Back to 1984: I built a chicken farm on a barren mountain.

After Master Geng helped upgrade and renovate Jiming Mountain, the weather became increasingly cold, and frost began to form on the trees in the early morning, although the midday sun was still warm.

Chen Wenfeng immediately began preparing the vegetables.

There are two types of vegetable preparation: dried vegetables and fresh vegetables.

Dried vegetables are simply vegetables that have been dried in the sun. They are then soaked in water before eating, similar to soaking dried wood ear mushrooms.

In the north, the absolute mainstay of fresh vegetables is Chinese cabbage, followed by scallions, white radishes, carrots, potatoes, and other easily stored items.

Chen Wenfeng's family grows some cabbages in their vegetable garden, which is enough for their daily meals. However, there are many people on Jiming Mountain, which consumes a lot of food. In addition to the people eating them, sometimes some cabbages need to be chopped up and mixed into the animal feed.

Chen Wenfeng found a large-scale cabbage grower in Chenjiazhuang and asked him to transport the cabbages directly to the mountain.

These cabbages cost 2 cents per pound. The seller said that if he bought more, he could get a discount. Chen Wenfeng didn't haggle and bought 1000 pounds in total, which cost him 20 yuan.

The cabbage seller unloaded the 1000 jin of cabbage at the foot of Jiming Mountain. Chen Wenfeng gave him two 2-yuan bills, and the seller thanked him repeatedly before driving away in his oxcart.

Looking at the pile of cabbages stacked like a wall, Chen Wenfeng sighed:

"It is said that low grain prices hurt farmers. Farmers work hard to grow vegetables, but 1000 catties only cost 20 yuan. And that's for a lot. If you bargain, you can get them for less than 2 cents per catty."

These cabbages are enough for everyday use, such as stir-frying, stewing, and making dumplings.

Oh, and you can also pickle sauerkraut.

Chen Wenfeng asked Old Sun if he knew how to pickle sauerkraut. Old Sun, who usually could do anything, surprisingly admitted defeat this time and said:

"I can do any kind of work, but I just don't know how to pickle sauerkraut. I've tried before, but I always end up making the sauerkraut jar smell bad. After wasting it a few times, I never dared to pickle it again."

Chen Wenfeng chuckled upon hearing this. He knew that pickling sauerkraut was sometimes a matter of pure luck; some people could pickle it well, while others couldn't. Old Sun was one of those people who just couldn't pickle it.

Actually, there was someone in Chen Wenfeng's family who was an expert at pickling sauerkraut, and that was his father, Chen Shouyi.

When Chen Wenfeng returned home, he told Chen Shouyi about pickling sauerkraut. Chen Shouyi asked him if there were any large vats on the mountain. Chen Wenfeng slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Right, there aren't any large vats for pickling vegetables on the mountain yet!" He quickly replied:

"It just so happens that there's a market day in Chenjiazhuang today, I'll go buy two."

Seeing that Chen Wenfeng was going to buy a water jar, Chen Shouyi specifically instructed him:

"Make sure to buy the big one, there are a lot of people where you are."

Chenjiazhuang market is always packed with people. Chen Wenfeng squeezed through the crowd and found a stall selling jars.

The man selling the jars was an old man, and you could tell from his accent that he wasn't from the vicinity of Chenjiazhuang.

Even within a short distance, accents can vary, especially in mountainous areas.

The old man was wearing black trousers and a jacket, rubber shoes, and a blackened towel wrapped around his head. His hands were covered in calluses.

"Sir, how much is your water vat?"

"Mine comes in medium-sized, large, and extra-large sizes."

Chen Wenfeng noticed that the old man's words sounded familiar, so he asked:

Do you have small tanks?

"have."

The old man pointed to a vat at his feet, about forty or fifty centimeters in diameter. It was indeed not very big; if he hadn't specifically pointed it out, I wouldn't have noticed it.

"I don't want small tanks, I want medium and large tanks. How much do they cost?"

Seeing that Chen Wenfeng was young but spoke very decisively, and judging from his tone it seemed he was buying more than one item, the old man wondered if the man was just putting on an act. So he raised the price, saying:

"Small cylinders are 10 yuan, medium cylinders are 15 yuan, and large cylinders are 30 yuan. Extra-large cylinders are not available right now; you'll have to go to your home, as the truck at the market is too small to fit them."

Seeing the old man's expression, Chen Wenfeng guessed that the old man was trying to rip him off. He wasn't in a hurry, and said:

"Can I get a discount if I buy more?"

The old man thought to himself, "So that's exactly what they were going to say." He'd seen many people use the "buy more, save more" excuse, only to end up buying just one item after getting a good price. He said irritably, "..."

"My tank is of good quality, no bargaining."

The old man was planning to deliberately hold out for a lower price, intending to sell as soon as Chen Wenfeng tried to bargain. However, Chen Wenfeng seemed to have seen through his plan and asked:

"Old man, where are you from?"

"Tiger Valley, what's wrong?"

It's impossible for someone to have no preconceived notions about a place. For example, Chen Wenfeng didn't have a good impression of Tiger Valley. When the old man said it was Tiger Valley, Chen Wenfeng's patience ran out. He said, "I'll go check out other places," and turned to leave.

The old man selling the jars was only concerned with making a few more dollars from Chen Wenfeng, but he didn't notice that Chen Wenfeng started calling him "Grandpa" and later "Old Man." This change in address represented a person's attitude.

Chen Wenfeng continued wandering around the market, buying a sickle and a rubber bucket. He thought about it for a moment, then bought another one, intending to put one at Old Sun's place as well.

When Chen Wenfeng reached the edge of the market, he saw another vendor selling water vats. The vendor was a young man, about the same age as Chen Wenfeng. The water vats were placed on the ground, and their size and specifications were exactly the same as those sold by the old man.

The difference was that the young man had an oxcart parked behind him, with a sign hanging on it:

"Great prices, delivered to your door."

That's good. Since it can be delivered to my door, it shouldn't be a problem to deliver it to the mountain.

Chen Wenfeng went over to inquire again:

"Hey, how much are all these tanks you sell?"

The young man looked burly and strong, but he spoke shyly. Seeing the buyer arrive, he cautiously said:

"Small tanks are 8 yuan, medium tanks are 10 yuan, and large tanks are 25 yuan. If you're serious about buying, the price is negotiable!"

"Don't be so honest. I haven't even bargained yet, and you're already lowering the price yourself." Chen Wenfeng became interested and said:

"I just saw an old man selling jars too, are you from the same company?"

"He's from Tiger Valley, and I'm from Black Fox Valley. That old man bullied me. I originally had that spot, but he insisted that he had taken it long ago and kicked me over here."

"You big guy, are you afraid of that little old man? You're really spineless," Chen Wenfeng said.

Is this your first time doing business?

The young man selling the jars looked surprised and said:

"How did you figure that out? This is my first time coming to the market. It used to be my brother's business, but he was electrocuted when the village got electricity a while ago, so I've been selling here a few times. But this market is almost over, and I haven't sold a single water vat. Brother, if you want one, we can discuss the price. It'll definitely be cheaper than what they sell at Tiger Valley."

Chen Wenfeng waved his hand and said:

"Starting a business for the first time isn't easy, so I'll let you make your first sale. I need four water tanks."

The young man selling the jars seemed to think he had misheard and asked again to confirm:

How many do you want?

"Four. You have to give me the lowest price, and you have to transport them to my chicken farm, which is up in the mountains."

"In the sky?"

"Up in the mountain!"

"Sure, anywhere but in the sky!"