Chapter 105: Secretly Buying Grain

The fleeting exchange of looks between the two was but a moment, known only to themselves.

Upon hearing Shen Lie’s words, Chef Yu burst into laughter, "So you’re a family! Young Master Shen, you're truly fortunate! Madame Sang is truly beyond praise!"

Chef Yu wanted to ask how Shen Lie, having been conscripted for so many years, managed to marry such a wife from afar. Holding back his curiosity, seeing Sang Luo present, he refrained from asking. Instead, he had an apprentice prepare a small plate of snacks for Shen An and Shen Ning, before turning to handle their delivery.

The pheasants, a rare delicacy compared to common chickens, were priced much higher. For four pheasants and a half-basket of winter bamboo shoots, Chef Yu calculated a total of over 450 coins. He also accepted the 12 pounds of konnyaku Sang Luo had ordered through Qin Fangniang the day before. After weighing the four pheasants brought by Chen Dashan, he led the group to the front office to collect their payment.

Shen An and Shen Ning, familiar with staying in the kitchen, decided to eat there and wait for their older brother and sister-in-law.

～

Shopkeeper Xu was usually present at this time and greeted Sang Luo with a smile upon her arrival. Seeing two young men accompanying her, he felt a sense of familiarity but couldn’t immediately recall where he had seen them before, thus looking at them curiously.

It was Chef Yu who clarified while walking, introducing them as the young men who had provided game to the restaurant in previous years. Only then did Shopkeeper Xu realize why they seemed familiar, recalling that he might have seen them a few times before. His eyes widened when he learned one of them was Sang Luo’s husband.

Shopkeeper Xu, who had interacted with Sang Luo for so long, was aware that her husband had gone to war and was said to have perished. He never expected that after all these years, he would return.

He showed extra warmth towards Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, knowing one was Sang Luo's husband and the other a familiar fellow villager. He was also eager to inquire about the outside situation.

Seeing Sang Luo’s good rapport with Shopkeeper Xu, Shen Lie guessed they were relying on him for purchasing grain. When asked about the outside situation, he spoke quietly, mindful of the breakfasting patrons, and shook his head, "The situation is very bad; everything is in chaos now."

The smile on Shopkeeper Xu's face froze as he listened, his expression turning solemn. Understanding the sensitivity of the topic, he didn’t probe further but suggested, "Let's discuss in a private room. It’s not suitable to talk here in the open."

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan looked at Sang Luo, knowing she had the closest relationship with Shopkeeper Xu.

Shopkeeper Xu then said to Sang Luo, “Madame Sang, it’s not appropriate to discuss this in public.”

Sang Luo nodded, "Let's talk in the private room then. There’s no need for meals, and I have a matter to ask for your help with today."

Lacking the appetite himself, Shopkeeper Xu agreed, "Alright, I'll have someone bring us some tea."

After instructing a waiter, he led Sang Luo and the others to a secluded private room, with Chef Yu following closely behind.

As breakfast at the restaurant mainly involved pre-prepared dim sum, Chef Yu’s brief absence was inconsequential.

The accountant, curious about the situation, couldn’t leave his post and had to wait to hear the news from Shopkeeper Xu later.

Once in the private room and after tea was served and the door closed, Shopkeeper Xu asked, “Shen Young Master, Chen Young Master, could you please tell me more about the situation outside?”

Shen Lie candidly shared, concisely describing the dire situation, "We're unsure about other places, but along our return route, the regions of Hebei and Hedong are in chaos. Many county cities have been overrun with massacres and lootings being common. Rebel armies break into cities, loot, and escape, leaving the imperial court powerless to stop them. Relative calm only begins in Henan Province and further towards our Huainan Province.”

Chen Dashan added, “That’s just relative. Even in Henan Province, there are quite a few small bands of bandits hiding in the mountains, though they aren’t a major force yet.”

After listening, Shopkeeper Xu pondered and responded, “Henan Province is the granary of our Daqian Empire. Presumably, the imperial court won’t let it fall easily. With Henan guarding the front, our Huainan Province should be relatively safer, especially since our Xuzhou is close to Jiangnan Province. It shouldn’t become chaotic here, right?”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan fell silent, knowing if Shopkeeper Xu saw the plight of people in Hebei and Hedong, he might not hold such hopes. Even though Henan is the granary of Daqian, there was no relief for the famine-stricken areas of Hebei and Hedong as the government refused to open its granaries.

Despite granaries in both Hebei and Hedong, no grain was distributed without orders from above, leading to inevitable uprisings among the starving populace.

Shen Lie could only shake his head, “It’s hard to say. If the unrest could be quickly quelled it would be fine, but if not, rebellions spread quickly. It’s best to prepare early.”

Shopkeeper Xu and Chef Yu's faces darkened. They had been uneasy about rising grain prices, attributing it to the double taxation and disasters in the north, not realizing the situation was much more chaotic.

