After Shen Qingwan led them to the shop, the group still felt a bit uneasy.

Although the shop wasn’t particularly large, it was enough to keep them busy.

It had previously been a dry goods store, so they only needed to change the signboard.

The interior facilities were already in place and didn’t require any adjustments.

Behind the courtyard, there was a storage room where Shen Qingwan had already stocked the grain in advance, filling it completely.

Even the courtyard itself was piled high with sacks of grain.

“There are three rooms in the back. If you don’t want to go back and forth, you can stay here. If all of you decide to stay, then you can divide the rooms among yourselves. Uncle Youfu, I’ll have to trouble you to get the shop’s signboard made. Our grain store will be called ‘Tianxia Grain Shop.’ Dachuan, you three should clean up the place today. I’ll prepare the price tags for the grain later. We’ll aim to officially open for business in the next couple of days.”

After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she looked at the three men, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Got it, sister-in-law! Don’t worry, we’ll take care of the shop for you.”

Shen Qingwan gave them a few more instructions before heading off to set the grain prices.

When Lu Dachuan saw the prices she had decided on, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Sister-in-law, other grain stores are selling coarse rice at forty wen per jin, but we’re only charging eight wen? Won’t we be losing a fortune? And coarse flour is only ten wen per jin?”

Shitou, who was only nineteen, didn’t know much about pricing, but Lu Dashan, who was already thirty-two, had more experience.

Even he felt the prices were too low, especially given the current grain shortages. “Qingwan, these prices do seem a bit low.”

Shen Qingwan put down her brush and explained, “I didn’t open this shop just to make money. You saw the refugees outside the city—many are starving to death. If grain prices remain high, most of them won’t survive. Compared to human lives, silver and gold are just meaningless objects. Besides, I have a reliable grain supply. I’ll help as many people as I can.”

Most of the grain in her personal storage space had come at no cost to her.

Even though she would earn less, she could help many people.

Hearing this, the men realized how narrow-minded they had been.

They had only thought about making money, not about those suffering in the famine.

On the way to the city, they had seen many corpses.

The government collected bodies daily, but people still died every day—most from starvation.

Many were so emaciated before death that they were little more than skeletons.

Seeing such tragic scenes had affected them more than they had admitted. In that moment, Lu Dashan understood why Shen Qingwan had been hiring people to cultivate farmland—she was trying to save as many lives as possible.

To the three men, Shen Qingwan suddenly seemed much greater than before.

Shen Qingwan didn’t consider herself a saint.

She had no hesitation in killing those who deserved it.

But perhaps her decision to help the refugees came from a deep emotional connection—or maybe she just valued life and didn’t want to watch innocent people die needlessly.

To save more people, she needed more grain.

She currently had about 30,000 shi of grain in her space, but that wasn’t nearly enough. She planned to ask Bai Er Ye (Second Master Bai) to help acquire more grain.

With Bai Er Ye’s capabilities, getting the grain wouldn’t be too difficult.

But transporting it safely was another matter.

The country was in chaos, and the roads were dangerous, filled with bandits and corrupt officials who wouldn’t let such a large supply of grain slip through their fingers.

With officials and bandits working together, even grain merchants had to keep a low profile, quietly making their profits without attracting attention. None dared transport large amounts of grain openly.

Shen Qingwan sent a message via carrier pigeon through the manager of Wantong Bank.

She expected a reply within two or three days.

Arranging for bulk grain transport would take time, so in the meantime, she focused on getting the shop ready.

In just two days, she had the shop fully organized.

On the day the sign for Tianxia Grain Shop was hung, many people came to ask about grain prices.

When Shen Qingwan posted the price list, the entire city of Suzhou erupted in excitement.

Eight wen per jin!

For the common people, this was a lifesaving miracle.

Some didn’t believe it—after all, grain was selling for forty wen per jin elsewhere, and even then, it was hard to find.

How could it possibly be only eight wen here?

“This must be some kind of trick. How could they sell grain for only eight wen per jin?”

“Exactly! Even at forty wen, grain is hard to get. This must be a scam.”

“Well, we’ll know for sure tomorrow. They’re supposed to officially open in the morning. I’ll come see for myself.”

“Yes, let’s all check it out together!”

While some doubted, the refugees didn’t hesitate.

That very afternoon, people started lining up outside the store.

By the middle of the night, the line stretched far down the street.

The next morning, when Shen Qingwan arrived to open the shop, she was stunned by the long queue.

Even more surprising was that the people were waiting in an orderly manner.

The line stretched all the way to the city gates, with more people still joining.

Lu Dachuan and the others were also shocked, quickly opening the shop to get to work.

Thankfully, they had pre-packaged the grain in oil-paper bags—two jin per pack, priced at sixteen wen each, with a one-pack-per-person limit.

“Everyone, please be patient! We’ll start soon!”

Lu Youfu, managing the front, called out, “Pay here, then collect your grain from the side. Have your coins ready to avoid delays. No pushing!”

To speed things up, Shen Qingwan had placed a balance scale beside Lu Youfu.

One side held a pre-measured string of sixteen copper coins.

Customers only needed to place their payment on the other side—if the scale balanced, it was correct. This saved time counting coins manually.

People handed over their money, Lu Youfu placed it on the scale, and once it balanced, he tossed the coins into a wooden box.

Lu Dachuan then handed out the grain.

The two worked seamlessly together, while Shitou and Lu Dashan stayed inside, preparing more packages.

Though the oil paper cost extra, it significantly improved efficiency.

The opening of Tianxia Grain Shop made other grain merchants uneasy, but there was little they could do.

Most of Suzhou’s grain shops were struggling to source supplies, and those who had some left were selling at sky-high prices—forty to fifty wen per jin.

They sneered at Shen Qingwan’s low prices, convinced she wouldn’t last a day before raising them.

Some merchants even tried to buy in bulk from her—after all, eight wen per jin was cheaper than their wholesale prices.

Unfortunately for them, Shen Qingwan outright refused.

She declared, “This grain is meant to aid disaster victims, not for reselling.”