My village can't be like this

Chapter 595 The Essence of Bargaining

Originally, if there were only three or four people to harvest the rice in Zhang An's six acres of paddy fields, it would take at least four to five days.

But Zhang An had already evolved into an extraordinary beast of burden. He could do the work of several men at once. Plus, Zhang Yihang was there too, so the harvest was completed in two days.

Now that the new season's rice has been harvested, all that remains is to dry it for storage.

After dinner in the evening, the family began to discuss the matter of drying the millet.

Because the weather has been good these days and it is sunny every day, this is the best time to dry the millet.

There is another reason, that is, the newly harvested rice contains a lot of moisture. The wet millet that villagers often refer to is the new millet that has just been harvested.

At this time, the rice is too humid, so it's okay to leave it for a day or two, but if you leave it for longer, it will sprout if you dare. After all, the humidity in the mountains has been high for more than just one or two days.

Therefore, after harvesting the new rice and bringing it home, the first thing to do is to prepare it for drying without any delay.

In the past, villagers basically dried crops such as rice, corn and rapeseed in the village’s threshing ground.

After all, that place is spacious and was originally built for drying grain.

However, Changqing Village today is different from what it was in previous years. As the village has been developing better and better, the threshing ground has gradually become the village’s snack street and other places for stalls.

In addition, the deer park is right next to the threshing ground, so almost all tourists who come to the village will go there.

These days are approaching National Day. Although there are not many tourists coming to the village, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the number of tourists coming to the village is increasing day by day.

Some villagers with foresight had already set up their own stalls in the threshing ground.

So if you want to dry grain this year, I'm afraid it won't work in the threshing ground.

Although the family is busy harvesting rice these days, everyone knows what the situation is in the village.

Seeing that the threshing ground could not be used, the family had to think of other ways. They had so much grain and they had to hurry.

"Xiao An, since it's inconvenient to dry the grain in the field, why don't we dry it in our yard and on the roof?"

At this time, Wang Fang thought of the courtyards in front of and behind her house, and the roof, which could be used to dry a lot of rice.

"Mom, that won't work. The roof on the third floor is OK, but our courtyard is definitely not OK. The front can only be exposed to the sun for half a day. In the afternoon, the sun is blocked by our house, and the backyard can only be exposed to the sun after the afternoon. There is not much time in the whole day."

As soon as Wang Fang finished speaking, Zhang An shook his head. Sometimes it is not a good thing for a house to be too big. Look, the bright sunlight is blocked by the house.

"How about this, I'll get up early tomorrow and buy some mosquito nets, and then I'll take them to our fields to dry in the sun."

It definitely won’t work in the yard, as it can only be dried for a few hours a day, and the moisture in the new millet cannot be dried out in such a short time.

So Zhang An shifted his attention to the rice field in front of his yard where the rice had just been harvested.

This may not be possible for other families because their homes are too far from the fields, and moving the crops back and forth will take too much time. If it rains suddenly, they will not have enough time to harvest.

But it’s different here at Zhang An’s house. Their fields are right at the doorstep, which is actually closer than going to the threshing ground.

Moreover, there is nothing blocking the fields, so the millet can be exposed to the sun from morning to night.

Of course, there are also some downsides. When drying the grain, you have to lay a mosquito net on the ground. You can't just pour the grain on the ground like you do in a threshing floor.

Moreover, the fields are full of mud, so the effect of drying the millet is not as good as that of the cement dam on the threshing floor.

However, the threshing ground is no longer available, so we can no longer be picky like before. It is good enough to have a place to dry the grain. If others want to dry the grain there, they will have to make room for it.

For Zhang An and his family, mosquito nets are oilcloths used to spread on the ground to dry things, not the ones used to cover the bed to keep away mosquitoes.

"It's OK to dry them in the fields, but there are too many thieves out there, in large groups. I'm afraid we can't leave them alone for even a moment."

After listening to this, Zhang Jianguo and Wang Fang also thought this was a good idea.

They didn't mind spending money on mosquito nets, they were just worried about the sparrows outside.

