Chapter 80: Piglets
The base wasn’t that large, and word traveled fast.
Xia Huo Qu raised his eyes and asked Shi Jia Cheng, “How did you all find out we got some honey?”
Shi Jia Cheng coughed awkwardly. “The scientists from the White Building happened to mention it.”
Xia Huo Qu silently stared at Shi Jia Cheng.
Tall and imposing in his black T-shirt and pants, Xia Huo Qu was strikingly handsome in a way that made him seem unapproachable.
Shi Jia Cheng’s voice grew quieter under the weight of Xia Huo Qu’s gaze, and he started to avoid eye contact.
Xia Huo Qu shifted his gaze to the others in the crowd, and they, too, quickly looked away, unwilling to meet his eyes. Though Xia Huo Qu didn’t speak much, he had an aura of authority even more intimidating than Yan Xi Nian’s, and many people at the base feared him.
Rolling up his sleeves, Xia Huo Qu asked, “Why haven’t you knocked?”
Shi Jia Cheng coughed lightly and mumbled, “We were just about to.”
Old Chen parked his cart in front of Xia Lu Nong’s house. “Vice-Captain Xia, should I unload the jars now?”
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “I’ll come inside and weigh the rice for you.”
Shi Jia Cheng and the others, eager to help, quickly stepped forward to unload the ceramic jars.
When Xia Huo Qu opened the door, the first thing he heard was his brother’s excited voice. “How about we fry some bee larvae tonight? What do you guys think of salt and pepper larvae?”
Yan Xi Nian’s laughing voice followed. “If you’re making it, I think anything will be delicious.”
Xia Huo Qu knocked softly on the door.
His brother poked his head out of the kitchen. When he saw Xia Huo Qu, his eyes lit up, and his entire face brightened with a cheerful smile. “Brother! Did you get the ceramic jars? We’ve already filtered two bottles of honey!”
“They’re here. Give them a wash first. We can let them air-dry overnight and use them to store the honey tomorrow.”
“Great!” Xia Lu Nong noticed that Old Chen wasn’t the only one outside, and his curiosity was piqued. “Do we have guests?”
“They want to trade for honey.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at Yan Xi Nian and then at Kong Zhi, whispering, “Are we really going to trade the honey?”
It was such a valuable item, and their family wasn’t exactly lacking in supplies at the moment.
Xia Huo Qu looked over at Kong Zhi and Yan Xi Nian and said, “I’ll leave it up to you.”
Yan Xi Nian spoke quietly, “Let’s trade a little. We won’t be able to use it all, and honey has a shelf life.”
“How should we trade?”
Yan Xi Nian put an arm around Xia Huo Qu’s shoulders and lowered his voice further. “Raise the price first and see if we can get anything good in return.”
He then looked at Xia Lu Nong’s angelic face and sighed, “On second thought, maybe we should handle this. Xia Lu Nong, you stay here.”
Xia Lu Nong felt slighted and grumbled, “It’s just bartering; how hard can it be?”
Yan Xi Nian playfully bumped his shoulder. “Wanna give it a try?”
“Sure, I’ll give it a go!”
Xia Lu Nong strode to the door to move the ceramic jars inside and casually said, “Sorry everyone, but we’re not trading the honey.”
“Huh?” Surprised voices emerged from the crowd.
The group stood frozen, unsure of how to respond, with several people wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.
Shi Jia Cheng hesitantly said, “Why not trade a little? We can negotiate the goods. Look at this little pig—it’s round and adorable.”
He pulled one of the piglets out to show Xia Lu Nong. “Look at this pig, Xia Lu Nong. It’s already castrated, and if you keep raising it, it’ll weigh over a hundred pounds in six months.”
The piglet in his hands squealed softly.
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes fell on the piglet.
It was round and plump, with a pinkish-white body, looking clean and indeed quite cute. What intrigued him even more was that the four piglets were mutated but still adorable. One had a horn on its forehead, while the other three had mutated tails, without the menacing or frightening appearance of other mutated animals.
Seeing his interest, Shi Jia Cheng added, “My daughter’s health is weak, so I want to trade some honey to help her recover. Hopefully, she’ll beast-shift soon and turn into a fierce animal type.”
Shi Jia Cheng’s emotional appeal caught everyone off guard, and the rest of the crowd quickly chimed in:
“I’m trading for my mom. She hasn’t been able to sleep properly for nights.”
“I’m trading for my wife—she’s pregnant and needs the nutrition.”
“I’m trading for my son—he’s still growing!”
Xia Lu Nong, no longer the naive college student he was before the disaster, reminded them, “This honey isn’t some miracle cure. If there’s a serious issue, it’s better to see Dr. Ou—that would be more effective.”
His words brought silence to the crowd.
After a moment, a young man stepped forward and called out loudly, “I’m trading for myself—let’s not guilt-trip anyone. If it’s a fair trade, fine, if not, no worries.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at him, recognizing him as Yan Ning Wang, who often hung out with Tang, the seed seller. They had once ventured together to Zhangshu County, forming a bond through shared hardship.
Sensing a chance, Yan Ning Wang quickly said, “I’ve got a pack of Chung Hua cigarettes—ten small packs in total, all genuine pre-disaster stock. They’re irreplaceable once gone. How about trading one pack for a pound of honey?”
