“How expensive is it?” Lin Fan felt baffled. How expensive could a chicken be to the point that ordinary people couldn't afford it?
“Twenty-five yuan a jin, live weight, not plucked and gutted,” the man in the baseball cap said.
“It is a bit expensive, though.” Lin Fan did some mental calculation. A live chicken, not plucked, would weigh about five or six jin, so even the cheapest one would be over one hundred and twenty yuan.
He remembered that a few days ago, his sister-in-law bought a live chicken weighing seven or eight jin from someone else, and it only cost her over sixty yuan.
Although part of that was because the seller was doing him a favor, this price difference was still too significant.
“If you’re not buying it, then fine. I’ll go deliver it to someone else.”
“Really, cheap goods are no good, and good goods are not cheap.”
“You don’t even understand this simple truth?”
The man in the baseball cap waved his hand impatiently, about to get into his car and leave.
“Wait a moment, I’ll buy them.” Lin Fan had just driven out. He was concerned about the蛊虫 (gu worms) that were sealed in the cave, so he wanted to buy some live animals to send to them.
He just hadn't expected the price to be so astonishing.
The man in the baseball cap pointed to the back of his van, “Pick one yourself.”
“I’ll take them all,” Lin Fan said. He scanned the van; there were still twelve or thirteen chickens left. They might not even be enough for the army of 蛊虫 to eat in one meal.
“Are you sure you want them all?” the man in the baseball cap asked, somewhat surprised, thinking Lin Fan was joking.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Lin Fan pointed to his own minivan, “I drove here anyway.”
“These chickens are worth about fifteen hundred yuan.” The man in the baseball cap didn’t seem entirely reassured. Usually, individual customers would buy at most two or three chickens.
“What do you do?” he asked.
“I… I’m going back to my hometown, buying a few to give as gifts.” Lin Fan didn’t waste any words and directly took out a wad of red bills from his pocket.
Seeing the money, the man in the baseball cap finally relaxed.
Working together, they quickly loaded the dozen or so chickens into the minivan.
“That’s seventy-eight jin in total,” the man in the baseball cap said, holding a calculator and slowly calculating, “The price for individual customers is twenty-five, and the wholesale price is twenty-two, same as for restaurants. You can go and ask yourself if you don’t believe me.”
He pointed to the firewood chicken restaurant.
“No need, I believe you.”
Lin Fan asked curiously, “Brother, how is your business? I see you’re still out here running around late at night.”
“So-so, just making a living,” the man in the baseball cap said absentmindedly.
Lin Fan understood in his heart that his business was probably doing well, and this guy was just saying that to prevent him from poaching his customers.
“It’s seventeen hundred and twenty yuan in total. I’ll round it down for you, seventeen hundred, okay?” the man in the baseball cap asked tentatively.
“Okay.” Lin Fan readily agreed, counted out seventeen bills, and handed them over.
The man in the baseball cap took the money with one hand and handed Lin Fan a business card with the other.
“Here’s my card. If you want free-range chickens again in the future, just find me. The quality is absolutely guaranteed.”
“Alright.”
They each got into their vehicles and drove away.
The night deepened, and a cold wind whistled.
Lin Fan’s nostrils were filled with the smell of chicken droppings as he drove his minivan sluggishly towards Luofeng Village.
Cluck cluck cluck~
The roosters in the back squawked loudly from time to time.
Due to the poor road conditions, Lin Fan dared not speed up, feeling extremely helpless.
He used to think Tian Mengyao’s driving skills weren’t great, but now, driving it himself, it was even less commendable.
After finally reaching the crossroads that marked the border between Luofeng Village and Wangjia Village, Lin Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“My goodness, would it have been faster if I had walked back?”
“I shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”
Lin Fan reached out and touched his forehead; it was covered in cold sweat. Earlier, when going downhill, there was a ditch right beside him, and the road was uneven. This sweat was purely from fear.
He carefully maneuvered the steering wheel, and the minivan made a wide turn, wobbling onto the road leading into the village.
The headlights swept across, and a conspicuous SUV was parked outside the medical clinic.
“Mengyao?” Lin Fan was surprised for a moment and drove the minivan forward unsteadily.
“Brake, that’s enough, brake!” Tian Mengyao jumped out of the SUV and yelled at Lin Fan to stop the minivan.
“Mengyao, why are you here?”
“Xiao Fan, are you alright?”
Tian Mengyao looked at Lin Fan with concern. Seeing that he was intact, with no missing limbs or parts, she finally relaxed.
“What, you’re worried I wouldn’t be able to drive back?”
Lin Fan laughed heartily, “Who do you think I am? Driving a car is nothing. I could even carry the car back if I had to.”
“Laugh, laugh, laugh. You have no idea how worried I was about you,” Tian Mengyao glared at Lin Fan angrily.
“Worried about what?” Lin Fan reached out to pinch Tian Mengyao’s pretty face, but she slapped his hand away.
“I’m asking you, didn’t you say you were going to Xiajigou? Why did you go into the city by yourself?”
Tian Mengyao’s eyes were red. “Driving in the countryside, at most you’d fall into a ditch or get a scratch. But in the city, there are so many cars, it could be life-threatening!”
After saying that, tears began to stream down her face.
“Don’t cry, I’m back safely, aren’t I?” Lin Fan gently reached out to wipe the tears from Tian Mengyao’s face.
The temperature dropped at night, and Tian Mengyao had waited outside for a long time. She only got into the car to sit for a while when she couldn’t bear the cold any longer.
Lin Fan’s finger traced Tian Mengyao’s pretty face. The icy, smooth skin and the warmth of her tears, two vastly different temperatures, moved him greatly.
Coming home late, and having a woman waiting outside, anxiously worried about him, what a happy thing this was!
“I’ll never let you drive alone again. You’re not even allowed to touch the steering wheel,” Tian Mengyao said between sobs.
“Okay, if you say I can’t drive, I won’t.”
“Hire a driver in the future. I definitely won’t worry you.”
Lin Fan’s lips curved into a smile as he affectionately cupped Tian Mengyao’s face.
Tian Mengyao sniffled, “The driver can only be male.”
Lin Fan was exasperated and amused. “What time is it? You’re still thinking about that.”
“What, am I wrong?” Tian Mengyao glared fiercely at Lin Fan.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right.” Lin Fan smiled gently and suddenly said, “Before that, could you please help me drive the car up the mountain?”
Tian Mengyao raised her eyebrows, “It’s pitch black, why are you going up the mountain?”
Lin Fan made a small circle with his hands, “They’re hungry.”
“They are…” Tian Mengyao was stunned for a moment before she realized Lin Fan was talking about the 蛊虫.
“I’m having a safe made. It’s almost ready. When it’s done, I’ll lock them in and sink it into the river. Then it’ll all be over.”
“This…”
Lin Fan was speechless.
Sinking it into the water might not necessarily be the end of it!
Those little fellows were incredibly resilient and impervious to water and fire. Who knew if they could gnaw their way out of the safe.
If that happened, the trouble would be immense.
Give them one day, how many lives would be lost?