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The servants disguised as merchants returned to report to their respective masters, claiming that the deal had been sealed.
Listening to the prices brought by their subordinates, Mr. Sun and his associates, while not entirely satisfied, found them within an acceptable range.
They decided to wait for the agreed-upon three days to proceed with the grain collection.
In the backyard of Juxin Grain Store, Mr. Sun reclined in a rocking chair beneath a large tree, flanked by two beautiful women fanning him, with small ice pots on either side.
The chair swayed back and forth rhythmically as Mr. Sun leisurely hummed an off-key tune while listening to the reports from his subordinates.
“Hmph, it’s just a few tens of thousands of taels of silver. Once we buy that grain and resell it in the capital, we’ll easily recoup our investment…”
“Are you sure you’ve bought up all their grain?”
The servant dressed in luxurious attire, looking somewhat out of place, hastily replied, “Master, rest assured, we bought it all, even the stock in their shop. Not a grain left.”
Mr. Sun was overjoyed and generously rewarded the servant with silver. “Hahaha, well done! Here is your Reward!”
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Three days ago, Liang Hui had rented a rural estate, and Shen Yu’an had filled it with grain.
When the appointed three days arrived, the three itinerant traders, who had made arrangements with Liang Hui, arrived with a large group of people, pulling carts, and followed Liang Hui to the countryside estate to collect the grain.
The storefront of Auspicious Grain Store in town temporarily hung a “Closed for Business” sign.
Feng San and Feng Si stood guard at the door, watching as bag after bag of grain was loaded onto the carts and meticulously recording the quantities.
For a while, the estate was bustling with activity, with people continuously looking at the grain back and forth.
By the time they had loaded all the grain onto the carts and exchanged silver, the sky had darkened completely. Lanterns in the courtyard illuminated everything.
Liang Hui, holding a stack of banknotes, wore a pleased expression. “It’s getting late now. If any of you don’t have a place to stay, I can offer you a night at this estate.”
When those individuals looked his way, Liang Hui continued with a smile, “The price is negotiable.”
The smiles that were just about to appear on their faces awkwardly froze, and they turned their heads, saying, “No need, we have our own accommodations.”
“Alright, I won’t keep you any longer. Safe travels, everyone.”
Liang Hui waved the stack of banknotes in his hand as a farewell gesture.
The group couldn’t help but be drawn to the thick wad of silver bills he held, and they departed, their teeth gnashed in frustration.
Once everyone had left, Liang Hui clutched the banknotes in his hand and exclaimed, “Let’s go back to town. We’ll find that guy from the bookshop and Mr. Shen, and have a good meal.”
Liang Hui is referring to Shen Rong. Since settling into the town and preparing the house, Shen Rong had moved in with a few youngsters who were still attending the local school, as well as Hua Ling. Additionally, Mr. Ji, along with Shen Dalang, Shen Erlang, Shen Sanlang, and Zhang Wendong, had also come to the town.
They had set up a small school inside the house, exclusively for Mr. Ji to impart his teachings to Shen Dalang and the others.
Huang Ji had fully recovered, so the entire family had relocated to the town.
Although it was now completely dark outside, the curfew had not yet begun, and they had nearly two hours to find a good restaurant and enjoy a hearty meal.
Feng San and Feng Si happily extinguished the lights at the estate and locked the gates, then followed Liang Hui on the way back to town.
With over a hundred thousand taels of silver credited to their account at once, all three of them were elated.
Feng Si, known for his quick wit, quipped, “Convincing them to buy grain these past few days is much easier than working as clerks in the store.”
Feng San and Feng Si had both served under Prince of Wuding in the past, accustomed to straightforward tasks. Now, they found it somewhat challenging to manipulate people into making deals.
Today, it wasn’t just Liang Hui and his associates who were happy. Those who guarded the back hill of Longxian Village were also in high spirits.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yu’an used the pretext of the grain store to have Fei Xi lead a group of brothers to the mountains to acquire a substantial amount of grain.
Fei Xi knew that Shen Yu’an had a knack for sourcing grain and had established grain stores in the town and other places. He had no reason to doubt, so he called upon people to transport the grain to improve the group’s meals.
Accompanying the grain were some vegetables and meat.
When they arrived at the camp with their haul, there was a round of hearty cheers.
“Has the master struck it rich? Why did we bring so much grain?”
One person took a handful of grain, examined it in amazement, and said, “This grain is surprisingly good!”
Fei Xi chuckled and gave the person a playful punch, saying, “You’ve got it all wrong; this grain was sent by Miss Shen.”
The grain had been procured at Shen Yu’an’s request, so it was essentially a gift from Miss Shen.
Fei Xi thought his interpretation was correct and instructed everyone to carry the rice, flour, and other provisions into the storage room. However, they had so much grain that they had to clear out another room to store it.
Fei Xi surveyed the two carts filled with meat and instructed, “Tonight, arrange for the cooks to prepare the meat. Once it’s ready, we’ll send some to our brothers at the mining site. With the weather being so hot, it won’t last more than two days.”
Cheers erupted once again, with everyone expressing their gratitude to Shen Yu’an.
Shen Yu’an had just joined them on the mountain and immediately made her way to the forge in the camp.
Approaching the forge, she heard the rhythmic clanging of hammers as the blacksmiths worked tirelessly to forge weapons using ore mined from the mountains.
Shen Yu’an pushed open the door, and a wave of heat washed over her. Several experienced blacksmiths who were overseeing the work noticed her and quickly ushered her inside.
“Miss, you’re here. Come and take a look at this batch of weapons.”
Shen Yu’an accepted the longsword they handed her, expertly twirling it in her hand as she gripped the hilt.
Inside the forge, one high-temperature furnace followed another. Shen Yu’an walked outside and swung the sword she held a few times.
“Not bad.”
The elderly blacksmiths all smiled, as if Shen Yu’an’s simple two-word evaluation was a great affirmation for them.
Shen Yu’an hefted the heavy sword in her hand and asked, “How many have you made?”
One of the senior blacksmiths replied, “We’ve already crafted over five hundred. In a month or so, each of the youngsters in the camp will have one.”
Shen Yu’an inspected the other weapons they had produced, aside from swords. They had also forged many intricate crossbow bolts and long spears.
After a brief tour of the camp, Shen Yu’an descended the mountain. As she walked, she noticed the sentries stationed at various points along the way.
Initially, the mountain had only one camp, and security measures were not as strict.
With the addition of the mining site, Fei Xi had deployed patrols to ensure daily security. Although there were no civilians deep in the mountains, Shen Yu’an reminded him to be cautious and thorough in all matters, instructing him to keep guards day and night.
If anyone were to intrude, they would quietly divert them away without causing alarm.