"I still have a few questions," Jing Shu said. She stroked her chin while her gaze followed a cluster of smaller bugs scurrying across the damp ceiling.
"Go ahead," Wen Jun replied. He stood a little straighter, ready to answer everything. Since both sides planned to tie their interests together, they could ask whatever they wanted. In return, the villagers would finally have enough food. They had not eaten rice, salt, or fresh vegetables for over six months, let alone eggs or milk. Those were luxuries they had almost forgotten existed.
Although bug meat was abundant and full of protein, and the bugs themselves were massive, there were still plenty of drawbacks to a diet consisting of nothing but gastropods.
"Of these 2,000-plus eggs, can they hatch according to specific types? For example, can you make them all digging-type gastropods?" This was important because the different castes varied greatly in utility.
Wen Jun shook his head. The flashlight beam wobbled as he gestured toward the incubation racks. "The ratio is predetermined in the mother. Digging-type gastropods are only about a tenth of the brood, 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. She felt a hint of regret that only a few diggers hatched each month. She wanted more of them to dig tunnels, but there was still plenty of time. Deep down, she felt the diggers would be useful for more than just survival.
"No problem," Wen Jun said. If they didn't hatch them, the eggs would just stay frozen in the incubation room anyway.
"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 are not around, these bugs might not be so friendly to us, right?"
Xiao Wei thought for a moment, her brow pinching. "They are mindless insects. They follow my orders, even to the point of suicide. If the instructions are tricky, I can control their bodies directly. Their genes give them a lifelong mission from birth. Weirdly, I know roughly where each bug is, no matter how far away it goes. It's like we are always in touch. There's no sense of distance."
"That's good. You are 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 the others handle it? Have you thought about moving somewhere closer?"
Jing Shu frowned as she considered the logistics. At bug speed, it would take at least ten days for a round trip. Driving took a long time too, even at slow speeds over the ruined roads. Letting the bugs move the goods saved fuel and transport costs. Otherwise, she didn't even want to think about how many trucks they would need. The fuel alone might cost more than the bugs were worth.
Jun Bao nodded beside her. "Yeah, when we came, lots of villagers had already moved toward the city. There are abandoned towns at the entrances with better conditions than this place."
Xiao Wei looked at Wen Jun. He hesitated, his fingers tightening on the flashlight. "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 together. She looked excited as she 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 Qian Duoduo for the supplies Xiao Wei needed. He needed to stockpile lots of cheap grain anyway.
Her family didn't have enough food for dozens of extra people. Everything in her stores was precious, and she wouldn't give it away for free. Even eating vegetables was hard right now. She would just act as a middleman.
Some of the stock might even go to the government to repay her debts. Jing Shu glanced sideways at Jun Bao. If he knew, it would be like Jin Tianci knowing she had a batch of bugs. She had to sell some to the government eventually.
She thoughtfully asked Jun Bao, "Do you want to buy some bugs too?"
He waved her off with a quick motion. "No, no." He had a bolder plan in mind.
Perfect. That left a batch for stocking for next year.
Jing Shu continued, "Xiao Wei, here is how the market works. Food is the most expensive; fruits, eggs, milk, and snacks are luxuries. Grain is running low, so rice and flour are pricey. Then come 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 and smiled bitterly. Last year had been exactly 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 will find it for you."
Jing Shu thought about what Duoduo still had to trade. It wasn't much. Recently, Shiyuan had tightened their belts, drying fresh vegetables for future use.
A 400-kilogram bug could only get five kilograms of rice.
It was less than they had expected, but at least everything could be acquired, and the variety was decent. Wen Jun calculated the numbers 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 exchanged a glance, then nodded. "Alright. We will trade 200 bugs this time. From 100 bugs, we want rice and flour, a total of 500 kilograms. Ten bugs for sweet potatoes, 150 kilograms. Thirty bugs for dried vegetables, 90 kilograms. Twenty quilts. Two hundred eggs. Twenty kilograms of milk. Five kilograms of salt. One ton of fuel. As for the remaining five bugs, throw in some snacks. Dried fruit, chocolate, sunflower seeds, instant noodles, sausages, anything like that is fine."