Chapter 105: Secretly Buying Grain

The fleeting exchange of looks between the two men was imperceptible to anyone else and known only to them.

Upon hearing Shen Lie’s words, Chef Yu chuckled in delight. “You are indeed a family! Young Master Shen is quite fortunate. Mrs. Sang is truly exceptional!”

Chef Yu had a lot of questions. It had been years since Shen Lie was conscripted; how did he manage to marry such a wife from such distant lands? However, seeing Sang Luo there, he suppressed his curiosity and refrained from gossiping. Instead, he called an apprentice to pack a small plate of snacks for Shen An and Shen Ning, the younger ones, before attending to the goods.

Wild pheasants were rare and much more expensive than domestic chickens. Four wild pheasants, along with half a basket of winter bamboo shoots, cost over four hundred and fifty coins. Chef Yu accepted the twelve pounds of vegetarian tripe ordered by Qin Fangniang and Sang Luo the previous day. After weighing Chen Dashan’s four wild pheasants, he led them to the front accounting room to collect the money.

Shen An and Shen Ning, familiar with the place, stayed in the kitchen to eat while waiting for their elder brother and sister-in-law.

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Shopkeeper Xu was usually around at this time. Seeing Sang Luo, he greeted her with a smile. Noticing two young men accompanying her, he found them somewhat familiar but couldn’t immediately recall where he had seen them. Curiosity piqued, he observed them closely.

Chef Yu, walking alongside, introduced them as the young men who had delivered wild game to the restaurant a few years ago. Shopkeeper Xu then remembered them vaguely. When he learned that one of them was Sang Luo’s husband, his eyes widened in surprise.

Having dealt with Sang Luo for so long, he knew her husband was said to have died in battle. He never expected that, after all this time, he would return alive.

Shopkeeper Xu warmly welcomed Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, knowing that one was Sang Luo’s husband and the other a familiar villager. He also wanted to inquire about the situation outside.

Seeing the rapport between Sang Luo and Shopkeeper Xu, Shen Lie guessed that they were relying on him to buy grain today. When Shopkeeper Xu asked about the situation outside, Shen Lie lowered his voice and shook his head, saying, “It’s not good at all. Everything is in chaos.”

Shopkeeper Xu’s initial smile froze, his expression turning grave. Understanding the sensitivity of the topic, he didn’t press further but suggested, “Would you like to join me in a private room to discuss this in detail?”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan looked to Sang Luo for guidance since she was most familiar with Shopkeeper Xu.

Shopkeeper Xu then addressed Sang Luo, “Mrs. Sang, this isn’t the best place for such a conversation.”

Sang Luo nodded, “Let’s talk in the private room. No need for food; there’s no need to be so formal. Besides, I have a matter I need Shopkeeper Xu’s help with today.”

Shopkeeper Xu, also having lost his appetite, agreed. “Alright, I’ll have some tea brought in.”

He instructed a waiter and then led Sang Luo and the two men to an unoccupied private room. Chef Yu quickly followed.

The restaurant served mostly pastry-based breakfasts, prepared before dawn. Other cooks were still working, so Chef Yu’s brief absence wasn’t an issue.

Shopkeeper Xu didn’t mind Chef Yu joining but noticed that the accountant seemed eager to listen too. Unfortunately, his position required him to stay put, so he had to wait to get the news from Shopkeeper Xu later.

Once inside the private room, after the waiter served tea and closed the door, Shopkeeper Xu spoke, “Brother Shen, Brother Chen, please tell me about the situation outside.”

Shen Lie didn’t hold back, succinctly describing the situation. “We don’t know about other places, but on our way back, Hebei and Hedong are in utter chaos. Counties are being overrun, massacres and looting are common. Rebel armies plunder and then flee. The court can’t do anything about them. Only when we reached Henan and further towards our Huainan region did things calm down a bit.”

Chen Dashan added, “It’s only relatively better. Henan still has many small groups of bandits hiding in the mountains, but they haven’t gained much power yet.”

Shopkeeper Xu pondered for a moment, “Henan is our Daqian’s granary. The court won’t allow it to fall. With Henan in front, our Huainan should remain relatively safe, especially since we’re near Jiangnan. It shouldn’t get chaotic here, right?”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan remained silent. If Shopkeeper Xu had seen the devastation in Hebei and Hedong, he wouldn’t be so hopeful. Henan might be Daqian’s granary, but across the river in Hebei and Hedong, people were starving to death, and the court and officials weren’t willing to spare a single grain for relief.

It goes without saying that Hebei and Hedong also have granaries, but without orders from above, no officials dared to open them. The common people couldn’t survive, so naturally, they revolted.

Shen Lie could only shake his head. “It’s hard to say. If this can be quickly pacified, then fine. But if not, uprisings can spread rapidly. It’s best to make some preparations early.”

Shopkeeper Xu and Chef Yu both looked grim. They had been uneasy when grain prices started to rise, thinking it was due to the court’s twice-increased taxes and disasters in the northern provinces. They had no idea the situation was much worse than they imagined.

