"I still have a few questions," Jing Shu said, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
"Go ahead," Wen Jun replied, ready to answer everything. Since both sides planned to tie their interests together, they could ask whatever they wanted. In return, they'd have to provide enough food. They hadn't eaten rice, salt, or vegetables for over six months, let alone eggs or milk, the real luxuries.
Although bug meat was abundant, full of protein and some salt, and the bugs themselves were huge—good for eating meat—there were still plenty of drawbacks.
"Of these 2,000-plus eggs, can they hatch according to specific types? For example, all as digging-type gastropods?" This was important because different types of gastropods varied greatly.
Wen Jun shook his head. "The ratio is predetermined in the mother. Digging-type gastropods are only about a tenth, and fighters are only a small portion."
"Then could you set aside the fighters and diggers? They might come in handy later," Jing Shu said with a hint of regret. Only a few digging-type gastropods hatched each month. She wanted more to dig tunnels, but there was still plenty of time. Deep down, she felt diggers would be useful.
"No problem," Wen Jun said. Otherwise, they'd just stay frozen in the incubation room.
"Xiao Wei, how far can you control the bugs? How do you make them obey? In future trades and transport, that's a big concern. If you're not around, these bugs might not be so friendly to us, right?"
Xiao Wei thought for a moment. "They're mindless insects. They follow my orders, even to the point of suicide. If the instructions are tricky, I can control their bodies. Their genes give them a lifelong mission from birth. Weirdly, I know roughly where each bug is, no matter how far. It's like we're always in touch, with no sense of distance."
"That's good. You're deep in the Tianshan Mountains right now. For monthly trades, the best way is to have your bugs carry the goods out themselves. Our people can wait at the mountain entrance. As long as the bugs obey you, nothing will go wrong. But the mountains are getting colder. Can others handle it? Have you thought about moving somewhere closer?"
Jing Shu frowned. At bug speed, it'd take at least ten days round trip. Driving took a long time too, even at slow speeds. Letting bugs move the goods saved fuel and transport costs. Otherwise, how many trucks would they need? The fuel alone might cost more than the bugs were worth.
Jun Bao nodded. "Yeah, when we came, lots of villagers had already moved toward the city. There are abandoned towns at the entrances with better conditions than here."
Xiao Wei looked at Wen Jun. He hesitated. "This is serious. The outside world is dangerous. It increases the risk of exposing Xiao Wei."
Jing Shu suggested, "Then let the digging-type gastropods make a tunnel to the mountain entrance. Roads will get harder to traverse later. A dedicated trade route makes transporting goods easier, and you'll have an escape route if anything happens."
Xiao Wei looked a bit embarrassed. "We tried digging a way out before, but we didn't know the direction. We dug randomly for a long time and never found the exit."
"That's easy. This time, follow us."
Seeing that things on Jing Shu's side were fine, Xiao Wei rubbed her hands, a bit excited, and asked, "So, how do we trade? What can we exchange for?"
Jing Shu planned to collect the bugs, slightly mark up the price, and trade them with Duoduo for the supplies Xiao Wei needed. Duoduo needed to stockpile lots of cheap grain anyway.
Her family didn't have enough food for dozens of people. Everything was precious, and Jing Shu wouldn't give it away. Even eating vegetables was hard right now. She'd just act as a middleman.
Some might even go to the government to repay debts. Jing Shu glanced sideways at Jun Bao. If he knew, it'd be like Jin Tianci knowing she had a batch of bugs. She had to sell some to the government.
She thoughtfully asked Jun Bao, "Do you want to buy some bugs too?"
He waved her off. "No, no." He had a bolder plan.
Perfect, that left a batch for stocking, for next year.
Jing Shu continued, "Xiao Wei, here's how the market works. Food is the most expensive, fruits, eggs, milk, snacks are luxuries. Grain is running low, so rice and flour are pricey. Then vegetables. After that, winter cotton bedding and clothes. Lastly, daily necessities. Salt and vitamins the government can subsidize, but extra purchases are expensive."
Wen Jun nodded, smiling bitterly. Last year was the same.
"One gastropod can be exchanged for five kilograms of rice or flour, 15 kilograms of sweet potatoes, 10 kilograms of vegetables, three kilograms of dried vegetables, one quilt and five cotton clothes, 20 eggs, two kilograms of milk, one kilogram of salt, one kilogram of seasonal fruits, or 50 kilograms of waste fuel. If you want anything else, tell me and I'll find it for you."
Jing Shu thought about what Duoduo still had to trade. Not much. Recently, Shiyuan tightened their belts, drying fresh vegetables for future use.
A 400-kilogram bug could only get five kilograms of rice.
It was less than expected, but at least everything could be acquired, and the variety was decent. Wen Jun calculated and found that if they followed the breeding schedule, they could not only feed the village but also trade for plenty of extra supplies.
Xiao Wei and Wen Jun agreed, "Then let's trade 200 bugs this time. Give us rice and flour from 100 bugs (500 kilograms), sweet potatoes from 10 bugs (150 kilograms), dried vegetables from 30 bugs (90 kilograms), 20 quilts, 10 eggs (200 eggs), 10 milk (20 kilograms), 5 salt (5 kilograms), 10 fuel (1 ton), and maybe some snacks from the remaining 5 bugs? Dried fruit, chocolate, sunflower seeds, instant noodles, or sausages are all fine."