After confirming that the young man would stay, Shen Qingwan asked him why he had run away from home.

He said he missed his father, and besides, his cousin had called him useless.

Feeling indignant, he wanted to follow his father to war and prove that he was not a failure.

He had practiced martial arts since childhood.

Though his talent was not extraordinary, his skills were decent enough; otherwise, he wouldn’t have made it to Suzhou safely.

However, he had never traveled far before, and his family had always protected him well, making him somewhat naive about the ways of the world.

General Zhenyuan had only this one son, who had been cherished and spoiled since birth.

Although Meng Hangzhou was unaware of the dangers of human nature, he had a pure heart and a kind soul.

He could not bear to see the suffering of the common people and was easily moved to compassion.

That was why he had given away all the silver he carried.

Since Meng Hangzhou had never done manual labor, he struggled with the tasks at the shop.

Seeing his clumsiness, Lu Youfu assigned him to help load grain instead.

Fortunately, the job was not difficult, and after watching for a while, Meng Hangzhou managed to learn it.

Shen Qingwan finally sighed in relief, seeing that he had settled down.

Early in the morning, Jin Qianqian arrived to transport the grain.

Shen Qingwan instructed her to take away the 500 stones of grain that had been prepared in advance in the courtyard.

It took over twenty carts to move it all.

That amount of grain would be enough for the Jin family to distribute porridge for two to three months.

If Jin Qianqian had truly stopped distributing porridge, Shen Qingwan would have found a way to help the refugees outside the city herself.

Compared to the refugees inside the city, those who couldn’t even afford the two-wen entrance fee were in greater need of relief.

But now that Jin Qianqian was handling it, Shen Qingwan no longer had to worry about the refugees outside the city.

She stayed at the shop for three days, helping out during the day and taking Meng Hangzhou to an inn at night.

However, she soon realized that staying at an inn indefinitely was not a sustainable plan, and she also needed a larger storage space for grain.

Since she was not short on silver, Shen Qingwan simply purchased a two-courtyard estate next to the shop.

Though it only had two courtyards, it had six rooms and two large storage facilities—perfect for storing grain.

Now, she and Meng Hangzhou had a place to stay, and since Lu Youfu and the others were running out of space, they could move in as well.

The estate was only about ten meters from the shop, making it convenient for transporting grain.

A few days later, news arrived from Wantong Bank.

Master Bai had agreed to help her acquire grain but warned that transportation was difficult.

He feared the grain might be intercepted, especially on the route to Suzhou.

Shen Qingwan thought about her special storage space—there was no safer way to transport the grain than doing it herself.

With her mind made up, she wrote a reply to Master Bai.

Master Bai was currently in Yongzhou, which lay to the east, past which was the capital.

Yongzhou, situated by the Grand Canal, had numerous docks and was a hub for trade ships from all over. If Master Bai intended to acquire grain, Yongzhou was an ideal place.

In her letter, Shen Qingwan told him to gather as much grain as possible, as she would personally retrieve it in half a month.

Along with the letter, she sent a ten-thousand-tael banknote as a deposit.

Though she and Master Bai had a good relationship, business was business.

If she didn’t provide a deposit, Master Bai might still help her acquire grain, but not in large quantities—after all, she was merely a farmer’s wife, and he would likely worry that she couldn’t afford too much grain.

By paying in advance, she assured Master Bai that she was serious and had the means to purchase large quantities.

Only then would he dare to secure a significant supply for her.

Wantong Bank did not hand the deposit directly to Master Bai but mentioned in their letter that they had received it.

The message was sent via carrier pigeon, with a concise note placed inside a bamboo tube tied to the bird’s leg.

After sending the message, Shen Qingwan felt much more at ease.

In times like these, grain was invaluable—no one knew how long the famine would last, and only those with food in hand could remain calm.

Over the next few days, the shop’s operations stabilized.

Although there were still long queues every day, the staff had become more efficient and were no longer overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, other grain merchants in the city, who had been waiting for Tianxia Grain Shop to collapse, were now utterly baffled.

Could someone really be willing to run a business at a loss?

Currently, the purchasing price of grain had risen to over 20 wen per unit, yet Tianxia Grain Shop was still selling it at only 8 wen.

Their persistence was truly astonishing.

Because of its fair pricing, Tianxia Grain Shop was widely praised throughout Suzhou City.

When this news reached the city’s governor, Zhao Zhuo, he was equally astonished.

He had expected them to go under within two days—after all, grain was scarce everywhere—but to his surprise, nearly five days had passed, and Tianxia Grain Shop’s supply seemed endless.

Governor Zhao ordered an investigation into the source of their grain.

However, he was not concerned with punishing them.

His real problem was securing enough food.

The War King had tasked him with gathering 50,000 stones of grain within ten days, but he simply didn’t have the resources.

The Northern Army had 100,000 soldiers, each consuming two pounds of grain per day.

That meant 200,000 pounds—or over 1,600 stones—of grain was needed daily. The 50,000 stones he had been asked to gather would barely last the army a month.

Until the imperial court provided military rations, the 100,000 soldiers had to rely on Suzhou and Yanzhou for food.

But with the region’s current grain shortages, how could they possibly sustain such a demand?

The next morning, Zhao Zhuo summoned all the major merchants and noble families of Suzhou.

Only those of considerable influence were invited—Tianxia Grain Shop was notably excluded.

The heads of the Zhou family and the Jin family were among those summoned.

Since only men attended these meetings, Jin Qianqian, as a young woman, could not go.

Instead, her younger brother, Jin Zhengyang, accompanied their father.

Though still young, Jin Zhengyang was the family’s legitimate heir, and his father often brought him along to important gatherings to gain experience.

After all, the future of the Jin family business would one day rest on his shoulders.

As soon as everyone was seated in the main hall, Governor Zhao spoke directly.

“Everyone, I’m sure you know why I’ve gathered you here today.”

He continued, “The war in the north is dire, and the court’s supplies have yet to arrive. We must gather grain from Suzhou and Yanzhou. In previous years, 50,000 stones of grain would have been nothing, but with this year’s poor harvest, ongoing wars, and multiple grain levies from the court, Suzhou’s people are already struggling. There’s hardly any food left.

“Suzhou is filled with refugees, and many families here have set up porridge stations. The Jin family, in particular, has not stopped their charity, setting a great example for the city’s noble families.

“Our city’s stability depends on the Northern Army’s defense. We cannot fight on the battlefield, but we can contribute to the war effort. The army is still locked in battle with Beirong, but their grain supplies are nearly depleted. If we refuse to help, how can they hold the line? How can this war be won?”

Governor Zhao spoke with great passion, and many in the room were moved.

Some weighed their options, knowing full well that walking into this meeting meant they were bound to be forced into a hefty contribution.