Font Size:
The Red Maple Grain Store.
Gao Ling picked up a bag of sorghum, a bag of rice, and a bag of flour, preparing to pay.
The cashier reminded, “Madam, there’s been a recent shortage of grain. Each person can only purchase a maximum of 5 pounds of grain per week.”
Gao Ling: ?!?!
She was very surprised, “That’s not what you said the day before yesterday.”
“It was just changed yesterday. I hope the customer understands,” the cashier politely replied.
Gao Ling thought to say something, but she saw over twenty security guards in the store, all watching her intently, on high alert. From the looks of it, if things didn’t go well, they might act at any moment.
Gao Ling: “… Then I’ll just buy 5 pounds for now.”
Leaving the Red Maple Grain Store, she hurriedly went to other grain stores. But whether NPC-owned or player-owned, they had all quietly changed their regulations.
NPC grain stores allowed customers to buy 2-3 pounds per week.
Some player-owned grain stores had even changed their trade and were now directly selling food-based liquor.
Gao Ling: “…”
This was just not proper.
After a day of running around, Gao Ling managed to buy a total of 40 pounds of grain. Fortunately, there was stock in the pet hospital’s storage room.
She kept some for herself, managed to gather a total of 100 pounds, and then opened the Pay-to-Win game group and messaged Yun Shan privately, “I heard you were short on grain, so I gathered some. You can make do with this for now.”
Seeing the message, Yun Shan: “…”
This girl was just too sincere.
Where was she short on grain? She just didn’t want to be bothered and deliberately found an excuse.
Unexpectedly, Gao Ling took it seriously, not only helping to gather rice but also giving it to her without mentioning a price, essentially giving it away.
“What will you do now that you’ve given it to me?” Yun Shan asked.
“I’m a lone wolf. I can eat my fill, and my family won’t go hungry,” Gao Ling replied nonchalantly. “Besides, the grain store has restrictions, but the noodle shop, steamed bun shop, barbecue stall, and meat stall don’t. Stash some food and get through until the end of December. By then, when the wheat wine trend passes and the crops are harvested, the restrictions will be lifted.”
“In that case, thank you.” After a moment of contemplation, Yun Shan didn’t refuse but accepted graciously.
She thought of it as safeguarding Gao Ling’s grain, to be returned to her at the end of December.
Things were similar elsewhere.
It was heard that Yun Shan was struggling to feed her Battle pet, so Han Jiaqing privately gave her 500 pounds of rice.
Yet, he still felt guilty, “The rest of the stock has been used to make food-based liquor. If you had said earlier, I could have saved a bit more.”
Han Jiaqing’s situation was different from Gao Ling’s. He had established a guild, acquired farmland, and supported a group of brothers who relied on him for sustenance. It was a rare opportunity to earn points, and naturally, he was eager to seize it.
In this situation, remembering to save some grain for Yun Shan was a thoughtful gesture.
Before Yun Shan could be moved by this, Han Jiaqing added, “500 pounds of grain, market settlement, points trade.”
Yun Shan: “…”
It turned out it wasn’t just a gift.
Oh well.
After all, theirs was a purely monetary relationship.
***
Days were passing, and drinking alcohol gradually became a trend.
The group was growing more and more enthusiastic, showing signs of being out of control.
On this day, in the Pay-to-Win game group.
“Savings Expert: Me! Self-taught! Brewed two barrels of flower liquor and sold them in the trade market! Earned 200 points! Laughing triumphantly.jpg”
“I Love Construction: Sorghum wine, brewed using ancient methods, one pot sold for 400 points, just bought.”
“Low-key Person: I made apple wine, apricot wine, pear wine, wolfberry wine, mulberry wine. Not much profit, just running some quantity.”
“Not much profit, pure 100%-300% profit. Just running some quantity makes over ten thousand points in profit. Conclusion: we’re all tricksters.”
“Expert: You say you’re bad, but I say I’m really bad. Bursting into tears.jpg”
“Bigwig: Even though you say that, I suspect you’ve earned quite a bit, but there’s no evidence.”
“Seven: Light teasing and dark showing off, today is still a happy gaming day.”
The group was filled with a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
Suddenly, Gao Ling popped up, “You’ve all bought up the grain to make alcohol. As someone without farmland, I’m almost starving.”
