Two Realms Shuttle Gate: Don t Call Me a Demon!

Chapter 44: Chapter 42: The Transformation of Lazhi Village

Autumn, the golden rice fields swayed with the wind, resembling waves rippling.

At Lazhi Village, the villagers, as always, hastened to harvest the rice while the sun’s heat was still mild.

“I asked yesterday, and this year’s rice purchasing price is much lower than last year’s.”

In the fields, a dark-skinned man in his twenties complained to his fellow villagers as he wielded a sickle to cut the rice.

“We earn so little from the grain, when will we ever make enough money to move to the city, I’m even considering growing poppy.”

His companion was equally resentful, cursing this dog’s age.

“I would never grow that harmful poppy even if it killed me.”

Miao Lun’s face darkened, and he shot an angry glance over.

The poppy, indeed opium, was the very reason his father had died, and he held a profound loathing for it.

“Alright, alright, I was just saying, those things are grown in the north, no one here messes with that.”

His companion gave a sheepish laugh and quickly explained.

Miao Lun’s expression softened somewhat, but just then, a strange noise interrupted the moment.

[Extraordinary good news! Extraordinary good news! Jieke Company is now purchasing all kinds of poisonous insects and snakes, with no limit on quantity, priced by weight, payment made on the spot, fair to everyone.]

[Extraordinary good news! Extraordinary good news! Jieke Company is now purchasing all kinds of poisonous insects and snakes, with no limit on variety, priced by weight, payment made on the spot, fair to everyone.]

…

A dilapidated van drove past the muddy road by the field ridge, its body adorned with festive red advertisements. A loudspeaker mounted on the roof repeated the message, drawing the attention of the busy villagers looking up.

“What’s this, buying bugs?”

Miao Lun was befuddled. Where on earth did this Jieke Company come from, and why were they buying bugs?

The van stopped right in front of him, and a man dressed in a uniform emblazoned with the word “Jieke” stepped out and called to him, “Friend, are you interested in learning more?”

“You’re really buying bugs? Paying money?”

Miao Lun asked tentatively, even as he picked up a grasshopper from the ground and held it up, “Like this kind of insect?”

The Jieke employee laughed upon seeing it and said, “Of course, our Jieke is owned by a prominent Chinese businessman, absolutely genuine. For the grasshopper in your hand, let me see, ah, an orthopteran insect, we’ll pay 5 Hua Yuan per kilogram.”

“How much, 5 Hua Yuan a kilogram, and you pay in Hua Yuan?”

Miao Lun could hardly believe his ears, his daily wage converted to Hua Yuan was no more than 15 Yuan.

Catching three kilograms of grasshoppers would equal a day’s wage, and it was paid in Hua Yuan at that, which was far more useful than their Zen Coins.

It wasn’t just Miao Lun who heard this; the nearby villagers also caught wind of the conversation, causing a stir throughout the area.

Who was this fool offering such a high price for grasshoppers?

“Our Jieke Company is a major brand, very trustworthy. Everyone can catch with ease, and we absolutely won’t default on payment. Not just grasshoppers, we buy all sorts of poisonous insects and snakes, and the prices are even higher. You all can take a look,” the Jieke employee reassured, handing out flyers to the villagers, but some already could not wait.

Like Miao Lun, who, after confirming it wasn’t a scam, immediately dropped his sickle, picked up a snake bag, and began to search and catch grasshoppers all around.

In the fields during the harvest, there was no shortage of grasshoppers, a simple stomp could startle many.

Miao Lun, who had caught plenty as a child, was adept at catching them now, nailing it each time.

Seeing this, others followed suit, afraid the grasshoppers in the field would all be snatched away.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, the villagers who had been harvesting millet one moment turned into bug-catching experts the next, with many even running back home to call their wives, children, and parents to join the frenzy, with entire families getting involved.

As darkness fell, Miao Lun approached the Jieke employee for the third time, handing over the two kilograms of grasshoppers he had just caught.

“Ten Hua Yuan, take care.”

The transaction complete, the Jieke employee poured all the grasshoppers into a glass box, and as the sky continued to darken, he found himself compelled to announce a temporary departure.

“It’s getting too late, I’ll come back tomorrow, and I’ll still buy the bugs, so everyone, don’t worry.”

After the Jieke employee finished speaking, he got into the van loaded with grasshoppers and drove off unsteadily.

Meanwhile, the villagers at the site were still buzzing with excitement, everyone’s faces alight with excitement and thrill.

Because the day’s catch from bug-catching surpassed what they would earn in a day’s wage by far.

Miao Lun counted the Hua Yuan in his hands over and over, amounting to 27 Hua Yuan, nearly equal to his two days’ earnings.

Wearing a simpleton’s grin, Miao Lun excitedly said, “If they come every day to buy, I’ll be able to save up enough money for my mother’s treatment soon, and at the same time, my sister will be able to go to school and study.”

His mother had been bedridden since the year before due to a severe illness, unable to seek medical attention due to lack of funds.

Now, his greatest desire was to save enough money to take his mother to a big city hospital for treatment.

Pocketing the money, Miao Lun headed back home.

In the dim, cramped earthen house, his 12-year-old sister was busying herself at the stove, preparing a meager dinner of thin porridge and dried vegetables—clear and watery.

As soon as Miao Lun entered the house, he couldn’t wait to tell his mother and sister about what had happened that day.

Only when they saw the Hua Yuan that Miao Lun took out did they believe that he wasn’t talking nonsense.

“Mother, I won’t keep talking, while there’s still time, I have to hurry and catch some more bugs.”

After a quick dinner, Miao Lun grabbed his flashlight and went out again, searching for Poison Insects that the Jieke Company needed.

It was creatures like toads, venomous snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and the like, which only came out at night, making it suitable for nocturnal hunting.

Many villagers shared Miao Lun’s plans; the day’s earnings had motivated many, letting them realize that bugs could be so valuable.

The following day, Miao Lun, with dark circles under his eyes, stood with a group of villagers at the village entrance, eagerly waiting.

When the loud honking sounded and the van came into sight, Miao Lun and the surrounding villagers cheered, swarming toward it.

That night’s catch meant another twenty yuan in earnings for Miao Lun, who was over the moon with excitement.

And a villager who had caught a venomous snake was boasting loudly, for it had sold for a whopping hundred yuan.

Compared to their farming, these earnings were far more rewarding for the local villagers whose livelihoods mainly depended on agriculture.

From that day on, the villagers busied themselves daily searching for various Poison Insects and snakes, exchanging them for Hua Yuan from the Jieke Company.

Similar events were not limited to Lazhi Village; the same was true for a dozen other villages and towns nearby.

In no time at all, the Jieke Company’s reputation soared in the surrounding area, and even Mande City had heard of it.

The local villagers’ view of the Jieke Company grew increasingly positive, with several Poison Insect purchasing stations crowded every day, and bug-catching became a major source of income for many villagers.

While the villagers were elated over their newfound wealth from catching bugs, they were unaware that they had entered into a carefully orchestrated grand scheme.

As the transactions became more frequent, their economy was being tethered, tied to the great tree that was Jieke.

When people grew increasingly dependent on Jieke, a time would come when if Jieke were to collapse, the entire economy of Mande City would regress into chaos—that would also be the day when Mande City would be utterly dominated and bound.

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