[edited]

The man was a member of the calligraphy association, self-proclaimed as a cultured person. Before the apocalypse, many people came to his door seeking calligraphy, and not a single piece went for less than five thousand yuan.

Who would have thought that disaster would suddenly strike, and what he used to excel at and be proud of couldn’t even fetch him a grain of rice now.

His family was already struggling to make ends meet. If he didn’t bring back some grain, they wouldn’t even make it to New Year’s Eve.

There was plenty of rice and flour in the space, but they were not renewable. Although she had planted 100 square meters of wheat, whether it would yield any grains was uncertain. Jiang Ning hesitated to take them out, “A pound of potatoes?”

Non-renewable items didn’t matter, and the second crop of potatoes was ready for harvest.

The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, then nodded eagerly.

The price quoted for half a pound of rice or flour actually left room for bargaining. Yesterday, a customer wanted to buy it, and he had willingly lowered the price to two liang of rice, but the other party ended up not taking it.

Jiang Ning took out four black-skinned potatoes from her bag, which looked like more than a pound, and handed them to the man behind the unfolded couplets.

These were specifically taken out and frozen a few days ago. Fresh ones couldn’t be flaunted unless she was tired of living.

The man used his nails to peel open the potato skin and saw that the meat inside was very fresh. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket.

Here, making money was one thing, but bringing back grain was another.

Taking the couplets, Jiang Ning continued to browse.

Coincidentally, she ran into the person who had opened a pet clinic last time.

The insecticide could last for three or four years, but Jiang Ning still found it insufficient. After all, the dog had to accompany her in her old age.

The expiration date was still acceptable, so Jiang Ning took all of them, but she didn’t want any toys.

Coke had grown smarter and found the toys too childish. It preferred to press the rabbit to the ground and play with it.

However, it asked for a backpack and a few incredibly handsome pet clothes.

Counting it all up, it was still a considerable amount of goods, she traded them for three pounds of frozen potatoes.

As she walked along, she suddenly bumped into someone.

Jiang Ning quickly turned around and grabbed the person’s hand, holding a sharp dagger against his waist, and said coldly, “Are you tired of living?”

Bag-cutting gangs, they hold sharp blades in their hands.

Thinking that girls were easy targets, even if they were discovered, a scare or two would suffice. Who knew they would encounter a tough one this time.

The man struggled to escape.

For habitual offenders like him, Jiang Ning didn’t hesitate to strike. She punched him in the temple.

The temple was vulnerable. A punch wouldn’t take his life, but it was enough to knock him out for a while.

The man collapsed with a thud and went unconscious.

Without looking back, Jiang Ning continued on her way.

Others turned a blind eye; their expressions were numb. They didn’t even know where their own livelihoods were, let alone have the leisure to care about others’ lives.

The public security patrol, led by Wen Xun, arrived swiftly. Seeing that he still had breath, they immediately pinched his acupoints to administer first aid, and unexpectedly found various blades, daggers, and kitchen knives on him.

Needless to say, he was another criminal. He was handed over to the police station and sent to Xishan to mine coal.

After almost finishing her shopping and just about to return home, a man wrapped up tightly approached her, “Miss, do you want some meat?”

Jiang Ning felt the voice was familiar and scrutinized him for a long time, “Sharp-mouthed monkey?”

The sharp-mouthed monkey was stunned, “Miss, you recognize me?”

That’s right, he had a sharp mouth and cheeks, hence the nickname Sharp-mouthed Monkey.

Jiang Ning pulled down her scarf and mask, “It’s me.”

“It’s you?” The sharp-mouthed monkey almost screamed. His blood surged to his head, almost making him pull out his knife.

Five hundred thousand ah, five hundred thousand!

When he made this deal, the boss praised and rewarded him in person.

Who knew, the floods didn’t disappear, and extreme cold came.

Civilization disappeared, and the former glory turned into nothing. The boss publicly scolded him as a grandson.

