Chapter 37: Exchanging Old Goods

“Your eldest uncle said that from now on, there will be two hours of rest at noon, and the evenings will be even more ample. I can completely do these things by myself. With our Sanbao, where couldn't I go?” Yan Er-er remembered his daughter’s previous words about properly developing Sanbao’s functions.

Once he started leaning into that idea, a plan formed.

“Whether or not we exchange them isn't the key; the key is that once the goods have a source, we can also help the villagers clear out those burdens they no longer need.” The more Yan Er-er thought about it, the more it made sense, so he hurried to seek his daughter's affirmation: “Dabao, am I right?”

“You're absolutely right, Dad! Actually, I had an idea this morning. We should do communal meals; it would save time and wouldn't waste labor. But then I thought, some people eat more and some eat less, and it wouldn't be appropriate for one family to take more or less than another.” Yan Yu felt that calculating fixed portions for everyone was too complicated and decided to drop it; otherwise, pooling all the resources together for centralized management would be easier.

“Two liang of flour for one steamed bun,” Li Xuemei said.

Yan Yu:???

Yan Er-er explained, “In the old communal canteens, you could exchange two liang of flour coupons for one large steamed bun. We won't take the coupons; we'll let them trade flour instead. Oh, and water too.

Wait, let me calculate carefully. It doesn't need to be too big. One jin of flour can produce about 6.7 buns...”

Li Xuemei and Yan Yu stared at him expectantly.

This was a blind spot for the mother and daughter; they could only rely on Yan Er-er’s own calculations.

“One jin of flour and half a jin of water for 7 buns.” Yan Er-er figured it out. “All we're doing is spending a bit of firewood.”

“We can definitely start doing the bun exchange,” Li Xuemei said. “Steaming buns can also serve as a way to boil water. A large pot every day will be enough for everyone to drink.”

She had seen the villagers drinking raw water this morning, which was very bad and could easily lead to illness. If she asked them to boil their own water, some might find it too much trouble.

“Then let's do one jin of flour and one jin of water for the buns and boiled water.” Yan Yu thought for a moment and said to her father, “Dad, you have to steam a whole pot so they know how big our buns are.”

Yan Er-er: “Alright, just wait for me to show them what I can do.”

...

After leaving the task of driving the cart to his eldest nephew, Yan Er-er began scurrying through the group.

He had to scout the situation and see what the villagers had brought with them.

By the time he had asked enough questions and it was time for the noon break, Yan Er-er found some old starter dough he had saved and began kneading the dough with a *guang-guang-guang* sound.

The villagers were stunned.

Who was that?

Yan Er-er?

He actually knew how to work in a kitchen?

Yan Huaiwen maintained his composure. Since they ate and lived together along the way, nothing a family did could stay hidden; everyone would know sooner or later.

While waiting for the dough to rise, Yan Er-er greeted his brother and left riding on Sanbao.

There were many villagers nearby gathering firewood or wild grass, but among those traveling by ox, Yan Er-er was definitely the only one.

The most dazzling kid in the whole village!

“Sanbao, is there a village nearby? Is there? How far? Oh, I forgot, you can't answer easily. How about this: moo once for one kilometer, and moo twice for two kilometers.”

Sanbao mooed five times.

Understood, five kilometers.

It wasn't that far, and besides, look at what he was riding.

“Sanbao, scan the area yourself. If there's no one, you can run freely, but if there are people, walk slowly so you don't blow our cover.” Yan Er-er tied himself to the ox's back, feeling high-spirited. He was a man about to experience an off-road ox.

“Giddy up!”

...

A wild gallop, leaping through the mountains and fields, full of passion...

By the time Sanbao finally slowed down to a walk, Yan Er-er was almost vomiting.

He could absolutely, definitely never let Sanbao act on his own again.

Just running was one thing, but what was with jumping over obstacles directly?

Yan Er-er untied himself, looking dejected.

He led the rope and walked into this unfamiliar village.

“Auntie, I'm a second-hand goods seller. It's my first time in your village. Is there anything your family is lacking?”

“Second-hand goods?” The auntie felt suspicious, but seeing that he arrived on an ox, she felt much more at ease; he probably wasn't there to steal chickens or dogs.

“Yes, even though they are old things, they are all usable. They're cheap and practical.”

“How do you sell them?”

“Exchanging for money, grain, or goods is all fine. It depends on what you want and what you have. That's what a deal is—negotiating. Once we've negotiated and both feel it's suitable, then it's done.” Yan Er-er smiled candidly.

“Then let me see your things first.” The auntie looked around for a long time. “There's nothing here. Where is your stock?”

“Auntie, look, your village is a bit remote. I'm just here to scout the way this trip. If you need anything, just tell me. I'll go back and look, and if I find it, I'll come back.”

“Our village is a bit far from the county town, and even the peddlers don't like to come here. I don't know how you found your way here. A second-hand goods seller... in all my years, this is the first time I've heard of it. You're not a swindler, are you?”

“Oh, Auntie, you're accusing me unfairly! The weather is so dry, it never rains, and life is hard. I traveled all this way just to earn a little bit of money to make ends meet. What could I possibly swindle you of? Looking at how clear-eyed and wise you are, you don't seem like the kind of person who could be easily fooled!”

The auntie felt flattered and a smile appeared on her face.

“You're quite observant! My eyes are sharp! Sigh! Heaven isn't showing mercy, and you've had it hard too. The day before yesterday, my grandson broke a bowl. If you have one, bring it over. But since it's old, you have to give it to me cheap.”

“Ceramic bowls or coarse porcelain bowls? Which one does Auntie want?”

“Coarse porcelain, for my little grandson to use.”

“What do you want to exchange it for?”

“I have some vegetables in my back garden; I can exchange some for you.”

“That's wonderful!” Yan Er-er was somewhat pleasantly surprised. “Auntie, does your house have plenty of water? Would you exchange it?”

In this weather, if they could still grow vegetables, they must have plenty of water.

“No, no, I won't exchange water.” The auntie was very firm.

“Alright, Auntie, I'll go back and get the bowl right now.” Yan Er-er turned to leave.

The auntie watched him walk a long way before slapping her thigh. “Oh dear, I forgot to tell him to bring more things. That silly man, it's not worth a separate trip just for a bowl.”

Yan Er-er had gained experience on the return trip. He made Sanbao run steadily on the ground and not show off his jumping abilities again.

Under the scorching sun, he was drenched in sweat.

He kept muttering to himself: how did he fall to such a state!

Why did it seem like the work never ended?

What kind of merit did he have to take on so many responsibilities???

Before he could figure it out, Sanbao had already stood next to his family's cart.

This return-home positioning was something else.

Precise!

“Found a village. An auntie wants to exchange for a coarse porcelain bowl. She's generous; she's giving us vegetables.” Yan Er-er showed off happily.

“Home-grown? Then can we exchange them for some water?”

Great, the father and daughter were thinking exactly alike.

Yan Er-er shook his head. Being able to see even a few vegetable leaves was not easy; he hadn't even thought it would go this smoothly.

Yan Yu stuffed a steamed bun into her father's hand. They hadn't lit a fire for lunch, so they had the leftover buns from before.

They had only boiled a small pot of water.

Yan Er-er ate the bun with water and was quite satisfied.

“We don't have any extra bowls at home.” Li Xuemei had tidied the kitchen and knew exactly what they had and what they didn't.

“Other families must have extras. Pick some lightweight and easy-to-carry items, and I'll take them all over to see what else we can exchange for.”

The hardworking Yan Er-er ran under the blazing sun.