Chapter 156: Those Who Have Endured Famine

Chapter 156: Those Who Have Endured Famine

The drought continued, and the price of grain was bound to rise.

She didn't have much savings left; otherwise, she would have continued stockpiling grain in bulk.

Since she already knew what was coming, she had to remind her family as well.

However, her father had just discovered that their household funds had been depleted.

It would be difficult for her to convince them to stockpile grain now.

"It's not just rumors; the prices have already gone up," Qin Dazhuang said with a frown.

"Yesterday at the market, I heard several people talking about it."

"At first, only one or two grain stores raised their prices, but now all the stores in the western part of the city have done so."

"The prices for coarse rice and flour are now generally three copper coins per catty, and some stores are even selling them for three and a half copper coins!"

"If this drought continues, we won't have any harvest this autumn, and the prices will likely keep rising."

Qin Dahu and Qin Erhu both looked grim upon hearing this.

"I was planning to go to the grain store today to buy some grain. But—"

"But—ahem—" Recalling what had happened at home, Qin Dazhuang felt like slapping himself.

He truly regretted it...

Qin Xiaoyao quickly stepped forward and supported his father.

Helping him calm down.

"Father, don't get angry! It's not worth damaging your health!" he said while helping him breathe easier.

Qin Dahu and Qin Erhu also stood up worriedly.

Seeing that Qin Dazhuang had calmed down, they sat back down, somewhat relieved.

"I'm fine now," Qin Dazhuang said to his daughter.

Signaling for Qin Xiaoyao to sit back down.

Qin Xiaoyao returned to her seat.

"Stockpiling grain is necessary," Qin Dazhuang then said to Qin Dahu and Qin Erhu.

The brothers' faces stiffened.

After exchanging glances, Qin Dahu looked at his father.

"How much should we stockpile?" he asked.

"See how much money you have in each household."

"If you have enough funds, stockpile six or seven hundred catties. If not, at least two hundred catties," Qin Dazhuang said.

Qin Dahu and Qin Erhu were shocked.

"That much?!" Qin Erhu exclaimed directly.

Qin Dazhuang glanced at his second son.

"It's not too much."

"If we don't have a harvest this autumn, the prices won't come down until next year's harvest. This... might still be the best-case scenario. If it's like twenty-five years ago, during a major disaster, things could be worse."

Facing his sons' skeptical looks, Qin Dazhuang sighed.

He recounted the situation in Lingquan Town twenty-five years ago when it suffered from a severe drought.

"The drought back then was much worse than five years ago, affecting a wider area."

"After the drought came a locust plague, which devoured almost all the crops around Lingquan Town."

"People sold their children, and some even resorted to cannibalism."

The three siblings were stunned.

Listening to Qin Dazhuang's account, they felt a chill despite the heat.

"That year, your mother and I had just married. Thanks to your mother's foresight, she pawned her dowry and bought two hundred catties of grain ahead of time. That's how we managed to survive."

The siblings breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, that's why you bought hundreds of catties of grain before the drought five years ago, Father?" Qin Dahu suddenly remembered and asked.

"Yes," Qin Dazhuang confirmed.

"Only those who have truly experienced famine know how terrifying a lack of food can be." He added with a sigh.

The siblings fell silent.

"If you have extra money, don't forget to stockpile some grain," Qin Dazhuang said, looking at Qin Xiaoyao.

Qin Xiaoyao smiled.

"Rest assured, Father. I've already stocked up." he said.

Qin Dazhuang was taken aback.

"Oh? How much did you stock?" he asked in surprise.

"Two thousand catties of coarse flour, one thousand catties of coarse rice, and some dried goods and seasonings."

"Anyway, with just our family, it should last us for two years," Qin Xiaoyao said straightforwardly.

Including the food stored in the cellar, it could last another five to six years.

Of course, she had an agreement with her handsome husband that the food in the cellar was a secret and couldn't be disclosed.

"So much?!" Qin Erhu looked at his youngest sister.

Qin Dahu and Qin Dazhuang also turned to look at her.

Qin Xiaoyao smiled awkwardly.

"Hehe, this isn't just for eating."

"I feel that grain prices will likely continue to rise. If they do, we can sell them for a profit."

"If they don't, it's fine. Next year, I plan to open a porridge shop, which will use up the food."

The three men nodded, agreeing with Qin Xiaoyao's idea.

"In that case, I'll stock four hundred catties, two hundred catties each of coarse rice and coarse flour. That should be enough for our whole family for two to three months," Qin Dahu said.

"My family will also stock four hundred catties," Qin Erhu followed.

"If there's a major disaster, eight hundred catties should be sufficient."

Qin Dazhuang nodded.

"In that case, you two should handle this as soon as possible, so you don't miss out on rising prices."

"Yes, Father. As soon as the sun sets, I'll go with the second brother!" Qin Dahu immediately said.

Qin Erhu also nodded.

Qin Dazhuang felt relieved and then started chatting about other topics with the three siblings.

Qin Xiaoyao chatted with the three men until around three in the afternoon before getting up to leave.

Not because she wanted to, but because she needed to go back and make more century eggs.

Lai Fulu was still purchasing her century eggs in large quantities.

However, her second brother mentioned that Lai Fulu was ordering less meat, indicating a slight decline in business.

When she delivered the goods tomorrow, she would need to ask Uncle Zhao about the situation.

She needed to see if she should adjust the number of century eggs she made daily.

After all, if she ended up with too many unsold century eggs, even her family wouldn't be able to consume them all.

Moreover, with the famine, whether she could open a porridge shop was uncertain.

Seeing how hot it was outside, the three men of the Qin family wanted to keep Qin Xiaoyao a bit longer.

But Qin Xiaoyao said she wouldn't be exposed to much sun walking through the alleyways.

So the three men let her leave.

As soon as she stepped out of the tree shade, Qin Xiaoyao felt a wave of heat hit her body.

Without further thought, she quickened her pace and left.

Leaving the Qin residence, Qin Xiaoyao quickly entered the nearest alleyway back to the Song residence.

After weaving through several streets and alleys, she finally returned to the Song residence.

Hearing the knock, Song Yun came to open the door for Qin Xiaoyao.

Seeing her eldest sister-in-law return, Song Yun's face lit up with joy.

She asked about the Qin family.

Qin Xiaoyao didn't rush to answer but went to her room first to find Song Que.

Song Que had already woken up and was writing at the desk.

Seeing Qin Xiaoyao return, his heart settled.

Entering the room, Qin Xiaoyao saw tea on the side table and immediately walked over to drink a cup.

Then she poured another cup from the teapot and drank it down.

"It's too hot. Walking this distance feels like half my life is gone."