Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Exchanging Information

Dawn was breaking, and rays of sunlight streamed from the east like silken threads.

"CLUCK— CLUCK CLUCK—"

The diligent rooster stood on the wall of the An family’s courtyard, letting out a crow.

When it turned its head and saw the coop with only three hens left, it crowed even more vigorously.

"CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK—"

"Alright, alright, we’re up."

An Ning lifted the door curtain and walked out of the house.

The rooster flapped its wings and flew down from the wall. It landed beside the coop and waited for An Ning.

An Ning walked over, just in time to see her rooster kick three eggs toward her with one foot.

"Look at you, collecting eggs now."

An Ning bent over, picked up the three eggs, and then squatted on the ground.

"Why do I get the feeling you’ve been especially helpful lately?"

"CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK—"

The rooster clucked several times, but alas, even An Ning with her spiritual power couldn’t understand what it was saying.

"You’re sounding a little overeager."

Carrying the three eggs, An Ning went inside.

Its mission complete, the rooster began to strut about, its gait radiating joy and smugness. ’Another day survived.’

An Ning placed the eggs in the family basket, which now held only a few.

"We go through these pretty fast."

"What’s pretty fast?"

An Guoqing came in carrying an armful of firewood and glanced at the egg basket.

"Sis, I want to ask you something."

An Ning pulled on the basket’s rope, hoisting it back up to the ceiling beam and tying it off securely.

"What did you want to ask, Big Brother?"

An Guoqing set down the firewood and leaned in. "Sis, you said there are a lot of buyers but not many sellers right now, right?"

"That’s right."

"So, if I were to raise some chickens, ducks, rabbits, and so on, do you think people would buy them?"

An Guoqing scratched his head good-naturedly. "I don’t know how to do much else. I can farm, and I can raise a few animals. I’m pretty good at it."

An Ning nodded at once. "I know you’re a good breeder, Big Brother. Not one of the bunnies out back has died."

An Ning was pleased. ’Big Brother’s idea is actually a great one.’

She would handle the planting, her big brother would handle the livestock, and her second and younger brothers each had their own affairs. A family could only maintain its balance when everyone had their own venture.

"Big Brother, I think that’s a wonderful idea. I’m sure people will buy them."

"Heh heh, really?" An Guoqing said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "It wasn’t my idea. Your sister-in-law thought of it."

"Wow, Sister-in-law is amazing."

"She is!"

An Guoqing said with great pride. His wife was incredible.

In fact, he had been attracted to her sharp-wittedness from the start; that’s why they’d hit it off.

After talking with An Guoqing, An Ning headed out and up the mountain.

As for raising chickens and rabbits, they could discuss it further when she returned.

After heading up the mountain and walking for a while, An Ning finally saw Jiang Xia and Da Huang.

Jiang Xia was chewing on a blade of wild grass, sitting on a fallen log. Beside him, a bored Da Huang was digging a hole.

When he saw An Ning, he didn’t say a word. He just lifted his wrist to check the time, then shook his head.

"You never said what time."

Not feeling the least bit guilty, An Ning walked a few steps closer and sat on the other end of the log.

Jiang Xia froze in the middle of checking his watch. ’Now that I think about it, I guess I didn’t specify a time.’

"I didn’t say anything. Just checking the time, that’s all."

Having secured his retreat, Jiang Xia turned to speak, only to see An Ning holding out a rectangular box.

"What’s this? Trying to bribe me? Hold on, what are you planning to ask? I’m a man of principle, you know."

An Ning placed the box between them and glanced up at Jiang Xia.

"You think too much. You’ll lose your hair."

Jiang Xia subconsciously touched his hair. Seeing An Ning’s unabashed grin, he gave a speechless purse of his lips.

"Alright, let’s see what this is."

Jiang Xia picked up the box and opened it. Inside was a sheet of paper.

"What’s this for? A letter of guarantee?"

