My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 72 Receiving the Goods
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"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Uncle Qi's words are the rules, and we juniors will naturally follow them," Xu Guoqing said firmly.

"readily!"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Qi was very pleased and stood up with a pat on the armrest: "Ah Hui, take the guests to rest."

"Yes!"

The young man named Ahui responded, stepped forward to Zhou Jiye and the others, and made a gesture. Zhou Jiye and the others did not refuse, and after bowing to Uncle Qi, they followed Ahui downstairs.

After leaving the compound, Ahui said, "Come with me," and then led the three of them forward. They walked through the village, making several turns, until they arrived at a small courtyard. He opened the gate and let them in, then pointed to the house and told them to stay inside. He said that lunch, dinner, tea, and other necessities would be delivered to them, and they shouldn't go out or ask any questions. This was their local custom.

After thanking them, the three went straight into the house.

The room was empty except for a square table and a few chairs in the middle. Xu Guoqing didn't say anything and just plopped down in a chair. Zhou Jiye and Achang sat down next to Xu Guoqing.

Ah Hui brought the people over and left without even locking the gate, just casually closing it as if he wasn't afraid of them leaving.

Zhou Jiye and the others weren't stupid; they knew the villagers had done it on purpose. The three of them sat inside the house with no intention of going out. Xu Guoqing took out a cigarette, offered it to everyone, lit it, and leisurely smoked it.

"Brother Qing, why didn't you discuss it with Uncle Qi again just now?" Zhou Jiye couldn't help but ask.

“Hehe, Uncle Qi’s attitude is very clear. If it weren’t for A-Chang using A-Jiu’s relationship to speak up today, and our initiative to reveal our identities, do you think Uncle Qi would have let us stay?” Xu Guoqing smiled and shook his head, saying, “The most important thing in the underworld is to be careful. Once Uncle Qi sets the rules, he won’t allow anyone to break them. There’s no point in haggling at this time, so why bother? Besides, Uncle Qi knows our intentions very well. He’s asking this question to test our reaction.”

“Yes, Ah Ye.” Ah Chang nodded from the side: “Ah Jiu told me that Uncle Qi has a high reputation in the village. He is not only the village secretary but also an elder of the clan. His word is law and no one dares to contradict him. His rules are the rules. If we make Uncle Qi unhappy, not only will we not be able to get this done today, but we may also get into trouble.”

Zhou Jiye suddenly realized that this was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and it was normal that he had no experience.

Looking at the nonchalant Xu Guoqing, and then at Achang chatting and laughing freely on the side, Zhou Jiye couldn't help but sigh. Although he had decades of experience, when it came to these things, he was still far inferior to them!

This is similar to comparing a poor student who knows the answers to an exam with a high-achieving student. If they only take one exam, the former might score higher, but in terms of true knowledge mastery and adaptability, the latter is far superior.

Before his transmigration, Zhou Jiye was just an ordinary wage slave. The era he lived in and everything he came into contact with were similar to those of ordinary people. He could not be called a success, let alone have considerable experience. All he possessed was a prediction of the future course of history. However, in terms of specific execution and other aspects, he was not as good as Xu Guoqing and Achang.

Today's events in Macun made Zhou Jiye deeply realize this point, and he felt even more fortunate to have Xu Guoqing with him on this trip south. If it weren't for Xu Guoqing, he would probably have suffered heavy losses on his own, even if he managed to escape by chance.

While Zhou Jiye and the others were in that house, Ahui had already returned to Uncle Qi's house.

Upon seeing Uncle Qi, Ahui told him that the people had been settled. Uncle Qi nodded slightly and said nothing more. At this moment, Ahui hesitated and asked Uncle Qi, "Should we... take these out-of-towners?"

Uncle Qi waved his hand: "No need. These people are not simple. Moreover, they have bulging waists and are probably hiding weapons. In addition, they are Ah Jiu's brothers. Since they came according to the rules, we should also do the rules. We can't break the rules. We still need to uphold the code of honor."

"What about the other side of the 'scumbag dog'?" Ah Hui asked again.

"There's no need to give any prior notice. The rules of Ma Village only apply to Ma Village. As for outside Ma Village, it's up to them to decide. If they can get through this, that's their skill; if they can't, it's none of our business. Besides, letting the 'Dead Dogs' test their mettle isn't a bad thing," Uncle Seven said casually with a smile.

"Understood, Uncle Qi." Ah Hui nodded. Uncle Qi didn't say anything more and waved for Ah Hui to go about his business. After Ah Hui left, he sat in his chair, closed his eyes, and rested, looking quite relaxed.

Zhou Jiye and his companions stayed in that room without leaving for a moment. At noon and in the evening, Ahui sent people to deliver food to them. Although the food was very ordinary, Zhou Jiye and his companions did not mind and ate all the food that was delivered. After eating, they smoked and chatted, and time passed little by little until it got dark.

As evening approached, looking at the oil lamp lit on the table, it was probably close to eight or nine o'clock at night. Zhou Jiye couldn't help but feel anxious. He had been waiting all day, and after bringing them into this room for so long, there had been no further developments. When would the transaction finally take place?
He wanted to ask, but seeing that Xu Guoqing and Achang both looked calm, Zhou Jiye could only swallow his questions and continue to wait patiently.

