In the years of famine, the knife in my mother's hand is not bad either

Thanks to the enthusiasm and initiative of the owner of Zou Ji Grain Shop, 28,000 kilograms of aged corn were transferred from various warehouses.

Even the cart drivers who were transporting the corn gathered outside the city.

Thirty ox carts, this scene would be a large transport team during the march.

This also shows the huge power behind the grain merchants.

By the time Shen Qian and her group came out of the county town on the ox cart, they had already had lunch in the county town.

Both Wang Mang and Wang Jizu had oily lips.

When he looked at Shen Qian, there was more intimacy in his eyes.

"Auntie, the meat wontons in the county town are really delicious~"

"Next time my mother cooks meat, I will ask my aunt to come home to eat!" Wang Jiye and Wang Mang said one after another, expressing their feelings.

Shen Qian smiled and nodded in agreement.

Then he signaled the two to be silent and thanked the owner of Zou Ji Grain Shop:

"Thank you so much, shopkeeper!"

"You're welcome. Next time you want to buy old grain, please give priority to our Zou Ji Grain Shop!" The shopkeeper signaled the drivers to follow Shen Qian's ox cart closely.

The villagers waiting near the gate of Beiyang City naturally left with the convoy.

Looking at the huge team.

The shopkeeper had a smile on his face: I have processed so much old grain, I wonder how the owner will reward me when he finds out?

Just as I was thinking about it, a servant in brown and gray clothes trotted towards the door.

When he saw the owner of Zouji Grain Shop standing at the city gate with a silly smile, he shouted anxiously:

"Shopkeeper!"

"Go back quickly, the boss is looking for you!"

When the shopkeeper of Zouji Grain Shop saw who was coming, his smile became even wider, and he thought to himself:

My boss heard that I cleared out some of the old grain stock and wanted to praise me.

Thinking of this, his steps as he walked back to the county town felt a little shaky.

Swaying.

The servants following behind him were very anxious!

Why was the boss so angry and asked me to come find the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper's face was full of happiness?

Back to Zou Ji Grain Shop.

After the shopkeeper told what had just happened, he looked at the boss's increasingly angry face and his smile froze on his face.

There was a sound of 'bang!'

The owner of Zou Ji Grain Shop picked up the teapot on the table and threw it to the ground with force.

Broken pieces of porcelain were scattered everywhere.

The frightened shopkeeper sat down with a thud.

Looking at the collapsed grain shop owner, Zou Chu, the head of the Zou family, cursed:

"idiot!"

"You're a complete idiot!"

"You gave away a hundred dan of old grain half as a gift?"

"You know, the surrounding fourteen counties are all suffering from severe drought, and the crops in the fields may not even be harvested this year!"

"Insect plagues are already evident in the south, and the entire Daliang region will face food shortages."

"These old grains won't be able to be bought with even 7,000 taels, let alone 70!"

As he said this, Zou Chu, the owner of Zou Ji Grain Shop, was still a little unsatisfied and smashed a teacup in front of the shopkeeper!

The sound of porcelain breaking.

The shopkeeper was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat!

Oh my god! I'm in big trouble!

According to the boss, one hundred dan of grain is not worth even a lifetime's wages!

Moreover, the contract is complete, so even if you go after them and change your mind and don’t sell it, they will never do it!

Thinking of this, he felt like the sky was falling.

......

The grain transport convoy stopped outside the ancestral hall.

Every household in the village that registered to purchase grain came forward to help, and the unloading was completed quickly.

Looking at the corn that almost filled the ancestral hall courtyard.

The villagers watching the scene couldn't help but sigh:

"I've only seen this much grain during the autumn harvest and tax collection."

"There are quite a few fools in our village. When can we not buy old rice at three cents a pound? We can buy it right now in town. Do you really think that we will have no food to eat just because we heard about the drought?"

"That's right! The price of grain in Daliang hasn't changed in ten years. We've experienced severe droughts before. At most, the price will fluctuate for a month, and then the grain shipped from the south will bring it back down. Storing old grain now is really foolish!"

"..."

As the initiator of this matter, Shen Qian found their conversation funny.

Rely on the South?

They are struggling to protect themselves this year, so how could they possibly have the spare capacity to transport grain to stabilize grain prices in the north?

Besides, after the barbarians block the pass during the autumn harvest, Daliang will suffer defeat after defeat. Before winter is over, the northern border will be completely occupied. By then, Daliang will only have half of the southern border. How can it care about the grain prices in the north?

As for those barbarians... they don't care about the lives of the Liang people in the northern border.

Under their brutal rule, the number of Liang people in the northern border was reduced to 20% of its original number in just five years!

But she couldn't tell people about these future things. She hoped that those who didn't buy food collectively with the tribe would still be able to smile like they do now in a few days.

And according to what he knew in his previous life, it would not take a few days for the news of the insect plague in the southern border to reach the hands of the big families here.

While food purchases are restricted, food prices are soaring!

"Village chief, call everyone to weigh their grain now!"

"I also happen to have something to remind you of." Shen Qian said to the village chief Wang Dakuo who was untying a sack of burlap to look at the grain inside.

"Okay!" Wang Dakuo responded, and then called on his own brothers Wang Mang and Wang Jizu to shout to the whole village.

In a short while, almost every family that had bought food gathered outside the ancestral hall again.

With Wang Dakuo maintaining order and keeping things quiet, Shen Qian said:

"Let's not make too much noise about our village's collective grain purchase."

"We are not afraid of thieves stealing, but we are afraid of thieves thinking about it."

"Because I forgot to remind them yesterday, I'm afraid some wives and daughters-in-law have already returned to their parents' homes to report the news."

At this point, some men lowered their heads silently.

Their wives and daughters-in-law did run back to their parents' homes and tell others what happened in Wangjia Village.

Looking at everyone's reactions, Shen Qian expressed her plan:

"I recommend that our village form a patrol team."

"Surveillance around the village every night."

"The number of people is tentatively set at 30, and there will be a dry meal at 4 a.m. every day."

As soon as these words came out, even the village chief was shocked!

There is nothing wrong with patrolling. After all, it is for everyone's safety. Every household in the village can take turns to send someone out.

But they only provide one dry meal at four in the morning every day...who will pay for the corn?

The crowd outside the ancestral hall couldn't help but stir:

"This... patrol team has been formed, but when has it ever provided food?"

"Who's going to cook this meal at four in the morning?"

"It's not a question of who cooks, it's about who provides the corn!"

"..."

The voices of doubt continued, and Wang Dakuo could not help but walk to Shen Qian's side and reminded her in a low voice:

"We can't rely on families joining the patrol to provide this food, right?"

"If that's the case, even forming a patrol team will be a problem."

Listening to Wang Dakuo's reminder, Shen Qian smiled faintly, shook her head, and continued:

"The patrol team's food is provided by the clan."

"This time, each household paid for pre-purchase of grain totaling jin, but I actually bought jin."

"The extra 1350 jin will go to the ancestral hall and be kept by the village chief."

"The people who cook are also selected from the patrol team, and they receive food from the village chief according to their daily rations."

"Village Chief, what do you think of this proposal?"