Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Zhao Jianjun's eyes still flashed with envy. The Zhao family had progressive ideas, but they only had one child.

This is extremely rare nowadays, and there are very few in the entire town, or even the entire county. Because of this, Zhao Jianjun had actually considered whether he should have another child.

However, after discussing it, the couple decided to postpone having children and instead raise Zhao Qingya, since they were still young.

Looking at the filial Zhou Rui and the lively and mischievous Zhou Ming, Zhao Jianjun once again had the idea of ​​having another child.

Zhou Shiwei waved his hand, seemingly being modest, but anyone could see the pride and self-esteem in his eyes—an irreplaceable expression.

Zhou Rui smiled, not minding at all, and changed the subject:

"Uncle Zhao, Xiaoya is actually very good too. Her grades are so good, she will definitely be a pillar of our country in the future."

Zhou Rui was right; in terms of achievements, he was indeed one of the best in the entire village.

However, later, when he was in his forties and had cancer, he heard his younger brother Zhou Ming mention at his bedside that Zhao Qingya seemed to have become a researcher.

Hearing Zhou Rui praise his daughter, Zhao Jianjun's expression was very satisfied. Then, as if he remembered something, he looked at Zhou Rui and suddenly raised his eyebrows, as if he was about to say something.

However, Zhou Rui, quick-witted and outspoken, handed the fresh deer antler wrapped in weeds to Zhao Jianjun:

"Uncle Zhao, here, this is deer antler. Please estimate how much it can sell for."

Zhou Rui took the initiative and didn't give Zhao Jianjun a chance to tease him.

Seeing this, Zhao Jianjun glared at Zhou Rui, but didn't say what he was about to say.

He took the fresh deer antler, carefully peeled back the weeds covering it, and soon a deer antler covered with fine white down and a brownish hue was revealed.

This deer antler is very fresh, after all, it was only cut off about a day ago.

Zhao Jianjun first took the deer antler in his hand and roughly examined it, then weighed it up and down, and finally carefully looked at its quality.

Finally, he pushed up his glasses, his tone revealing his undisguised joy.

"This deer antler is of very high quality. I'll take it to the county town tonight or early tomorrow morning. Some shop owners prefer fresh ones and will sell it for a higher price."

As Zhao Jianjun spoke, he pushed up his glasses with one hand, then thought for a moment before continuing:

"As for the selling price, it's hard to say. My friend who owns a pharmacy once told me that a good quality deer antler that weighs about two kilograms can sell for at least 60 yuan per kilogram."

Zhou Rui thought about the price for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

This price isn't low even in a county town. If you could take it to the city center, provincial capital, or a big city, the price would double.

But that's obviously unrealistic. Zhao Jianjun might have connections in that area, but people might not necessarily want them. Not only would it waste time, but it would also be a pity if the fresh deer antlers went bad.

As for why he didn't use it to make finished products and then sell them, Zhou Rui had also considered it. Making finished products takes time, and some wealthy people just like novelty.

If you give him infused liquor or other dried goods, he might try to negotiate a lower price.

Seeing Zhou Rui nod in agreement, Zhao Jianjun was not surprised and continued:

"More than two jin (1 kg), that should sell for at least 120 yuan. Nephew, are you satisfied with this price?"

Zhao Jianjun looked at Zhou Rui with a smile, and the latter nodded and said:

"This price is reasonable, I trust Uncle Zhao."

Zhou Rui also knew that this price was indeed good. Although the deer antler was sold for 140 yuan, this was already the peak price. Generally, a deer antler of that weight would only cost around 110 yuan.

One deer antler costs over 120 yuan, which is a good deal. Two antlers would cost over 200 yuan, which is comparable to the harvest of a large amount of wild gastrodia elata.

Having received confirmation, Zhao Jianjun then looked at the deerskin laid out on the ground and pressed his advantage, saying:

"I'll keep the deerskin myself, but how about I give my nephew 30 yuan?"

Zhao Jianjun tentatively asked if the price he had given was too high, saying that this piece of skin should sell for around 26 or 7.

