Chapter 54: The Floating Market

Zhao Ping’an’s family had plenty of grain and vegetables stored at home, but they were completely out of meat. The frozen meat they’d bought earlier was long gone, and since both mother and son were meat lovers, they’d been relying on the spicy chicken feet and other snacks they’d traded from An Nan just to get a taste of something savory.

So, as soon as fish started appearing in the floodwaters, Zhao Ping’an immediately set his sights on them. The biggest problem, though, was that neither he nor his mother could swim. To be safe, he invited Chu Peipei, who was a strong swimmer, to join him in fishing. That way, if he accidentally fell into the water, at least someone could try to save him.

Whether she could actually save him or not was another matter, but with Chu Peipei on the boat, he felt a lot safer.

The water was unpredictable, and although Zhao Ping’an’s family had a kayak, it was nowhere near as sturdy or safe as an inflatable assault boat. So, they went to borrow one from An Nan.

An Nan hadn’t been interested in fishing at first, but the two of them were so enthusiastic in their invitation—and promised she’d only have to provide the boat, not help with the actual fishing, and would still get a share of the meat—that she finally agreed. Still, since she wasn’t doing any of the work, she insisted on only taking the smallest share.

Zhao Ping’an had made his own fishing device, and with the help of his latest homemade knockout drug, he and Chu Peipei worked together to successfully take down several crocodiles—and caught a good haul of other fish as well.

With everyone in the community out fishing, the hunger problem was finally eased. Before long, a large floating market sprang up on the water. People brought all kinds of fish to trade, swapping catches with each other. Those who couldn’t fish could trade grain for meat, and those with nothing at all could barter survival supplies for food.

For a while, the floating market was bustling with activity.

After being cooped up at home for so long, An Nan also wanted to check out the market to see if she could find any chemical fertilizer. Since she planned to grow medicinal herbs in her space from now on, fertilizer was a must. For now, she was making do with homemade compost from her and Fugui’s droppings, but she’d feel much more secure with a stockpile of commercial fertilizer as backup.

Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei also wanted to visit the market. Aside from the crocodile meat and dried fish they kept for themselves, they planned to trade the rest for more useful supplies.

So, the three of them set out together. They sat in An Nan’s inflatable boat, towing Zhao Ping’an’s kayak behind them. Even so, they couldn’t fit all the crocodile meat and had to leave some at home, planning to make another trip the next day.

The floating market was set up over an open stretch of water in the Zhongguan District. When they arrived, the market was in full swing, with vendors shouting out their wares:

“Fresh fish! Who wants some?”

“Rice soaked in floodwater—going cheap!”

“Knives, axes, you name it! Only trading for dry rations!”

The whole market was pure barter—no one wanted cash. After all, for most people, filling their stomachs was the top priority now. You couldn’t eat money.

They paddled their boat around the market and saw that you could trade for just about anything, though fish made up the bulk of the goods. But An Nan didn’t see anyone trading fertilizer. After all, no one would have thought to bring that home, and it was probably all underwater by now.

An Nan frowned, thinking: Even if I put on diving gear and salvaged some, would it still be usable?

While she was lost in thought, Zhao Ping’an suddenly pointed ahead in surprise. “Look, someone’s selling chicks!”

Wow—three months into the disaster, and there were still chickens alive?

They paddled over to take a look. On the other boat, an old man had a big cardboard box full of fluffy yellow chicks, all cheeping away. Since there wasn’t much meat on them and raising them would take time and feed, not many people were interested.

Seeing them approach, the old man perked up. “Looking to buy some chicks?” He’d been waiting for hours without a single customer, so he eagerly tried to sell them.

An Nan had plenty of chicken in her storage space and had no interest in raising more at home—she already had Fugui to look after. Chu Peipei’s family didn’t have enough grain to spare for chickens either.

But Zhao Ping’an was very interested. His family had plenty of grain and vegetables, but they lacked meat—especially a steady supply. His eyes lit up at the sight of the chicks. If these chicks grew up and started laying eggs, and those eggs hatched into more chickens, he’d never have to worry about running out of meat again!

He asked excitedly, “What do these little guys eat?”

The old man replied enthusiastically, “Just feed them millet every day! If I had any grain left, I wouldn’t be selling them. Let me tell you, these chickens are lucky—if it weren’t for my wife’s hobby of raising poultry, we wouldn’t have survived this long!”

Zhao Ping’an didn’t care about luck—he just saw a parade of crispy fried chicken, braised chicken, three-cup chicken, chicken stew, and salt-baked chicken waving at him.

After some haggling, he traded two jin of crocodile meat for ten chicks.

They continued browsing the market. There were plenty of fish sellers, but hardly anyone had as much crocodile meat as they did. After all, crocodiles were hard to catch, and their meat was dense and filling, so it was in high demand. Before long, they’d traded for all sorts of things.

Chu Peipei got 100 jin of dry goods—millet, potatoes, sweet potatoes—plus two cases of bottled water, three boxes of matches, and two gas canisters.

Zhao Ping’an traded for some hardware, 80 jin of millet, ten chicks, and a pair of rabbits. The woman selling the rabbits kept patting him on the shoulder:

“You’ve got a good eye, young man! These things breed like crazy—one litter every 30 days, a dozen or more each time. You’ll never run out of meat, never!”

Zhao Ping’an nodded eagerly and even tried to convince An Nan to buy a pair.

But An Nan wasn’t much of a fan of rabbit meat. She’d bought some at the farmer’s market before, and later cleared out a rabbit warren in the mountains, so she declined. “I’ll pass. Rabbits stink up the house.”

Zhao Ping’an nodded. Not everyone had two apartments on the same floor like he did—no matter how bad the smell, it wouldn’t bother him. He grinned, “No problem. Once I’ve got a good stock, I’ll bring you some to eat.”

After two hours at the market, Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei had traded for plenty of goods, but An Nan, holding her share of crocodile meat, hadn’t found anything worth trading for. She already had everything the market offered in her storage space, and in better condition, so there was no need to swap.

With no luck finding fertilizer, An Nan called to the others to head home and try again tomorrow.

Just then, a new trading boat arrived. An Nan glanced over casually—and instantly changed her mind."