Living captives could be exchanged for 5 silver coins.
Dead ones were only worth 5 bronze coins.
The four men bound the young man tightly, and threw him onto the cart hidden in the corner along with the dead reindeer, dragging it all back to the base.
"Blue Jacket! Are you from the shelter?!"
No one paid attention to him.
The young man, his face a mask of terror, watched the concrete walls pass overhead as he was taken next to the grain silo.
The cart stopped.
Fang Chang and Old White lifted the reindeer together and threw it onto the table in front of Scrambled Egg brother.
"Bro, settle up the work fee."
"12 silver."
Coins clinked and were slammed onto the table as Scrambled Egg Brother pulled out a cleaver left on the table, beginning to chop the meat with heavy thuds.
The dull sound of the blade hitting the board, as if chopping at his heart, made the young man's heart race in terror.
He had never heard of the Blue Jacket eating people!
"Manager, sir? You've arrived just in time, we were about to bring him to you!"
"Where did you get him from?"
"We came across him while hunting, he shot an arrow at me, but he missed."
"I see."
From his pocket, he counted out five silver coins and handed them to Fang Chang, and Chu Guang signaled him to untie the captive on the cart.
Although Fang Chang felt it wasn't very safe to do so, having seen the Manager's combat power, he wasn't too worried and headed towards the cart with Wild Wind.
Hearing footsteps approaching, the young man struggled more fiercely, but when he saw the person following the two men, he was stunned.
"Chu Guang?"
The name was pronounced in this world's tongue.
"Yes, it's me."
Chu Guang smiled, reaching out to help him up.
"I'm sorry for the offense."
The one Fang Chang and the others had captured was none other than Yu Hu, Yu's second child from Bet Street.
Yu Hu moved his wrists, which had turned red from being bound, and nervously glanced at the surrounding Blue Jackets, asking softly,
"Are these all your men?"
It had been a long time.
He had thought this foreigner had died outside; he didn't expect to meet him here again. Just yesterday, he was persuading his sister not to wait for the foreigner at their shack anymore; dust had already settled on the door…
"They're my companions."
"What are they gathered here for?"
"Watching the drama."
"juqing? What's that?"
"It doesn't matter, just ignore them. By the way, what are you doing here? Where's your dad and older brother?"
Chu Guang remembered that whether scavenging or hunting, they always moved as a group.
Yu Hu's expression darkened, and he said in a low voice,
"A few days ago while hunting, my dad was shot in the arm by a Looter. My brother got bitten by a Hyena that the Looters owned while trying to save dad. After escaping back, dad survived, but my brother's leg wound got infected, he's been feverish and bedridden... Winter is coming soon, I don't know if he can make it."
Hyenas, Vultures, and Hu Wolves, the opportunistic trio on the Wasteland, are not picky about their food.
Especially the common Hyenas of Qingquan City, they often eat carrion when they can't find prey, and in extreme hunger, they even bite Eaters, hence their canine teeth are usually filled with bacteria.
If bitten by a mutated hyena, failing to treat the wound promptly can lead to infection, which can be life-threatening if severe.
After hearing Yu Hu's words, Chu Guang frowned.
The Yu family had been quite good to him, though not to the extent of special care, but their youngest daughter always helped him watch his house and even stopped people from the Wang Family from stealing from him.
"Bring your older brother here, maybe I can cure him."
Yu Hu was stunned.
"Really?!"
Chu Guang nodded.
"Yes, bring him here."
Yu Hu was visibly moved and suddenly lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, you're really good people, we were always worried before that you were a bad guy."
Chu Guang replied forgivingly,
"It's okay, being cautious is normal."
He himself wasn't exactly a good person.
"That, um… I owe you an apology."
"For what?"
Yu Hu, his face red, stuttered for a while, scratching his head as he spoke,
"The horned potatoes you planted in front of your door... I saw they hadn't sprouted and dug them up to eat."
"…"
Damn.
So it was you who dug them up!
Forget it.
It's just a potato, not a big deal.
Chu Guang said nonchalantly, "No worries, I probably planted them wrong."
Yu Hu nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes, you can't really grow anything the way you planted them! When I dug them up, I saw two pieces were already rotten. To grow horned potatoes, simply cutting them is not enough, you need to sprout them first, each piece having at least two sprouts, then paint the cut surface with ashes before planting, that way they mature in a month or two!"
Chu Guang looked at him in surprise, "You know how to plant?"
The young man smiled naively, scratching his head.
"It's nothing, most people know a bit. But it's generally my mom, sister-in-law, and Little Fish who plant them by the front of the house, planting outside hardly ever survives, either dug up by people or gnawed away by rats."
Chu Guang happily said, "Alright, when next spring comes, I'll find some work for you. Let's not talk about this now, you should hurry back and carry your brother here."
Hearing Chu Guang say this, the young man remembered that his elder brother was still lying in bed. He quickly nodded and said,
"Okay, I'm going now."
…
Wetland Park was about three kilometers straight from Bet Street. Just beyond the park lay vast stretches of concrete ruins interspersed with patches of greenery, and to avoid the more hazardous areas, one would need to detour at least two kilometers.
However, Yu Hu managed to cover the distance in less than two hours, carrying his elder brother on his back.
