Chapter 209: Tailed

Chapter 209: Tailed

The tightly packed crowd dispersed abruptly at the sudden price hike, leaving only a few servants from wealthy families lingering hesitantly in the shop.

Lin Shu wasted no time, walking directly to the shopkeeper behind the counter. "Shopkeeper," she said, "I need three *dan* of coarse rice, one *dan* of wheat flour, and the rest in assorted grains."

Wheat flour was prone to moisture, so she would buy less. Rice and assorted grains kept well, so buying more was fine.

The grain shopkeeper, who had been engrossed in his ledger, looked up and, seeing a delicate and beautiful young woman, couldn't help but gaze a moment longer. However, his words showed no special favor despite her charm. "Our Employer has stated that each household may purchase a maximum of one *dan* of grain per day. This rule applies to everyone. All other grain shops also follow our Employer's directive."

Lin Shu paused slightly. It seemed this grain shop's Employer had some principles and wasn't a profit-driven opportunist.

"Shopkeeper, the grain I'm buying isn't just for my own family; it's for the entire village. And this elderly man beside me is also buying for the villagers. Our village is called Sweetwater Village, sixteen *li* from town. Today, we two came with the village's only ox cart. There are hundreds of people in our village, and all our fields were flooded this time. We fear there will be no harvest this year. Without grain, life will truly be unbearable..." As she spoke, her eyes welled up, glistening with tears.

The shopkeeper looked somewhat surprised. This young woman was so fair-skinned and delicate, she hardly looked like a village woman. He had assumed she was a maid from a wealthy household, accompanying a carter to buy grain for her master.

"The price of rice and flour has risen to 140 *wen* per *dou* today. One *dan* will cost one *guan* and four hundred *wen*. Are you sure you still wish to buy?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Yes! If we don't buy, we'll have nothing to eat. Please, Shopkeeper, hurry. After buying the grain, we must rush back. The village is waiting; many villagers haven't eaten for days."

The shopkeeper nodded, wasted no more time, collected the money, and instructed his clerks to move the grain.

One sack of grain in the shop was exactly one *dan*. Seven *guan* could buy four *dan* of rice and flour, plus over ten *dou* of assorted grains. Old Man Liao's money could purchase three *dan* of rice and flour, plus a few *dou* of assorted grains. It was much less than Lin Shu had initially anticipated, but she still breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shopkeeper, from what you've said, it sounds like your Employer doesn't intend to make a huge profit from this grain?" Lin Shu couldn't resist asking.

Hearing this, the shopkeeper subtly raised his chin. "My Employer's surname is Qian. His family's main businesses are in Taiping County. It's only because their ancestral home and clan lands are in Jingxi Town that they've opened several shops here. The Employer has a conscience; he doesn't rely on this to make money. Today's grain price increase was a necessary measure. As you must have observed outside, if we didn't raise the price, people would simply rush to buy, and the situation would become utterly chaotic."

Lin Shu was surprised.

Qian? Wasn't that the prominent local family who had sought to buy the ice-making method from her and Aunt Lin?

Considering the Qian family indeed seemed honorable, Lin Shu told the shopkeeper, "Your Employer has a conscience, but continuously raising prices isn't a sustainable solution. If you anger the common folk who can't afford food, you might face desperate, violent villagers who could smash your grain shop and seize the grain within."

The shopkeeper had spoken casually, but he hadn't expected this young woman to be so perceptive, pinpointing precisely his Employer's concern.

With the floodwaters having only just receded and roads still difficult, Jingxi Town was the most remote small town. Even if relief grain were to be transported from higher authorities, it would take several days. During this period, there was no guarantee that desperate, starving people wouldn't resort to looting and violence.

Just as the shopkeeper was about to mention that his Employer already had a plan, he heard the young woman continue, "Since your Employer knows to limit the amount each household can buy, why not make it more detailed? For example, require each household to report their registration when buying grain, allowing only one *dou* per household. If they wish to buy more, they must return the next day. For those who truly need more, perhaps stipulate an additional ten *wen* for each extra *dou*, and so on. The more grain they buy, the more they pay. If they don't want to be overcharged, they'll have to come another day. This would reduce the likelihood of people rushing to buy, and wealthy households in town who wish to hoard grain would have to spend more, thus reducing their quantities."

Although household registration could be falsified, and loopholes might exist, it would still be a significant improvement over the current situation.

Hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes immediately lit up. "That method sounds excellent. I'll relay your suggestion to the Employer and see what he says. By the way, since you're buying a large amount of grain today, I'll have the shop clerks help you load it."

The shopkeeper's attitude became noticeably warmer. Not only that, he quietly reminded Lin Shu, "Tomorrow, our Employer will set up a soup kitchen outside the palisade gate to distribute porridge. If there are people in your village who can't afford food, tell them to come early and line up outside the gate."

After thanking the shopkeeper, Lin Shu quickly went to load the grain.

Some of the customers who had left earlier were already returning, so they needed to move the grain quickly to avoid drawing too much attention.

One sack of grain weighed 120 *jin* (approximately 60 kg). Two young, strong grain shop clerks each lifted a corner of a sack, working together to hoist it onto the ox cart. But when they looked up, they were stunned—the delicate young woman was effortlessly carrying a sack by herself and placing it on the ox cart!

The two clerks' eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

Old Man Liao was also taken aback.

He knew A-Ye was strong, but how had A-Shu become so strong after just a few days?!

Or had A-Shu always been this strong, and he simply hadn't known?

Noticing the grain shop clerks staring at her, Lin Shu nodded at them and continued loading the ox cart. In the blink of an eye, she had carried over another large sack and stacked it neatly on the cart.

The two clerks stood in a daze, swallowing hard.

