"Ma'am, you don't have to…"
Xiao Xuemei, her expression serious, pressed the bag into his hands. "I know you two brothers are kind-hearted, but there have to be rules for people to get along. That's the only way a relationship can last."
"Alright then, I'll accept." Qin Ziwen took the bag.
Xiao Xuemei looked at Deng Wen, who was sitting on the sofa. "Xiaowen, don't just sit there. Go wash some apples for the two brothers."
Deng Wen jumped up from the sofa, took two apples from the fruit basket on the table, and ran into the kitchen.
Xiao Xuemei said, "Xiaoqin, you don't mind if I call you that, do you?"
"Please, just say what's on your mind." 'Qin Ziwen knew exactly what was going on. Xiao Xuemei had specifically invited him and his brother upstairs, given them fish, and now offered them fruit. She most likely had a favor to ask.'
Xiao Xuemei sighed and said, "My husband has a kind personality. When I married him, that's what I valued most. He's a steady, reliable family man. In normal times, that's a good thing. With a personality like his, as long as he had a stable job, supporting our family wouldn't have been a problem.
But things are different now. We've been transmigrated. I used to enjoy reading novels when I was younger."
As she said this, a smile touched Xiao Xuemei's lips. "Transmigration novels were very popular back then; I read quite a few. If we had been transported to a civilized place, things might have been better. But we're in a primeval forest. If it weren't for this Gated Community, we'd all probably be living like primitive people by now."
Qin Ziwen nodded slowly, continuing to listen.
Xiao Xuemei said, "My husband's personality isn't suited for a place like this. He's kind and soft-hearted, which makes him easy to fool. I just hope you two can take him under your wing a bit."
"So, you're saying...?"
"I used to work in HR. When it comes to judging character, I'd like to think I'm a little better than most. Xiaoqin, you're decisive, but at your core, you're a man of principle. That's a great quality. It's important to do things by the rules.
Old Deng doesn't have many vices. He doesn't smoke, drink, or play cards. He just enjoyed fishing after work. I never imagined our family would now be relying on that hobby just to eat, but I know it can't last." At this, Xiao Xuemei sighed. "The barrier to entry for fishing is low. More and more people in the Gated Community will start doing it.
This stretch of river below us can't possibly support all of us through fishing alone. Eventually, there will be too many people and not enough fish. I can't say how long we can keep this up."
"As the saying goes, 'even a hero needs friends.' Going it alone in this primeval forest is not an option. When you hunted the crocodile, you specifically saved a spot for Old Deng. He's always remembered that. He knows you're good people." Xiao Xuemei glanced at her daughter washing apples in the kitchen, her voice lowering slightly. "Old Deng might not be much else, but he's strong and honest. You two brothers are clearly resourceful. If you take him with you, he can be a good helper."
She paused, a pleading look in her eyes. "I'm not asking for him to become some great man. I just hope he can learn a few things from you. As long as he's with you and can be of some help, that's enough. The world has changed. I don't want the day to come when my daughter and I become a burden to him."
On the balcony, Old Deng, who was working on his fishing hooks, had been frozen in the same position for a long time.
Just then, Deng Wen came out with the washed apples.
The little girl's eyes sparkled. She brought the plate over. "Brother Qin."
Qin Ziwen nodded silently, picked an apple from the plate, and weighed it in his palm.
A reassuring smile appeared on his face. "I understand what you mean. Brother Deng is a solid guy, and working together is always better than trying to bear it all alone.
Besides, who says Brother Deng only has brute strength? He's a pretty amazing fisherman, isn't he? He caught a meter-long monster today."
Qin Ziwen glanced at his brother. Qin Ziwu immediately caught on and said with a simple, honest smile, "Yeah, ma'am, Brother Deng is a real straight-up guy. We get along great."
Hearing this, Xiao Xuemei visibly relaxed.
Deng Guang coughed from the balcony. "81.3 centimeters."
"HAHAHAHAHA." Qin Ziwen burst out laughing. 'So Brother Deng actually went and measured the fish after he brought it back.'
'I just wonder if he took a picture to commemorate it.'
The two families chatted in the apartment for a while longer. Deng Guang said to be sure to call him when they went to set the Earth Cages that evening. He had specifically saved the guts of the tiger fish to use as bait in the cages, certain it would attract the fish in the river.
...
That afternoon, Qin Ziwen and his brother took their gear for setting snare traps to a spot a little farther away, north of the Gated Community.
It was the first time the two of them had gone so far from the Gated Community—a straight-line distance of over two hundred meters. The dense forest blocked their view; they couldn't even see the outline of the community from here.
"This should be the spot." After observing the surroundings, Qin Ziwen decided to set up a snare trap under each of two trees, baiting them with dried mulberries.
To keep from forgetting the location, they used a rock to scratch a subtle mark on a tree along the path they had taken.
It was worth mentioning that after six straight days of baking in the sun, the mulberries they had picked on the first day had finally dried into proper fruit.
At least on the outside, they didn't look much different from the small dried fruits they used to buy at the supermarket.
"Bro, I think that's a plum tree! We had a bunch of them at our school." On the way back, Qin Ziwu pointed to a nearby tree, then added with some regret, "Looks like the plums have already been picked... Hey, wait, there are still a few up there."
Following his brother's gaze, Qin Ziwen saw that the few unpicked plums were all in hard-to-reach places. 'Looks like someone's been here already.'
He found this perfectly normal. After all, it had been six days since the transmigration. Although the Gated Community's crocodile hunt had been a huge affair, only three or four hundred people had actually participated, and they were mostly concentrated around the south gate and the riverbank.
As for the north and east sides of the Gated Community, and even farther to the west, someone was bound to explore such a vast area eventually.
'If it weren't for the daily settlement, I might have chosen a different path. But since I have the daily settlement ability, it's better to play it safe.'
'Of course, I can't be too cautious. A certain degree of risk is necessary to get a higher score.'
Back at the Gated Community, the sky slowly began to darken.
The weather had been great today—clear skies and a gentle breeze.
The central area of the Gated Community had now tacitly become a market area.
It wasn't peak time for the market yet. The liveliest period would be later in the evening, after most of the people who had gone out had returned.
Xiao Xuemei was the one who told Qin Ziwen all this. She had come downstairs the previous evening and wandered around for a while, which she found to be a good way to relax.
Compared to the unstable trading market of the first two days, after a period of natural market selection, many people had gradually come to recognize the value of different items. Prices had now stabilized, forming a unique "value chain" exclusive to their Gated Community.
...
...