Sea cucumbers, dried razor clams, dried shrimps, kelp, dried shrimps, scallops...
Xu Ling bought all kinds of things, and he bought whatever the villagers were selling. Because the price was not cheap, many people sold him all the things they had stored at home in one go.
"These things are available at the seaside. We have no shortage of them. If you still have cloth or medicinal materials, come to us to exchange them!"
It was different from what Xu Ling had originally thought. He originally thought that the weather in Yazhou was suitable and the cultivated land should have two or even three crops a year, so it was unlikely that there would be a shortage of food.
But when I came here, I realized that most of the cultivated land near the seaside was saline-alkali land, which was not suitable for growing food at all.
As for why the island is not reclaimed, it is naturally due to the harsh living environment, lack of tools, lack of medicine, and lack of manpower.
There are local indigenous people who can enter the jungle, but outsiders like them can only live by the sea and eat from the sea.
Although I am not starving to death, I still feel a sense of disconnection.
Knowing that Xu Ling was a merchant, they were willing to exchange things for things instead of asking for useless money.
Xu Ling wrote down the requirements of the people in the village. Fortunately, he still had inventory in his space, so he was not afraid that he would not be able to satisfy these people.
Xu Ling bought several hundred kilograms of sun-dried kelp from this village, as well as other dry goods of varying weights.
In addition to these seafood products, Xu Ling also wanted to buy some spice wood, but he still couldn't find a way to start.
Someone suddenly found him midway and invited him to his home to make a deal. Xu Ling followed. The man took Xu Ling to his home and opened a large vat, revealing most of the vat of coarse sea salt.
Xu Ling suddenly opened his eyes wide.
The man said hurriedly: "These are all sea salt. I dried them myself. Do you want to collect them?"
In addition to no shortage of seafood, the seaside also has no shortage of salt.
However, the imperial court strictly prohibited private smuggling of salt and iron.
But for Xu Ling, this little salt was not considered a crime at all.
"what do you want?"
The man was even more nervous than him and stammered: "I want silver. Look how much silver these salts can give me. I want to marry Cuicui as my wife."
Xu Ling was dumbfounded. The price of official salt has always fluctuated greatly. Sometimes it costs tens of cents per catty, and sometimes it ranges from one hundred and fifty to four hundred cents. This half tank of salt is at least fifty or sixty catties.
"Fifteen taels of silver, do you want to sell it?"
The man hesitated, "Is this more or less? In your Quanzhou."
"No more, no less, probably enough for a family to spend for a year."
"What if I build a house in your place? How much will it cost?"
Xu Ling had a guess in his mind, but he was not sure. He just said honestly: "It depends on what kind of yard you want to live in. One with a better environment will cost seven to eighty taels to buy. If you build it yourself in the countryside, do you have an ancestral house?"
"I... I should have it, right?" The man hesitated and lowered his head, "Isn't that not enough?"
"not enough."
"Then will you come again in the future?"
"May I have your name?"
"Ye Xiaozhou," the man shouldn't be too old, but the long time in the sun makes him look a little rough. Just like Cuicui's father, he looks much older than he is.
A smile appeared on Xu Ling's lips: "Cui Cui just asked me to exchange for two pieces of cloth."
"Wha, what?" Ning Xiaozhou suddenly raised his head, his bright black eyes full of joy.
"Maybe she wants to make clothes for her father."
Xu Ling watched helplessly as the surprise in his eyes slowly faded away, with some grievance on his face.
Then he put aside his bad taste and answered his previous question.
"I want as much of the sea salt you dried. I will come again."
Ning Xiaozhou looked old-fashioned, but still smiled a little childishly, and nodded one after another.
Xu Ling paid him money and put the salt into his cloth bag. Then he asked Bao Li and others to come in and carry the things away.
Xu Ling only went to two villages, and spent all the goods he brought and the remaining money. They were replaced by loads of goods pulled on cars and carried on people's backs.
Seeing the sunset gradually disappearing on the sea, Xu Ling then ordered: "Let's go back to the boat."
A few people returned to the ship and put the goods in the cabin, which only occupied six cabins.
Small sea ships cannot be compared with large ships. The rooms are smaller, and of course the price is much cheaper. It can be used to store cargo to hide from others.
After Xu Ling finished the business, he had no intention of staying in Yazhou any longer. He asked Bao Li and others to go to Yizhuang to carry the coffin to the boat. The group sailed away from Yazhou overnight.
It wasn't that Xu Ling was in a hurry, it was just that the weather in Yazhou was too hot and he was afraid that it would be difficult to store Bao Dazhuang's body.
It would be very pitiful to die in a foreign land, but wouldn't it be even more uncomfortable if you return home and become unrecognizable to your parents?
It was night, Xu Ling arranged for Bao Li and others to take turns watching the ship's course, while he himself went into the cabin to rest.
Xu Ling locked the door. There was not much space in the lounge. He sat on the bed and took out a dagger from the space. The unsheathed blade flashed a silver light in the darkness.
Xu Ling put the dagger on the bedside to ensure that he could catch it as soon as possible, then he lay down on the couch with his clothes on and closed his eyes to rest.
After drifting into sleep, Xu Ling suddenly heard the sound of the door being pried open. He suddenly became awake, took the dagger, and lay there motionless.
"What are you doing here!" Bao Li stayed for the rest of the night, and when he was about to go up, he found two fellow villagers prying open the door of Xu Ling's room. He immediately realized something was wrong and shouted in a low voice.
"Bao Li, you're here just in time, kick this door open quickly!"
"Are you crazy!?" Bao Li stepped forward and dragged the two people away from the door of Xu Ling's room, "What are you doing!"
In Bao Li's suspicious eyes, the other two people frowned and said, "Don't you want to make more money? I also want to grow stronger. It's a shame that he died!"
"That's right! This man deceived Gu Hong and also deceived us. He took advantage of everything! Anyway, he is only one person and there are four of us. If we kill him, the goods on this ship will belong to us! There is no one else Will know!"
"Damn it! You guys are really..." Bao Liqiang's temples bulged high and his fists were clenched, as if he had just met these two fellow villagers. "Are you still human? If he hadn't helped us, we wouldn't have even been able to connect with Da Zhuang." The funeral expenses are less than that!”
There was a guilty conscience in the eyes of the two men, but they still said bravely: "We are also doing this to be strong..."
"Fuck you! Tieniu, you pat your chest and say, are you doing it for Da Zhuang or for yourself?"
Bao Li was heartbroken. Today, when he was asking for justice for Da Zhuang, these two people remained silent. But now, after Xu Ling solved the matter for them, they actually had such evil intentions!
"So what if we do it for ourselves? Is it possible that you really want to sell yourself to him and work as a horse for him without money?"
"Bao Li, if you don't tell me and we don't tell you, who knows if a businessman will die on this sea? Then we will share the money, and you can also take care of your mother at home!"
Xu Ling held the dagger in his hand and leaned quietly against the wooden wall, looking into the void in the darkness. He was not surprised at all when he heard the faint quarrel coming from outside.
Yes, in this vast sea, even if a few villains really die, no one will know about it, right?
