"My fellow countryman, I can give you corn flour at 35 wen per pound, millet at 95 wen per pound, mung beans at 18 wen per pound, sweet potatoes at 18 wen per pound, and potatoes at 28 wen per pound." The shopkeeper fiddled with the abacus for a while and gave Yun the butcher a quote.

Yun the Butcher thought to himself, "As expected of a provincial capital, the price they quoted is even lower than what they paid at the grain store in town before fleeing the famine. The shopkeeper's offer makes it even more reasonable." Before coming, the villagers were worried about a sharp rise in grain prices. Now they can rest assured. Their money can buy a few more pounds of grain, giving them a little more hope of survival.

There are probably several reasons why grain prices haven't risen much in the city. The first is that grain shops have ample reserves and aren't worried about running out of stock. The second reason is that the government is probably restricting them from raising prices too much. The third reason is that the government has restricted refugees from entering the city and increased entry fees. Butcher Yun carefully analyzed the reasons. However, this is a good thing. The villagers of Yunjia Village can now buy more food.

"Okay, that's it, shopkeeper. In addition, please prepare another 100 kilograms of corn flour, 200 kilograms of potatoes, and 100 kilograms of sweet potatoes for me. These are what my family needs, and they will be loaded onto the truck at the end. Shopkeeper, do you have any old grain? The price of buying only new grain is too high. It's not easy for people like us in the village to save money, so I thought of preparing more food so that we can save more elderly people and children." Yun the butcher asked.

"Oh, fellow villager. Saving money is really not easy for villagers. I have relatives in the village who rely on the weather for their livelihood, which is really difficult. Let me tell you this, I still have two thousand kilograms of corn flour in the warehouse behind me that I bought two years ago. I left it there without paying attention, and some of it has gone moldy.

I was originally thinking of sharing some of the cornmeal with my relatives in the village when they come. "Since you've said that, please take this cornmeal for now. I'll prepare some other food for them later," the shopkeeper said as he asked his boy to bring a bag of cornmeal from the warehouse for them to look at.

"That's great. Thank you so much, boss. You are such a kind person. Good people will be rewarded." Yun the butcher said gratefully.

"What price would you give us for the corn flour? Let me calculate the money." asked Yun the butcher.

"You're welcome. It's not easy to live these days. I'll help in any way I can. The corn flour was imported two years ago, and it became moldy not long after. In the capital city, no one wants moldy grain. Even in this year, people living in the capital city will not buy moldy grain. The refugees want to buy it, but they can't enter the city, so I thought of distributing it to my relatives in the village after a while. Let me give you ten cents per pound of moldy corn flour." The shopkeeper explained.

"Oh, boss, thank you so much. You've really helped us a lot," said Yun the butcher excitedly. With these two thousand kilograms of corn flour, every household in the village, even the poorest, will get a good share. They can hold out a little longer on their journey to escape the famine.

Besides, the moldy bits aren't a big deal; as long as it's edible, the villagers won't mind. Cornmeal is a legitimate food. Just a little bit at each meal will keep it going for a long time. This is really good news, Butcher Yun thought happily.

At this time, the waiter brought over some moldy cornmeal. The shopkeeper opened a bag. Yun the Butcher looked over and saw a slight discoloration in the cornmeal, indicating it was indeed moldy. He took it in his hand and smelled it. There wasn't a strong moldy smell, so it was definitely edible. Besides, it wasn't any better than tree bark, grass roots, or wild vegetables.

"This is one of the most moldy bags. The others are stacked on top of it. Their condition is not serious and they are definitely much better than this bag. There is no problem eating them. Otherwise, I would not have thought of leaving them for my relatives." said the shopkeeper.

Upon hearing this, Yun the Butcher was very happy. He felt that he had come to the right place and met kind people.

"Thank you so much, boss. You have really helped our Yunjia Village a lot." Yun the Butcher said excitedly.

"My fellow countryman, you're so kind. You're really taking care of our business," the shopkeeper said with a wave of his hand. A moment later, the shop assistants had prepared the grain for Yun the butcher. The shopkeeper settled the bill, and Yun the butcher paid. The shop assistants helped load the grain onto the donkey cart, covering it with waterproof tarpaulin and tying it up with ropes.

"Boss, it's my honor to meet you today. See you later." Yun the butcher bid farewell to the boss and took Yun Yiyi to find a grocery store.

"Dad, we are so lucky this time. The shopkeeper we met is very kind. With these foods, the people in our village can hold on for a long time." Yun Yiyi said happily.

"Yes, the shopkeeper is very kind-hearted. I guess the owner of this grain shop must also be a kind-hearted person. Otherwise, the shopkeeper would not have directly decided to sell the old grain to us." Yun the butcher replied.

Yun the Butcher and Yun Yiyi drove their donkey cart towards the end of the street. The grain shop owner recommended a grocery store at the end of the street. The prices there were very fair and they wouldn't deliberately charge a high price just because you were a foreigner.

Yun the Butcher and his companions reached the end of the street and saw a shop called Wang's Grocery Store. Yun the Butcher parked his donkey cart in the open space in front of the shop. A young man came over to feed the donkey hay and water. The service was very good. Seeing this, Yun the Butcher felt relieved and took Yun Yiyi to the shop.

Arriving inside, Yun Yiyi noticed the store was enormous. She estimated it to be around fifty square meters. To the east, a long row of shelves held bowls, chopsticks, basins, and other kitchen utensils. In the open space in the middle, large vats stood. They probably contained oil, salt, soy sauce, and other condiments. To the west, against the wall, a shorter shelf held small cloth bags. Yun Yiyi wondered what was in those bags.

There was a table near the door, behind which sat a chubby, middle-aged man who looked very friendly. There were also four young men in the store tidying up the shelves.

"Shopkeeper, I'm the owner of the grain shop in front. They recommended me to come here. They said that your prices are fair and you don't cheat anyone." Yun the butcher bowed to the shopkeeper and said.

"Are you talking about the grain shop in the middle of the street? The owner is my good friend. We have a good relationship." The shopkeeper stood up and replied.

"Yes, shopkeeper. It's that grain shop. I'm here to buy grain on behalf of my fellow villagers. The shopkeeper is very fair and a very kind person. He told me that you are just as fair as he is. That's why we came to you."