After forcing himself to swallow the pain, he finally let out a long breath, "I'm alive again!"

"Brother Wang!" The burly man patted him on the shoulder. "I was just talking about you with the shopkeeper's wife! Come, come, don't be shy, this meal is on me!"

Xiao Youran glanced sideways and realized that the man called Brother Wang was none other than Wang Wu, who had helped her before.

"Brother Zhang! In this year of great disaster, it's truly remarkable that we can still eat so well!"

Just then, Sister-in-law Shen brought over two dishes and a large bowl of rice. Upon seeing Wang Wu, she greeted him with a smile as she set the table, "Commander Wang! It's been a while! Have you been busy with your promotion again?"

Wang Wu quickly waved his hand, "Don't even mention it. I've traveled to all twenty-two counties under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture these past few days, and all of them are severely affected by the disaster. I'm afraid this year will be tough. Sister-in-law Shen, have you raised the prices of your meals?"

Sister-in-law Shen quickly waved her hand, "Everyone's having a hard time during this famine year, how could we dare to raise prices!"

Wang Wu asked curiously, "Didn't the price of your rice and flour go up when you bought them?"

"The price has gone up quite a bit, but our boss said that in a year of great disaster, we should be more conscientious merchants. We can't do things like profiting from national crises." Actually, Sister-in-law Shen was also curious about where the young boss got his large truckload of rice and flour every time he came.

Wang Wu slapped his thigh and gave her a thumbs up, "Truly a conscientious merchant!"

He swallowed another bite of meat and sighed, "Many rice merchants started raising prices after the New Year. The Cui family, who were distributing porridge and grain outside the city, couldn't hold on for more than a month."

The burly man asked, "Last month the imperial court said it would open the granaries and distribute grain, but why haven't we seen a single grain of rice yet?"

"You don't know this, but on the day the newly appointed Minister of Revenue opened the granaries, he went to check the four major granaries in the capital region and found only a few hundred bags of old rice. He immediately cried to the Emperor that there was no grain to store! The former Minister of Revenue was immediately arrested and imprisoned!"

The burly man was stunned for a long time before sighing, "Truly, the state is plagued by rampant corruption, and the people are suffering terribly!"

“Who says otherwise?! Four whole granaries! That's a huge amount of grain!” Wang Wu leaned closer to the group and lowered his voice. “The north also needs military supplies, and the court is in a terrible predicament. Even if they used the national treasury's silver to buy more, they couldn't buy much grain! I heard the national treasury is empty!”

"Hiss—" The group sighed in disbelief.

At this moment, Xiao Youran greeted Yueyue, then got up and came over, giving a slight curtsy, "Brother Wang!"

Wang Wu squinted, then smiled brightly, "Oh my, it's Xiao Youran! You're finally back!"

Xiao Youran smiled brightly, "Brother Wang has a good memory, he still remembers me."

"Of course I remember! I frequent this restaurant every day, no, I mean all the time. Whenever I see the sign, I think of you!" Wang Wu pulled out a chair enthusiastically. "Please, have a seat."

Xiao Youran sat down on an empty chair at the next table.

Wang Wu introduced the young owner of this restaurant to the people beside him, saying, "This is the young owner of this restaurant!"

"So you're the one who provides the people with rice for just ten coins and a token of gratitude on one day every month!" The burly man laughed heartily. "I never expected that you, a young girl, would have the people's well-being on your mind at such a young age."

Wang Wu was still confused. "What? Ten coins for all you can eat, white rice?"

The big man then recounted the activities that the restaurant had previously held.

Wang Wu also praised, "It really is a good method; it can feed someone for ten coins a day!"

Xiao Youran blinked; she didn't.

But can a full meal last a whole day?

At that time, people in ancient times often ate only two meals a day.

However, she was never short of money, so she never experienced the feeling of having two meals a day.

If you eat until you're stuffed, you won't feel hungry at the next meal. Wouldn't that keep you full all day?

She smiled sheepishly, “Brother Wang, actually we haven’t done nearly enough. The people in the city still have some money left, but there are still many refugees outside the city who can’t even afford three coins. We’ve wanted to give out porridge, but we’re afraid of overshadowing the government and that gathering refugees might cause trouble. Does Brother Wang have any ideas?”

Wang Wu immediately became serious. "You also want to distribute porridge?"

Xiao Youran nodded. "I still have some rice left, not much, but enough to last about a month."

Hearing this from the side, Sister-in-law Shen felt a pang of heartache again.

This is another sign of my spending spree!

Wang Wu beamed with joy, "That's great! This is a good thing! This is easy to do! Tomorrow I'll go outside the city and set up your soup kitchen! Do you want it in the east or west of the city?"

"West of the city!" Xiao Youran said.

She lives closer to the west of the city, so it will be easier to transport rice and grain directly outside the city.

"However..." Wang Wu leaned closer to Xiao Youran and asked in a low voice, "Do you know where this grain came from?"

Ordinary people cannot store too much food.

Xiao Youran raised her head proudly and said, "My mother is the daughter of the Su family, the richest family in Dingzhou. Is it difficult for her to come to the capital city and buy some rice to stock up?"

Wang Wu's eyes widened. The Su family, the richest family in Dingzhou!

My goodness!

Xiao Youran then whispered to him, "Brother Wang, you just said that the national treasury is out of money, why don't you borrow money from the rich?"

Wang Wu chuckled and said, "You make it sound so easy, little girl. Borrowing money isn't that simple."

"There are still many people lending money at exorbitant interest rates! If the imperial court wants to borrow, why would it be afraid of not being able to?"

Wang Wu was taken aback. "The imperial court lends money without interest!"

Xiao Youran blinked. "Why not pay interest? My mother said that it's only right to pay interest on loans! Although the interest rates on usurious loans are high, the risks are also great. You might not even be able to get the principal back, and you'd have to support a bunch of debt collectors. But when the government lends money, although the interest rates are lower, with the government involved, there's no way you can run away. You'll pay back the principal and interest on time. If I can understand this, why can't the rich people?"

Wang Wu smiled wryly, "It's good enough if we can get the money back after lending it to the imperial court, let alone ask the court for interest?"

Xiao Youran suddenly realized, "So it's because the imperial court lacks integrity? That's easy! All the imperial court has to do is issue an official loan agreement, stipulating that the principal and interest will be repaid in one year. Integrity is fundamental. As long as the repayment is made on time every year, we can keep borrowing money!"

She glanced at the stunned people beside her and continued, "For the imperial court, as long as they pay a little interest, they can raise a huge amount of silver. Whether this silver is used for disaster relief or as military pay, as long as the borders are stable and the people live in peace, there will be more tax revenue next year, right? Even better, they can use it to invest in some businesses, and the dividends they get will definitely be much more than the interest paid. Moreover, this interest doesn't have to be paid off immediately; it can be redeemed after a year. And the following year, they can raise even more debt. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation!"

Wang Wu suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Oh dear! The imperial court has never paid interest on loans, and there are no legally binding agreements, so it's difficult to borrow money. If we could establish an official contract and pay some interest, wouldn't people be willing to lend money?!"