"Seriously, overthinking will be the death of you."

After her reflexive comeback, An Ning reached in, took out the paper, and unfolded it.

"The drawing I promised you. I recall *someone* saying they would pay for it."

Jiang Xia looked at the drawing An Ning unfolded. It was a familiar face: Jiang Dongcheng.

It wasn’t just a single drawing on the sheet of paper, but a small, multi-panel comic strip.

From the brigade leader swatting with a broom to villagers holding clubs, to the thrown cabbages and weeds—every detail of Jiang Dongcheng’s pathetic escape, right down to his expression, was vividly brought to life.

"Hahaha! Excellent! Brilliantly drawn! I’ll buy it!"

Jiang Xia happily pulled out twenty yuan and carefully put the drawing away like a treasured possession.

"So, what did you want to ask?"

The two of them finally got to the topic of the day.

An Ning turned slightly to the side and asked her first question.

"I want to know, if I create something new, what measures can I take to ensure that others who use my creation have to pay me?"

"You’re talking about a patent."

Jiang Xia was worldly and well-informed. While he wasn’t an expert on the subject, he knew about it.

"We don’t have a patent law at the moment, though other countries do. But I estimate it won’t be more than a few years before we’re sure to have one."

An Ning was a little disappointed. The law was something she couldn’t control.

In other words, anything she invented now could only be sold for a one-time profit.

Jiang Xia knew An Ning was very clever, on par with himself.

"Actually, you could still sign some legal agreements. That would also guarantee you a certain amount of profit."

"Thank you, I’ll consider it."

An Ning didn’t reject Jiang Xia’s kind suggestion. She proceeded to her second question.

"What kinds of things are valuable?"

"Are you short on money?"

Jiang Xia hadn’t expected that. He wasn’t qualified to participate in the village’s land allocation, so he was unaware of An Ning’s plans.

Seeing her nod, he asked bluntly, "How much do you need? I can lend it to you, but you have to write a proper IOU. For my Da Huang’s sake, I can even waive the interest."

An Ning was surprised by Jiang Xia’s generosity and even more puzzled about his wealth.

"You have that much money?"

An Ning’s slightly doubtful gaze gave Jiang Xia a flicker of superiority.

"Of course. This young master has hidden wealth. Just say how much you want to borrow."

"Three hundred thousand."

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH— How much?"

Jiang Xia, who was in the middle of drinking some water, choked in shock.

"Wait a minute—do you know how much money three hundred thousand is? Are you sure you didn’t misspeak?"

An Ning stood up, displeased. "When it comes to numbers, I don’t make mistakes."

Jiang Xia stood up as well. It was the first time he had ever seen someone ask to borrow money with such swagger.

"Fine, you don’t make mistakes. You’re amazing. But you at least have to tell me what you need so much money for, right?"

"Leasing the mountain."

Those three words were all it took for Jiang Xia to understand.

Three hundred thousand yuan. For a large mountain, that might not even be enough.

Leasing a mountain wasn’t just a matter of paying the fee and being done with it. You had to develop it, and the later investments could cost even more than the lease itself.

"Alright, I’ll lend it to you."

Jiang Xia looked at the disbelieving An Ning and said grudgingly, "What’s with that look? I’m being kind enough to lend it to you. The least you could do is say thank you."

"Thank you, but I don’t want to borrow it for the time being."

In her eyes, she and Jiang Xia were friends, business partners.

But their relationship hadn’t reached the point where she could borrow three hundred thousand from him, let alone without interest.

"You’re not borrowing it? Then how do you plan on earning that money? I really have it, and it’s just lying around, unused."

Jiang Xia genuinely wanted to lend her the money, and An Ning genuinely didn’t want to borrow it.

"Just answer my question. What kind of things are valuable? Or what kind of business can make money fast?"

"And try not to suggest anything illegal."

Jiang Xia blinked. That one word, ’try,’ was very... subtle.