“Dreamer: The wealthy are always modest. You’re a woman with the ability to make money!”
Gao Ling: “But that money can’t conjure up food.”
“Enviously Crying: Food is indeed scarce in the camp lately. But with the upcoming harvest season, it’ll be fine. It’s only a matter of days.”
Gao Ling didn’t say anything more, but she was thinking, perhaps she should take a break from the game and come back at the end of December?
***
After communicating with Lu Ming, Yun Shan patiently waited for the best solution.
She waited and waited, all the way until the entire populace was fervent, with NPCs seeking players as mentors and joining the ranks of alcohol producers, leading to countless stores of grain being converted into alcohol. Yet, she hadn’t seen the camp issue a ban on alcohol or take any measures.
Yun Shan: “…”
She wondered if she had been foolish.
November quickly passed.
In early December, Yun Shan received a points transfer on her wristwatch, an impressive pure profit split reaching up to a hundred thousand points.
If we calculate at 1 point = 70 yuan, Yun Shan was making 7 million a month, all without lifting a finger.
Although she had made a large sum, Yun Shan wasn’t happy.
Because—
After the fervor, all that was left was a mess.
On one hand, there was an oversupply of food-based liquor, and it couldn’t even be sold at a loss.
On the other hand, there was a shortage of grain, with grain prices skyrocketing fivefold and strict purchase limits, rendering it impossible to buy even with money.
Yun Shan was taken aback: What was the difference compared to the previous life? It would have been better to issue a “ban on alcohol” right from the start, forcefully prohibiting the use of grain to make alcohol.
After all, before long, the ice rainstorm would arrive.
Even if preparations were made in advance, it was still uncertain whether the crops could be saved from the hands of…
What did Lu Ming really want to do?
Yun Shan was utterly perplexed.
***
At the same time, Bai Shenghua had a dark expression and looked extremely troubled.
In theory, he should have been very happy with the large number of points he earned from selling alcohol. In reality, he was facing a serious challenge—his guild was completely bankrupt, and the warehouse only had a small amount of grain, which was far from sufficient.
“How did this happen?” His partner, Hong Rui, sounded a bit agitated. “Didn’t you say the plan was set? Start by selling alcohol to earn a profit, then quietly stockpile grain, and when the camp experiences a shortage, sell a portion of the stock for another profit?”
“Everyone knows that everyone is making alcohol, and the camp is likely to face a food shortage crisis. Why weren’t you able to stock up in advance?!”
“There was a bit of a mishap,” Bai Shenghua’s eyes were dark.
In reality, he had been stockpiling grain all along. It’s just that before the “Wheat Wine Festival,” the grain he had stockpiled was used as raw material for making alcohol.
After the “Wheat Wine Festival,” the hoarded grain was intended for consumption and stored in the warehouse.
He thought he had been quite cautious. Immediately after the “Wheat Wine Festival,” he had hoarded grain with the belief that he would have enough to feed his people.
However, the restrictions appeared too quickly. Not only was it extremely difficult to purchase grain, but the sales quota was also very strict. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t manage to buy more grain.
“What about the NPC grain merchants?” Hong Rui’s tone was unkind. “Didn’t you say you were on good terms with the NPCs? They are landlords, with land and grain, willing to sell to you at a reasonable price.”
“When I sold the alcohol, earned points, and approached them, they had already run out of grain,” Bai Shenghua gritted his teeth. “It’s been said that someone bought most of the stored grain at three times the market price ahead of time. No matter how good my relationship with them was, they were merchants after all, it’s unreasonable for them not to make money.”
“I’ve said that as soon as I have points, I’ll go and buy grain. But offering less than half of what they were asking, NPCs naturally wouldn’t wait for me.”
“In the end, it’s your decision-making error, and you didn’t consider it thoroughly!” Hong Rui didn’t care about his partner’s difficulties. He only knew that the other had trapped him with a big pie.
“What use is the points? Can you eat them?”
“What use is the food-based liquor? Does drinking it increase satiety?”
“Do you know how many people I have under me? How much grain do they need to consume every day?”
“To work with you, I’ve almost put all my assets out. And now, holding a bunch of points, my people are still starving.”
