Chapter 57

These people mostly couldn't read, and some might not even know how to do arithmetic, so at this moment, Mr. Bian had to act as a translator. Mr. Bian truly found it hard to understand the thoughts of the 'Demon Dragon' master, who seemed genuinely interested in commerce. In the end, Mr. Bian could only sigh, thinking that since he had seen few demons, all demons should be like the master before him.

Lin Bei was indeed very interested now, especially since he was doing a monopoly business. This sense of satisfaction was something Lin Bei had never experienced before. However, he noticed that the things these people wanted were quite regular, roughly divided into two categories.

The first category was fur, and the second was meat, like the whole animals Zhen Ba wanted, but they were all bears or tigers. Let's look at their lists: the Li family merchant wanted a thousand wild chickens, over six pounds each, with complete feathers, one gold per chicken, and a deposit of one hundred gold. The Tie family merchant wanted fifty wolf skins, no meat, also requiring complete skins, five hundred coins per skin, and a deposit of five gold. The Gui family merchant wanted ten scorched bone snakes, alive, over two meters long, with a price increase for those over three meters. The scorched bone snake is also known as the five-step snake. According to this servant, his master wanted to use it to make medicinal wine. As for those who wanted whole bears and tigers, they were usually from wealthier families. Bear skins and tiger heads would make others feel they were high-class.

Lin Bei naturally accepted all of these requests. There were still many of these things in Fushan, and catching some wouldn't cause an imbalance in the ecosystem. However, what puzzled Lin Bei was that no one wanted wild boars. After asking Mr. Bian, he learned that pork was rarely eaten even by commoners, considered a low-quality food, and wild boar skin had a strong, unpleasant smell, making it very difficult to process.

Fine, take it or leave it, Lin Bei didn't care. There's demand only if there's a market. Lin Bei couldn't force it. After the negotiations, Lin Bei started collecting the deposits.

Some people had brought money, but when Lin Bei saw the deposits, he was immediately stunned: "You mean this is what you call gold?"

The so-called gold these people brought was in the form of long bars, each weighing one pound, or one gold. However, Lin Bei could tell at a glance that this was not gold but brass. Was he being taken for a fool? Lin Bei was furious. He wanted gold, not brass. One word made a huge difference.

"Master, this is indeed gold," one person said cautiously.

"This is clearly copper, gold is gold."

"Ah..." These people were stunned.

Mr. Bian was also stunned for a moment, then quickly explained: "Master, this is red gold, which is indeed gold. There are also white gold and gold, but those are almost exclusively for imperial use. In the civilian world, red gold is used."

"Is that true?"

"Of course it is," Mr. Bian affirmed.

Lin Bei's first impression was that he had been cheated. Although he didn't have much use for gold now, he could collect it. Collecting a pile of brass was useless. How hard was this business?

"Master, what about this?" Mr. Bian asked.

Lin Bei pondered for a moment. If the other party paid with brass, he felt he was losing a lot. Catching mountain goods wasn't easy. "Right, are there locusts outside?" Lin Bei was preparing to change the terms of the deal.

"Locusts?" Mr. Bian nodded. "There are, especially in drought years when locusts cause disasters. Although this year's locust disaster has passed, there are still locusts. Why do you ask, Master?"

"This red gold you call is useless to me, but since the deal is already made, I don't want to back out. I happen to need locusts, so why don't we use locusts for the transaction?"

"Locusts can be used for transactions?" Mr. Bian was surprised.

"Transactions are based on mutual consent. I can make a transaction when I need something," Lin Bei said. "What do you think? Any objections?"

These people naturally had no objections. Locusts were well-known, appearing every year, especially during droughts. Children could catch a few and tie them with ropes to make them jump. This was a very common thing, not worth much. But since the demon master wanted to use locusts for transactions, they would go along with it. They weren't losing anything.

"Master, how should we calculate the locusts?"

"Mu Tou, come here." Lin Bei called Mu Tou over. "Make me a wooden container, about the size of a liter of rice."

Mu Tou was skilled in carpentry and quickly made a simple wooden container. A liter of rice is about 1.25 pounds, so the container wasn't large. Lin Bei pointed to the container: "The locusts will go in here, about twenty at a time. Five containers for one wild chicken or rabbit, how about that?"

"Master, locusts are cheap. I think ten containers," Mr. Bian interjected.

These people were initially delighted when Lin Bei suggested five containers for one wild chicken, thinking it was a great deal. Even children could catch ten or eight containers in one trip, which would be two rabbits. Now, with Mr. Bian's suggestion, two rabbits became one. Although Mr. Bian was a scholar, these people glared at him, thinking he was cutting off their source of income.

Lin Bei shook his head and didn't change it. At this time of year, locusts wouldn't be as numerous, especially since autumn was approaching. Even if these people could take advantage of it, it wouldn't last long. Besides, it was better for them to take advantage, so they would remember Lin Bei's kindness. When Lin Bei needed something in the future, these people would be the first to respond. This was the principle of giving before taking.

Moreover, Lin Bei really needed the locusts, not for himself, as he didn't have a taste for them, even though they were indeed delicious when fried and high in fat. He intended to use them as food for the little snakes, drying them to make feed.

"Thank you, Master."

"Thank you, Master."

"Master is truly kind."

Lin Bei didn't change his mind, and these people were delighted, showering him with praise. These were servants of wealthy families, also part of the poor class. Lin Bei's transaction gave them a way to earn money, and even if the mountain goods weren't for their masters, the money they earned could improve their lives.

"Master is indeed kind," Mr. Bian sighed, then sternly told these people, "You must work hard and not辜负 (neglect) Master's kindness."

Lin Bei was a bit embarrassed. It wasn't that serious. To him, it was just a transaction.