This period is the harvest season, and there are the most sparrows outside all year round. They are extremely arrogant, flying everywhere to eat everyone's grain, and are not afraid of people at all. If you chase them here, they will fly to the other side, just like playing hide-and-seek.

In the past, the threshing ground was used for drying. Because it was in the middle of the village, not many sparrows would fly in. But if it was in the fields outside the village, it would be a different story.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry about this. I'll let Huatou and his family come out to watch after the millet is dried tomorrow. They say it takes a thousand days to raise an army but only a moment to deploy it. Now it's time for them to contribute to the family."

Sparrows are definitely a very troublesome problem for other people's families.

But Zhang An was not worried at all. Although Xiaohu and the others could not keep an eye on the flying sparrows, he still had the air force of Huatou and his family.

Although the thieves in my hometown are very brave and not afraid of people at all, the Huatou family is the overlord of the sky. If they have the courage, they can give it a try.

"Oh, really, I actually forgot about them."

As soon as Zhang An mentioned the goshawks in his home, Wang Fang remembered that there were several such ferocious gods in his home.

There wasn't any extreme weather this year, so the Huatou family could find food for themselves. They hadn't visited the farm in a long time, so they didn't think about it for the moment.

"Then let's do this. Tomorrow morning you go buy a mosquito net, and we'll go dig up the grain piles first so we can put up the mosquito net."

Zhang Jianguo nodded and said that although the rice in the field had been harvested, the remaining rice stubble was still there. Although not high, it was still protruding. If a mosquito net was put up directly, it might be pierced.

Mosquito nets are not disposable items in rural areas. Some families use a mosquito net for several years or even more than ten years, so Zhang Jianguo thought of digging up the grain stubble in the fields.

The next morning, Zhang An got up and went to town.

Mosquito nets are common commodities in rural areas and can be found for sale in towns.

On the contrary, in the county, you have to look for a place specifically.

When he arrived in the town, Zhang An went directly to the largest grocery store in Hongyan Town.

"What do you want, little brother?"

As soon as Zhang An entered the store, a woman in her thirties came up to him and asked.

Needless to say, she should be the proprietress of this store, because none of the stores in the town have spent money to hire staff, and the business is not that good yet.

"Is there a mosquito net, ma'am?"

Zhang An spoke directly to the proprietress, saying that this was not a supermarket and only the store owner knew where the goods were placed.

"Of course, come with me."

When the proprietress heard about mosquito net, she took Zhang An to the shelf.

Finally, he found a mosquito net in the inner room, pulled out a bed and handed it to Zhang An to see.

"Hey, missy, do you think I'm a young man and you're trying to harass me with cheap stuff? The material of this mosquito net will tear if you just pull it. How many times can I use it after I buy it?" Zhang An just took the mosquito net handed over by the proprietress, took a look at it twice and handed it back directly. There was no other reason, the mosquito net made of this material was really bad.

"That's not the case, little brother. I have several kinds of mosquito nets here. I'm just showing you one first. If you don't like it, you can always look at the others."

When the proprietress heard what Zhang An said, she quickly laughed it off and without blushing or beating her heart, she took out another kind of mosquito net and handed it to Zhang An.

The kind she gave to Zhang An just now was the cheapest kind of goods their family had, and the quality was basically poor.

Because Zhang An came to buy it himself, she thought a young man wouldn't understand these things, so she took them out and gave as many as she could get.

If it were any other woman, she would not take it out at all, because country women are extremely picky when buying things.

"This one doesn't work either, is there anything else?"

The second mosquito net is made of nylon, which is actually quite good. Most people use this kind, and it is not expensive.

But this thing got dirty and was difficult to take care of, so Zhang An didn't like it.

"Then take a look at this one. This is the best one in my house."

Seeing that Zhang An was not satisfied, the boss realized that business was coming and directly took out the best mosquito net in the store.

"This one is pretty good. How much is it per bed?"

Zhang An took it and took a look. It was made of smooth cloth material, so the quality was beyond reproach.

After opening it and taking a look at it with the boss’s wife, he decided to buy it.

"This one is more expensive, twenty-five per bed."

When the proprietress saw Zhang An asking, she immediately quoted a price.

"No, it's too expensive. I'll take it if it's cheaper."