Zhou Rui was puzzled by this, and then he asked the question that had been bothering him:

"Uncle Zhao, logically speaking, even this complete deerskin should only be worth 25 yuan at most, what you've..."

Zhao Jianjun looked like he knew it all along. He had initially thought that Zhou Rui might only know the prices of meat and deer antlers, but he hadn't expected Zhou Rui to be so knowledgeable.

However, it seems reasonable that this happened to Zhou Rui; it would be strange if Zhou Rui didn't know.

Zhou Shiwei had already moved to the other side. He no longer asked about the buying and selling, focusing instead on trusting his own son.

Zhao Jianjun then responded to Zhou Rui's questions:

"Nephew, we're like family. Your uncle runs a textile factory and does this kind of business. Actually, if I buy 30 yuan worth of textiles, I can make the finished products and sell them and still make a profit."

"And you'll make quite a bit of money, so don't worry, Uncle won't lose out."

Zhou Rui nodded in agreement. It was true; some people would buy such a large deerskin as a collectible, while others preferred genuine leather products.

In short, the price of the secondary finished product after processing will always be higher.

After discussing the price of the two items, Zhou Rui gave Zhao Jianjun about five or six catties of deer bones, and then gave him seven pieces of Ganoderma lucidum as well, asking Zhao Jianjun to take them to sell to pharmacies.

Although these things are not worth much.

However, it still has medicinal value, and it is a good choice whether to use it in soup or to make a medicinal wine for daily consumption.

After declining several times, Zhao Jianjun couldn't resist Zhou Rui's enthusiasm and finally thanked him and accepted the deer bone. He also agreed that the red fungus could be sold for less than 10 yuan.

The largest remaining red Ganoderma lucidum was kept by Zhou Rui to nourish his grandfather's body.

Afterwards, Zhao Jianjun didn't waste any time, because it was already quite late, and he had important business to attend to besides seeing his wife and children.

Just as he was about to say he was leaving, Zhou Rui asked with feigned concern:

"Uncle Zhao, how's your factory doing lately? Are you still short of workers? Maybe I can go beg for a living."

Zhou Rui started the conversation as if it were normal casual chat, but that was hardly his real intention.

He had gleaned some information from chatting with Li Lan and Aunt Li, and the worried look on Zhao Jianjun's face when he met him that afternoon was also undeniable.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianjun first sighed deeply, then shook his head and said:

"Nephew, it's tough to make a living these days. Your uncle may look like a boss, but actually... sigh~ the factory has been having a lot of problems lately, and I'm at my wit's end."

"I apologize for saying all this, my dear nephew."

"Besides, with your talent, wouldn't it be a waste to do manual labor?"

Zhao Jianjun's last sentence was spoken very seriously, without any hint of joking.

Zhou Rui waved his hand, then asked curiously:

"What's wrong with the factory? Is there any nephew who can help?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianjun thanked Zhou Rui, then shook his head:

"No one else can help with this. It's a problem within the factory itself, plus external pressure. Right now, it's difficult for others to help."

Zhao Jianjun didn't want Zhou Rui to help, but this matter was very tricky, and Zhou Rui couldn't be of much help. It also involved other factories, and only people in their industry knew about it.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Rui didn't dwell on it much. He understood Zhao Jianjun's meaning: with his current abilities, it seemed he really couldn't offer much help.

Finally, Zhao Jianjun said goodbye to Zhou Rui and left, politely declining the Zhou family's invitation to dinner.

Before leaving, he paid Zhou Rui 30 yuan for the deerskin and 20 yuan as a deposit for the deerskin.

Zhou Ming had already washed the tricycle and placed it outside the house, so Zhao Jianjun could ride it home.

After seeing Zhao Jianjun off, Zhou Rui returned to the warehouse and took a cloth bag from his person. Today, he had specially found a large cloth bag that could be worn around his neck to carry money.

Because we have gained so much today.

The cloth bag was now full of banknotes. Zhou Rui took it down and placed it on a wooden stump in the warehouse.

Zhou Rui opened the cloth bag, and immediately, a distinctly cashy smell wafted out.

Time to count the money!