Such a long and complicated process suggests that Rongfa Grain Shop is indeed a shady business...
Never mind how deep the water is, it has nothing to do with them. Cheng Ruyi pulled herself out of her thoughts and began to observe her surroundings.
After climbing the steps and turning a corner, you'll find yourself in a back alley. The alley isn't too narrow; it's just big enough for a carriage to stop. The entrance to the alley ahead is now piled high with wooden crates.
The two carefully walked behind the wooden crates, trying to observe the outside through the gaps between the crates.
The wooden crates were piled up in several layers, and only faint figures could be seen passing by, with voices occasionally heard. It seemed that this place must lead to the main street.
After listening for a while, Xu Cui suddenly said, "Ruyi, didn't you think that voice just now sounded familiar?"
"It's not surprising. Are there any people on South Street that you don't know?" Cheng Ruyi said dismissively. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was outside, she focused on moving the boxes in front of her. Soon, a gap that was just big enough for a person to pass through appeared.
Cheng Ruyi carefully crawled inside, then poked half her head out and was instantly dumbfounded!
This... isn't this the public well that comes out from the back door of their house?!
Cheng Ruyi looked up, her gaze passing over the well. Wasn't that familiar wall directly opposite the backyard wall of her house? So... the secret exit of Rongfa Grain Shop actually led to this inconspicuous intersection of three alleys.
No wonder Xu Cui said the voice sounded familiar. People who are here are naturally their neighbors. They see each other every day when they go to fetch water, so how could they not know each other?
However, Rongfa Grain Shop was clearly located on Nanhou Street, while their home was on Nanqian Street. The two streets were far apart, so who would have thought that they could be connected in the middle after all the twists and turns?
Cheng Ruyi slowly retreated behind the box; she needed to calm down.
Xu Cui was startled when she saw her like this. "Ruyi, don't scare me! Where is that? Have we really left the city?"
"You might not believe it, but this is our home!"
"Huh?" Xu Cui didn't understand at first.
Cheng Ruyi suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha, heaven is on my side!"
Actually, she had been troubled since earlier. It was too difficult to transport so much food home smoothly in one day. Now that she saw the exit, she realized that the system had taken this into consideration all along!
She grabbed Xu Cui's hand excitedly and said, "It's our house! The public well outside our back door is right there! This will make it so convenient for us to move our things!"
After saying that, she immediately walked away, gesturing for Xu Cui to crawl out and take a look herself.
Xu Cui was also shocked after reading it. "How...how did this end up in our house?"
“It’s actually possible.” After regaining her composure, Cheng Ruyi slowly began to analyze: “Although our house is on Nanqian Street, it’s not on the main street, but at the end of Wutong Lane to the south. Rongfa Grain Shop is on the north side of Nanhou Street. These two streets are parallel, and there are densely packed houses in between. On the surface, it looks like there’s no road, but theoretically, it is indeed possible to get around here.”
"Oh, I see..." Xu Cui seemed to understand, but she knew that it didn't matter. What mattered was that this would make it much easier for them to transport the grain.
Thinking of this, Xu Cui became excited. "Then let's go back right now, tell everyone the good news, and then go together to move all that grain home!"
"No rush. Although there are few people walking around outside now, if so many of us move around together, it will definitely make a lot of noise and we will be easily seen. It will be difficult to explain then."
Cheng Ruyi pulled Xu Cui back into the alley and whispered, "I've thought about it, and it's best to wait until night. After dark, almost no one goes to fetch water anymore, so the chances of bumping into someone will be much lower."
Xu Cui thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
It gets dark around 5 or 6 pm these days, so even if we have to make several trips, we can definitely finish today! It's just best to prepare in advance, which will require dividing the work.
Ruyi continued, "Also, we need to act in batches. Aunt Cui, you can go home first and explain the situation to them, while I will stay in the warehouse to organize. That way, when you come in the evening, we can move the things directly without wasting time."
"No! We can go back together and come back together. It's too dangerous for you to be there alone. If something happens, there will be no one to help you!" Xu Cui said seriously. She would never compromise when it came to Cheng Ruyi's safety.
“But once we go back together, we probably won’t be able to come out together anymore. Do you think Dad and the others will feel at ease letting us go out again once they find out?”
"This...oh dear, anyway...you...oh dear~~" Xu Cui knew she couldn't convince Cheng Ruyi, but she was still really worried.
Seeing Xu Cui hesitate, Cheng Ruyi continued to persuade her: "The people from the grain shop will definitely hide for a while to avoid the government. At this time, they will not go back to the grain shop, which would be like walking into a trap. If the people from the grain shop do not come back, then naturally no one will know where the secret store is, so that place is actually very safe."
"Besides, the government has been searching since last night and this morning without finding anything. They will definitely hold a meeting to discuss countermeasures after they go back, and they may send people to search again tomorrow. Tonight is our best opportunity."
As Ruyi spoke, she kept an eye on Xu Cui's expression, "So we are very pressed for time and must split up!"
After listening, Xu Cui understood that Cheng Ruyi was right. She struggled internally for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement.
At this moment, she was a little confused, so she didn't think that she could stay and sort the food herself, and that it would be more appropriate for Cheng Ruyi to go back and explain to her family.
The two then discussed the specific details in the alley and finally agreed that Cheng Yan, Cheng Yunping, and Xu Cui would come here together at 7 PM that evening. Cheng Ruyi would pack all the food and wait for them at the entrance of the dark alley.
The hour of Xu (戌时) is 7 PM. Ordinary people have already gone to bed and almost no one will come out to fetch water. It is a relatively safe time. She was worried that if it were any later, the people from the government office or the grain shop would come back at any time.
Then, after watching Xu Cui leave the alley when no one was around and successfully enter her home, Ruyi returned to the storeroom alone and began to sort through the grain.
Fortunately, Ruyi added Bigu Dan powder to her breakfast today, so she should be able to hold out until tonight without any problems.
Considering the physical strength of each person in her family, she planned to divide the 100 jin of flour into two sacks, use one sack for the two hams and mountain produce, and use five sacks for the remaining rice. This way, each sack would weigh about 50 or 60 jin, and each person could take two sacks out of the eight sacks.
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