It seemed like this deal was really lucrative. The boss gave him some credit again yesterday, and with the goods delivered, he had managed to break into the affluent circles.
It was surprising that even the extravagant and spendthrift rich kids may worry about not having condoms. It was simply too satisfying.
"A whole cow?" Stella was instantly intrigued but kept her cool, "Sure, but it has to be done in batches."
"No problem."
For several consecutive days, they finally completed the trade of the entire cow.
Just as they were about to leave, Monkey dropped another bombshell, "We've also got mutton, interested?"
Stella couldn't resist, "How much?"
"A total of 330 pounds."
After these two large transactions, she was left with just over a thousand large condoms. She didn't plan to sell any more; they'd appreciate faster in a couple of years.
Having taken the mutton, Stella reminded him, "I don't want anyone else to know about our deals."
Monkey understood immediately, "Rest assured, Miss. We're professionals. We only care about genuine goods and fair prices. We never pry into others' private deals."
In fact, he was also dealing privately. Otherwise, how would he support his wife and children? They would have been starved long ago.
The quantity of mutton was a bit less, but there was enough pork, beef, and fish. Along with the meat she'd hoarded and collected before, it was basically enough for her and her dog to live comfortably until the ends of their lives.
Once again, she thanked Mother Nature for her gifts.
Stella stayed at home with the dog and Rosie, while Jasper went out. She refrained from using the electric heater with Rosie around, instead using charcoal for heating and preparing mashed potatoes with minced meat, which Cooper and Rosie happily devoured.
Angela and her group spent five days at Ivywood Estates, using all their strength to haul back several hundred pounds of charcoal. Covered in black from head to toe, they looked like they'd just crawled out of a coal mine. They were all looking rather worn out.
Stella and Jasper helped move the charcoal, while the competitive Cooper grabbed the mouth of the sack with his teeth and kept pulling it upstairs.
Survival certainly wasn't easy. There were many who went to Ivywood Estates to chop wood. The three of them took turns guarding their territory, day and night without rest, and they were still targeted by others. If they hadn't been strong enough, wearing 'bulletproof vests' made of steel plates, they might have been ambushed. Finally, they had to pull out their guns to successfully scare off those with ill intentions.
The three collapsed on the couch, too tired to even speak.
Stella started the stove to keep them warm and made a super-sized portion of pasta with meat sauce. Only after eating did they feel somewhat revived.
They boiled water on the charcoal stove, and they all bathed from head to toe before diving into bed for a long sleep. It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that they fully recovered.
Stella and Jasper hadn't contributed to the labor, but they'd guarded the house, for which Angela each gave them 110 pounds of charcoal.
Both of them didn't want to take advantage of this, and they stood firm in refusing. The Moore family also didn't want it, but Angela insisted. "Granny, if it weren't for you telling us how to make charcoal, we wouldn't have been able to bring it back."
Unable to refuse Angela's earnestness, Katie accepted it.
Stella brought out the goodies she'd traded for the Christmas celebration, "These were exchanged with gold necklaces, rings, and watches, along with a pack of cigarettes."
In these times, although there were people who accepted gold and jewelry, they were far less valuable than before. To be able to exchange them for so many goods was quite a pleasant surprise.
Cody was amazed, "It's incredible that there are still potatoes and tomatoes in this kind of weather, and the beef is fresh, too."
"Just look at your astonished face." Stella shot him a look, successfully nipping his unnecessary thoughts in the bud, "We ordinary folk might be helpless, but do you really think those rich and powerful individuals are helpless too? They reaped the benefits of our overworking before the apocalypse, and now they continue to exploit resources."
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