"Sister-in-law, you're really..."
Xiao Meixue's expression was serious as she insisted on handing it over: "I know you brothers have kind personalities, but relationships need clear rules to last properly."
"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony then." Qin Ziwen accepted the bag.
Xiao Meixue looked toward Deng Wen sitting on the sofa: "Wenwen, stop sitting there and wash some apples for your two brothers."
Deng Wen jumped up from the sofa, grabbed two apples from the fruit basket on the table, and ran into the kitchen.
Xiao Meixue said, "Xiao Qin, is it okay if I call you that?"
"Sister-in-law, please speak freely." Qin Ziwen understood perfectly well that Xiao Meixue had specifically invited him and his brother upstairs, giving them fish and fruit, likely because she had a request.
Xiao Meixue sighed and said, "Your Brother Deng has a kind personality. When I married him, it was because I valued that about him. He's family-oriented, steady, and reliable. In normal times, that would be fine - with his stable personality, he could easily support our family as long as he had a steady job."
"But now it's different. We've transmigrated. When I was younger, I also liked reading novels."
At this point, Xiao Meixue's face showed a faint smile. "Back then, transmigration novels were already very popular, and I read quite a few. If we had transmigrated to a place with civilization, it might have been better. But now we've come to this primitive forest. If not for this residential complex, we might all be living like primitive people already."
Qin Ziwen nodded slowly and continued listening.
Xiao Meixue said, "Your Brother Deng's personality isn't very suitable for this kind of place. He's kind-hearted and easily softens, making him vulnerable to being deceived. I just hope you can take him under your wing more."
"What exactly do you mean, sister-in-law?"
"I used to be responsible for human resources work at my company. When it comes to judging people, I think I'm slightly better than average. Xiao Qin, although you act decisively, you're essentially a principled person. That's good - one should follow rules when doing things."
"Old Deng doesn't have many hobbies. He doesn't smoke, drink, or play cards - he just likes going fishing occasionally after work. I never thought our family would end up relying on this hobby of his for basic sustenance, but I know this can't last." Xiao Meixue sighed at this point. "Fishing isn't that hard to learn. Soon, more and more people in the complex will take up fishing."
"Just with this river section below us, fishing alone can't support all of us. It will eventually become crowded with people and scarce in fish. I'm not sure how long this can be maintained."
"It takes more than one good man to make a team. In this primitive forest jungle, going it alone definitely won't work. When you hunted the crocodile before, you specifically saved a spot for Old Deng. He's always remembered that and knows you're good people." Xiao Meixue said, glancing toward her daughter washing apples in the kitchen, lowering her voice slightly: "Old Deng may not excel at much, but he's strong and honest. You brothers clearly have ambition. If you take him along, he can be your helper."
She paused, her eyes carrying a hint of earnestness: "I don't expect him to achieve great things. I just hope he can learn something from you and be able to help. The world has changed. I don't want us mother and daughter to become burdens to him someday."
Old Deng on the balcony, who had been stringing fishhooks, had maintained the same position for quite some time.
Just then, Deng Wen came out with the washed apples.
The young girl's eyes sparkled as she brought the plate over: "Brother Qin."
Qin Ziwen nodded silently, picked up an apple from the fruit plate, and weighed it in his palm.
A reassuring smile appeared on his face: "Sister-in-law, I understand what you mean. Brother Deng is a sincere person. Working together is better than struggling alone."
"And who says Brother Deng only has strength? He's quite skilled at fishing too - he caught a meter-class giant today."
Qin Ziwen glanced at his brother, and Qin Ziwu immediately caught on, smiling honestly: "Yes, sister-in-law, Brother Deng is very genuine. We get along well."
Hearing this, the tension around Xiao Meixue's eyebrows eased.
Deng Guang on the balcony coughed: "81.3 centimeters."
"Hahahaha." Qin Ziwen laughed, realizing that after bringing the fish back, Brother Deng had specifically measured its length.
He wondered if he had taken photos to commemorate it.
The two families chatted in the room for a while longer. Deng Guang said they must call him when setting the fish traps in the evening - he had specifically saved the tiger fish entrails to put in the fish traps, which would surely attract fish in the river.
...
In the afternoon, Qin Ziwen and his brother brought equipment for setting snare traps to an area slightly farther north of the residential complex.
This was the first time the two had come this far from the complex - a straight-line distance of over two hundred meters. Dense trees blocked their view, and from here they couldn't even see the outline of the residential complex.
"This should be the spot." Qin Ziwen observed the surrounding environment and finally decided to set one snare trap under each of two trees, using dried mulberries as bait inside the traps.
To avoid forgetting the location, they made subtle marks on trees along the path using stones.
It was worth mentioning that after six consecutive days of intense sun exposure, the mulberries picked on the first day had been successfully dried.
At least from appearance, they didn't look much different from the small dried fruits they used to buy in supermarkets before.
"Brother, this looks like a plum tree! Our school used to have many planted." On the return journey, Qin Ziwu pointed at a nearby tree, then sounded somewhat disappointed. "The plums on the tree seem to have been picked. Ah, there are still a few over there."
Following his brother's gaze, Qin Ziwen noticed that the few unpicked plums were all in hard-to-reach positions. "It seems someone has been here already."
He found this normal, since they had been transmigrated for six days already. Although the residential complex's crocodile hunting operation had been in full swing, only about three to four hundred people had actually participated, mainly concentrated around the south gate and riverbank of the complex.
In the northern and eastern areas of the complex, and the even more distant western areas - such a large territory - someone was bound to explore eventually.
If not for the daily settlement, he might have taken a different path. But since he had the daily settlement ability, it was better to be more cautious.
Of course, not overly cautious either - to achieve higher ratings, taking certain risks was necessary.
Returning to the residential complex, the sky gradually darkened.
The weather was beautiful today - clear skies with gentle breezes.
The central area of the residential complex had now become an unspoken marketplace area.
It wasn't peak market hours yet. Only later, when most people returning from outside had come back, would the marketplace become most lively.
Xiao Meixue had told Qin Ziwen this - she had come downstairs to browse for quite a while last night, which served as a form of relaxation for her.
Compared to the unstable trading market of the previous two days, after natural market filtering, many people had gradually recognized the value of different items. Prices in the market had now stabilized, forming a unique "value chain" specific to their residential complex.
......