Chapter 90 – An Unfavorable Situation

Chapter 90 - An Unfavorable Situation

◎ The situation was not optimistic. ◎

He went to the tavern and bought two jars of wine, which had also increased in price. Old Man Wei couldn't bear to calculate the exact amount. After purchasing the coats and wine, he could still afford some coarse salt with the remaining silver coins. He bought as much as his remaining money allowed, not even sparing half a copper coin. By the time he left the town, he was virtually penniless; his purse was emptier than his old face.

He had originally planned to buy flour, but there were too many people at the grain shop, and he didn't feel like pushing through the crowd. Besides, spending several times the usual amount on coarse grain flour made him feel like he was getting a raw deal. Since there was no shortage of food at home, he would just exchange some grains with the villagers later. It would be cheaper than buying from the town's grain shop either way.

Carrying a basket full of thick coats, two jars of wine, and the coarse salt, his purse might be empty, but these items were valuable. None of them came cheap. He sensed a few fleeting gazes on him, but he ignored them. Despite being a cripple, he wasn't short, and his body was strong—otherwise, how could he have fathered such a robust son? Even without hunting, the old hunter's aura surpassed that of an ordinary elderly man. When he wasn't smiling and had a stern face, he bore a striking resemblance to Wei Dahu's intimidating expression—about seven out of ten.

As he walked along the fork in the road and up the mountain, the gazes on him finally disappeared.

Old Man Wei knew that if someone else were in his place today, not only would they fail to protect the coats in the basket or the wine and salt in their hands, but they might even lose half their life here. The stability of society could be gauged by grain prices. Once the prices skyrocketed, other industries would follow suit. The coat that sold for one and a half taels last year had already risen to three taels this year; it was not an exaggeration to call it a mad rush.

It was not the coldest time yet, and the prices might rise further in the coming days.

With prices soaring uncontrollably, people lived in fear. The wealthy bought, while the poor resorted to stealing. Those who were robbed risked their lives, while the thieves grew more brazen. Lawless and disorderly, the world could not find peace.

With food and medicine at home, Old Man Wei decided not to come to town unless there was something significant before next spring.

The commoners purchasing grain were still murmuring that the prices might drop the next day. For many years, the price had consistently been five coins per bushel, but now it had soared to eighteen coins, which was considered exorbitant. Perhaps some region had suffered a disaster, hence the sudden surge in prices before winter. They expected it to return to normal soon.

Old Wei listened quietly, not daring to interrupt. How could the prices fall? This was likely just the beginning, and they would continue to rise. Recalling how his son had bought tens of thousands of pounds of newly harvested rice at five coins per bushel, filling an entire cellar, he felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, they had prepared in advance; otherwise, with their daily consumption, even if they hunted wild boars in the mountains every day and sold them for silver, it wouldn't be enough to buy food at these elevated prices.

Upon returning home, only Taohua was bustling around in the kitchen. Dahu was not there.

Hearing Xiao Hu barking, Taohua poked her head out of the kitchen. Seeing that her father had returned, she hurried over to help with the heavy wine jars. "Father, let me take care of that."

Old Wei handed one to her and carried the other to the main room. "It started raining halfway through the journey, but fortunately, I asked the tailor shop owner to wrap the basket tightly with oilpaper. Otherwise, the new cotton coat would have gotten soaked before I even got to wear it."

The basket was bulging with items. Taohua lifted its base to help unload it while smiling. "I was just wondering what you would do without your raincoat. Dahu went into the mountains to pick white-fleshed peaches. Otherwise, he would have delivered it to you."

"No need for that. He's not afraid of rain, as long as his clothes stay dry." As he spoke, he untied the ropes and oilpaper from the basket, refraining from touching them due to his dirtiness. "I haven't been to town for a while, and everything seems to be more expensive. At the noodle stall, a bowl of plain noodles that usually costs seven coins is now selling for twelve coins – an increase of five coins. Remember when Dahu bought rice at five coins per bushel? Guess what? When I visited the grain store today, the price had already risen to eighteen coins per bushel!" He sat down on a chair to rest, sipping water from the bowl his daughter-in-law offered. After the exhausting journey, he still couldn't catch his breath, and the mention of the town's prices made him even more frustrated.

