Early the next morning, everyone got up and packed their belongings. Zhang Shan and Niu Dazhu went on patrol in the mountains, while Captain Xu led a few people down the mountain.
On the way down the mountain, Captain Xu shot two wild rabbits and two pheasants. Carrying their game, they arrived at Li Family Village.
They first went to the warehouse where the educated youths lived; the few of them had just woken up.
"You're too lazy! We've already walked down from the mountain, and you're just getting up now."
"Sun Chaoshu, what are you saying? We worked very late yesterday, that's why we got up relatively late today," Zuo Lei explained.
"What kind of work are you doing now? We walk dozens of miles of mountain roads every day."
"Farm work, planting vegetables, weeding, watering, everything."
"You've worked hard. We're planning to go to the City today. Do you need anything brought? Oh, right, we're going to mail letters. Do any of you need to send letters home? I can take them for you." Ye Hao quickly interjected, seeing Zuo Lei and Sun Chaoshu about to argue.
"Wait a moment, please help me deliver the letter I wrote to my family to the post office in the City."
"Wait, I'll write it now. I haven't written it yet. Can you wait a bit longer?"
"Alright, take your time writing. We'll wait until you're done before leaving. Take this rabbit and pheasant; they're for you to replenish yourselves. They were just caught today, so they're still fresh," Captain Xu said to everyone.
"Xiao Hao, you three wait here for a bit. I'm going to Captain Li's house." Captain Xu said, then carried the remaining pheasant and rabbit towards Captain Li's house.
Zuo Lei had already written her letter home, but she hadn't had a chance to send it recently. Today, Ye Hao and the others were going to the City, so she could send it with them.
The others hadn't written their letters in advance, so they all rushed into the house to write. Fortunately, most of them were educated and could write themselves.
Ye Hao and Sun Chaoshu also borrowed paper and pens and began writing letters to their families.
Seeing everyone else writing letters, Niu Jianwu awkwardly said to Wang Rong, "Wang Rong, my brother is still lying in bed, and I can't write. Can you help us write it?"
"Okay, wait a moment. I'll help you write after I finish mine." Wang Rong, the least noticeable person, finally had a bit of presence.
Wang Rong quickly finished his own letter, then took out a separate piece of paper and asked, "How do you want to write it?"
"I don't know how to write it.
Brother, how do we write this letter to our parents?"
"Wang Rong, just help us write that we're doing well here, we have food and drink, this place is good, and the villagers are all very kind. Don't write about my injury. Just write as you see fit." Niu Jianwen actually knew to reassure his family and didn't mention his injury.
Wang Rong organized his thoughts and wrote the letter for Niu Jianwen and Niu Jianwu. By then, everyone else had also finished their letters. Only Zhao Yuanhang hadn't written home, seemingly still holding a strong grudge against his family. However, this had nothing to do with Ye Hao. He asked everyone to write their home addresses at the end of the letter so he could buy envelopes at the post office and mail them directly.
Ye Hao collected the letters everyone had written and then walked towards the City with Captain Xu and the others. Ye Hao noticed Captain Xu was driving the village's mule cart, so it seemed he had just gone to Captain Li's house to borrow it.
Captain Xu and Er Gouzi were both people who constantly walked in the mountains, so their leg strength was incredibly fast. Ye Hao had been transformed by the space spring water, while Sun Chaoshu and Lu Bingsheng clearly couldn't keep up with their pace. However, with Ye Hao's diluted space spring water, they could still barely keep up.
Along the way, they encountered several pheasants flying by, and Captain Xu shot them all without hesitation.
"Captain Xu, why are you shooting pheasants now? We should shoot them when we come back. If we shoot them now, we'll have to take them to the City and then bring them back in the afternoon." Sun Chaoshu didn't quite understand Captain Xu's actions.
"These aren't for you to eat. I'll take them to the City to exchange for some daily necessities."
Just like that, the few of them quickly arrived in the City. Along the way, Captain Xu shot five pheasants.
Upon arriving in the City, Captain Xu told them to move freely and to wait at the return intersection in the afternoon. He then drove the mule cart towards the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Ye Hao and the others looked at each other. "Let's go to the post office first to mail the letters."
The few of them walked towards the post office. Once there, they bought envelopes and stamps, filled out the envelopes according to the addresses, and affixed the stamps. All of their letters were mailed out.
"Where do you want to go?" Ye Hao asked the two.
"I don't know. Let's go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy some things. I still have money," Sun Chaoshu said.