Five hundred thousand worthless pieces of paper, not even knowing when to wipe his butt with them.

But they were an organization that valued integrity. Deals made had to be honored regardless of the outcome.

Suppressing her tumultuous emotions, Sharp-mouthed Monkey put on a professional smile. “Miss, would you like some meat?”

“What kind of meat?” Jiang Ning asked.

“We have pork and beef.”

Jiang Ning had received 68 pigs, so she wouldn’t have to worry about pork for the rest of her life. However, she only had 200 catties of beef. Beef was heavy and tended to shrink, so 200 catties wasn’t much. Every time, she could only cut a few ounces and make do with it. Therefore, Jiang Ning was interested.

“How much do you have?” she asked.

“How much do you want?” Sharp-mouthed Monkey responded.

“I’ll take however much you have,” Jiang Ning replied.

Sharp-mouthed monkey became cautious. “Miss, can you eat so much?”

He didn’t want to snatch business from his peers. After all, they had also sold fish to them.

“You mind your own business. Just tell me whether you’re selling or not.”

Doing business was not wise, and Sharp-mouthed Monkey led her to a secluded corner before laying down the terms. “Miss, we don’t accept paper currency.”

Jiang Ning understood; he had psychological trauma.

“That goes without saying. The country doesn’t accept it either.”

Sharp-mouthed Monkey, who felt like his lungs were being punctured, took a deep breath and calmly said, “These are freshly slaughtered cattle, very fresh. But what do you have to exchange?”

“What do you accept?”

“Gold, silver, jade, grains, oils, anything of value.”

Sharp-mouthed Monkey remembered the fish from last time. “Do you have fish? Five catties of fish for one catty of beef.”

Both Jiang Ning and Coke loved fish. Although there was plenty in the space, they had lost some weight through gutting and cleaning. What if they accidentally lived until 99 years old?

Five catties for one catty were not a good deal for her.

As for other items in the space, each of them had their uses, and the ones obtained for free could be exchanged for a price later on.

Vegetables were abundant but bringing them out would attract attention.

After much thought, she could only choose items that she wouldn’t need in the future but were valuable to others.

Jiang Ning quickly made up her mind and whispered, “Do you want umbrellas?”

Umbrellas? What did he need them for?

No, this was a different type of umbrella.

Sharp-mouthed monkey quickly realized, and his eyes lit up with joy. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Jiang Ning pondered, “How would we exchange?”

There were nearly three thousands of them, taking up space needlessly. It was better to exchange them for something practical.

“Twenty umbrellas for one catty of beef.”

Jiang Ning was speechless. Without a word, she turned and left.

“Miss, let’s discuss it,” Sharp-mouthed monkey hurriedly grabbed her. “Fifteen umbrellas for one catty of beef.”

“Let go.”

“Ten.”

“Let go!” Jiang Ning insisted.

Sharp-mouthed Monkey was about to cry. “Eight, I really can’t go any lower.”

Jiang Ning did some calculations. “One.”

Sharp-mouthed Monkey almost spat blood. “Are you kidding me?”

“Five catties of grains for one umbrella at the market, or even counterfeit ones, and even second-hand ones, are on the rise. But what I have here are genuine imports. Ordinary people can’t afford them, but your customers are wealthy people. Wealthy people eat meat and drink wine every day. They won’t lack meat, and ordinary survivors can’t exchange food for meat. So, your trading partners are wealthy people. You can at least double the price, and if you hoard them, you’ll get even more in the future.”

Sharp-mouthed Monkey was furious. He had dealt with many difficult people, but he had never seen anyone as calculating as her. “Trading involves risks, and we naturally have to make a profit, but you’re robbing us blind.”

“If you think it’s unfair, then forget it.”

Business didn’t involve coercion. Jiang Ning was ready to leave.

“Wait.” Sharp-mouthed Monkey gritted his teeth. “How much do you have?”

“I can exchange as much as you have beef.”