Chapter 227

Chapter 227

I Have Grain, Do You Want It?

Grain, do you want it?

Want it? Yes! Of course! How could she not? Even in her dreams, all she could think about was buying rice, buying rice, buying rice!

At home, the rice jar was down to a thin layer. Every day, she clutched her money pouch and queued at the grain shop. If lucky, she could spend a high price on a few dou. If unlucky, even carrying a straw mat to sleep at the grain shop door in the middle of the night wouldn't let her buy or grab any.

Now the whole city's folks were scrambling for rice. On one street with two grain shops, the doors were packed from morning till night. The curfew had become a joke. Whether the city soldiers drew their blades and threatened or actually grabbed people, the common folk weren't afraid. Being thrown into jail meant getting a cornmeal bun, so let them grab—grab away! As long as they didn't starve, they'd be released sooner or later.

But if they didn't scramble for rice, once the rice jar at home ran dry, how would the whole family survive?

The floods outside, villages back home likely devastated—many had no escape route left. So they rolled up their sleeves and went all out, simply camping at the grain shop door, clutching their rice sacks even in sleep. As soon as the shop opened, those at the front could usually buy half a small sack.

That's how the young woman's family was. With over a dozen mouths, no matter how frugally they ate, the leftover grain shrank a little each day. Her husband and father-in-law hadn't come home in two days. When she went to buy vegetables earlier, she'd checked on the grain shop—still closed, but the doorway was crammed with people. Her family was far back in line; today might not be their turn.

Walking back, anxious and worried, someone asked if she wanted to buy grain. Wasn't this a godsend?

She glanced around, saw no one paying attention, and spoke warily, her voice low: "Old man, are you pulling my leg? You really have grain to sell?" She even eyed the basket on the ground—the kind country folks use to haul pigweed, big enough to hold a lot, but covered with a lid, hiding its contents.

Was there rice inside? Was it grain?

Her heart pounded. The craving for grain made her ignore that these were sturdy men. She involuntarily reached out, wanting to lift the lid and see what was inside.

"Why would I trick you?" Old Man Zhao blocked her hand and motioned for her to step forward. He turned his back to the street, using his body to shield the view, then quickly lifted the bamboo lid.

Zhao Sandi pulled open a pre-opened burlap sack, revealing unmilled rice grains.

One glance—before the young woman could excitedly reach out, he closed the sack. Old Man Zhao covered it again with the bamboo lid.

It really was grain!

Though it was unhusked rice with chaff, when hungry, even the chaff could be ground into flour and baked into cakes, or added to thin congee. It scratched the throat, but it filled the belly, right?

"Old, old uncle." The young woman's face broke into an eager smile. She glanced around again, this time not hastily reaching for the basket, but tugging at Old Man Zhao's clothes, signaling them to move deeper into the alley. "Please, a word aside."

Old Man Zhao followed her lead into the alley. Zhao Ertian and his brother shouldered the baskets, holding Zhao Xiaobao's hand as they slowly followed. They hadn't planned to set up a stall anyway.

The young woman knew the alleys well. Boldly, not fearing they might be thieves or villains, she led them through a maze until they reached a dirty place overrun with cats and rats. There she finally slowed.

"You're from out of town?" Their accent wasn't like Fengchuan locals. Though they tried to mimic the dialect, the intonation was a bit off. "Since you came to me instead of setting up a stall, I suppose there's a story behind this grain. I won't pry and ask for details. I have only one request: give me a discount. If it's too expensive, I can't afford it."

She wasn't stupid. These people stopped her because they wanted a secret deal.

Their grain might be stolen or grabbed, or perhaps a grain shop apprentice had sneaked out a few dou here and there, letting family sell it on the side for cash. Such things had happened before—like the embroiderer at the south city cloth shop who would sneak small items like cloth scraps or handkerchiefs for her family to sell in the north city for pocket change.

"I won't overcharge you." Old Man Zhao liked dealing with smart people. A smile appeared on his face.

"Good." The young woman relaxed, more convinced their grain was of dubious origin and needed quick sale.