Zhang An immediately shook his head when he heard this. After Wang Fang's training, he was no stranger to prices.

"You get what you pay for, little brother. We didn't make much money. How about this, if you really want it, take it for twenty-three. This is the purchase price. I haven't opened the store yet, so I'll just consider it as bringing it to you."

The proprietress had a conflicted look on her face, and finally spoke through gritted teeth.

"This is still too expensive. The purchase price can't possibly be that high. I want about seven or eight beds. Can you see if you can sell it for fifteen? If you can, I'll take it."

Although the other party acted as if he was cutting flesh, Zhang An was not moved at all.

Although he couldn't figure out the purchase price of the mosquito net, the first principle of bargaining was to start by halving the price.

"Oh, little brother, how can you get this price? I really can't sell it. Twenty-one, I'll give you the lowest price. If it's any lower, I'll sell it at a loss."

The proprietress was quite happy when she heard that Zhang An wanted seven or eight beds at a time. However, when she heard the price Zhang An had bargained for, she said with a bitter face.

"Forget it, I'll go check out other people's houses."

This is a common trick used by people like them, but Zhang An doesn't fall for it at all.

Seeing that he refused to give in, Zhang An shook his head, then turned around and prepared to go out.

The proprietress thought that Zhang An was just playing hard to get like everyone else, so she just followed behind and shouted a few times.

"Little brother, if you really want it, then buy a bed for 18, and I'll help you get it. If that doesn't work, then go look somewhere else."

Finally, she saw Zhang An really walked out of the store without any intention of looking back, so she quickly chased him to the door and shouted at Zhang An.

"Okay then, help me get the eighth bed."

After listening to this, Zhang An paused for a moment, feeling that the price was about right, and then turned around and said.

He did have some thoughts of playing hard to get just now, but he didn't think he had to buy it here. After all, there were more than one store selling this thing in the town.

"Oh my little brother, you are such a good talker. It's just that my shop hasn't opened yet and you want so many beds. If it was someone else, I really wouldn't be able to sell them."

While the proprietress was handing Zhang An a mosquito net, she was complaining as if she had really lost a lot.

However, Zhang An just smiled after hearing this. Nine out of ten things these businessmen say are false.

Eight mosquito nets cost a total of 148 yuan, and Zhang An paid the money quickly.

After receiving the money, the proprietress no longer complained as she had just done, and generously gave Zhang An a nylon bag to hold the mosquito net.

Even though it's just a bag, it would cost two or three cents if they bought it. For them, it's already a lot of money. This is probably because Zhang An helped their family open the business.

After all, the biggest taboo for people doing business is not being able to open their business.

That's why when Zhang An was really about to leave just now, she chased after him and called him back.

Eight sliding cloth mosquito nets put together filled up a bag, and were not light in weight.

Zhang An threw it into the truck bed and then glanced around.

They came here to buy some breakfast, but found that there was not even anyone setting up stalls here.

Then he remembered that this was the least populated corner of Hongyan Town, with almost no traffic, and those selling food would definitely not come here.

It was still early at this time, and the person selling food was probably at the gate of Hongyan Town Middle School, but Hongyan Town Middle School was not on his way home.

But as a result, he lost his appetite.

When I got home, Su Ying had already gone to class. Zhang Jianguo and Wang Fang were digging up grain stalks in the field with hoes, and they had dug up quite a lot.

Little Siqi also followed him to the field, and now Xiaohu was playing with him.

Because Zhang Jianwen had someone tie up the straw in the field last night and then pull it back, the field was empty now, so Wang Fang felt at ease to bring the little guy to the field.

"Dad, Mom, that's enough. No need to dig anymore."

Zhang An estimated the place, then stopped his father and mother, then picked up the newly bought mosquito net from the truck bed and walked over.

"Why did you buy so many? Two or three beds would be enough, why buy so many?"

When Wang Fang saw Zhang An bought a bag of mosquito nets, she frowned. It was obvious that she thought Zhang An was wasting money.

"Not much, mom. Our fruit trees have grown taller now. We won't be able to pick cherries next year without these mosquito nets, so I bought them."

Zhang An smiled and explained to his old mother.

(End of this chapter)