The more Hong Rui spoke, the angrier he became. “I’ve realized that in this doomsday world, points are just numbers on paper, and grain is the real deal!”
Bai Shenghua was getting a headache. He rubbed his temples, inwardly berating, why didn’t you speak up earlier if you had an idea? Now, it’s just empty talk.
Maintaining a calm demeanor, he soothingly reassured, “I have another plan for the grain. Don’t worry, by the end of December, the farmland will yield a good harvest, and everything will be fine. The grain I provided earlier can be considered a loan, and I’ll return double to you at the end of December.”
Hearing this, Hong Rui finally calmed down.
When he was doing the alcohol business, he hadn’t used up all the stored grain, and there was still some left in the warehouse. If they were frugal and sent their men out for hunting, they should be able to get through.
Unfortunately, many NPCs had also joined in the speculation, not only using their home’s grain for brewing but also shutting down their stores. If he went to a noodle shop, grain store, or steamed bun shop to dine, he might have to spend more points. At least, he wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry.
After careful consideration, he realized that the current situation was only a temporary hardship. Hong Rui couldn’t help but sigh, “I hope the crops will be harvested soon, and nothing else goes wrong during this time.”
In reality, he was suffering from heat rash and athlete’s foot. The itching and pain recurred every summer. He planned to seek treatment during the winter and hopefully not suffer next year.
If they collectively starved due to a grain shortage, there would be nowhere to turn to for help.
He had considered collectively going offline and coming back when the new batch of grain was harvested. However, in addition to his skin conditions, he had also developed a host of other health issues due to overworking. He urgently needed treatment and couldn’t wait for too long.
He had to stay online, and his bodyguards had to stay with him, or he wouldn’t feel secure. The registration code he had managed to grab could expire at any time due to the death of the game character, which made him anxious just thinking about it.
After careful consideration, he concluded that he had to continue playing the game as usual, enduring each day with his people.
…
On this day, as usual, Qin Wan logged in to prepare lunch for the Battle pet in the estate.
While cooking, out of the blue, she received a message from a game friend, “I’m so envious that you found a good job. I’ve only just realized that the most important thing about finding a job isn’t a high hourly wage, but having meals and accommodations provided!”
Qin Wan: “?”
Qin Wan: “What’s going on?”
She spent her days cooking and improving her culinary skills, completely immersed in her craft, so she had no idea why her friend was expressing these feelings.
Friend: “The Red Maple Grain Store has a new rule where each person can only buy 3 pounds of grain per week. Based on the calculation that a player is online for ten hours a day, without eating meat or vegetables, at least 0.8 pounds of grain is needed to meet basic daily requirements.”
“But as a lifestyle player, I’m not good at hunting and have no additional sources of food. This amount of grain is really not enough to eat!”
“I’m not even talking about eating well. I can’t even eat enough. You see, if the satiety level drops to zero, the game character will starve to death!!”
“It’s been said that the job listings in the mission hall have changed. The salary for a lumberjack used to be 2.5 points/hour, with daily payment. Now it’s changed to 40g of mixed grain bun/hour, with daily payment. I’m seriously considering applying for a lumberjack job! At least it will provide meals and fill my stomach!”
Qin Wan never had to worry about going hungry and had no survival concerns, so she wasn’t deeply moved by this. Considering that this friend was both a game friend and a real-life friend, she said, “The place where I work provides meals, so I don’t need the quota. How about this. I’ll buy grain from the grain store and then transfer it to you at the same value?”
This way, her friend could buy 6 pounds of grain from the Red Maple Grain Store every week. As long as they had enough points, they wouldn’t have to worry about starving.
Friend: “Thank you so much.” She expressed her immense gratitude.
“You’re welcome,” Qin Wan replied, ending the conversation.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel skeptical. Had the situation really deteriorated to this extent? How had she not noticed?
There was an abundance of grain in the estate’s warehouse. Even if it was calculated based on the food consumption of two hundred adult Battle pet, it would last for several years.
Moreover, the wolfhounds had been hunting recently and had brought back an excess of prey. To ensure the freshness of the game, the estate owner had specifically assigned NPCs to care for the live game, intending to slaughter them when needed. As a result, the population kept growing…
From what she saw in the estate, everything seemed calm and worry-free, and there were no signs of a food shortage, contrary to what her friend had described.