The whole family traveled through time and became doctors, raised children and farmed in ancient tim

Since the county magistrate has said so and even brought up the governor, how dare these wealthy businessmen disobey?

After finishing their meal at the county magistrate's house, they were terrified and dared not slack off. They hurriedly ordered their servants to go out and buy food overnight. In a short time, the grain store in the town was sold out. However, even so, the food they bought was still not enough to donate, so they had to go to other towns to buy more.

As a result, the grain stores in several towns suffered. The crazy purchasing behavior of the wealthy businessmen was like a sudden storm that swept through the small towns. Those grain stores that originally had some grain in stock were quickly bought out by the wealthy businessmen.

When the people who were still queuing up to pay the autumn tax heard the news, they were all struck by lightning, and their hearts were instantly filled with shock and fear.

They were already worried about the increased autumn tax. Although they thought that even if the grain price was a little higher, they could still bear it, now the grain stores were out of food. Once the autumn tax was paid, how long could the already limited grain in their homes last?

They stood in the queue, looking at each other, unsure of what to do. Some sighed, others wept silently. The whole scene was filled with an extremely oppressive atmosphere, as if even the air had become heavy.

Xie Songbai's heart sank when he heard this. They still had grain to harvest, but Xie Songlin had no land, and there would be no harvest this year. If the grain store ran out of grain, what would he do?

After Xie Songbai and his companions paid the autumn tax, they became increasingly worried as they looked at the little remaining grain. Without any delay, they immediately drove the ox cart towards Xie Songlin's shop. On the ox cart, the people had solemn expressions and remained silent. Only the sound of the wheels rolling echoed in the air. Their mood was like the rumbling wheels, anxious and uneasy.

The Xing Canteen was closed today. Apparently, Xie Songlin had received the news that the grain store in town had been raided by wealthy businessmen. When he entered the store, it was not lunchtime and there were few customers in the store.

"Songlin, have you heard that there is no food in the grain store?" Xie Songbai asked anxiously.

Xie Songlin nodded: "I see. Xie Gui also came back empty-handed when he went to get food this morning." Xie Gui is also from Xiejia Village and is responsible for transporting food in the canteen.

Xie Songyang also became anxious: "What should we do? Do you have any extra food at home?"

Xie Songlin gave his brothers a look to calm down, invited them into the backyard, and drove the boys who were reading and playing in the backyard to the front.

"Sit down and talk." Xie Songlin sat down at the dinner table, his expression calm. "Brothers, don't be anxious."

Xie Songbai said, "How can we not be anxious? The autumn taxes have increased this year, and we don't have much food left. Mother gave me some money today and asked me to buy some food, but I didn't expect this to happen."

"I have food." Xie Songlin comforted his brothers with just one sentence. His voice was steady and powerful.

"There are many more." Xie Songlin added.

Xie Songbai was a little hesitant to ask: "A lot is...how much?"

Xie Songlin said a number, and when the brothers heard it, they were so shocked that they couldn't even sit still. Their eyes widened, their faces full of shock and disbelief: "How much???"

It’s no wonder they were so surprised. There was no food to buy outside, but Xie Songlin still had so much food in his hands.

Xie Songbai asked in disbelief, "How do you have so much food?"

Xie Songlin: “I bought it before.”

"You were fine before, why did you buy so much food? How much does it cost?"

"Two thousand taels."

"Two thousand taels? You actually have so much money." The Xie brothers were shocked again. Two thousand taels of silver was an astronomical figure for them.

"Alright, I won't hide anything from you brothers now." Xie Songlin's tone turned serious. "I knew about the locust plague in the north some time ago, but for some reason I couldn't tell you in advance. This is my fault, but don't worry, brothers. I've prepared enough food."

"You are a man of great ambitions. You must have your reasons for not telling us. We all know that." Xie Songbai and others' eyes were full of understanding. In their hearts, Xie Songlin has always been a man of his own ideas and responsibilities. His decisions must have deep meanings.

"But I bought so much food not just for our family. I plan to send most of it to Yinchuan County for disaster relief, and keep the remaining 20% for emergency use." Xie Songlin sighed, his eyes compassionate and firm, "Three brothers, perhaps you can't understand my decision to send food for disaster relief, but you don't know the current situation outside." He paused slightly, as if he was sorting out his thoughts, and as if he was suppressing the waves in his heart.

Xie Songlin's voice trembled slightly. "Cangzhou was the worst hit. The disaster there is so severe that you can't even imagine it. The locusts have eaten even the grass roots. Cangzhou is full of starving people. It's no exaggeration to say that you can see corpses every ten steps."

Xie Songbai and Xie Songyang were both shocked, and Xie Songmu was about to cry as he listened.

"So, although the food I bought may seem like a lot to you, it's just a drop in the ocean for the disaster victims outside." Xie Songlin's voice trailed off, filled with deep helplessness and emotion. "I don't have the power to do anything bigger now, but I will do my best. Born in a year of disaster, the only thing I can hold on to is this heart."

Xie Songbai was silent for a moment, tears glistening in his eyes. He nodded seriously, "Songlin, you did the right thing. Although our strength is limited, we cannot sit idly by. I am very proud of your righteousness."

Xie Songyang also clenched his fists, "I am proud of you too."

Xie Songmu also spoke up, "Songlin, we all support you. Let's send the food when it's needed. Let's work together to find a solution. We can get through this difficult time."

Xie Songbai said, "In that case, let's quickly discuss how to get the food safely to Yinchuan County. It's definitely going to be a rough ride, right?"

"Don't worry about that, brother." Xie Songlin waved his hand. "I've already talked to Mr. Zhao about this. He said he has a way to help me send it directly to the Yinchuan County Disaster Relief Office. Now let's mainly talk about the shop."

"You say, we will follow your arrangements."

Xie Songlin calmly analyzed the current situation. "The cafeteria definitely can't open. There's no food out there, so it would be too conspicuous if we kept the shop open. We can still sell Frappuccino, but we definitely can't sell cakes. As for tea, it doesn't matter. To put it bluntly, it's just water."

Xie Songbai and the others nodded in agreement after hearing what Xie Songlin said. They understood that in this year of famine, keeping a low profile was the best option. Only in this way could they avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Let's not go to the stall for now. Zuiyuelou doesn't need much of the goods anymore, so let's send everyone in the cafeteria back." Songlin continued to make arrangements in an orderly manner. "The same goes for this shop. Except for our family, let everyone else in the village go back. Business probably won't be too busy later, and we can handle it easily. Let's see how things go outside for a few days before considering whether to close the Frappuccino shop as well."

After Xie Songlin finished speaking, he went outside to inform the people from the village who came to help to go home and wait for news. The shop suddenly became much quieter.