Chapter 261 - 228: A Goat

Chapter 261: Chapter 228: A Goat

Zhou Changgong’s schedule was packed, but he had long since grown accustomed to it. Seeing Huai Yu heading out with a basket to pick vegetables, he made his way straight to the pond.

The two barnyard grass trees—one tall, one short—had been in a foul mood for days following the polluted rain. The short one remained unchanged, but the tall one’s reaction was obvious. In the two days right after the rain stopped, Zhou Qian had been inexplicably drenched to the bone every time he came with a bucket to fetch water from the vat.

Fortunately, Big and Second were indestructible. After they wandered around it for two days, the tree became much better behaved.

However, the water still wasn’t clean. The barnyard grass could only filter out physical impurities; it couldn’t remove the pollution. Aside from purifying the vegetable garden, Huai Yu spent all her daily energy dealing with this issue.

Since she was working so hard, what was wrong with wanting to eat a fish?

Yet when Zhou Qian pulled up the ground trap by its rope, it felt empty and weightless. The expensive trap, which had already been repaired once, now sported another gaping hole.

Zhou Qian was speechless.

Forget it. He might as well head to the station and wait for the meat that was supposed to be delivered. Checking the time, he said, "Little Yu, I’m heading to Golden Yuan District now to buy some jars. I’ll check the station when it’s about time."

Seeing him wheeling out the bicycle, Huai Yu quickly called out, "Wait!"

She ran from the vegetable patch back into the house, rummaging around until she produced a vibrant bracelet that was half green and half purple. "I paid for three parking sessions last time, so there are still two left. Use this to cover the fee."

Save where you should, spend where you must—she wasn’t about to let the parking fee go to waste.

Zhou Qian looked down at the bracelet. It was one thing to charge for parking, but using a bracelet as a parking pass was something else entirely. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to praise Golden Yuan District for its formal procedures or criticize its haphazard execution.

Regardless, as long as it worked, it was fine. He hopped on the bike and quickly rode off.

Watching his retreating back, Huai Yu couldn’t help but sigh softly.

Life after the cataclysm was harsh, and everyone had their own heartbreak. Zhou Qian’s eyes were completely bloodshot. She thought, "I’d better get more work done! If he has a lot to keep him busy, he won’t be as sad."

Carrying her basket, she recalled Chen Xing’s request from yesterday and decided to change her strategy. Selling raw vegetables was simply too exhausting. It would be better to process them!

Dried cowpeas, sour cowpeas, pickled chili peppers, roasted peanuts, pickled eggplants... She would make these in large quantities, then have Sister Chen Xing drive over to collect them. With Boss Tang and Uncle Zaozi joining in to help sell them, it would definitely be much more efficient!

Huai Yu’s plan was wonderful, but she had forgotten that Zhou Qian’s standard for food was merely "edible." As a result, an hour later, there was no sign of him.

Two hours later, he still hadn’t returned.

Three hours later, Zhou Qian finally pedaled back on a tricycle, hauling a cart fully loaded with jars, crocks, and barrels.

To say their sizes had absolutely nothing to do with the "jars" and "small vats" she had requested wouldn’t be entirely accurate, but they were certainly far off the mark. In this massive hodgepodge of containers, the smallest glass jar was labeled thirty liters. The largest was a staggering 280 liters—a massive, oversized fermentation barrel.

Zhou Qian unloaded the items from the tricycle. Seeing Huai Yu standing motionless in silence, he asked curiously, "What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to take a look?"

"I already have," Huai Yu sighed. It wasn’t that the containers were unusable, but they were simply too enormous. To fill them up, she would need to restock significantly more oil, salt, and other seasonings.

Still, considering the final products were meant for sale, the larger size was acceptable. It was fortunate that someone in Golden Yuan District was even selling these things! Moreover, with such large barrels, they had to minimize how often they opened them during the summer. Otherwise, if they weren’t careful and a whole barrel spoiled, it would be a huge waste. For their own personal consumption later on, they would still need to buy smaller jars.

Oblivious to the issue, Zhou Qian cheerfully told Huai Yu, "The shopkeeper was just getting ready to change businesses and clear out his inventory. I bought out more than half of his store. The boss was thrilled; he said large barrels and big jars are hard to sell anyway, and he’d been trying to offload them for a long time without success. The last time he had such a straightforward customer was when a girl bought two large water vats in one go..."

He paused, recalling the vat under the barnyard grass tree and the one they used for storing water inside the house. The realization suddenly hit him. "There’s only one shop that sells vats in Golden Yuan District!"

"What did you expect?" Huai Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Large vats weren’t necessities, nor were they consumables. Plus, they were incredibly difficult to transport. The reason the shop owner wanted to change businesses was likely because, from March until now, the two of them had been his only customers.

Looking closely at the barrels, she could see they were coated in a thick layer of dust.

Zhou Qian didn’t mind at all and instead grew even more excited. "I saw some smaller jars and things in the shop too. Do you still need them? If so, I’ll go back and fetch them."

Huai Yu thought for a moment before replying, "Sure."

Once the vegetables were pickled and ready to be sold to Chen Xing, they couldn’t exactly pack them in gunny sacks, could they? Even if Chen Xing returned the jars, it would take some time, so having more on hand was definitely for the best.

Zhou Qian laughed. "Alright! Perfect timing, too—a mutated young goat was delivered today. It weighs over sixty catties. I had too much stuff to fit it on this trip, so I’ll bring it back later."

A young goat!

Huai Yu instantly perked up. "Hurry, hurry! It’s so hot out; if we don’t eat it soon, it’ll go to waste!" Grabbing a hoe, she added, "I’m going to dig up some potatoes!"

Among all the vegetables planted in the field, potatoes were the best pairing for mutton. Next year... next year she absolutely had to plant a lot more! But wait, how was she supposed to store sixty catties of meat? The weather was simply too hot. Even lowering it into the well wouldn’t keep it fresh for more than a couple of days.

She desperately wanted to buy a large freezer. But after calculating her current Contribution Points and factoring in the electricity bill, a wave of melancholy washed over her at the realization of her sheer poverty.

...

With the goat now present, Huai Yu completely forgot about her vegetables. Staring at the mostly thawed carcass, she grimaced. "They didn’t bleed it when they butchered it. The meat won’t taste nearly as good now."

Zhou Qian gave it a glance. "This goat was likely raised by a farmer before the cataclysm. You should just be glad it was gelded, otherwise the gamey stench would be overpowering."

Complaints aside, it had been a long time since their last meat meal. Huai Yu happily pulled out a knife. "Do you think the wool from a mutated goat is better than what’s sold on the market? I’ll shave some off first and see."

Zhou Qian then asked, "Are there any chores around the house that need extra hands?"

Huai Yu looked up at him. "You..."

Zhou Qian flashed a wide grin. "If there’s work to be done, I’ll go call some guys from the camp over to our place. We can have a whole roasted goat today.

"If not, then forget it. I’ll roast this goat a bit drier so it can last a few days in this heat."

Huai Yu thought for a moment before asking, "Do they know how to weave bamboo baskets, dustpans, and drying trays?"

"If they don’t know how to do any of that, I’ll still welcome them as long as everyone brings a bag of salt!"

The art of weaving was evidently too niche, and Zhou Qian honestly couldn’t guarantee that his comrades knew how to do it. However, having each of them bring a bag of salt was absolutely no problem. He laughed and said, "Deal! While I’m at it, I’ll go ask the logistics team how they store their supplies these days."

Given Flower City’s climate, the scorching summer heat was going to last a long time. They couldn’t just throw a massive feast and invite people over to eat and drink every single time they got their hands on some meat, could they?