By the time they went to fetch the second load, Lin Shu had already moved all the other sacks onto the ox cart.

Once all the grain was loaded, Lin Shu covered it with an old quilt she had prepared earlier. As long as no one lifted the quilt, they wouldn't know what was on the ox cart.

She nimbly hopped onto the ox cart and sat on one corner, turning to the two clerks who had helped. "Thank you, both."

The two grain shop clerks stammered, "Y-you're welcome?"

"Old Man Liao, we mustn't delay. Let's go quickly!"

Old Man Liao snapped out of his daze. "O-Okay, okay."

Spurred by Lin Shu's warning, he didn't dare linger or look around, immediately driving the ox cart toward the town gate.

Old Man Liao focused on driving the ox cart, while Lin Shu remained vigilant, observing her surroundings.

Just after leaving the town gate, her expression darkened.

She had been quick, but she hadn't expected a few followers.

It seemed these people weren't new to this. They had likely been lying in wait outside the grain shop, targeting those who bought grain and lived in remote areas, especially those traveling alone.

In their eyes, she and Old Man Liao were probably easy prey—an old man and a weak woman, living in a village even more remote than the town's outskirts. Though there were two of them, one was old and thin, and the other a woman, seemingly weak and easy to bully.

"Old Man Liao, there are people following us. Make the ox cart go faster," Lin Shu said in a low voice, her tone calm and steady.

However, Old Man Liao trembled at her words. "What? Someone is following the ox cart?!"

His heart pounded wildly, and his hand holding the whip shook.

In broad daylight, could someone really be planning to rob them of their grain!

Terrified, Old Man Liao repeatedly swung the whip, but an ox cart couldn't move as fast as a donkey cart or horse-drawn cart, especially one loaded with grain.

At that moment, Old Man Liao suddenly regretted not bringing A-Ye along. A-Ye was worth three men in strength. With him here, he could definitely protect this cart of grain. Even if it meant buying less grain, they should have brought A-Ye.

But regret was useless now. He had to protect this cart of grain at all costs. He had used all his savings to buy the grain, and A-Shu had likely spent all her family's savings too, not to mention the money from the other villagers—all hard-earned.

If the money was spent and the grain was lost, how could he ever face the villagers again?

Old Man Liao's mind raced with anxious thoughts, but his hand never stopped plying the whip.

Under normal circumstances, the area outside the town gate would be bustling with people coming and going, and grain thieves wouldn't dare act so brazenly. But with the floodwaters having just receded and the roads difficult, fewer villagers had come to town these past two days. Not long after Old Man Liao's ox cart left, three loiterers who had been following from a distance quickened their pace. As they walked, they suddenly pulled out clubs hidden in their waistbands, and one even drew a chopping knife. The three rushed the ox cart together.

Hearing the commotion, Old Man Liao broke into a cold sweat, but Lin Shu remained calm. "Old Man Liao, focus on driving. Don't let the cart overturn. I'll handle these men."

Lin Shu pulled out a stout branch from the ox cart and crouched slightly.

This stout branch was a piece of firewood she had taken from the woodpile at home before leaving—long and thick, perfect for hitting people.

Before the three could get close to the ox cart, Lin Shu gripped the club and swung it hard at the burliest man closest to her, striking him squarely on the outstretched arm.

"Ah!!" the man screamed, clutching his arm and hopping on the spot in pain.

Before the other two could reach the oxcart, Lin Shu delivered two more fierce blows with her cudgel.

Even if they could run fast with their legs, it was useless with broken arms. One after another, piercing screams erupted, followed by filthy curses, but soon, the cursing grew fainter and fainter.

Lin Shu struck without mercy. After a few blows, the three men's arms were either broken or severely injured, leaving them unable to use them for two or three months, let alone attempt to steal grain. The one wielding the cleaver suffered the worst—his weapon was knocked to the ground by Lin Shu and landed squarely on his foot, gashing open half his foot. The sight was bloody, and his screams were the most agonized of all.

At such a critical time, stealing grain was no longer just theft—it was robbing people of their lives. Even killing these thieves, they'd deserve it.

Old Man Liao was too preoccupied with driving to see what was happening behind him, but the screams told him that Lin Shu had fought them off. He felt both shocked and relieved, though upon recalling how effortlessly she had handled the sacks of grain, it suddenly seemed only natural.

"Old Man Liao, we've shaken them off. We can slow down now," Lin Shu said calmly, without even sounding out of breath.

Hearing this, Old Man Liao broke into a grin. "Alright, let's let Old Yellow walk slower. Don't want to tire out my old pal."

Only when the crisis had passed did he realize he was drenched in cold sweat, his front and back soaked through.

Thank goodness—the grain was safe.

They hadn't gone far when Old Man Liao peered ahead and suddenly chuckled. "A Shu, look up ahead! Isn't that A-Ye?"

Lin Shu immediately poked her head out from the pile of grain and stretched her neck to see.

At the end of the muddy path was a small speck in the distance, but this speck stood out—taller and bulkier than usual.

As the speck drew closer, Lin Shu could see clearly: it was none other than Zhou Ye.

Lin Shu felt both annoyed and amused. She knew A-Ye must have worried about her and decided to follow after all.

Could she not have guessed that bandits might try to rob them on the road? But they were just small-time thugs—she had been prepared and handled them easily.

The mountain path was rough. Zhou Ye's calves were caked in thick mud, and his straw sandals were plastered with mud. Walking with long, hurried strides, sweat poured down his forehead, drenching him from head to toe. Under the sun, his neck and chest glistened with sweat.

Seeing him in such a disheveled state, Lin Shu's anger melted away. Her heart softened, welling up with sweetness.

"A-Ye!" she called out, waving at him with a bright smile. "Look at all the grain I bought—a whole cart full!"