Our neighborhood has been transported again.

Chapter 28 Cooperation
"Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

Xiao Xuemei looked serious and forced the bag on him: "I know you two brothers are kind-hearted, but you have to set rules for your relationship so that it can last."

"Okay, then I won't be polite." Qin Ziwen took the bag.

Xiao Xuemei looked at Deng Wen sitting on the sofa: "Xiao Wen, stay there and wash an apple for your two brothers."

Deng Wen jumped up from the sofa, grabbed two apples from the fruit basket on the table, and ran into the kitchen.

Xiao Xuemei said, "Xiao Qin, is it alright for you to call me sister-in-law?"

"Sister-in-law, please just say it." Qin Ziwen knew perfectly well that Xiao Xuemei had specially called him and his brother up, bringing fish and fruit, because she probably wanted something from them.

Xiao Xuemei sighed and said, "Your brother-in-law is kind-hearted. That's what I valued when I married him. He's a family man with a stable and reliable personality. He's fine under normal circumstances. With his reliable personality, as long as he has a stable job, it won't be difficult for him to support the family."

But things are different now; we've traveled through time. When I was younger, I also enjoyed reading novels.

At this point, Xiao Xuemei smiled and said, "Back then, time-travel novels were very popular, and I read quite a few. If we had traveled to a civilized place, things might have been better, but now we've traveled to a primeval forest. If it weren't for this community, everyone might have just started living like cavemen."

Qin Ziwen nodded slowly and continued to listen.

Xiao Xuemei said, "Your brother-in-law's personality isn't really suited for this kind of place. He's kind-hearted and easily swayed, so he's easily deceived. I just hope you can guide him a bit more."

"What do you mean, sister-in-law?"

“I used to be in charge of human resources at the company. I think I’m a little better than most people when it comes to judging people. Xiao Qin, although you are decisive, you are a principled person at heart, which is good. You have to follow the rules when doing things.”

Old Deng doesn't have any other hobbies. He doesn't smoke, drink, or gamble. He just likes to go fishing occasionally after get off work. I never thought my family could make a living off his hobby, but I know it won't last long." At this point, Xiao Xuemei sighed. "Fishing isn't difficult to learn, and more and more people in the neighborhood will only start fishing."

"In this section of the river below us, fishing alone can't support so many of us. There will only be more people than fish, and I don't know how long that will last."

“A hero needs three helpers. In this primeval forest, fighting alone is definitely not an option. When you were hunting crocodiles before, you specially reserved a spot for Old Deng. He actually remembered that and knows you're good to him.” Xiao Xuemei said, glancing at her daughter washing apples in the kitchen, and lowered her voice a little: “Old Deng may not be good at much else, but he's very strong and honest. You two brothers seem to have ideas. With him by your side, he can be your helper.”

She paused, her eyes filled with earnestness: "I don't expect him to be very successful. I just hope he can learn something from you and be of some help. The world has changed, and I don't want our daughter to become a burden to him one day."

Old Deng, who was stringing fish hooks on the balcony, had been in the same position for a long time.

At this moment, Deng Wen came out carrying washed apples.

The little girl's eyes sparkled as she brought the plate over: "Brother Qin."

Qin Ziwen nodded silently, picked up an apple from the fruit plate, and weighed it in his palm.

A reassuring smile appeared on his face: "Sister-in-law, I understand what you mean. Brother Deng is an honest man. It's better for us to lend a hand than for one person to bear it alone."

Besides, who says Brother Deng only has strength? He's pretty good at fishing too; today he caught a meter-long giant.

Qin Ziwen glanced at his younger brother, Qin Ziwu, who immediately realized what was going on and chuckled, "Yes, sister-in-law, Brother Deng is a very honest man, we get along well."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuemei's brows relaxed. Deng Guang, on the balcony, coughed and said, "81.3 centimeters."

"Hahahaha." Qin Ziwen laughed. It turned out that after bringing the fish back, Brother Deng had even measured its length.

I just don't know if they took any photos to remember the occasion.

The two families chatted in the house for a while longer. Deng Guang said that they must call him when setting up the fish trap at night. He had specially saved the tigerfish's internal organs and would put them in the trap to attract the fish in the river.

In the afternoon, Qin Ziwen and his younger brother brought equipment for setting rope traps to a place a little further north of the community.

This was the first time the two had ever left their residential area to travel this far, a straight-line distance of more than two hundred meters. The dense forest blocked their view, and they couldn't even see the outline of the residential area from here.

"This is it." Qin Ziwen observed the surrounding environment and finally decided to set up a rope trap under each of the two trees, with dried mulberries inside.

To avoid forgetting, they made subtle marks on the trees along the way with stones.

It is worth mentioning that after six consecutive days of sun exposure, the dried mulberries picked on the first day have been dried and shaped.

At least from the outside, it doesn't look much different from the dried fruit I used to buy in the supermarket.

“Brother, this looks like a plum tree! Our school used to have a lot of them.” On the way back, Qin Ziwu pointed to a tree next to him, then said with some regret, “It looks like the plums on the tree have been picked. Hey, there are still a few over there.”

Following his younger brother's gaze, Qin Ziwen noticed that the few unpicked plums were in positions that were not easy to reach. "It seems someone has been here before."

He thought this was normal, after all, they had been traveling for six days. Although the crocodile hunting operation in the community was a big deal, only three or four hundred people actually participated, and they were mainly concentrated at the south gate of the community and along the riverbank.

In the north and east of the community, and even further to the west, there is such a large area that people will always want to explore.

Without daily settlements, he might have gone down a different path, but now that he has the ability to settle daily accounts, it's better to play it safe.

Of course, it's not about being overly cautious either; taking a certain degree of risk is necessary to achieve a higher score.

Back in the neighborhood, it was getting dark.

The weather is lovely today, with clear skies and a gentle breeze.

The central area of ​​the community has now been transformed into a tacitly agreed-upon area for street vendors.

It's not peak time for street vending yet. The busiest time will come later, after most people who have been out have returned.

Xiao Xuemei told Qin Ziwen all of this. She had come downstairs for a while last night, which was a way for her to relax.

Compared to the unstable trading market of the previous two days, after natural market selection, many people have gradually recognized the value of different things. Now the market prices are stabilizing, creating a unique "value chain" for their community.

(End of this chapter)