Chapter 255 Refusal
These grain stores now open late and close early, and limit their sales to a dozen dan of grain a day, and they will not sell any more than twenty dan at most.
The price of grain changes every day, how can we bear to sell all of it at once?
Even if there is food, you have to say you don’t have it.
The warehouse is full, but it can also be said to be empty.
Although Wang came from a prominent family and was the wife of the county magistrate, most people could not afford to offend her.
But as soon as she opened her mouth, she wanted to buy a large quantity of food, and she was given a low price. Isn't this cutting off her source of income?
Who can agree to such a thing?
However, if he did not agree, he was afraid of offending the county magistrate.
Since ancient times, the people have not fought against the officials.
As the saying goes, a county magistrate ruins a family, and a prefecture official wipes out an entire clan.
Merchants who run a grain shop will address you as Master or Madam, Young Master or Young Madam respectfully for the sake of their money, but you can't take it seriously.
Relying on the fact that his family had one or two businesses and some money, he became extremely bold and challenged the county magistrate's wife.
If you are so ignorant, you will bring disaster to your family sooner or later!
The faces of the women from the grain store became increasingly grim. No one spoke for a while, and the atmosphere in the room became much more depressing. Gradually, an awkward feeling began to float in the air.
The smile on the face of the county magistrate's wife, Mrs. Wang, also faded.
She picked up the teacup, took a sip, and put it on the table with a "pop".
"Who made this tea? It's already lukewarm, and they didn't even bother to change it! How come the tea is cold before this person even leaves?"
When the women from the grain shops heard this, they couldn't help but tremble.
Immediately, a senior maid knelt down and pleaded guilty:
"It is my turn to be on duty today. Madam, please forgive me. I will replace this cold tea right away!"
Xia Daohua secretly picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. The temperature of the tea was quite palatable... It seemed that the county magistrate's wife, Mrs. Wang, had a meaningful implication when she said that!
Looking at the women from the grain shops, their faces could no longer be described as ashen.
At this time, Mrs. Dong, the young lady of Chenji Grain Store, gritted her teeth and spoke:
"My wife wants to buy food, so I shouldn't refuse. But even a good cook can't cook without rice!
The ship our master sent out to buy food has not returned with any news for two months.
The last message sent said that they encountered pirates on the river. The person in charge originally planned to settle the matter peacefully and give the pirates some silver as a bribe.
But there has been no news since then, and I don’t know if he is okay.
Now, the food in our warehouse has been sold out. The master is so worried that he sighs and can't sleep every night. His hair has turned white.
It’s not that Chen’s Grain Store is unwilling to help, it’s that we really are powerless!
I hope my wife will understand this.”
Mrs. Dong was petite and gentle. She spoke in a low voice and was quite timid.
But she did the boldest thing among this group of women - she rejected Wang.
Although it was very tactful and although sufficient reasons were given.
But a refusal is a refusal.
Wang smiled and said nothing.
Crystal clear beads of sweat oozed out of Dong's forehead and nose tip, and tears welled up in her eyes.
But she tried hard to hold back her tears.
She was also afraid of offending Wang, but she had to say these words. If she agreed to it here, she would not be able to explain to the old man when she returned home.
Although her husband was also a legitimate son, he was neither the eldest nor the youngest, and was not very favored. To be honest, she had two illegitimate brothers who were more favored than her husband.
If there was someone else at Chen's place at this time, she would have been happy not to say a word.
But the old lady was not feeling well today and did not come to the party. My sister-in-law went back to her parents' home yesterday, and my sister-in-law went out to play with her sisters early in the morning.
Therefore, she was the only one who was forced to attend this Hongmen Banquet.
Although refusing is not necessarily the best option, she might even end up having to eat a lot of food when she gets home... But in any case, it is much better than her blindly agreeing to it.
Wang looked at Dong for a few seconds, then turned her gaze away and looked at the other women from the grain shops: "What about you? Did your grain ships get robbed by pirates, too?"
Liu, a woman from Zhang's Grain Store, said with a smile:
"How could that be possible! Madam is such a joker!
Our Zhangji Grain Store is not as wealthy as Chenji's, which allows us to send grain ships to Jiangnan to purchase grain.
We are a small family and we just collect some food here and there from the surrounding villages and towns.
But these days, farmers have to pay summer taxes.
The harvest was not good this year, and it started raining before the wheat was harvested. The little grain they harvested was not enough to pay the summer tax, so how could they have any extra to sell to us? "
With Dong and Liu taking the lead, the women from several other grain stores also began to complain.
In fact, the owners of these grain stores all have a lot of land themselves.
In addition to purchasing from Jiangnan by water and purchasing from farmers around Jixiang County, they also have other sources of goods.
They are now unwilling to sell grain to the Wang family, just wanting to hoard it and make a profit.
Of course, Dong had no such intention.
She just didn't dare to take on the responsibility of being the second in command.
If she agreed, and then the old man of the family refused, Wang and County Magistrate Yang would be seriously offended.
She refused first, but later if Wang and County Magistrate Yang were really not easy to deal with, the head of the family could come forward and apologize in person.
Anyway, as long as we put the blame on her young age, ignorance, and careless talk, even if we can't completely affect the relationship between Chen Ji and the county magistrate, at least there is a lot of room for repair and redemption.
Chenji, Zhangji, Songji and Wuji, these four grain stores almost controlled the entire grain business in Jixiang County.
Of course, they were bound to compete with each other on a daily basis, but when facing County Magistrate Yang and his wife, Mrs. Wang, they spoke in unprecedented unison - since your family has raised the prices, my family can follow suit, and who would be willing to go against the money?
The women from several families sang in unison, talking and laughing, and they all insisted on saying that they had no food to sell for various reasons.
Wang held the lid of the tea bowl and gently sipped the tea leaves, one by one, thinking deeply.
These grain stores clearly don't want to cooperate.
But since Yang Lang is determined to be a wise and capable minister, I can't hold him back.
Naturally, those methods that are not decent cannot be used.
The victims’ stomachs are of paramount importance.
If they don't have enough to eat, either people will starve to death, or they will become hungry and start trouble, robbing grain stores or county granaries, it will be difficult to resolve the issue peacefully.
Not only will there be a stain on Yang Lang's resume, but most importantly, it will hurt Yang Lang's heart.
However, since the grain store refuses to cooperate, where will the grain come from?
She could transfer grain from the Wang family, but distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.
Not today. See you tomorrow. Good night and sweet dreams.
(End of this chapter)
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