She calculated in her mind, then steeled herself: "How much grain do you have? What's the price? If it's reasonable, I'll take it all." Even without consulting her family, she could decide this. She'd drain their savings to buy the grain first. And if not enough, she had relatives; somehow they'd manage to consume it.

Just two baskets, at most three or four hundred jin?

"I can't say exactly how much." Old Man Zhao put on an air of importance. Being too easygoing wasn't good for business. "As for pricing, I don't want silver. I want to barter. I need winter clothes, bedding, and farm tools like hoes, sickles, axes, and kitchen knives. Used ones, not new. The bedding and winter clothes must be well padded with cotton. I don't want stuff that's been used for ten or twenty years, gone hard and lumpy, no longer warm. Patches are fine, I don't mind that. But one thing: no items that sick people have used or covered themselves with. No moldy or smelly things. I want clean ones."

"Same for the farm tools. Worn out is okay, as long as they still work."

Facing her stunned, speechless stare, Old Man Zhao continued: "I need winter clothes for men, women, and children. Big clothes, thick quilts. If they're warm and thick, I'll give more grain. Thin old stuff will fetch less."

"This, this..." For a long moment, the young woman couldn't form a complete sentence. She'd imagined many things but never that he wanted to barter for used clothes, quilts, and tools.

"You seem clean and well-kept, from a home that values tidiness. That's why I chose you. Given the situation, plenty of people would want to buy my grain. I have no shortage of customers." Old Man Zhao said bluntly. "Your family alone probably can't gather what I need. I don't care who you find privately, as long as you can put the items together, I'll give you grain."

"How many do you want?"

"Three hundred sets minimum, four hundred at most."

The young woman was shocked again. That many?

Her mind raced. Everyone had friends and relatives. Old winter clothes and bedding were nothing special. This was the prefectural city after all. Generations of people had lived here; they were better off than villagers. Not everyone bought new clothes every year, but old things were plentiful. Even just clearing out clutter, a family could dig up a few pieces.

"Can't you set a price? Like one old winter coat for how much grain, one mattress for how much? That way I'd have a clearer idea."

"It's hard to set a fixed price," Old Man Zhao said. "If I say a child's old coat for half a dou of rice, then the coats will vary in thickness, number of patches. You can see the difference at a glance. How would I trade?" He went on, "I don't want new things, only old ones. To be blunt, they're things stuffed away in chests. Every family has one or two pieces lying idle. Now they can exchange them for grain. They should be secretly overjoyed. Don't treat this like a business deal. Even if a sackful of old clothes trades for three or five dou of grain, you still come out ahead."

This was quite unreasonable, but also true.

The young woman was silent for a moment. Before she could speak, Old Man Zhao added: "I won't let you lose out or work for nothing. When this is done, I'll sell you three hundred jin of grain at eight coppers per dou. That's separate. Don't tell anyone. Consider it your commission for running errands."

He hadn't checked current grain prices, but he knew they were enough to make people clutch their chests and shout about being squeezed to death. Though the grain was stored rice of unknown years, it was still edible. One dou was twelve jin. Eight coppers per dou was a huge discount.

Plus the grain they'd get for the winter clothes and bedding, she definitely wouldn't lose out. If her whole family tightened their belts, combined with what they bought at the grain shop, they might get through the winter.

The young woman was indeed tempted. Three hundred jin of grain made her heart burn, her fingers trembling.

She didn't hesitate. Clenching her teeth, she nodded: "Deal! Then we've agreed. When this is done, you must sell me three hundred jin, no backing out. To be honest, uncle, my family has many mouths. The kids cry about hunger every day. Our rice jar is almost empty. My heart is truly anxious. I just hope to buy more grain so the children can have a full meal."

"Don't worry. I always keep my word." Old Man Zhao reassured her. Then he paused and added, "I have a limited supply of grain. Handle this quietly. Don't let too many people know, or you'll end up losing out."

The young woman's heart tightened. She nodded hurriedly: "I understand! Please don't look for anyone else. I can manage this!"

"Haha, rest assured. I've chosen you, and that's that."