He had planned to use the remaining silver to buy some cold remedies at the clinic since it was getting colder, and it was better to be prepared. They didn't have any other expenses at home, so naturally, he wanted to stock up on such items as much as possible.

However, who knew that a single cotton coat now cost the same as two did last year? He had agreed quickly when he said he wanted one, but paying the price truly hurt. The increase equated to losing three sets of winter clothing.

But he couldn't not buy them – they were essential for winter, no matter the cost.

When Taohua heard that the grain price had soared to eighteen wen per bushel, her eyes widened in shock. Her first thought was the grain stored in the cellar of their old house. By this logic, they had purchased over thirty thousand catties at five wen per bushel – hadn't they made a huge profit?

"How... how could it have risen so much?"

"It doesn't seem like it'll stop there; it might even reach twenty or thirty wen in the future. It depends on the situation outside. If things look good, the prices will fall, but if not..." Recalling the anxious citizens surrounding the grain shops, he sighed inwardly. No matter how fiercely they cursed, once the doors opened, they would still rush to buy grain. They had no choice, as those without fields or land relied solely on the two grain shops in town for their daily food consumption. Could they afford to stiffen their necks and refuse to buy because of the high prices? No! Refusing to buy wouldn't increase the grain in their rice jars; instead, the prices would only climb higher. If nine wen per bushel was too expensive? Fine, the grain shop would raise it to twelve wen. Eventually, even the stiffest backs would bend under the weight of escalating prices. If they found eighteen wen too high today and refused to buy, what if it reached twenty wen tomorrow?

Who knew!

During the first two days of the price hike, everyone pointed fingers at the new shopkeeper, cursing his greed. No one wanted to buy, let alone bother with such nonsense; they wished they could spit on his face. But after three or five days, when the price rose to ten and then twelve wen, panic finally set in, and people began to scramble for grain.

Now, even though the townsfolk continued to grumble, they anxiously awaited the opening of the grain shops every day to make their purchases. As more people scrambled, those who were initially calm also started to panic, joining the crowd to snatch up rice. The more people bought, the higher the prices climbed, until the shops implemented daily purchase limits, specifying the number of bushels each person could buy, refusing to sell more.

Ordinary folk didn't understand the cunning merchants' tactics of scarcity marketing. The more they refused to sell, the more anxious people became, and the fiercer the scramble. Besides, not everyone was foolish. The state of the town was plain to see for anyone with open eyes. Those with relatives in other counties knew that the chaos outside was even worse than in Dinghe Town, instilling a sense of impending doom. Thus, entire families joined in the frenzied rush to stockpile grain.

Listening to her father, Taohua's heart pounded, and a chill ran down her spine. Even as an unworldly woman, she sensed that something was amiss. Clutching her cotton robe, her initial joy dissipated, and her fingers trembled slightly.

"Who knows how many will die this winter," sighed Elder Wei. Back when a bushel cost five wen, many couldn't afford it and went hungry. Now, the families able to afford the current prices and rush to stockpile rice were those without land but with some means. The genuinely impoverished could only watch from afar, their pockets emptier than their faces.

Elder Wei believed that these poor households were the real source of instability in the town. Desperate people were capable of anything. Without the means to buy, wouldn't they resort to stealing? When survival was at stake, laws and order meant nothing. Even in peaceful times, people defied the odds; now, with chaos brewing, it was even more likely.

Taohua gazed at the clothes in her hands and sighed softly.

The midday meal was ready, and Wei Dahu had just descended from the mountain. The main hall was already set with food. They were having meat that had been braised the previous night; Taohua had simmered it further in the morning, making it tender and flavorful. With a dash of the braising sauce, it was the perfect accompaniment to their rice.

