HPDBC Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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.
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.