Shopkeeper Xu tapped his fingers on the table several times before looking up at Sang Luo. “Mrs. Sang, do you want me to help you buy more grain?”

Given the news Shen Lie and the others brought back, Sang Luo’s purpose was easy to guess.

Sang Luo nodded. “Yes, not just for me, but also for a few aunts who help me sell tofu. The grain shops are limiting sales to two liters per person. If we go buy it ourselves, we can’t get much. The news of war is currently suppressed because of the plague, but since we know, others might find out too. Such news spreads quickly. Soon, the county will be abuzz, and we won’t be able to afford the grain prices. That’s why I’m asking for your help.”

Shopkeeper Xu pondered. Right now, leveraging his connections with the grain shops wouldn’t be easy. However, Sang Luo had never asked for help during the past two months of rising prices, only now when things were getting chaotic. He couldn’t refuse. “I have some connections with a few grain shopkeepers in town. If it’s not too much, I can ask around.”

Sang Luo and the others looked relieved. Sang Luo quickly said, “Not much. We have limited money, and the current grain prices are already high. We need to stock up on mixed grains. As for rice, we need about ten kilograms combined, not exceeding twenty kilograms.”

Of this, eight kilograms were for Sang Luo herself. If the grain prices hadn’t changed, eight kilograms would cost just over twenty-three taels of silver.

She had brought all the money from home today. With silver and copper coins, she had more than sixteen taels. After delivering the goods to Yongfeng Zhai, she could earn nearly two more taels from selling candied jujubes and crystal sugar. If she sold the ginseng, she would have enough for eight kilograms of grain. Besides stocking up on salt and medicine, she also planned to buy various coarse grains.

No one knew how long the chaos would last.

She needed eight kilograms. The Zhou village head’s family needed four kilograms. Chen and Shi families reported needing seven kilograms combined yesterday, but given her suggestion to stock up on mixed grains before prices soared, they might now need only half. So, it was about ten kilograms.

Hearing it was just ten kilograms, Shopkeeper Xu nodded. “Alright, I’ll go out and ask around later. I’ll get back to you afterward.”

Sang Luo smiled with relief and stood up to bow. “We can’t thank you enough, Shopkeeper Xu. If you ever need our help, just let us know.”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan also bowed in thanks.

Shopkeeper Xu appreciated Sang Luo’s straightforward nature and smiled. “You’re too kind. Thanks for informing us promptly. If you want to buy mixed grains, do so early. I’ll inform the shop assistants to prepare.”

Sang Luo, pressed for time, didn’t say much more. She left with Shen Lie and Chen Dashan after making their bows.

Once they left, Shopkeeper Xu told Chef Yu, “Have the shop assistants come in batches. I’ll ask if they need to buy grain. Think about stocking up more grain yourself. If it’s coarse grain, send your apprentice home to notify your family to buy it quickly. If it’s rice, report back to me, and we’ll buy it together today.”

Chef Yu needed no further prompting and replied, “I need some. Please help me buy three kilograms.”

His family had already stocked up when prices first rose, but the news of war made him uneasy, so he asked for three more kilograms.

Shopkeeper Xu nodded. “Alright, go call the others. Remind them not to spread the word, or we might not be able to buy any grain today, and prices could rise significantly.”

“I understand,” Chef Yu said repeatedly as he left to gather the others.

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In the alley behind the Dongfu Restaurant’s kitchen, Chen Youtian and the others were waiting with their hands folded. Seeing Sang Luo, Shen Lie, and the others coming out, they quickly approached. “How did it go? Can he help us?”

Sang Luo nodded with a smile. “He should be able to help. He’ll ask for us soon. Uncle Youtian, while the news hasn’t spread, buy as much mixed grain as possible. If the news spreads, it’ll be hard to buy.”

Chen Youtian and the others agreed. They had been waiting to confirm if they could buy rice so they could decide on mixed grains. Now that it was clear, they planned to buy mixed grains first and meet back at the alley after.

Sang Luo handed three taels of silver to Shen Lie. “I need to go to Yongfeng Zhai. You and Uncle Youtian go buy mixed grains. Spend all this money. Don’t save any. Bring it back here, and if the cart can’t hold everything, borrow one from Dongfu Restaurant.”

Three taels of silver could buy about seven or eight kilograms of mixed grains.

Shen Lie understood the urgency. Once the Zhou clan and villagers knew, and Shopkeeper Xu informed the restaurant staff, who would then notify their relatives, grain shops would soon catch on. By the afternoon, or at the latest by tomorrow, the shops would notice something was amiss.

He took the money and said, “Be careful. After Yongfeng Zhai, wait for me at Dongfu Restaurant. We’ll go to the pharmacy together.”

Sang Luo knew he was worried about her carrying too much money and ginseng alone, making her a target. She nodded, “Alright, I’ll wait for you for the pharmacy trip.”

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