Chapter 207: Big Brother, Do You Need Feces?
"Big brother, you've come!"
When the agreed time came, Meng Ci and Shen Que headed to the meeting place.
Seeing Meng Ci and Shen Que, Zheng Yan's eyes lit up. He waved, calling out to them.
Since the area was relatively deserted, there was no need to be cautious.
Meng Ci, however, since Qiezi hadn't arrived, took out a fly surveillance device to check the surroundings, ensuring no one else was around before stepping out.
Meng Ci then noticed a machine behind Zheng Yan, over a meter long and half a meter wide. It appeared to be an oil press.
"Big brother, our leader only managed to get this oil press these past few days."
"Though compact, it functions perfectly."
Zheng Yan patted the oil press next to him, assuring the two.
Meng Ci walked around the oil press. The surface of the machine looked quite old, but some of the parts seemed new.
Meng Ci trusted Zheng Yan, so he handed over the remaining supplies.
Zheng Yan, looking at the cigarettes and condoms in his hand, smiled until his eyes nearly disappeared.
"Big brother, don't worry, this machine, though old, will definitely work."
"Comes with a one-month warranty."
"Should any issues arise later, you can find me at the exchange point or the points counter."
Meng Ci nodded, indicating he understood.
"The mill, when will your leader be able to get it?"
Zheng Yan looked somewhat troubled. "This item is more difficult to obtain."
"Our leader says that there are no flour-producing factories in City M. If you need it, you might have to wait quite a while."
"He'll have to take people to other cities to find it."
"Fine!" Meng Ci patted the mill next to him, then mentioned the benefits.
"If your leader finds it, I'll provide an additional pack of cigarettes and bottle of alcohol."
Actually, Meng Ci's need for a mill and an oil press was well thought out.
Claiming they had planted wheat or rapeseed could easily fool people like Zheng Yan, who were not affiliated with the authorities.
However, officials were not so easily deceived.
After all, neither Meng Ci nor Shen Que had rented land from the base and rarely left it, and the villa's grounds were limited.
They had no suitable space for farming. Producing wheat suddenly would raise suspicions.
More crucially, after such a prolonged apocalypse, the soil had lost its fertility, and planted wheat seeds would barely sprout.
Even if they sprouted, the resulting wheat would be shriveled and barren.
The wheat grown in Meng Ci's space was plump and robust.
Therefore, Meng Ci was unwilling to take the wheat and other crops to the authorities in exchange for supplies, in order to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.
As for why they needed the mill and the oil press at the moment, it was because the flour in the space was being steadily used up. While people could still move around freely, it was wise to secure the machines for future use.
Once the zombie era arrived and people's movements became restricted, it would probably require more resources to have someone locate the machines.
Although the disasters and the zombie outbreak would last only a few years, it would take over a decade for the soil to recover and for people's lives to gradually return to normal.
Meng Ci initially prepared enough food to last ten years.
But now, there was one more person and one more wolf, and in the future, there might be a dog as well.
All three had large appetites.
So Meng Ci could only sigh helplessly and shoulder the responsibility of replenishing the food supplies.
Of course, the labor-intensive farming tasks were left to Shen Que.
While Meng Ci himself only needed to handle the technical work.
"No problem, big brother!"
"We'll definitely find the mill, just watch us."
Zheng Yan had complete faith in their leader's abilities, and given the higher exchange rate, the leader would definitely agree.
Thus, Zheng Yan patted his chest and made a guarantee.
Before leaving, Meng Ci returned Zheng Yan's points card.
But Zheng Yan shook his head and quickly stepped back.
"Big brother, you keep the points card for now."
"I don't need it right now."
Meng Ci was full of confusion.
Zheng Yan rubbed his hands together with a grin and said, "The leader has been paying for my meals and drinks these past few days."
"So you keep the points card, big brother."
Zheng Yan had a simple thought: with over 3,000 points in his card, the leader has been covering his daily expenses.
That way, his 3,000 points could be saved for the future. If he could no longer engage in his reselling business, this would serve as his safety net.
Meng Ci's lips twitched, not expecting him to be so shrewd, but he still put away the points card.
"Alright!" Meng Ci agreed.
After Zheng Yan said goodbye to the two others, he was about to leave.
But unexpectedly, he took a few steps and then turned back, looking at them expectantly.
"Big brothers, do you sell excrement?"
"Especially the excrement of your wolf?"
Meng Ci frowned. "What do you need feces for?"
As soon as he said it, Meng Ci came to his senses and felt annoyed at his own stupidity.
Collecting feces at this time was undoubtedly for composting to fertilize the fields.
Of course, the primary purpose was for official procurement, where it would be handed over to professionals for composting and eventually used on the fields.
Zheng Yan said, "We collect these to sell to the officials."
The officials purchased feces, offering ten points for every ten jin.
However, due to the high temperatures and the reduced food intake in these apocalyptic times, excretion was also reduced.
If feces were stored for too long, the entire house would stink.
Therefore, Zheng Yan and the others took on the task of collecting feces.
By gathering feces from every household, they could accumulate a significant amount and exchange it for a substantial number of points.
In return, they only gave the residents a small amount of flour or rice.
Meng Ci shook his head. "We're not selling."
"Alright," Zheng Yan said regretfully, but soon realized his oversight and patted his forehead.
"Oh right, you grow your own crops, so you need the feces as well."
Immediately, Zheng Yan thought of Meng Ci and their farming activities.
"How about we collaborate?"
"We can sell you the feces we collect, and don't worry, we'll give you the lowest price."
Meng Ci was speechless. This man looked refined, yet all he talked about was feces.
"No need," Meng Ci replied. "We have enough of our own!"
"If you have nothing else, you're free to go!"
Meng Ci was clearly dismissing him.
"Alright," Zheng Yan said regretfully.
"If you need anything in the future, feel free to contact me!"
Zheng Yan bid farewell to the two men and left for real this time.
However, Meng Ci and Shen Que did not rush to leave. They drove the car over, waited until it was completely dark, and ensured there was no one around before storing everything in their spatial dimension and leaving.
Upon returning home, Meng Ci and Shen Que entered their spatial dimension and began researching an oil press.
There was ample electricity in the spatial dimension, so they didn't need to worry about power consumption.
Fortunately, the oil press was simple to operate, and they soon produced oil.
Seeing the golden oil, Meng Ci smiled.
From now on, there would be no need to worry about food and beverages!
Thus, he encouraged Shen Que to plant more rapeseed.