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Chapter 1149 The Amnesiac Black Panther and His Poor Little Beauty (3)

The Amnesiac Black Panther and His Poor Little Beauty (Part 30)

With only one day left until the market day Han Shuang mentioned, Song Ning got up early as usual that morning.

It wasn't that the kang (heated brick bed) was uncomfortable; it was mainly that Song Ning herself didn't want to sleep in.

Yesterday, the last bit of water in the large bucket at home was used up, so the plan for this morning was to go to the lake to fill the bucket.

Song Ning got up very early, mainly to get some protection from the big cat.

As he got up, the big cat was indeed about to leave, and Song Ning quickly called it back.

"Brother Leopard, wait for me. You're going to the lake, right? Wait for me."

After putting on all the thick clothes, Song Ning put on goggles, a mask, and a hat, and wore thick gloves on her fingers before dragging the small cart and buckets out the door.

He dragged the bucket toward the lake. The big cat slowed its pace considerably as it waited for him. Song Ning's eyes curved into a smile behind his goggles. He leaned over and rubbed against the big cat through its thick clothes to express his gratitude.

Although this area is the territory of the big cat and can be considered safe, that's only from the perspective of the big cat.

For Song Ning, he was always very cautious whenever he came to the lake, since the lake was the only water source in the vicinity, and many animals he didn't recognize would come here to drink. So he usually tried to choose a safer time to come.

The bucket was quite large, and even with the help of a small cart, it still took a considerable amount of time to fill it with water. While Song Ning was busy, the agile figure beside him kept circling around him. Once he had filled the bucket, the big cat let out a deep growl, seemingly urging him to leave.

"Almost done, Leopard Bro."

Song Ning covered the large bucket with a plastic lid, straightened up, and took a breath.

"Alright, let's go. Leopard, you can go on patrol. I should be able to manage this distance by myself."

The big cat circled him for a while, as if assessing the risks, before nodding, turning around, and disappearing in a few moments.

Song Ning pushed the large bucket all the way back. Although it was a bit strenuous, he wasn't too tired because of the help of the small cart.

Before the apocalypse, he was an orphan. During his most difficult time, he worked in extremely impoverished mountainous areas to make a living. In those places, people had to go down the mountain to fetch water, and he had to do so almost every two days. It was much harder back then than it is now.

This is all thanks to the little cart, etc.

Song Ning suppressed his excitement and pushed the cart back all the way. After unloading the buckets, he began to think.

He does have some things he can trade right now. Honeycomb briquettes are consumables and non-renewable, so they can't be easily traded, but the cart is an option.

Just look at Han Shuang. These days, fewer and fewer people are willing to use vehicles to haul goods. Everyone is very frugal, and labor is actually quite cheap now. But this also shows the value of handcarts.

Song Ning tidied up the little cart and couldn't help but touch it affectionately. "You're no different from the oxen and horses of ancient times now. You're a real gem."

Especially since he has nothing else of value at hand, the little cart seems all the more precious.

With this thought in mind, Song Ning lost the dejection of the previous two days and regained the motivation to do things.

He took advantage of his spare time to tan the rabbit pelt from before, as well as the two pelts that Big Cat had recently hunted, and turned them into decent-looking hides. However, his craftsmanship was too poor. Looking at the finished products, Song Ning couldn't help but sigh. He had originally hoped that he could make a deal with the pelts, but now it seemed that was a lost cause.

Fortunately, the idea of ​​renting out the trolley gave him a little more sense of security. Song Ning put away all the leather in his hands. The rabbit skin was tanned quite well, but it was too small and he didn't have the right tools. Otherwise, it could have been made into gloves or socks.

The day of the market was fast approaching, and Song Ning got up early that morning to prepare.

Han Shuang and Wang Kang explained that when going to the market to trade, they should bring all the goods they wanted to trade. If they didn't have enough, they could agree to bring more goods the following month to trade.

Song Ning was still a little puzzled, "But aren't you worried about the risks?"

What if something happens on the way to the market with so many supplies?

Han Shuang laughed heartily, "You don't need to worry about that, Brother Song. The base there will send at least three patrol teams to patrol the area that day, which will basically prevent this from happening."

Song Ning seemed to be deep in thought, and then raised a question.

"But what if there are no patrol teams around?"

Wouldn't the supplies I brought with me still be unsafe?

Han Shuang and Wang Kang understood his concerns and explained them to him carefully.

It turns out that this monthly transaction has been going on for many years, so basically, those who participated in the transaction in the past and brought a large amount of supplies had three options.

Han Shuang: "The simplest way is to bring a team to protect your supplies. This is usually what powerful forces do. The second way is to bring a signal flare. There are trades for them at the base. The price isn't too high; you can get one for five cornbreads."

Song Ning wanted to say that five corn tortillas weren't expensive?

But on second thought, those who can use signal batons might not necessarily think that five tortillas are expensive. After all, they are worth the price. If it can ensure the safety of their supplies, then five tortillas are worth it.

However, Han Shuang mentioned three methods. "What is the third method?"

Han Shuang smiled mysteriously, "The third method is quite simple."

"The base offers escort services; they can bring it back for just twenty tortillas, or supplies of equivalent value."

Twenty tortillas?

Song Ning initially thought it was a bit expensive, but after noticing Han Shuang and Wang Kang's expressions, she realized that for people like them who hadn't yet established their own power, the escort service provided by the base was actually the most cost-effective.

Firstly, the base's reputation is obviously very reliable, so there's no need to worry about your supplies being stolen or any accidents happening to you on the way. Secondly, if you get something good and ask the base to escort you, they might take a liking to it and come over to negotiate a deal with you. Although you might get a discount when trading with the base, the quantity is large and stable, so it's a win-win situation.

Song Ning was lost in thought, but that didn't stop him from carrying things onto the cart.

He didn't have much stuff, after all, he didn't have much at home. Moreover, his main purpose this time was to take advantage of the bad weather and the inconvenience of going out to find supplies, so he could simply rent out his cart in exchange for a stable supply of goods, which was a reasonable use of resources.