I trade in both worlds

The next morning, the sun shone through the gaps in the curtains onto the floor of the inn. The group got ready to continue their journey.

In the afternoon, the sun was shining, and seeing that everyone looked tired, Xu Jin suggested that they stop for a while by the roadside so that everyone could go to the bathroom and the horses could have a rest.

So they drove the carriage to the shade of trees at the foot of the mountain.

At this time, an old man with white hair and hunched body came slowly, carrying a load of dried scallops that he had left over from selling.

The old man's name is Chen Da, and he is an ordinary fisherman from the nearby Dashi fishing village. On weekdays, he would pick some dried goods such as scallops and kelp to sell in the town during the market to exchange some money to supplement his family.

He looked at the carriage in front of him and the well-dressed Xu Jin and his group. He wanted to go forward and sell scallops, but he was afraid that his things would not be favored by these nobles, and he was even more afraid of offending someone by accident.

So he could only stand on the side of the road, secretly looking at them with his eyes full of vicissitudes, his heart full of anxiety.

Xu Jin returned conveniently and noticed the old man at a glance. He walked up to him and asked gently, "Old man, is there anything I can help you with?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Da looked up at Xu Jin, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, then he lowered his head again and said nervously, "Sir, would you like to buy some dried scallops? These are dried by my family, and they taste great."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jin walked closer to take a closer look and saw that the scallops were large and round, with complete shapes, plump meat, orange-red color, and a faint sweet smell. They were indeed of high quality.

This kind of quality is hard to buy nowadays. Even if available, it comes from farms, but the ones here are purely wild.

Xu Zhun also came over, picked up the scallops, looked at them, nodded and praised: "This scallop is really good, the meat is firm and the color is good."

Xu Jin nodded and continued to ask: "How much is this?"

"A little more than three pounds. If you want it, it will be three pounds." Chen Xiao answered cautiously, fearing to offend this young man who seemed to be of extraordinary status.

"How much is one pound?" Xu Jin asked again.

"Eighty cents a pound." The old man quoted the price carefully, fearing that the high price would scare away the noble man.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jin calculated in his mind and felt that the price was fair. The price of dried scallops of this quality on the market was no less than one hundred coins per pound.

So he nodded and said, "Give them all to me."

Chen Da immediately smiled, and that smile was full of gratitude and joy.

He couldn't wait to reply: "Okay."

Chen Da handed the dried scallops to Xu Jin and said, "Sir, these dried scallops are delicious. They are especially delicious when used to make porridge or soup. You will definitely not regret buying them."

Xu Jin nodded, took the scallops, paid for them, and asked casually, "Is your village near the sea?"

As Old Man Chen packed up his baskets, he replied, "Yes, our village is by the sea, and it's called Dashi Fishing Village."

Hearing this, Xu Jin's eyes sparkled: "Then every household in your country must have a lot of dry goods."

Chen Da sighed and said, "Yes, there is not much land in our village, and we all make a living by fishing. But this year, life is hard."

After saying that, he hesitated for a moment and asked cautiously, "Sir, do you want any other dry goods? We have a lot of good stuff in our village."

Xu Jin was moved when he heard this and asked, "What dry goods do you have in your village?"

Chen Da's face instantly lit up, as if he saw the dawn of hope.

He quickly put down his burden and began to list them one by one: "There are abalone, sea cucumber, seahorse, fish maw, squid, oysters, dried shrimp, really everything. But..." When he said this, his expression dimmed again.

"Alas." Chen Da sighed, "The merchants who came to buy this year pushed the price too low, and no one was willing to sell. Later, no one came to buy, and no one could sell even if they wanted to."

"No one has come to collect for three or four months. Every household has stockpiled a lot of dried goods. Those merchants have united to lower the price. How can we small fishermen compete with them?"

"Life is difficult this year." As he said this, he shook his head, his eyes full of helplessness and despair.

Xu Jin listened, and an indescribable anger surged in his heart. These merchants, for their own benefit, oppressed the people so much, which was really abominable. He took a deep breath and decided to do something.

Xu Jin thought about it and decided to collect the good stuff from them first, then customize some nice gift boxes, pack them up and take them to Youzhou to sell.

The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and every household will give gifts, especially the wealthy families, so an exquisite gift box will be very impressive.

He looked at Chen Da and asked, "How about I take it? Are you willing to sell it?"

Old man Chen widened his eyes when he heard this, and asked in disbelief, "Sir, do you really want to accept it?"

Xu Jin nodded firmly: "Of course it's real. But I want to see the goods first and then set the price."

Chen Da was so excited that he almost jumped up, and quickly picked up the load: "Come on, I'll take you to our village to see the goods. Don't worry, sir, the dry goods in our village are all top quality."

"Don't be in a hurry. Is this place far from your village?" Xu Jin held Chen Da, who was eager to move forward, and asked with concern.

Not far, not far, just five or six miles over there." Chen Da said, pointing to a mountain not far away, "Over that mountain is our Dashi Fishing Village."

Xu Jin turned to look at the escort leader Zhao Gang and said, "Captain Zhao, do you think we can go to the fishing village and then go back to town to stay overnight?"

Zhao Gang frowned when he heard this, and after a moment's silence, he said, "Sir, I'm afraid this will take up some time. But if you have made up your mind, we will go with you."

Xu Jin looked at Zhao Gang with gratitude, and then asked Chen Da to get in the first car to lead the way.

The group marched towards Dashi Fishing Village in a mighty procession.

A quarter of an hour later, when the carriage drove into Dashi Fishing Village, the dilapidated scene that came into view made Xu Jin and others feel depressed.

The fishing village is located by the mountains and the water. It should be a land of fish and rice, but now there are only dilapidated houses scattered on both sides of the narrow alleys.

The fishermen were ragged, the villagers were pale and thin, and had no clothes to cover their bodies. The children's eyes were full of hunger and helplessness.

The sea breeze, with its saltiness, humidity and sadness, blows through everyone's heart.

Seeing this scene, Xu Jin and others felt sad. He didn't expect that the lives of these fishermen were so difficult.

He turned to Chen Da and asked, "Is this your village?" His eyes were full of disbelief.

Chen Da nodded bitterly: "Yes, sir. This is our Dashi Fishing Village. In the past, the village should be very lively at this time, but this year..."

"Alas, everyone relies on fishing for a living. If we don't sell this year's stock, even our basic livelihood will become a problem."