After that, they discussed specifics. Old Man Zhao asked if there was any remote, spacious place for rent nearby. Learning there was, he had her take them there, paid the landlord for two days, and handed her the key.

"This place is remote, but with many people it's still conspicuous. After you've gathered the items, come at staggered times. Tomorrow at this hour, I'll bring the grain for the trade." Giving her the key was also to reassure her, so she wouldn't fret about being cheated. "I'll inspect each piece carefully. If anyone is dishonest, I won't deal with them. So I ask you to be diligent. I want old, not rotten. If someone brings filthy things to disgust me, don't blame me for turning nasty."

"Don't worry, I'll watch closely. There won't be any mistakes." The young woman's heart tightened. This was a warning. What started as a good deed to curry favor could backfire if she was careless.

She'd have to pick people carefully—not just any random person, but trustworthy ones.

Old Man Zhao nodded. Seeing it was getting late, he told her to leave. There was only one day. She needed to get busy.

Once she was gone and no one was around, Zhao Xiaobao moved the grain and previously bought items from the baskets into the Immortal Land.

Without checking directions, they entered another street and started spending money freely again.

The silver they spent this trip was pooled from the two villages. The things they bought would eventually go to their own families. Of course, the villages wouldn't be shortchanged. They'd later compensate with grain or clothes.

But the feeling of buying things without paying from their own pockets was still wonderful. They couldn't help splurging. They swept through a pastry shop, then found a neglected herbal medicine shop. The drowsy owner filled their order for cold and fever remedies. They bought a lot; the owner personally saw them out.

Besides that, they bought vegetable seeds and fruit saplings. The seller claimed they were spinach and jujube trees. Old Man Zhao didn't recognize them; he was completely taken in.

In their village, they mostly ate radish, cabbage, leeks, and wild greens. They'd never had spinach. The seller said spinach could be stir-fried or used in soup, especially spinach and egg soup—very tasty.

As for red dates, his wife and third daughter-in-law were weak. In years when they had spare cash, he'd buy them red dates, and red date cakes were a snack his daughter often ate. They were good things, so he couldn't resist buying some.

When passing by a clothing store, the father and his two sons carried Zhao Xiaobao in to try on two outfits. They were beautiful festive red ones with furry collars. Old Man Zhao directly decided to buy two sets, different styles but the same color.

His daughter looked as pretty as a New Year picture doll in them, which suited her very well.

The shop assistant was also smooth-tongued, praising them in every possible way, until the three of them were grinning from ear to ear and waved their hands and made the purchase without hesitation.

"Dad, should we buy one for Qing Xuan too?" Zhao Sandi suddenly said. "He's the one who saved our Xiaobao's life."

Old Man Zhao slapped his forehead upon hearing this: "Ah, I forgot all about Qing Xuan—how terrible of me! Buy! Both of you help pick a good one. I noticed the boy's clothes are frayed at the edges, long overdue for new ones."

The two men had no clue about picking clothes either, so the shop assistant stepped in to help recommend. In the end, they chose two thick winter outfits. They weren't cheap, but the three men were happy to pay and did so willingly.

Four sets of clothes, plus two complimentary pairs of shoes, cost nearly ten taels of silver in total—a very generous purchase.

But they were truly beautiful, embroidered with flowers and tigers, made of fine fabric and craftsmanship, the kind that would turn a country kid into a city kid. All in all, well worth it.

As for the five grandsons—oh, Old Man Zhao hadn't even thought of them. They were rascals one and all; hand-me-downs would be fine. Let their grandmother stuff their winter coats with enough cotton—that would be the greatest love Grandpa and Grandma could show.

After a day of shopping, the money pouch went from heavy to light, while the baskets grew increasingly heavier. Zhao Xiaobao had moved things several times, and the main room of the immortal's dwelling was piled high with goods.

By the time they returned to the alley, the sun was setting.

As dusk deepened, the alley was packed with people. At the end of the alley, the Guan family's door was wide open, and heart-wrenching wails came from inside—

"You damned old bastards! You cursed my son to death! I'll make you pay! Pay!"