Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 514 - 515 Sister Flowers Educated Youth 32_1

Chapter 514: Chapter 515 Sister Flowers Educated Youth 32_1

Zhao Yu and Gao Jian went their separate ways, heading in different directions. Winter was approaching, and hunting in the mountains was going to be a difficult task.

There were still some prey, but not much in quantity. The villagers needed to keep most for themselves, so there really wasn’t much available for trade.

Zhao Yu did not want to wait until that moment, frantically searching for things. As it happened, Shen Jie knew how to smoke meat, so he could just let her make some smoked meat, which made mailing it back home more convenient.

The villagers who traded with him took a few extra glances at the game in his hands.

Zhao Yu didn’t avoid their looks, as people in this line of work understood the rules and wouldn’t ask whom he had bought it from.

And so, Zhao Yu returned home with his hands full, carrying large and small bags. Thankfully, the weather was cold at this time, and unless necessary, nobody wanted to venture out.

Zhao Yu didn’t go back home but instead headed directly to Shen Jie’s place, "I’ve got the stuff."

Upon hearing this, the four, including Shen Jie, quickly let Zhao Yu into the house. Seeing that his backpack was filled to the brim and his hands were carrying quite a lot, they all drew in a breath, "That’s a lot."

A lot? Zhao Yu scoffed, "What’s a lot?"

"I still don’t think it’s enough." The elders at home had given him so much money, shouldn’t he show his appreciation? His parents would also expect some, and he himself needed to eat and drink too, "Although you can still go hunting in the mountains in winter, it’s uncertain how much you’ll catch."

"I’ve asked the locals, and even they can’t be sure. So I thought it’s better to act earlier rather than later."

Shen Jie nodded continuously, exactly, that’s the reason. In winter, animals hibernate, and how much game one can hunt is an unknown.

"By the way, will the farm organize winter fishing?" The surrounding villages would all organize winter fishing when winter came.

"That depends on each platoon." Zhao Yu had, of course, inquired about such matters.

"Commander Guo would probably prevent it." Zhao Yu had asked Commander Guo, "but it depends on whether there are other matters to attend to."

"Alright, if there’s no winter fishing, I plan on doing some ice fishing myself." They say that fish are easier to catch in the winter.

Ice fishing? Fishing on the empty, windswept river? Wouldn’t that mean enduring a lot of cold Northwest winds?

Everyone looked at her as if she were silly, wondering if she had lost her mind.

"It’s fine, just dress warmer."

"I’ve heard that fish are dumber in winter," Shen Jie explained why she wanted to try winter fishing.

Do they get dumber in winter? Zhao Yu wanted to say Shen Jie was being silly. How else could she make such a claim?

Feng Dan, though she trusted Shen Jie quite a bit, still didn’t quite believe her on this matter.

Knowing that nobody believed her, Shen Jie couldn’t be bothered to explain. She would just wait until she had a big harvest and see if they believed her then.

Huo Lei estimated the time and thought that Zhao Yu should be back by now, so he went to check on Shen Jie and actually found them processing food, and he immediately joined in.

When Zhao Yu saw Huo Lei, he relayed what Shen Jie had just said, "Do you think this is a bit incredible?"

Huo Lei thought for a moment, "I think it’s quite possible."

"Possible?"

"How could it be possible?" Zhao Yu looked at Huo Lei skeptically, realizing his friend believed quite firmly in what Shen Jie had said.

"If the river is frozen over, there isn’t much oxygen. But if there’s a hole in the ice, oxygen can get in, and maybe that will attract the fish."

"Of course, you can also choose not to believe me, we can go ask the locals."

"And about winter fishing, isn’t it just making a hole and then placing the net in it, so we can catch a lot of fish?" Huo Lei had learned about winter fishing when winter was approaching.

After some investigation, he sort of understood the theory behind winter fishing and now he thought Shen Jie’s idea sounded quite reasonable.

"We could give it a try when winter comes." All these were theoretical knowledge points, whether they were feasible still needed to be tested.

"Okay." If they could get fish in the winter, then they could often enjoy fresh fish.

"It’s just that our place is quite far from the river." Though there was a canal, there were simply no big fish in it.

"However, if we do catch some, it won’t be a problem." Zhao Yu had thought it through— if successful, they could catch more fish and then mail them back.

"Right, today I didn’t just trade with Gao Jian, but also with the villagers, and I noticed they were eyeing the goods in my hands."

Everyone didn’t understand why the villagers were watching so intently, and Shen Jie was also puzzled, since in her past life Gao Jian only occasionally engaged in such petty trade and not very often.

This time he was doing it more frequently, and one could say he had already encroached upon quite a few local villagers’ interests.

Huo Lei quickly caught on, "See, if he continues this business after the spring, he’s going to be very busy."

People looked at him, not understanding why he would say that.

"The ’educated youth’ business is so extensive, and all the surrounding villages are watching."

"Gao Jian has done so much business; he makes at least fifty or sixty transactions a month," Huo Lei guessed, although he didn’t know exactly how much business Gao Jian really did each month.

My goodness, that many transactions per month? Shen Jie knew that with Zhao Yu as a big client, Gao Jian’s income must be good.

But she had not anticipated the income to be this considerable, her mouth agape, "Good heavens, that’s even better than working on a farm."

Shen Jie was sure that even if Gao Jian worked on a farm, he wouldn’t be able to earn as much, like the money from selling fish.

"He earns several hundred a year just like that, which means the surrounding villagers earn that much less."

"What’s more important is," Huo Lei knew that even if the villagers from Gao Jian’s ’educated youth’ village let him be, those from the surrounding villages would not spare him.

"Once the word spreads, and the other ’educated youths’ start doing the same, how would the villagers make money?"

The other five present understood, "It’s true, if they don’t set an example as a warning to others, there would be no chance for the villagers to make money."

It had to be admitted that sometimes ’educated youths’ did help each other out, especially when they knew each other’s struggles.

Shen Jie thought even further, this matter was by no means a secret of any measure, so why was Shen Yuan unaware of it?

Was it because someone had warned her, and her reaction was the same as in her previous life, full of disbelief and accusations of someone trying to sow discord?

Thinking about it, that was very much something Shen Yuan would do. That’s true love for you, Shen Jie thought, and could only once again wish the couple well, hoping they would stay faithful and not go flirting with others.

Lost in her thoughts, yet her hands didn’t stop moving, she needed to work faster and get the meat all prepared.

"Lay it on the kang to dry for a couple of days, then mail it off."

"Right, I also need to mail some to my eldest brother." Though she had never met the original owner’s eldest brother, he had sent her quite a few things after learning she was sent to the Northeast as an ’educated youth.’

For an elder brother who was so caring towards his younger siblings, it was only natural not to forget him.

If possible, she wanted to ask the surrounding villagers if they had any wolf pelts, to make a couple of knee protectors, so that Shen Xiaoguang wouldn’t freeze during the night shifts.

If there were extra, she definitely wanted to mail some to the old lady as well, since her knees weren’t in great shape either.