Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

The group returned to the supply and marketing cooperative; it was almost their turn to check the goods.

Most of the onlookers had already dispersed, and those digging for food in the fields were reluctant to linger for too long.

"Did they reach an agreement?" Zhang Wenhui couldn't help but ask when she saw her younger brother calmly moving the shrimp and crab basket into Zhao Dezhu's line.

Zhang Fengxia nodded blankly, still somewhat dazed.

"They're begging us to put our goods together, saying that if we get shrimp and crabs in the future, we can sell them together with them and raise the price."

She lowered her voice and turned her head to glimpse Zhang Wenshan and Zhao Dezhu chatting intimately, as close as brothers.

"He even said he'd treat us to a meal at a restaurant later."

Zhang Wenhui breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that the fourth brother has really learned a great skill, and he is really willing to teach others."

She watched the whole thing and roughly understood what was going on.

"How do you know he taught people?" Zhang Fengxia stared wide-eyed at her sister in disbelief.

How come you can always calculate the numbers when you have two little kids at home?

"Actually, this is more cost-effective. It's easier to get in touch with people who have already reached an agreement with the supply and marketing cooperative than to start from scratch ourselves. This is equivalent to joining their fishing team in disguise."

"What if they don't want us?"

"That depends on how good my brother's skills are. I think he definitely has a backup plan."

Zhang Wenhui blinked her big eyes, no longer daring to underestimate her younger brother.

As they were talking, it was the two of them's turn to sell the goods.

The two sisters quickly shut up and carefully handed over the five small-scaled fish.

"Dead fish?" The female buyer glanced at the fish and, seeing that they were strung together with hemp rope, made a subconscious judgment.

"Alive! Alive!" Zhang Fengxia quickly patted the fish's body, and its tail thrashed about, full of vitality.

This scene completely stunned the buyer, and the person carrying the bucket next to him was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.

"What's going on? I didn't see them filling up with water!"

"This method will save a lot of trouble transporting the goods to town; it allows us to carry twice as much as we would without water!"

"They have some amazing skills, you just arrived and didn't see them, they were all knocked down by Zhao Dezhu's gang!"

Hearing the whispers around them, the two sisters were at a loss.

Zhang Wenhui is better; she has a naturally cold face and has seen a lot in vocational school, so she can keep a straight face.

Zhang Fengxia blushed with embarrassment, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

In the past, when people pointed fingers at me, it was either because I was arguing and fighting or because my underlings were causing trouble. I've never heard such unanimous envy and praise before.

"This method is really novel." The female buyer weighed the fish in her hand and then pried open the gills to examine it carefully.

She examined the fish thoroughly, turning them over and over; each one was lively and jumping as if it had just left the water.

She couldn't help but marvel.

"Yes, I learned the craft from the master craftsman." Zhang Fengxia's voice was barely audible, completely lacking the fierceness she displayed at home.

"No wonder." The buyer weighed the fish. "The way you do it, it's easier for us to weigh them, and we don't have to make a mess of the counter. It saves us a lot of trouble."

She glanced disdainfully at the wet water stains and scattered scales on the cement stand.

The queue fell silent instantly, everyone lowering their heads and shrinking back, afraid of being remembered.

These days, the purchasing agents are like kings. They can determine the grade of goods with just a word, and if they offend them, they simply won't accept them. Who would dare to offend them when they come to sell goods?

"It's two jin in total. I'll give you second grade, one yuan and sixty cents." The buyer adjusted the weight on the scale, didn't check it carefully, and quoted the price directly.

Zhang Fengxia was so excited that she couldn't speak.

She could see clearly that her five fish were still short of two jin (1 kg), and the weight of each fish was not even up to second grade.

"Thank you so much," Zhang Wenhui immediately replied.

"What's your name?" The purchasing agent pulled over a piece of rough paper, asked for the name, filled it in, kept one copy, and handed over the other along with the money.

Zhang Wenhui quickly accepted the gift, thanked her again, and then pulled her older sister to find her younger brother.

The gazes coming from behind were a mixture of jealousy and envy.

The difference between third class and second class was several cents, but no one dared to complain; they just stared intently at those magical hemp ropes.

He wondered if he could make more money if he got his hands on one too.

"Fourth brother, how's it going?" Zhang Wenhui took out the money and receipts and asked in a low voice.

"Checking the goods." Zhang Wenshan casually stuffed the items into his pocket without even looking at them, and gestured forward with his chin.

Zhao Dezhu and his group were lifting their baskets onto the large scale.

The two young men buried themselves in examining the items.

A moment later, one of them quickly walked over to the white-haired old man smoking next to him and whispered in his ear.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Zhao Dezhu quickly stepped forward: "Master Li..."

The old man waved his hand, silently examining the shrimp and crabs, his brows gradually furrowing: "Little Zhao, you've delivered them a few times already, you know the rules."

"There was a slight mishap yesterday, but it's been resolved. Please take a look at this." Zhao Dezhu quickly called for someone to bring over Zhang Wenshan's two baskets.

Master Li's eyes lit up, and he nodded involuntarily.

Two of the men also gathered around, marveling at the sight.

"Master, these two baskets of goods are absolutely amazing, no worse than the ones delivered from Donghetun this morning, it's just a little short."

"It's been cleaned up so well, it saved us a lot of trouble."

"Looks like we've really found a master. That's much better than you blindly studying those two tattered notebooks." Master Li finally nodded. "These two baskets will be first-class, and the rest second-class, okay?"

"That's great, we'll leave it all to you!" Zhao Dezhu nodded hurriedly, breaking out in a cold sweat.

He thought that all the shrimp and crabs that everyone caught yesterday were the same.

You can't have your own feelings all by yourself.

Unexpectedly, they were still able to get good ones. If it weren't for Brother Zhang, this road might have been cut off!

"River crabs are 2.6 yuan each, and shrimp are 1.1 yuan each."

"Thank you, Master Li."

Behind her, Zhang Fengxia gripped her sister's arm tightly, trembling with excitement: "Three yuan and seven jiao! Just three yuan and seven jiao! That's more than a worker's daily wage, and it would add up to more than a hundred yuan a month."

Zhang Wenhui calmed down and turned to look at her younger brother: "There are only two cages."

"Yes, yes, yes! Our family can pay off our debts now!" Zhang Fengxia nodded repeatedly, her voice trembling.

"It's not that easy." Zhang Wenshan yawned. "There are only so many shrimp and crabs, and they will only become fewer and fewer in the future. Besides, foreign trade purchases won't last long either. We need to think of other ways."

"That's true." Zhang Fengxia calmed down a bit upon hearing this, but then her fighting spirit rekindled. "What do you suggest? I'll listen to you!"

"I'll go and inquire about the pliers later," Zhang Wenhui said, turning to leave.

Zhang Wenshan grabbed her arm: "Since we're already late, let's go together later."

Before long, Zhao Dezhu and the others returned after settling their bills, their faces beaming with the joy of surviving a disaster.

The way they looked at Zhang Wenshan again showed more respect.

"Brother Zhang, we really owe you a lot this time!" Zhao Dezhu stepped forward and handed over a stack of money.

In addition to the 3.7 yuan note for selling goods, there was also a 10 yuan note.

Zhang Wenshan pushed back the large ten-yuan note and stopped Zhao Dezhu from speaking: "Brother Zhao, we'll talk about our business later."

After saying that, he pulled his two older sisters to a corner.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Wenhui looked at the money her younger brother handed her, her face full of confusion.

"We'll split the money!" Zhang Wenshan said matter-of-factly.