Old Wei had also informed Wei Dahu about the rising grain prices, urging him to hasten the repairs on their old house. His unease grew: "After the meal, go to the village and discuss it with your eldest uncle and second uncle. If there's nothing urgent, take Taohua along, and gather your elder and younger brothers, Sanshi, to inspect the old house. Tear down what needs to be torn down, build what needs to be built. Get the house and the walls fixed promptly, so we're not caught off guard when something happens."

Wei Dahu nodded. He had planned to explore the depths of the mountains these next couple of days, but now those plans were dashed. He understood the implications of the soaring food prices. There was no point in pursuing sheep hunting for now; he needed to prioritize the house. They couldn't afford to have multiple families crammed into two dilapidated rooms if they had to retreat to the mountains. The walls were crucial too – sturdy and tall, made from thick logs. The deep mountains were not like the outside world. In the depths of winter, hungry wild boars or wolf packs could easily overrun their unprotected yard. Ten people wouldn't be enough to fend them off.

This realization made Wei Dahu anxious. After the meal, he waited for his wife to clean up the kitchen, then left the chicken and duck feeding to his father before heading to the village.

Their family ate early, while the villagers ate later. White smoke rose from chimneys in every household, painting a serene picture from afar.

Arriving at his eldest uncle's home at this hour, they were welcomed happily. The family was in the middle of their meal, but instead of sitting at the table, everyone squatted in the courtyard with their bowls. Both his eldest uncle and second brother's feet were still caked in mud, suggesting they had just returned from working in the fields without washing their feet before diving into their food.

"Have you eaten?" Eldest Aunt slurped her soup, standing up as she spoke, seemingly ready to fetch them utensils. This scene was familiar, one Wei Dahu had witnessed countless times since childhood. He smiled warmly, stopping her: "Yes, yes, we've eaten well. Don't bother with us, keep eating. I'll find a place to sit."

"Alright, grab stools for yourselves. I won't bother you anymore." Eldest Aunt sat back down, smiling. Unlike the men, she didn't squat to eat but sat on a small stool.

Wei Dahu fetched two stools from the main room, giving one to his wife. They found a spot under the eaves, sitting beside Chen Dashi and his wife. Chen Dashi was squatting, slurping his soup, while his eldest sister-in-law fed goose eggs to the children. Their little one had been misbehaving earlier, earning a spank on the bottom, and now a tear the size of a pea hung from the corner of their eye.

Taohua greeted her sister-in-law with a smile, but refrained from teasing the gosling. The little one was sensitive at the moment and couldn't be provoked – any tease would likely lead to tears.

After Fang Qiuyan fed her son some porridge, she sent him into the house to play with his brother. Then she pulled up a chair and sat down with Taohua to listen to the men talking. Mainly, they were listening to Wei Dahu, who said that his uncle had gone to the town today. It was a shock to find out that the price of grain had risen, the price of plain noodles had risen, and even the price of mixed grain buns had risen. Everything had gone up, and the situation was not looking good.

"What Father means is that we should venture into the mountains sooner to rebuild the old house. With little work left in the fields, a few of us brothers should take our tools and enlist the help of Elder Sister-in-law or Second Sister-in-law to assist with cooking while we're in the mountains. Our aim is to have the house and courtyard walls erected before the heavy snow seals off the mountain paths."

Wei Dahu spoke in hushed tones, wary of eavesdroppers through the partition: "If anything comes up, we need to be ready to grab our belongings and run."

"Author's Note"

Amending the previous chapter's price for the ready-made garment, he reduced it from four taels to three. He forgot that they still needed to buy coarse salt.

[Three taels was also the increased price, and readymade clothes were generally more expensive. Sewing clothes by hand would be cheaper, but Dahu didn't want Taohua to strain her eyes with needlework. Her night vision wasn't great to begin with. Of course, he was unaware that her poor night vision was due to a vitamin deficiency; he only believed it was his wife's natural condition, and thus, he was even more reluctant to have her engage in tiring sewing tasks.]