Chapter 85: Wealth in Times of National Crisis

A single goose leg left the young coachman at a loss; his Adam's apple bobbed, and his knees seemed instantly affected by gravity, curving slightly downward.

And that was just a single goose leg.

"This… this is not allowed…"

Chen Wuji steadied the coachman's light body, "Eat, what's so forbidden about it?"

Without waiting for the young coachman to say more, he patted his shoulder and Chen Wuji returned to the carriage.

Because of a goose leg, he didn't want to be showered with endless gratitude.

The argument in front of the grain shop was loud, with people constantly hurling insults like "crooked merchant" and "traitor of the nation".

The shop clerk said nothing, but his eyes were razor‑sharp; whenever a heckler stepped up, they were roughly shooed aside, "You insult us, so we won't sell you a single grain!".

When chaos reigned outside, even the clerk grew arrogant.

As for why the quarrel broke out, it was simple: grain prices had risen again.

Now a jin of millet costs as much as seven wen, and white rice is soaring toward fifty wen.

At this price, Liu Tiechui can barely afford three jin of millet after hauling a sack all day in the city, just enough for his family for a day.

Liu Tiechui's earnings are still considered high in Xishan Village, because he is strong and can endure hardship.

Someone like Chen Qun, running errands in the county for a day, can only buy a little over a jin of millet.

The crowd shuffled noisily, and finally it was the young coachman's turn; he spat out the bone in his mouth and hurriedly waved at Chen Wuji, "Sir, it's your turn, your turn!"

Chen Wuji stepped forward, taking the coachman's place, and shouted through the tiny window at the grain shop, "Pack me Three Hundred Jin Stone Lock of millet and twenty Jin of white rice."

A clerk stuck his half‑face out, "We can only sell a hundred jin, nothing more! Refugees are everywhere outside; aren't you afraid you'll be robbed if you buy that much grain?"

"Whoever tries to rob me, I'll kill them; pack me Three Hundred Jin!" Chen Wuji said in a deep voice.

"Can't sell more, only a hundred jin, take it or leave it!" the clerk haughtily declared, then ignored Chen Wuji.

Chen Wuji was infuriated but helpless, "Pack! One hundred jin!"

"Alright, please wait a moment!"

Chen Wuji could not be unaware of the grain shop's motive; they are imposing limited supply now, waiting for chaos to intensify, then seizing the chance to raise prices.

In the face of disaster, there are few merchants with true righteousness.

More merchants instantly turn into jackals, sucking the scant flesh left from the common folk.

Chen Wuji took the grain, hoisted it onto the donkey cart, and said, "Young man, let's try another grain shop."

"Sir, actually the clerk isn't wrong; refugees are everywhere outside, buying too much grain is indeed unsafe," the coachman advised.

Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "It's fine, let's go."

Frankly, that excuse is just the grain shop fooling the people, giving a flimsy pretext for its shameless limit.

Now the Court has taken action, and Provincial Troops are patrolling outside, making it much safer than a few days ago.

Chen Wuji visited three grain shops before finally obtaining Three Hundred Jin of millet and twenty Jin of white rice.

The hidden owners of these grain shops have certainly held secret meetings; their prices and limited supplies are identical.

The only thing that kept Chen Wuji relatively at ease was that the millet and white rice contained no additives.

They were refined.

From their attitude, their conscience has long been fed to dogs; they are certainly not the kind who would refrain from adding anything to the grain.

If nothing goes awry, they'll keep this trick in reserve.

When the disaster spreads widely and grain prices surge again, these people will likely use the pretext of shortage to mix in sand and other impurities.

Chen Wuji's donkey cart trailed a cloud of dust as it arrived at Xishan Village.

The journey was smooth, with no refugees blocking the cart.

Chen Wuji paid the coachman in silver, then handed him a small bag of millet, "My family isn't very well‑off, no extra, take this—it'll last two meals."

"Sir, I can't take it," the coachman stared at the grain in Chen Wuji's hand, repeatedly shaking his head.

"Take it; next time if you use the cart, give me a discount," Chen Wuji laughed.

The coachman finally accepted the grain, stepped back, bowed to Chen Wuji, "Sir, I'll be on my way now."

"Go ahead, be careful on the road."

After the coachman left, Huo Sanniang couldn't help but ask, "Wuji, why did the Xianya summon you?"

"Nothing much; a village up north is said to have a giant beast, the Xianya summoned some hunters to kill it, but they wandered for days without finding it," Chen Wuji said. "The matter came so suddenly I didn't have a chance to send you a message, you weren't worried, were you?"

That was an excuse he had prepared long ago.

Huo Sanniang shook her head, "The Xianya didn't say what you were to do; a few days ago I wasn't too worried, but if I knew you were going to hunt a giant beast, could I possibly get any sleep?"

"Actually it's fine; there are many people and Provincial Troops," Chen Wuji said with a smile, pulling out a roasted goose, "Look, what I brought for you."

Huo Sanniang's face lit up, yet she couldn't help whispering, "What's the point of spending this money? Those three roasted geese could buy a lot more grain… not worth it."

"The accounting isn't done that way; you've suffered with me, so eat something good," Chen Wuji laughed.

"By the way, Uncle Shi Yi Shu and his son? Huh, the courtyard wall is already finished? That fast?!"

Chen Wuji looked up and saw the courtyard wall had indeed been completed.

It was built upward with stone blocks for over a meter.

"The work is done; the people must have already left," Huo Sanniang said.

"Uncle Shi Yi Shu added a layer of stone blocks on both sides of the original wall, then raised the whole structure by half a zhang. He said it was just stacking upward without solidifying, so he built it all together."

Chen Wuji was stunned, then let out a wry smile, "I completely forgot I'd been traveling for five or six days this time, still thinking I should treat Uncle Shi Yi Shu and his son to a meal—this is how it turned out."

When he bought the roasted goose, he was still thinking of the first meal for Uncle Shi Yi Shu and his crew when they came to work at his house.

That mind was truly muddled by that woman Qin Zhanhong; time got all messed up.

"It's fine, we can bring it over later; I've already settled the silver for them," Huo Sanniang laughed. "By the way, Yuan Jinshi's two brothers also finished the wall; the two little guys were never full, but worked hard and completed it in three days."

"I just saw it; it's nicely done," Chen Wuji said.

Actually, he had Yuan Jinshi's brothers do this job just to give them some food in a proper way; he never expected them to do it well.

But they actually did a good job.

"Shi Yi Shu gave them a little guidance, and they quickly got the hang of it; these two brothers' comprehension lives up to their names." Huo Sanniang praised.

"Heat up the roasted goose, you and You Wei eat quickly; I'll first put away the food, then go to Shi Yi Shu's place." Chen Wuji said.

"Understood."