After tapping his fingers on the table, Shopkeeper Xu looked at Sang Luo, “Madame Sang, do you want me to help you buy more grain?”

Sang Luo’s visit, in light of the news brought by Shen Lie and others, was easy to guess.

Sang Luo nodded, “Exactly. Not just for me, but also for several aunts who help me sell tofu. With the current rationing in grain shops, it's hard to buy enough. War news, currently suppressed due to the epidemic, will soon spread. As soon as it does, grain prices will soar, making them unaffordable for us. Hence, we came to ask for your help.”

Shopkeeper Xu pondered; leveraging his connections with city grain shop owners wouldn’t be easy now, but considering Sang Luo had never sought his help before, and approached him only in these dire times, he couldn’t refuse and nodded, “I have some connections with a few grain shop owners. I can try if it’s not a large amount.”

Joy appeared on the faces of the three, and Sang Luo quickly added, “It’s not a large quantity. We’re limited by our funds, and current grain prices are unbearable. We’ll store various grains and aim for about ten to twenty shi in total.”

Of this, eight shi were for Sang Luo herself, which at current prices would cost just over 23 taels.

She brought all her home's money today, both silver and copper, totaling just over 16 taels. After delivering goods to Yongfeng Zhai, including a jar of jujube sugar and two jars of crystal fruit, she could make nearly two more taels. With the money from selling ginseng, Sang Luo could afford the eight shi of grain and planned to stockpile salt, medicine, and various coarse grains.

After all, no one knew how long the chaos would last.

With eight shi for herself, four for Zhou Village Chief, and seven reported by the Chen, Shi, and Lu families, her suggestion to stockpile diverse grains before their prices soared meant they might now only require half, bringing the total to about ten shi.

Hearing it was only about ten shi, Shopkeeper Xu nodded, “Alright, I’ll personally make inquiries later and get back to you.”

Sang Luo, relieved by his agreement, stood up and bowed in gratitude, “I can’t thank you enough, Shopkeeper Xu. Should you need our help in the future, just let us know.”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan also hurriedly expressed their thanks with bows.

Shopkeeper Xu actually quite liked Sang Luo's disposition, smiling, "You're too kind. And thank you for sharing this news with us in time. If you're looking to buy various grains, you should go soon. I'll also quietly let our store's staff know to prepare in advance.”

Sang Luo, indeed pressed for time, didn’t linger. She, along with Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, bowed and took their leave.

As soon as they left, Shopkeeper Xu said to Chef Yu, “Call the staff from various departments to come here. I'll ask if anyone else needs to buy grain. You should also consider whether to stock up more grain. If it's coarse grain, send your apprentice to notify your home to purchase immediately. If it's rice, report the quantity to me, and we’ll buy it all today.”

Chef Yu didn't even need to think about it, agreeing with Shopkeeper Xu, “Yes, please help me purchase three shi.”

His family had already stockpiled some grain when prices first rose, but hearing of the war unrest, he felt uneasy and decided to get three more shi.

Shopkeeper Xu nodded, “Alright, go call them. But remind them not to spread the word outside; otherwise, we might not be able to buy grain today, or the prices might surge.”

“Understood, understood,” Chef Yu repeatedly assured, then left the private room to call the staff in batches.

～

In the alley behind Dongfu Lounge, Chen Youtian and the others, who were waiting, hurried up to meet Sang Luo and Shen Lie as they came out, asking, “How did it go? Can he help?”

Sang Luo nodded with a smile, “Should be able to. He’ll go ask for us shortly. Uncle Youtian, you should buy the grains you need now before the news spreads. If we wait, it might be difficult to purchase anything in the county.”

Chen Youtian and the others quickly agreed. They had been waiting early to confirm whether they could get rice, to decide how much coarse grain to buy. Now having their answer, they agreed to meet back in the alley behind Dongfu Lounge after buying the coarse grain and set off.

Sang Luo handed Shen Lie three liang of silver, saying, "I need to visit Yong Feng Zhai. You go with Uncle Youtian to buy the coarse grains. Purchase as much as you can with this money; don't save any. Later, we can use their cart to transport it here. If we can't fit everything in the cart when returning, we can borrow one from Dongfu Lounge."

With three liang of silver, they could roughly buy seven or eight shi of coarse grains.

Shen Lie was aware of the urgency; once the Zhou family got wind of it, so would the villagers of Ten Mile Village. He guessed Shopkeeper Xu would also notify the staff at Dongfu Lounge, who would likely inform their families. By the afternoon, or tomorrow at the latest, the grain shops would realize something was amiss.

Accepting the money, he said, "Be careful on your own. Once you’re done at Yong Feng Zhai, wait for me at Dongfu Lounge. I’ll accompany you to the pharmacy."

Sang Luo understood he was concerned about her carrying too much money and the ginseng, worrying about her safety. She nodded, "Alright, I’ll wait for you to go to the pharmacy."

Seeing her agreement, Shen Lie then left with Chen Youtian and the others.