Prices in the county town are generally higher than in villages and towns. Eggs cost about one cent each in the town, but in the village they might cost two for one cent each, since the circumstances are different.
It is speculated that meat, eggs and vegetables will definitely be in short supply for a period of time after the lockdown is lifted. After all, not many people in the county grow their own vegetables and raise chickens, and they basically rely on external supplies. So it is not impossible for prices to double.
Making egg pancakes requires a lot of flour and eggs. During this period, the Cheng family had a sufficient supply of meat, which resulted in a surplus of eggs. Although not many, there were still twenty or thirty eggs left. If they raise a few more chickens, they can probably become self-sufficient in eggs. So the key is flour.
The county town has been under lockdown for more than five months, and almost every household is completely out of food and supplies. After the lockdown is lifted, everyone will definitely go on a shopping spree, and prices should rise in the near future, especially for commodities like food. It is estimated that it will take at least some time before prices gradually return to their original levels.
"Although we don't have a lot of flour left at home, it's enough to last for a while. We can check the prices at the grain stores in town and buy some. If it's too expensive, we don't necessarily have to join the rush these few days. We can buy it later or not buy it in the county town."
Ruyi is not optimistic about the prices in the county town after the lockdown is lifted. If all else fails, she will go to the grain shops in the nearby towns, where the prices will definitely be cheaper.
"Ruyi, um... isn't six coins a bit expensive? Although it's quite delicious, you know how stingy the neighbors are... uh, thrifty. Won't it be hard to sell them?" Xu Cui was, after all, the person in charge of purchasing for the Cheng family. She knew the prices of breakfast snacks best. These things were all about being cheap and good. Who would spend a lot of money to buy them?
Cheng Ruyi nodded, "That's possible, so I plan to do a small trial sale for a few days first, and then make specific adjustments based on the situation."
She knew that the recent purchases of food must have cost everyone a lot of their savings, and that they had no income during the lockdown. She knew that everyone would live frugally for a while after the lockdown was lifted, but the residents here were all well-off and could afford to buy food for a few coins. Moreover, she was very confident in her cooking skills.
“Alright, Yunping and I will tidy up the shop in the next few days and set up your stall while we’re at it.” Cheng Yan said as he stood up and stretched his limbs, then turned to Cheng Ruyi and said, “Everyone else go and rest. Ruyi and I have some things to discuss.”
Upon hearing this, the rest of the Cheng family members all consciously left the main room, obediently returned to their own rooms, and closed their doors.
Seeing this, Ruyi asked with curiosity, "Dad, what do you want to discuss with me?"
"Ahem, Ruyi, tell your father honestly, how much money is left in the family?"
The Cheng family's money theoretically comes mainly from the income of the furniture shop, so Cheng Yan has always been aware of the situation. He went with them to buy grain three times before, so he naturally knew how much they spent. With a little calculation, it wasn't hard to find the suspicious point.
"Oh, so that's the problem. Didn't I tell you before? When we met Wang Liu at Rongfa Grain Shop, we found twenty taels of silver notes on him. Later, we also found some silver notes and gold leaves in the secret warehouse. Even if the price of grain rises after the lockdown is lifted, we should be able to cope."
Ruyi had previously told Chengyan about their discovery at Rongfa Grain Shop, but she didn't mention the specific amount at the time. Chengyan didn't ask her about it afterward, and she forgot about it.
"The face value of the silver note is one hundred taels, and the five gold leaves are worth about one hundred and fifty taels. When Liu'er came over before, I gave her the twenty-tael silver note and the two gold leaves and asked her to help me exchange them for silver."
"Later, we spent a total of more than 38 taels of grain on three separate occasions, so our family currently has 40 taels of silver left, about four or five taels of loose silver, three gold leaves and a 100-tael silver note."
After Ruyi finished speaking, she sat obediently and waited quietly for her father's instructions.
On the surface, Cheng Yan showed no expression, but in reality, he was shocked. When he first heard about the gold leaf, he thought it was only worth a few taels of silver. He never expected it to be worth 150 taels, not to mention a 100-tael silver note. He had never seen one in his decades of life!
It took him several minutes to calm down before he finally spoke as calmly as possible: "Well, that's good. I was worried about money since I've been watching you lately. Alright, you can handle it yourself."
After saying that, Cheng Yan got up and slowly strolled back to his room. He needed to be alone...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and as the whole town eagerly awaited the arrival of dawn, the city gates of Huaishan County finally reopened after five months.
Suddenly, the area in front of the city gate was bustling with activity, with a constant flow of carriages and people.
The county government had anticipated this and had specially assigned extra personnel to check the goods and identification documents of the people passing by. However, the checks were not strict; they were basically just a routine glance before letting people pass.
As a result, truckloads of goods were continuously transported to various parts of the city, and countless vendors from nearby villages and towns, pushing carts or carrying baskets, rushed to the east and west markets to occupy advantageous positions.
People who arrive late and can't get a spot aren't worried, since they can sell their goods by carrying them along the street and calling out to others.
Starting today, the temporary market at the public well behind the Cheng family's house is officially closed. However, Ruyi and Xu Cui have told the neighbors that a small stall will be added to the Cheng family's shop in the future. In addition to continuing to sell bean sprouts, there will also be exclusive snacks. There will be discounts for the first three days of opening. Everyone is welcome to come and support us.
However, the Cheng family's shop is not open today. In fact, it's not just the Cheng family; many small businesses are not planning to open today—just kidding! Five months! The county town has finally lifted its lockdown, and we can finally go out and shop! Who wants to stay home and get moldy?!
So before Chenshi (7-9 AM), the entire county town was already bustling with activity. Not only were the east and west markets and the two main streets in the center packed with people, but even the usually deserted back alleys were filled with people hawking their wares.
The Cheng family members were shocked by the sight as they stepped out the door.
Ruyi frowned. "Xiaoman, there are too many people today. I'm worried we might bump into each other. Why don't you and Mande stay home for now, and we'll go out and check it out later, okay?"
"Yes, I understand, Mother, Yunping, please be careful when you go out." In Lin Xiaoman's heart, her son is her everything. She would never do anything that might threaten her son's safety. Besides, she has been filled with gratitude and respect for her mother-in-law these past few days. Her mother-in-law's words are like imperial edicts!
Cheng Yunping hesitated for a moment, but after all, he was still a teenager, and curiosity overcame everything. He scratched his head and said to Xiaoman somewhat embarrassedly, "Xiaoman, I'll go out and take a look first. I'll come back to pick you up if it's safe!"
Lin Xiaoman knew her husband's personality perfectly well. She smiled and nodded to Yunping, then added again, "Yes, remember to be careful!"
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