang thought of it, it would be good to plant some sugarcane and boil brown sugar.

"Hey! Hey! Yes! Yes!" As soon as Gao Chang finished speaking, a short, dark man rushed over. He looked like he was in his 30s, and he looked like he was from the southwest.

"Haha, Lao Tan's business has come to the door, I thought his sugar cane was designated to be rotten here." Someone beside him laughed.

"If I can't sell them, I won't eat them. There's no reason to let them rot." Old Tan smiled, and took Gao Chang to see the sugar cane: "Young man, look, the sugar cane is here, what you brought is Anything, take it out and let us see."

"Okay." Gao Chang took a look at the sugar canes, and put down the bamboo cage on his back. Rhubarb also put the cage on his back beside him. The two cages were placed side by side. After opening, the people in the room were under the firelight. I also looked carefully, a bamboo cage of dried meat and a bamboo cage of dried snake meat, they were all packed tightly.

"Wild boar floss is a good thing. I'm afraid I can't exchange much for these sugar canes. These jerky snake meat are also good. How about I exchange three bundles of sugar cane for these jerky snake meat?" The man named Lao Tan looked at the After drying the snake meat in a bamboo cage, he waved his hand and decided to make this deal with Gao Chang.

"Are you kidding me?" Gao Chang smiled, and stretched out his hand to peel off a piece of snake meat from the bamboo cage. Because the snake meat was pressed too tightly, they all stuck together. Gao Chang took the snake meat Pass it to the other party: "This snake meat is so dry in the sun, how thin it is pressed, soaked in water, but it weighs several kilograms, and it is a big bowl when cooked. I have a whole box here."

"Then how do you change it? You bought my sugar cane but you want to take it back and use it as seeds." Old Tan's complexion changed, and he now knew that Gao Chang was not the bully everyone dreamed of.

"I'll exchange five slices of dried snake for one of your sugarcane. Let's inspect the goods first. Your sugarcane should be grown in the mountains and sold to sugar factories for several hundred yuan per ton. People can't eat it. Don’t move, but that’s okay, after all, it’s not easy to get some seeds now.” Gao Chang paused, and said, “I just want to see if your sugarcane cores are rotten.”

After Gao Chang said these words, Lao Tan's complexion was not very good-looking. Gao Chang also knew that it was not easy for these people to make a living here, but this man named Lao Tan wanted to cheat him as soon as he met him. Wasn't it clear? Are people fools?Gao Chang doesn't mind being taken advantage of, but he doesn't like being treated as a fool either.

"This young man is right. If you want to do business, you still need to inspect the goods first. Old Qin, don't be dumbfounded. Cut a piece of sugarcane and show him. By the way, let us follow Tiantianzui, hehe." This group of people was huddled here together waiting for business, and they were more or less friendly. At this time, someone stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Sure, I'll cut the sugarcane right away. Regardless of whether the business can be done or not, I will invite everyone to eat a piece of sugarcane." Lao Tan put on a smile on his face again, and lively cut the sugarcane. Take out the whole piece of dried snake meat and put it aside.

Lao Tan's sugarcane is really hard, the dark red sugarcane husk is as hard as a rock, and his knife is not very sharp. For him, after working for a long time, he finally peeled out this sugar cane.

As soon as the sugarcane is cut out, everyone naturally checks for rotten core first. It turns out that the sugarcane core is still good. It may be related to the thicker shell, and the water loss is not too serious. Speaking of which, the sugarcane shell is hard. The meat inside is good, and the sugar content is also high.

"How is it? My sugar cane is not bad, right?" Seeing that his sugar cane is doing well, Lao Tan also heaved a sigh of relief.

"It's okay, how about my jerky, everyone?"

There seemed to be a few people in this place who were talking, and Gao Chang saw that only a few people in the crowd tasted Lao Tan's sugar cane and Gao Chang's dried snake meat, but the others did not move.

After these people tasted it, they said that Lao Tan's sugar cane was well preserved, and it would probably survive after planting it, and it tasted sweet, but the sugar cane husk was too hard, and it was a variety in the southwest mountainous area, so it might not be suitable for Gao Chang. Not the best option.The tall and long jerky snake meat is impeccable in all aspects, but in this transaction, the jerky snake meat is gone after eating, but the sugar cane is bought back for seeding, so the price of sugar cane can be set higher .

"How about one sugar cane for ten slices of snake jerky?" Finally, someone made a proposal on the exchange ratio.

"I'm fine." Lao Tan was straightforward.

"I'm fine. I'm willing to exchange a bundle of sugarcane with you for this ratio, but I still suggest that you sell all the sugarcane to me for the price of five pieces of dried snake meat, and then return to the plateau quickly with the dried meat." Go and reunite with your family." Gao Chang said.

"..." Lao Tan hesitated a little. For a bundle of sugar cane, he could get a hundred pieces of dried snake meat. If these dried meat were on the plateau, they should be able to exchange several hundred catties of coarse grain.Just like what the young man said, his snake is so big that it weighs several kilograms after being soaked in water, and it is meat, so there is no reason why it is cheaper than coarse grains.

If all these sugar canes are replaced, he will have 650 dried snake meat, which is already quite a large sum, but he still has a bit of luck in his heart. After all, these sugar canes can be used as seeds. Troubled times The seed business here is very risky, and the same profit is also very large. If you find the right buyer, a bundle of sugarcane can be exchanged for a price of [-] pieces of snake jerky. If you trade it out, the profit will be doubled...

"Old Tan, don't think about it, listen to me, change everything." Another person next to him gave him an idea.

"It's better to get rid of it as soon as possible and go home quickly. What's the use of this smelly place?"

"Yeah, if he wanted my things, I would have already nodded. Wouldn't it be better if they sold out and went home?"

"You've heard it too. I'm afraid it's not going to be peaceful recently. In a few days, I plan to go back to the plateau no matter whether the things are sold or not."

"You kid is lucky, what else do you think..."

A group of men got together to discuss with each other, and Lao Tan finally gave up his plan to stay and try his luck under their persuasion. He also wanted to go home very much.

"Success, I will do as you said." Lao Tan made up his mind.

"You can count my box of dried snake meat. There are only a few more. Except for the toll, I will give you the rest." Gao Chang just tasted the sugar cane and found it very sweet, and the buying and selling process went smoothly. There is no obvious bullying behavior, so he doesn't care so much, after all, these days, his life is easier than others, so be generous if you can.

In the bamboo cage that Gao Chang and the others carried, there were densely stacked dried snake meat. Old Tan peeled off the strips and counted them. When he counted to 650 pieces, he found that there was still a thick layer at the bottom of the box. The smile grew stronger, and after counting to 65, it turned out that there were still a lot left, as Gao Chang said, and immediately counted [-] to Ah Hai, and the rest belonged to him.

Gao Chang is naturally clear about how much goods he has in a box. He and Rhubarb sorted out these dried snake meat together. Each layer of a cage can lay about eight snakes. If it is pressed more densely, it can Install about a hundred layers.