He didn't know how long he waited. As the night deepened, just as Zhou Jiye was starting to doze off, he heard footsteps outside. Xu Guoqing, who reacted immediately, gently patted Zhou Jiye's arm, and Zhou Jiye instantly woke up from his half-asleep state.

Just as I woke up, the door was opened from the outside, and Ahui walked in.

"Follow me!" Ahui said directly, then turned and left. Zhou Jiye and the others quickly got up and followed Ahui out the door. After leaving the courtyard, Ahui led them back to the vicinity of Uncle Qi's yard, pointed to the truck they had driven, and said, "Get in, you drive, I'll give you directions, let's go!"

Achang nodded quickly, opened the car door, and got into the driver's seat. Ahui followed Achang and sat in the middle seat. Xu Guoqing gave Zhou Jiye a wink, and Zhou Jiye nodded and climbed into the back of the truck. Xu Guoqing went to sit by the window in the driver's seat. After everyone was in the car, Ahui pointed to the road in the village and asked Achang to drive the car out of the village first, and then leisurely drove along a small road behind the village towards the sea.

Because of Ahui's request, Achang did not turn on the headlights, and relied entirely on the night light and Ahui's directions to navigate the small road.

The car wasn't going fast, only about 20 miles per hour. After driving like this for about half an hour, Ahui told Achang to stop the car in an open space ahead. Achang drove the car over as instructed by Ahui, and when they got there, they found that there were already four trucks of different sizes parked there.

Turn off the engine and get out of the car.

Ahui told Zhou Jiye and the others to continue following him, not to speak when they arrived at their destination, and to prepare the money in advance.

Zhou Jiye and the others nodded. After tidying up, the three of them followed Ahui without saying a word. After passing a group of rocks, the view suddenly opened up. Under the bright moonlight, they saw the beach in front of them. About two miles to their left, a group of people were waiting quietly in the dark. Further towards the sea, there was a simple wooden pier.

Ahui led them toward the crowd, and as they went, Zhou Jiye felt his heart pounding.

In the dead of night, in an unfamiliar village and by the sea, with so many people around, it was impossible for him not to worry. But now that he was already here, no matter how afraid he was, he could only grit his teeth and keep going.

"Seventh Uncle, the person has been brought."

As he got closer, Ah Hui walked toward one of the people. Wasn't that Uncle Seven?

Uncle Qi turned around upon hearing the sound, nodded slightly to Zhou Jiye and the other two, and then asked directly, "How many chickens did you bring?"

“Three things,” Xu Guoqing replied.

Uncle Qi reached out his hand to Xu Guoqing, who immediately pulled out the money he had prepared and handed it over without saying a word. They had already taken out the money when they got off the bus and put it all on Xu Guoqing, but they didn't expect Uncle Qi to ask for money before they even saw the goods.

Seeing Xu Guoqing's straightforwardness, Uncle Qi smiled.

After taking the money, he counted it skillfully to confirm the amount was correct, then stuffed it into a black bag he was carrying. He then said to them, "Wait, the goods will arrive soon. Once they're here, move ten items. I've already explained the rules, so I won't repeat them. Leave immediately after you've moved the goods, understand?"

"Understood, Uncle Seven!" Xu Guoqing nodded.

Then Uncle Qi stopped talking, turned his head and continued to look towards the sea. The others remained standing quietly, waiting patiently.

Zhou Jiye noticed that most of the people on the beach looked like villagers, but there were also several who looked different. These people were probably also there to buy goods, and the other cars parked where they had parked earlier must have been theirs.

These people stayed at a distance from the villagers in twos and threes, clearly separated from each other without exchanging words. Zhou Jiye and his two companions did the same, each glancing at the other with their eyes before tacitly looking away.

After waiting for about ten minutes, a faint sound suddenly came from the sea. The sound was so subtle that it was hard to distinguish without careful listening amidst the rhythmic sound of the waves.

Uncle Qi and the others visibly perked up. Uncle Qi gave a few instructions in a low voice and walked alone toward the makeshift pier ahead. When he got close to the pier, he took out a large flashlight from his handbag, turned it on, and drew three circles in the direction of the sea. Then he gave a signal with three short and two long flashes before turning off the flashlight and patiently continuing to wait.

A moment later, with a slight sputtering sound, a "big flying car" appeared out of the sea like a ghost and approached the dock.

A short while later, Dafei docked at the pier. Uncle Qi went up and exchanged a few words with the other party. Because they were far away, Zhou Jiye and the others couldn't hear their conversation. However, Uncle Qi quickly walked towards them from the pier. After walking a few steps closer, Uncle Qi waved his hand at the villagers who had been waiting for a long time: "The goods have arrived! Same as always, one work point for each item carried. Hurry up! Quickly!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers who had been waiting instantly sprang into action. A dozen or so young men ran toward the dock, and then they saw goods being unloaded from the large aircraft, carried on people's shoulders, and then running toward them just like they had left.

The people from Ma Village clearly do this kind of work regularly; they're quick and efficient. The large aircraft carrier that came from the other side of the sea can theoretically carry about five tons of cargo, but in reality, it can easily carry seven or eight tons, or even more.

There were quite a few of these items, each one tightly wrapped, making it impossible to tell what was inside. There were over two hundred items in total, and a dozen or so young men went back and forth, quickly piling up a small mountain in the open space in front of them.

(End of this chapter)