Socially Anxious Girl Starts Hoarding Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 159

On the way to Big Jin's house, the Hunter encountered him and took out a hunted animal as a greeting gift.

Big Jin noticed the other's blue eyes and asked if he was a foreigner. The Hunter explained that he was just a minority, not a foreigner.

Jin nodded, observing the other's yellow skin and black hair. Although he knew there were no more national borders now, he still subconsciously distinguished nationalities.

Originally, the Hunter and his wife lived further north, hunting and fishing. Later, they wanted to find a relatively warmer place to grow some crops, which brought them here.

To show a harmonious coexistence, and since they were quite far from the locals, the Hunter asked if they needed to draw boundary lines or set up fences.

Fortunately, the only part that Big Jin and the Hunter shared but hadn't settled on had stones marking the boundary, so they quickly reached an agreement.

The Hunter told Big Jin that he had come mainly to exchange seeds and other things with them.

Since the other's intention was harmless, Big Jin breathed a sigh of relief and agreed to exchange seeds with the new neighbor.

The new neighbor had no intention of conflicting with others but had come here for a better life. It took him a month to build a decent house.

With the crisis resolved between the two families, they both went back to their usual hunting and living routines.

The Hunter and Big Jin scheduled a time, and in seven days, he would come back here to exchange goods with them.

After relieving their guard, Wen Qian and Big Jin grew curious about what the other party would use for exchange.

However, both families felt that as long as the other needed something they had, they should exchange some amount.

Having just moved in, everything at home was likely unsettled, so if the Hunter had come before building the house, perhaps he could have exchanged seeds and planted them earlier.

But then they thought that being in the forest, there didn't seem to be any ready arable land over there either, and they might need to clear the land first.

So compared to farming, it was indeed more important to build the house first.

The Hunter and his wife planned to hunt and fish this year, and at most grow some vegetables to eat.

As for growing crops, they would need to clear the land this year and start farming next year.

For now, they needed to exchange food for this year and seeds for next year.

During this time, Wen Qian made soy sauce at home. She had soy sauce starter, so she tried making two pounds of soybeans.

If she followed the steps well and it turned out good, she would then make a large barrel of it.

She wanted to try making many condiments herself if possible.

After all, this was no longer a world where she could go downstairs to a convenience store and buy ready-made seasonings.

Moreover, she felt that if none of the neighboring families knew how to make these condiments, she could exchange her homemade goods for their hunted animals in the future.

Wen Qian believed that only by mastering more cooking skills could she avoid going hungry due to sudden calamities.

And these calamities included not just natural disasters but also the disappearance of their space. Once learned, these skills would belong to her, ensuring she never went hungry as long as she had the skills.

On the exchange day, the other party, husband and wife, came downstream on a wooden raft.

One person stood at the front, the other at the back, with goods tied in the middle.

Using a raft and going with the flow of the water, their speed was much faster than walking while carrying things.

Little Hu heard the shouting from outside and saw the other party's raft approaching their stairs.

When the Hunter came near the stairs, he jumped onto the shore and tied the rope to a tree. Then he helped his wife onto the shore and began unloading the items from the raft.

Wen Qian was very curious about what the other party would use for exchange, as she thought the Hunter probably only had furs, skins, and meat.

But to her surprise, the first things unloaded were not what she had imagined.

Instead, they were several small jars of various sizes, visibly homemade and irregular.

At this point, the Hunter's wife began speaking to Wen Qian, and she realized the other woman had a foreign appearance.

This beautiful woman with blue eyes and blonde hair, perhaps noticing Wen Qian's surprise, said her first words: "I'm not a foreigner."

"A minority?"

"Yes, yes!" The woman was pleased that Wen Qian put it that way, as minorities living near other countries often had such appearances.

Wen Qian was curious about the jars and bottles, so she asked what was inside.

The woman replied that there were many things, including honey, salt, and fish roe sauce.

While Wen Qian had honey and salt, she had never tried fish roe sauce before, piquing her interest.

"Where are you from? You can even make fish roe sauce?"

Seeing Wen Qian's interest in the fish roe sauce, the woman was delighted, hoping to exchange it for more grains.

At this time, Big Jin also came over with their children, and the two kids were curious about the couple's eye and hair colors.

However, despite their curiosity, the children were a bit shy but polite.

Apart from the jars' contents, the other party brought dried seafood and recently hunted animals.

Given the hot weather, they had visibly salted and sun-dried them.

Their biggest hope was to exchange the seafood and jarred items.

Wen Qian was interested in the fish roe sauce, while Big Jin needed salt. When they first came to this forest, his family had brought a lot of salt, but not enough to last a lifetime.

So of all the items, his family was most interested in exchanging for salt, as they used a lot of it for curing meats like smoked and salted pork.

If they ran out of salt and had to go out to exchange for more, it would be a long journey, and they might not get much.

Wen Qian suggested that Big Jin exchange first. Understanding her meaning, he wanted their salt.

Sure enough, the Hunter asked if he had any grains or seeds.

Big Jin admitted a bit embarrassedly that he had a few kinds - he could exchange a large bag of wheat and some corn.

As for other seeds like peanuts and soybeans, these were what Wen Qian had given or exchanged with his family before, so Big Jin felt awkward using them to trade with the Hunter.

Wen Qian had all those, and seeing Big Jin's expression, she didn't think there was anything wrong, as she had originally given them the seeds for practical use.

Whenever a new neighbor arrives in this area, as long as they have no ill intentions, those who came before need to help them settle in.

If they have no food or drink, and not enough seeds and grains, they might do anything to survive.

Only when they themselves are settled can this place truly become stable.

After all, if there are unstable people around you, trouble is bound to arise.