Chu Guang had Teng Teng bring over a fur, which they placed on a wooden table for Yu Hu to lay his elder brother, Yu Xiong, upon.
The hulking man was struggling for breath, his face deathly pale.
The scavengers of Bet Street had a monotonous diet and were mostly malnourished, coupled with a lack of effective medical resources. Without illness, they might survive, but once ill, they often had little chance, and most would meet their end.
Chu Guang briefly examined the man's wounds, preliminarily judging, from the color of the pus, that it was a bacterial infection, so he administered an antibiotic capsule he had "won" previously, then proceeded to dress the wound simply.
Yu Hu, anxiously asked, "Is it alright to use wood ash?"
"It depends, wood ash that has been calcined at high temperature is fine."
Wood ash contains potassium salts and is alkaline, which has a decent antibacterial effect, much like the Hundred Herb Frost mentioned in Compendium of Materia Medica.
Though not as effective as alcohol, without high-purity alcohol available, especially in the wilderness, it was a suitable substitute.
Of course, this referred to high-temperature calcined wood ash.
If it was just scooped from below a stove, there could be a major issue, as it might contain tetanus bacteria. Randomly applied, it could be fatal.
About five minutes passed.
Yu Xiong's complexion had noticeably improved, his furrowed brows relaxed, and the cold sweat had ceased.
Chu Guang took note silently.
The efficacy of this pre-war technology antibiotic was truly remarkable.
Yu Hu, less restrained, overwhelmed with emotion at his brother's improvement, threw himself forward and tearfully grasped his brother's hand.
"Brother! How do you feel now?"
"Little Hu? This, where…" Yu Xiong, noticing Chu Guang standing by as he awoke groggily, paused, his weak face registering surprise.
"...Chu Guang?"
"It's me."
"Weren't you..."
"I'm still alive, but I probably won't be returning."
Yu Xiong paused, glanced around at the Blue Jackets surrounding him, and probably grasped the situation as a smile appeared on his face.
"Congratulations, it looks like you've found your comrades."
"Yeah, only recently," Chu Guang said with a slight smile, "Thank you for your care before."
"Don't mention it, how could we have helped? Instead, you saved my life... that capsule must have been expensive," said Yu Xiong, embarrassment coloring his rugged features.
Such plastic-like capsules were luxury items only found in Giant Stone City, which he had only heard of and never seen before.
Thinking about it, even in Giant Stone City, not everyone could afford such luxuries.
"Don't worry about it. It was just a small effort. I'll give you another one soon. If you feel feverish, take it; if not, save it. It could save your life."
People's kindness was something Chu Guang always remembered, even if it was just a piece of bread.
Moreover, while the tablet was precious to them, to Chu Guang, it was merely a prize from a Blind Box draw.
Hearing that Chu Guang would give him another capsule, Yu Xiong quickly shook his head.
"How can that be right! You saved my life, how can I accept something so valuable!"
Chu Guang didn't bother with much discussion and stuffed the cut-up foil into his younger brother's hands.
"Keep it for your brother; I don't want to have saved him only for him to die of infection on the way back."
Yu Hu hesitated, but looking at the wound on his brother's leg, he eventually nodded.
"Thank you... I will repay you! Once I've taken my brother back, I'll come work for you every day!"
"No need, you are the main support of your family now, the only hunter left. If you work for me, what will your family eat? If you really want to repay me, just get through this tough time, and we can talk about anything else next spring."
Seeing Chu Guang speak thus, they didn't insist anymore but their eyes were full of gratitude, promising to repay him after the winter had passed.
Watching the dramatic scene, Old White tugged at Fang Chang, in a voice not meant for the Manager to overhear, whispered,
"What are they talking about?"
Fang Chang, rubbing his chin in thought, replied,
"Can't understand completely, but I have a rough idea."
Night Ten egged him on,
"Come on, tell us, a rough idea will do."
"Alright, I'll try to explain briefly, not sure if it's accurate... The native young man set out to hunt to treat his family's illness but was captured by us. The Manager recognized him and allowed him to bring his sick family members here, and we treated them with shelter medicine. They were touched by the gesture and expressed that we are now their friends and it looks like they will probably establish a diplomatic relationship with us next."
Old White asked dumbfounded.
"How do they establish a diplomatic relationship?"
Before Fang Chang could reply, Night Ten slapped his shoulder playfully and said,
"Are you silly? How do natives establish relations? Through marriage of course! The chieftain giving away a daughter, that's the old routine."
"Damn! Isn't that too big a sacrifice for our Manager?!"
Wild Wind coughed lightly,
"Don't listen to Night Ten's nonsense, though it's not impossible, I'm still more optimistic about him pairing with the weapon shop mistress."
Fang Chang nodded,
"I always find common ground with Wild Wind, you two should reflect on why your thoughts are never in sync with normal people."
Teng Teng's eyes twinkled excitedly as she whispered,
"Why does it always have to be the boss lady? Why not the grateful young man?"
"Damn! You're not right!"
"This 'Game' is serious, right? It's serious, right?"
"…"
Chu Guang, unable to listen any further, pretended not to hear and walked away.
Speaking of which…
The tailor's profits in the current version seem a bit high?
Maybe I'll balance it in the next update.