As Lu Zhifeng drew closer, Jiang Si could see that his face and hands had been bitten by rats, but the wounds hadn't even been properly bandaged.
Niu Niu, on his back, was covered by a sun-protection jacket, so it was unclear if she was injured. Her little face was flushed, and she seemed listless, her eyes barely able to stay open as she yawned repeatedly.
Even so, she still managed to lift her head and offer a sweet smile, greeting Jiang Si and Jiang Chengwu, "Hello, big sister. Hello, grandpa~"
After her greeting, she sleepily buried her head in Lu Zhifeng's shoulder again.
Lu Zhifeng explained his purpose. "Niu Niu is sick. I want to trade for some medicine, as well as some food and clothing."
Jiang Si had warned him to watch out for mosquitoes, but she never expected a rat swarm to break out last night. He had grabbed Niu Niu and hidden in the cramped armory, which was how they narrowly escaped.
However, the supplies stored at his home had been completely devoured by the rat swarm, which didn't even leave them a single decent set of clothes.
He had a gun; he could have gone out and robbed someone for supplies.
But he hadn't been feeling well this morning and didn't want to risk taking Niu Niu out with him. After thinking it over, he decided it was better to trade with Jiang Si's family. The value of a gun should be enough to get all the supplies the father and daughter desperately needed.
He was also taking precautions. If anything happened to him, he could use the equipment in the armory as leverage to have Jiang Si's family adopt Niu Niu.
That was why he wanted to use a pistol to establish a relationship with the Jiang Family first.
Ammunition would be consumed, which would necessitate future interactions.
Jiang Si gave him a meaningful look. "What do you want to trade with? At a time like this, food, water, and medicine are all precious commodities."
The fact that Jiang Si was the one to speak showed that she was the decision-maker in the Jiang Family.
Lu Zhifeng pulled a Colt from his coat and said to Jiang Si, "I'll trade you this." He then removed the Colt's magazine and added, "It has a total of ten rounds inside."
Jiang Si had always wanted to get her hands on a gun, but the apocalypse had come so suddenly that she was completely unprepared.
With Lu Zhifeng proactively offering to trade a gun, Jiang Si was, of course, more than willing. She didn't hide her desire for the weapon at all. "Let my grandpa inspect the gun first."
Lu Zhifeng was surprised by Jiang Si's caution and said just as carefully, "I can't give you the magazine yet."
"Fine."
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the gun. It traced an arc through the air before landing securely in Jiang Chengwu's hands.
Jiang Chengwu disassembled the entire pistol, inspected it, and then reassembled it before nodding at Jiang Si. "The gun's fine."
Now that the merchandise had been verified, it was time to determine the quantity of supplies for the trade.
Possessing a gun meant holding absolute power in this area. By handing his over, Lu Zhifeng was exposing himself and his daughter to more danger in the future.
Lu Zhifeng didn't want to be greedy and cause Jiang Si's family to resent him, which might lead to them targeting him for his supplies later. Besides, the armory couldn't hold that much stuff anyway.
After careful consideration, he said, "I want one thousand jin of unhusked rice, one hundred jin of soybeans, two sacks of flour, five bags of salt, clothes and shoes for Niu Niu and me—four sets for each season—and two sets of bedding. I also need some medicine for external injuries, colds and fevers, diarrhea, and some penicillin."
In normal times, these items wouldn't be worth much money.
But this was the apocalypse.
The things he was asking for were potentially more valuable than a weapon.
Moreover, their family had only managed to harvest three mu of grain in total. With so many people in their household and no end to the apocalypse in sight, openly giving away so many supplies would signal to Lu Zhifeng that they had a huge stockpile.
Jiang Si frowned. "Uncle Lu, you're asking for too much. For the one thousand jin of rice, we can give you five hundred at most. We only have one sack of flour in the house, but you can have it. If we give you certain medicines, we won't have any left for ourselves. I can only give you some medicine for colds and fevers, rubbing alcohol, and bandages. Besides, ten rounds is too few. You'll have to give us at least twenty."
Lu Zhifeng's stance was firm. "These are my only terms. Take it or leave it."
Jiang Chengwu shot Jiang Si a look, signaling that they should just make the trade. Lu Zhifeng could have just robbed them but chose to trade instead, which proved he was a man of good character.
For Niu Niu's sake, Jiang Si was also inclined to make the trade, but she couldn't make it so easy for him. Besides, to be honest, if she took these supplies into the city right now, she could probably trade them for a whole military unit.
Jiang Si noticed the small, pinkish spots appearing on his skin—he was already infected with rat-bite fever. She said to Lu Zhifeng, "We'll use potatoes and sweet potatoes to make up the five hundred jin, give Niu Niu some toiletries, and I'll throw in a bottle of antibiotics for you. How about that?"
Lu Zhifeng was a ranger; he knew why his wounds were unbearably itchy and his body felt weak. Taking antibiotics in time could effectively stop the bacteria. He had to stay alive to give his daughter the best possible protection.
Moreover, Jiang Si's attitude was so firm, it seemed her family really didn't have many medical supplies in reserve.
Sweet potatoes and potatoes would last for a while, so he would have to make do.
Lu Zhifeng finally relented. "Alright!"
When Jiang Si and Jiang Chengwu returned home, Jiang Linhai had just opened the bathroom door. He was clearing out the feces inside and pouring cement to seal the toilet's pipes, preventing the rat swarm from emerging from there a second time.
The high temperature would effectively kill any germs, and the poured cement would harden quickly.
Seeing Jiang Si and Jiang Chengwu return, her mother and grandmother breathed a sigh of relief. "What's it like outside?" they asked. Then, seeing Jiang Si suddenly materialize the items Lu Zhifeng needed out of her space, they asked, "What's all this for?"
Jiang Si produced the pistol she had just traded for. "I traded for it with Lu Zhifeng. The rats ruined everything he had stored at home. Niu Niu has a fever, and he was bitten by rats, too. He had no choice but to come trade his gun for our supplies."
Her grandmother was happy that the family now had a gun, which strengthened their ability to protect themselves, but she sighed. "Lu Zhifeng gave us the gun, but with all that grain to transport back, I wonder if he and Niu Niu will be able to protect it."
Jiang Chengwu, who knew a bit about the inner workings of being a ranger, said, "He probably confiscates a few hunting rifles every year from people poaching wild game. Don't worry too much. Since he dared to make this trade, he must have another ace up his sleeve. It's not a bad thing for us to be on good terms with him."
Her grandmother nodded in relief. "That's good, then." She then asked, "But with so much stuff, won't someone see you if you move it all at once?"
Jiang Si said, "I promised Lu Zhifeng that he could come move the things at night, after the rat swarm has passed. Grandpa will take a basketful over to him first, covered with some firewood. It shouldn't attract too much attention."
"You must be careful, then."
"Mhm."
When Jiang Chengwu arrived at the watchtower where Lu Zhifeng and Niu Niu were, he found that Lu Zhifeng had pulled up the iron ladder.
Jiang Chengwu rang the bell several times. From the hollow watchtower, a sturdy basket was gradually lowered. Lu Zhifeng told Jiang Chengwu to put the items in the basket, and he would then pull it up himself.
Lu Zhifeng felt weak all over and couldn't muster the strength to turn the crank for the rope. Niu Niu got off the cot and used all her might to help her dad.
After pushing aside the grass and leaves on top, a basket full of supplies was gradually revealed, and the father and daughter both broke into happy smiles.
On his way back, however, Jiang Chengwu was stopped by several young men.