The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

One hundred and fifty yuan.

Lin Dachun had lived for over a decade and had never seen so much money.

But he didn't laugh; instead, a solemn expression appeared on his face.

He folded the money neatly, put it in the innermost pocket of his body, and then turned and went back into the shop.

Scarface was working on his abacus behind the counter when he saw him return. He paused, then asked, "Brother Da Chun? Why are you back again? Did you forget something?"

Lin Dachun walked to the counter, placed his hand on it, and said in a low voice, "Brother Scar, I want to borrow some money from you."

Scarface raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue.

"One hundred and fifty," Lin Dachun said, "Let's round it up to three hundred."

Scarface's eyebrows furrowed even more.

He put down the abacus, leaned back, and the scar on his face distorted slightly in the dim light. "Brother Da Chun, one hundred and fifty yuan isn't a small amount. What do you need so much for?"

Lin Dachun paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on the smooth wood grain on the counter, touched by countless people.

After a long while, he finally spoke and recounted the story of Sun Taohua.

"...Three hundred yuan as a bride price. If Taohua can't come up with the money after that family takes it, she'll have to marry that cripple." He finished speaking, his voice as deep as a stone pulled from the bottom of a well, "I can't watch her jump into that fire pit."

Scarface listened, his expression changing several times.

Finally, he suddenly laughed. The laugh, accentuated by his scar, appeared somewhat ferocious, and also somewhat... complex.

"Brother Da Chun," he said, taking a metal box from under the counter, opening it to reveal neatly stacked piles of banknotes inside, "you're a good man. Really. These days, there aren't many good people like you."

He counted out 150 yuan and pushed it over: "I'll lend you this money. No interest. You can pay me back whenever you have the money."

Lin Dachun looked at the pile of money, then at Scarface's face.

He recalled the first time he met Scarface, the things he said about "lacking women," and the suggestions that made him feel uncomfortable.

But at this moment, the man he was secretly wary of and even somewhat disgusted with lent him 150 yuan without hesitation.

"Thank you." Lin Dachun only said these two words, his voice dry but exceptionally sincere.

"But Brother Dachun, let's get this straight. You'll have to pay a price for borrowing this money," Scarface said earnestly.

"you say."

"When are we going to brew the next batch of wine? I can't wait any longer. The brothers can't wait either." Scarface was serious about this.

"The materials aren't ready yet. Is it in such a hurry?" Lin Dachun asked.

"It's so urgent, so incredibly urgent! Our wine has become a household name. Countless people are asking about it now, and what's worse, even the boss is coming in, offering twice the price I sell it for privately, saying it's for important guests in the city," Scarface replied.

"Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible," Lin Dachun replied.

After returning home, Lin Dachun found Ma Guihua and asked her to put the brewing process on the agenda immediately.

"But we still don't have enough core materials," Ma Guihua reminded her.

"Alright, tomorrow, we'll continue up the mountain, splitting into two teams to search. We have to gather all the materials, no matter what. After this, I'll run around to various pharmacies to see if I can buy them ready-made." Lin Dachun thought to himself that the little stock on the mountain wouldn't be enough for the rest of the search.

In the future, we will still have to rely on planting and purchasing.

"Mm." Ma Guihua nodded.