Chapter 19

Xili Village's convenience store indeed buys pill bugs, at a price of 5 yuan per kilogram, and pays in cash.

However, Xiao Fei had no intention of selling tonight's harvest to the village convenience store.

There were two reasons for this.

First, the price was much lower than that of the collection points in the county town, where wet pill bugs could be sold for 16 yuan per kilogram, and dried ones for 36 yuan per kilogram. Selling to the village convenience store would mean a significant loss, which was not cost-effective.

The second reason was that if he and his brother brought so many pill bugs to the convenience store tomorrow, the method they used to catch the pill bugs would no longer be a secret. Many people would surely ask questions.

Catching over 300 kilograms of pill bugs in one night would be a sensational event in Xili Village.

It would be impossible to keep it a secret.

Many people would likely start closely watching their every move, and this simple method would soon become a public secret.

Why do something that offers no benefits?

Xiao Fei explained this to Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang nodded in agreement: "Fei, you're smart and think long-term. Let's do as you say. Now, let's go back quickly."

"Brother, we can't leave yet. Wait another one or two hours, and we can collect another round. Although the second round will yield much less, it will still be a significant harvest," Xiao Fei quickly stopped him.

"What? We can collect another round?" Xiao Yang's eyes widened.

"Yes!" Xiao Fei nodded.

In his previous life, some people even collected a third round in one night and still managed to get a good harvest.

Xiao Yang now followed Xiao Fei's advice without question. Since Xiao Fei said so, he would definitely listen. So, the two of them sat on the cart, smoking and resting.

It was already around 9:30 PM, and the heat outside had mostly dissipated. The brothers had broken a sweat while collecting pill bugs, and now, with the sweat drying, the damp clothes stuck to their bodies, making Xiao Fei feel a chill to the bone.

The night was very quiet.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle—"

The sound of the cotton bollworms eating the leaves could be heard clearly.

The most delightful sound was the "sizzling" noise made by the pill bugs in the burlap bags as they squeezed and jostled each other. Although it was a bit harsh, the thought that they represented hard cash made him feel extremely happy.

The night was long, and waiting was always tedious.

"Brother, what would you most like to do if we had money in the future?" Xiao Fei asked, trying to make conversation.

Xiao Yang yawned and rubbed his eyes: "Build a big house. Our house is too dilapidated and not big enough. It's almost become a source of worry for our parents."

"Building a house is a must, but what else? I want to know your greatest wish," Xiao Fei asked again.

"My greatest wish?" Xiao Yang pointed to his nose.

"Yep."

Xiao Yang looked at his brother and grinned: "My greatest wish is for you to get into college. If we have money, we can support you through college, and our parents won't have to worry about your tuition."

This answer was quite unexpected for Xiao Fei.

It also deeply moved him.

"Brother, you don't need to worry about my college tuition. I'll figure it out myself. As the eldest son of the Xiao family, the most important thing for you now is to find a wife, have a child, and give our parents something to play with. They've been worrying about your marriage so much that their hair has turned white," Xiao Fei said.

Building a house and getting married were closely related.

Without a new house, no girl would be willing to marry. This was true even in the future. In the future, one of the basic conditions a mother-in-law would look for in a son-in-law was a house. Without a house, everything was off the table, and many men would be left without a wife.

So, for the Xiao family, a house was the main issue.

"My situation is not a big deal. What's the harm in being a bachelor for life? So, Fei, you don't need to worry about me," Xiao Yang said with a carefree expression.

This made Xiao Fei feel even more guilty.

In his previous life, his college tuition was raised by his brother. After he graduated and started working, he was busy with his own life and didn't do much to repay his brother.

Brother, in this life, I will definitely not let you suffer so much again! Xiao Fei said to himself.

Two hours later, the brothers went back to work.

This time, there were fewer pill bugs gathering to eat the bait, but after one round of collection, they each picked up about half a bucket, totaling over 70 kilograms.

With this, the night's "pill bug hunting" was a complete success.

The brothers roughly calculated that they had caught over 400 kilograms in one night.

They loaded their harvest onto the cart and made their way back to the village, trudging through the mud.

At this time, a moon like a jade disk hung in the southern sky, and the moonlight bathed the village in a tranquil light.

By the position of the moon, it was around midnight.

Small insects chirped softly in their ears.

As they entered the village, the village dogs began to bark.

At first, it was just one, but soon all the dogs in the village were barking wildly.

A few people sleeping by the roadside lifted their sleepy heads to look, saw nothing unusual, and continued to sleep soundly.

They arrived at their home, and Xiao Fei quietly opened the gate. Xiao Yang pulled the cart into the yard.

"Do you even know how to come home!?" a low, angry voice roared.

A dark figure emerged from the house—it was their father.

Then, their mother also came out.

This startled the two brothers.

"Father, Mother, you haven't slept yet?" Xiao Fei quickly put on a pleading smile and approached.

"How can we sleep when you two disobedient brats don't come home? Tell me, where have you been? If your reason isn't good enough, I'll beat you to death!" Father growled in a low voice, like a fierce tiger ready to pounce.

Xiao Fei was speechless.

Was he that angry?

Calling his own sons "brats"—what did that make the two of them? This was worth considering.

"Father, Mother, we went to the hill to collect pill bugs. Look, we collected over 400 kilograms!" Xiao Yang avoided his father's anger and began to show off their achievement.

"What? Collect pill bugs? And 400 kilograms? Are you dreaming?" Father came over, snatched the flashlight from Xiao Fei's hand, and shone it into the two buckets on the cart.

The flashlight had been used all night, and the battery was almost dead.

In the dim light, Father saw the buckets filled with countless pill bugs, making a "sizzling" noise. The buckets were almost full to the brim.

Father's mouth dropped open.

His jaw remained agape for a long time.

His eyes were wide open, and he stood there in shock.

Mother was in no better state.

"Father, these two burlap bags are also full of pill bugs. Don't believe me? Feel them," Xiao Yang said proudly, showing off to his father.

"How, how did you manage to catch so many pill bugs?" Father finally managed to ask, his voice trembling.