"You and Bingsheng go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative first. I'll come find you later."
"Brother Hao, why aren't you coming with us?"
"I have something to do. You two go first, I'll come find you later. Wait for me at the entrance of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative after you've bought your things."
After saying that, Ye Hao sent the two away. Once they had walked far away, Ye Hao walked in the other direction.
Arriving at a secluded corner, Ye Hao flashed into his space. After a simple disguise, he emerged from the space with a basket in his hand.
Ye Hao asked for directions and then walked towards the Pigeon Market.
Upon arriving at the Pigeon Market, he found that the goods sold here differed greatly from the Pigeon Market in the Capital. Meat, which was hard to find in the Capital, was more abundant here. There were many rabbits, pheasants, and squirrels, and some people were even selling wild boar and roe deer meat.
There were many small animals in the mountains here, so meat wasn't very expensive. However, the prices of vegetables and fruits were very high. For vegetables, he only saw some dried-out cabbages and potatoes. As for fruits, there were only a few shriveled apples.
Seeing this, Ye Hao decided not to take anything out to exchange. He wasn't short on money now anyway.
Walking to a less crowded corner, he saw a middle-aged man wearing a melon-skin cap, with a few bullet casings on a tattered cloth in front of him. Seeing this, Ye Hao was a bit puzzled; why would someone be selling bullet casings here?
Ye Hao went up to inquire and found out that this person was selling bullets. In this era, there was no gun control, and many hunters in the mountains needed to buy bullets to hunt. This person specialized in reselling these items.
"Comrade, do you need bullets? I have all calibers," the middle-aged man asked when he saw Ye Hao was interested.
"I'd like to buy some, but I don't have a weapon, so buying these would be useless. Never mind, I'll think about it later." Ye Hao said, preparing to leave.
The middle-aged man hurriedly said, "Little brother, if you don't have a weapon, come to me! I have them. Little brother, there are too many people here. Let's go over there to talk."
Ye Hao, being bold due to his skill, wasn't afraid and followed the middle-aged man to a deserted spot.
"Little brother, what kind of weapon do you need? I, Heizi, am arguably the most capable person in this area. Whatever you want, I can basically get it for you. But as for the price, you understand," Heizi said as soon as they reached the secluded corner.
Ye Hao sized up the person who called himself Heizi. He wasn't tall and had a somewhat shifty-eyed look. Ye Hao felt he was a bit unreliable, but then he thought that he wasn't showing his true face, so who cared?
"Do you have a Type 56 semi-automatic?"
"Cough, cough, cough~ Little brother, you must be joking with me. That thing has only been in service for a few years; it's not circulating outside." Hearing Ye Hao's words, Heizi felt a bit awkward, having just been proven wrong.
"Then what do you have?"
"San-Ba Da Gai (Type 38 Rifle), Zhongzhengshi, Mauser 98k, Mosin-Nagant, and Lao Taotong. What do you want?"
"How much for a Mauser 98k?" As someone from a later generation, Ye Hao knew the fame of the 98k in games, so among these guns, Ye Hao was only interested in the 98k.
"1000 yuan, with 20 rounds of ammunition."
Upon hearing this, Ye Hao immediately turned and left. Although he had never bought a gun and didn't know gun prices, 1,000 yuan in an era where the average monthly salary was only about 40 yuan was equivalent to a worker's income for two years without eating or drinking.
Seeing Ye Hao about to leave, Heizi quickly said, "Little brother, if you're not satisfied with the price, you can bargain. Why leave directly?"
"Your price is too outrageous. How much does a worker earn in a month now, and you dare to sell it for 1,000 yuan? No wonder you're called Heizi; you're truly black-hearted."
"Little brother, then how much would you buy it for?" Heizi didn't mind Ye Hao's sarcasm.
"200 yuan with 100 rounds of ammunition."
"You might as well ask me to give it to you for free."
"If you want to give it away for free, then you can, haha."
"How about 800? With 50 rounds of ammunition."
The two of them haggled back and forth in this secluded corner.
Finally, Ye Hao bought a Mauser 98k rifle plus 100 rounds of ammunition for 500 yuan.
Heizi took out the gun and bullets from a nearby house, exchanging money for goods.
Both were satisfied with the transaction. Ye Hao walked out of the Pigeon Market with the gun and bullets wrapped in cloth.
After leaving the Pigeon Market, Ye Hao put the gun into his space. His goal for this trip to the Pigeon Market had been accomplished.