Chapter 230

Xu Qing carefully secured the contract for selling oneself, then gestured to have the person brought into the farthest room and closed off, arranging for guards to come over.

All eyes from Baijiazhuang fell on the bulging carts, yet even if curiosity was strong, no one dared to approach to touch or inquire with Bai Manshan.

The East household treated him well, but punishments were clearly defined for wrongdoing, leaving no room for bargaining. The Sun family was a prime example.

Those from Shanshui Village were also intimidated; they had never witnessed a sale of a person before and had always thought it was only in dramas.

Seeing the recently arrived Bai Manshan, they realized he was indeed the wealthy master from the dramas! His family was rich, with countless servants.

Thinking it over, it made sense; otherwise, how could so many people be managed? Without proper management, where would the wealth come from?

The scene fell silent, only the rustling of leaves and cicadas could be heard.

Bai Manshan ignored what people on both sides were thinking and asked Xu Qing, “How long can your grain supply last?”

Xu Qing had already calculated this over the past few days, his greatest worry. Hearing the East household’s inquiry, he promptly replied, “Originally, we could have lasted until April or May next year, but the flooding didn’t carry all the grain up to Fishback Mountain, causing some loss. Even if we economize, we can only last until January now;

East Master, I went to the prefectural city a few days ago, and the price of grain there has skyrocketed. The grain on our estate won’t last until the winter wheat harvest. What should we do?”

Their estate had fertile fields and good harvests, and the East household always stored plenty. Normally, stored grain would last until April or May of the following year, plus the new harvest in autumn. Every year, they had more than enough grain, avoiding any shortages or famine at home.

But this year, there was flooding, and the new grain was lost. Winter wheat wouldn’t be ready until April or May next year. What would they eat during those two or three empty months?

For one or two people, it wouldn’t be so bad; even though the grain in the prefectural city was already expensive, buying a bag to go with wild vegetables could keep them going for two or three months. But their estate had more than two hundred people!

A bag of grain would be gone in a day. This was a huge expense, and if they transported dozens or even hundreds of bags of grain from the prefectural city to Baijiazhuang, it would become the biggest target for all the refugees!

Bai Manshan didn’t answer the question but continued to ask, “What else does the estate lack? What else needs to be added?”

“The hoes and shovels were taken away in the beginning, and the ones left in the pit were soaked in water and still usable. A lot of farm tools were damaged, but it’s okay. The carpenter brother has already started making them;

We’re slowly adding houses, firewood, and the like. Using thatch for the roofs is not a problem. The only tricky part is salt,” Xu Qing paused.

Bai Manshan frowned. Baijiazhuang was very far from Nanning Prefecture, making travel inconvenient. He left enough grain every year and also reserved enough silver for the head of the village to buy salt for two or three years.

Firstly, to save trouble; secondly, because salt was indispensable, preparedness was better than regrets.

He looked at Xu Qing and asked directly, “Just tell me.”

“When I took over, I found that there was only enough salt for two or three months. When I asked Old Village Head Sun, he didn’t say whether there was any salt left or where the silver for buying salt went.” Xu Qing understood that most of the silver for buying salt had probably been diverted by Village Head Sun.

But without salt, they would lack strength; lacking salt was really unacceptable.

Bai Manshan sighed, “I estimate it’s been used up, without salt or silver.”

Since it would be sold, he didn’t want to chase after pennies; managing people and matters was mostly about prioritizing.

He walked over to the cart managed by Hu Wenhua, took out a small bamboo basket from the covered compartment, and handed it to Xu Qing, “After you sell the Sun family tomorrow, take all the silver to buy salt;

And the silver in this bamboo basket, part of it is also to buy salt, the rest is for emergencies.”

Xu Qing was so excited he didn’t know what to do!

In other villages, homes were destroyed and lives lost, but all their people were safe and sound, thanks to the East household.

Now, with refugees everywhere, having nothing to eat, drink, or shelter, their East master still came to give them silver!

“You can also buy some grain, but not too much to avoid drawing attention. My main purpose in coming this time isn’t just to give silver, but also to deliver something from the carts;

These are potatoes, they’re edible and delicious. They were planted at the end of August, and the people I brought with me will teach you how to plant and care for them. Choose a few skilled farmers to learn and remember well;

Most importantly, they can be harvested in four months, around January. They should help supplement your food supply.” Bai Manshan was extremely grateful that his sister, Shuiqing, had discovered potatoes, and that Quan had coincidentally met Shuiqing’s family!

Otherwise, his good farmland would have been lost, and the more than two hundred people here now would likely not have survived.

In a famine, without grain, everything would be wasted, and in turbulent times, without people, it would be even worse.

Xu Qing didn’t know what to say anymore, his mind filled with praise for the East master!

“Master, you…”

Bai Manshan held up his hand to stop him, “Alright, the people who came with me haven’t had dinner yet. Hurry and arrange it.”

Xu Qing exclaimed and quickly led the way with the people.

Some started fires, others fetched water, and still others cooked.

Baijiazhuang had been almost flattened by the flood. After everyone in the village worked hard, they barely managed to tidy up and build a clean area for shelter.

However, all the previous vegetable fields were gone. When they fled to Fishback Mountain to escape the flood, they took the vegetable seeds, but they hadn’t grown enough to eat yet.

The only good thing was that it was summer now, with lush vegetation, and there were still plenty of wild plants and vegetables on the mountainside. The women in the village cooked a porridge using the wild vegetables they found during the day and added a few eggs.

For seventy to eighty men, a few eggs were barely noticeable, but this was the best hospitality food Baijiazhuang could offer.

Everyone, including Bai Manshan, silently drank from crude pottery bowls.

The porridge was bland, with even salt being sparingly used.

“Ah, they’re the ones suffering. Compared to them, our lives are truly blessed.” Li Wu sighed deeply, feeling a mix of emotions.

The porridge made by his sister-in-law not only included crushed peanuts and sesame but also plenty of salt. Whether brewed or boiled, it was flavorful.

And there was plenty of it; he and his third brother were eating their fill every meal, expecting leftovers when they got home.

Holding the wild vegetable porridge, Xu Laosan also sighed, “Who wouldn’t say that? At least we have vegetables to eat, not just wild plants.”

Wild vegetables were rough, and without oil or salt, they were hard to swallow. They couldn’t compare to the vegetables they grew themselves, which were edible even when simply boiled.

The wild vegetables in this bowl were no different from wild grass. People from Shanshui Village also ate wild vegetables and often dug them up and dried them for winter, but they wouldn’t dig up what was in this bowl. It showed how difficult things were here, where anything that filled the belly would do.