Xia Lu Nong gave him an incredulous look.
Yan Xi Nian, emerging from inside, laughed and scolded, “What are you thinking? Our base grows tobacco. Trading a pack of cigarettes for a pound of honey? Do you think that’s fair?”
Yan Ning Wang grinned cheekily. “I’m just throwing out a price. If that doesn’t work, you name one.”
Yan Xi Nian smoked occasionally, as did Xia Lu Nong’s brother. Xia Lu Nong looked at the pig Shi Jia Cheng held and then turned to Yan Ningwang. “Half an ounce.”
Yan Ningwang gasped. “Half an ounce? But these are Chung Hua cigarettes!”
Half an ounce was just 25 grams, barely enough for a couple of bites of honey. What could half an ounce do?
Xia Lu Nong replied, “Chung Hua cigarettes might be rare, but they’re not hard to find if you go scavenging outside. The honey we collected today came from mutated bees, and we risked our lives for it. If you don’t want to trade, that’s fine.”
Yan Ning Wang looked torn and finally gave a bitter smile. “This is the most valuable thing I’ve got.”
Xia Lu Nong remained expressionless.
Seeing the deal about to fall through, Yan Ning Wang quickly relented. “Fine, fine, I’ll trade—half an ounce it is. How should we measure it?”
“Do you have a scale?”
“Yes, yes!” someone in the crowd piped up. “We’ve got a small food scale at home. Will that work?”
Xia Lu Nong nodded.
“Wait here, I’ll run home and get it.” The person quickly pocketed their belongings and dashed off to fetch the scale.
Xia Lu Nong’s price was harsh, and no one else dared speak up for a while.
After some time, a few people offered to trade medicine for honey, but Xia Lu Nong refused. He still had plenty of the medicine he’d traded for last time, including several rows of vitamins and calcium tablets. Given their shorter shelf life compared to honey, it wasn’t worth the exchange.
He turned down several offers in a row, showing no interest in the goods people brought.
Meanwhile, Yan Ning Wang, having just traded his prized Chung Hua cigarettes, inhaled deeply, feeling a mix of heartache and satisfaction.
As Xia Lu Nong was about to ask everyone to leave, Shi Jia Cheng spoke up. “Xia Lu Nong, how much honey do you think I can trade for these piglets?”
Xia Lu Nong eyed the piglets in his hands.
Shi Jia Cheng sighed. “My family lived next to the pigsty for almost six months to protect this litter. Raising them to this size wasn’t easy.”
Only two or three families at the base raised pigs, and Shi Jia Cheng’s family was one of them. Others couldn’t afford to. Aside from these few, the base itself raised five pigs, all descendants of mutated wild boars.
Shi Jia Cheng’s pigs were undoubtedly the best in the base.
Xia Lu Nong hesitated to respond.
Yan Ning Wang’s Chung Hua cigarettes were a matter of luck. Shi Jia Cheng’s pigs, however, had been raised with great effort, requiring the hard work of his entire family.
If Xia Lu Nong offered too little, he’d feel guilty; too much wouldn’t be feasible.
After some thought, he said, “Come inside, and we’ll talk privately.”
The rest of the crowd stretched their necks, eager for gossip, but upon hearing Xia Lu Nong’s words, they felt disappointed.
Soon, the person who had gone to get the scale returned. Xia Lu Nong borrowed the scale but wasn’t interested in the codices they brought, politely declining the offer.
With the trades settled, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Shi Jia Cheng, who was invited inside, along with his neatly kept piglets.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at his two older brothers, who remained silent.
Yan Xi Nian still wore a playful smile as if enjoying the spectacle.
When Xia Lu Nong looked over at Kong Zhi, he saw that Kong Zhi had already retreated to the kitchen, busy slicing bitter melon.
It seemed he would have to handle the negotiation himself.
Xia Lu Nong asked his brother, “Brother, do we even have space to raise pigs?”
Shi Jia Cheng immediately said, “We can rent land to build a pigsty. The Lu family rented one on the eastern hillside.”
“Isn’t that far? Won’t it be hard to manage?”
“It’s not hard at all, I’ll take care of the after-sales.” Shi Jia Cheng, realizing Xia Lu Nong was trying to lower the price, added, “To be honest, a lot of people have asked about my piglets. Some even offered fifty to sixty pounds of rice for one, but I didn’t agree.”
Xia Lu Nong said, “They are good pigs, otherwise, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
“What’s there to hesitate about?” Shi Jia Cheng took out another piglet to show him. “Look at this one—pink and clean. It’s a purebred domestic pig, already castrated. I guarantee that when it grows up, it won’t have any gamey taste, and the meat will be tender and flavorful. You won’t find another pig like this.”
Shi Jia Cheng wasn’t lying. There were almost no domestic pigs at the base. The descendants of wild boars had tough, gamey meat that required strong spices to cover the taste. The cooking options were limited, and people got tired of it quickly.
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment. “If we traded honey and rice for this piglet, would you agree?”
He glanced at his brother before suggesting, “How about one ounce of honey and fifty pounds of rice for one piglet? What do you think?”
