Some families waited outside, watching as ordinary people went in to buy grain. They then bought it back at a higher price, adding only a small markup. After all, the exact amount of grain needed to enter the palace was still unknown, and although everyone was wealthy, they couldn't afford to be too wasteful.
Han Luoxue simply smiled faintly upon hearing the news.
By this time, her shop was basically finished being tidied up. When she brought Han Kun over and told him to let him study there, Old Man Sun readily agreed.
The old man's attitude has improved a lot now, and his wife is also helping out at the shop.
However, there are still not enough people. Han Luoxue also considered finding people from the original village, but Old Man Sun said, "Most of the workers here used to be idle at home. They have been working for many years and are quite experienced. If possible, it would be better to find experienced people."
Han Luoxue agreed, mainly because finding people from the village would require considering accommodation. Her shop was opening in a hurry, and she couldn't find a suitable place to stay for the time being.
On the third day, the shop finally opened.
The most pressing need in the capital right now is food, and all the more than one hundred young ladies who have signed up are doing their utmost to buy it. The Zhou family's shop is only open in the mornings, and they simply can't keep up with the demand.
As for ordinary people, many of them have also made some money through this.
However, food is already scarce in the capital, so even if they put in all their effort, they won't be able to procure much. They've spent a lot of money, but the results have been very minimal.
Suddenly someone heard that a new grain store had opened, and people immediately came over to inquire about it.
When the people heard that there would be no restrictions on purchasing food on the first day of business, they went crazy.
Some of the young ladies' families rushed over after hearing this, but unfortunately, the grain here was 10% more expensive than the grain at the Zhou family's house.
Those officials and their families, though their members held official positions, didn't have much money. So they hesitated. But the merchants were different. They already had money, and what was wrong with spending a little silver to buy grain for their daughters' future?
Therefore, it was the merchants who made the first move.
At first, they all adopted a wait-and-see attitude. The new grain store didn't say how much grain it had for sale, so no one was in a hurry.
However, one merchant bought a lot of goods and immediately bought up all the store's inventory, which made everyone start to worry.
"Shopkeeper, are you out of food?"
The servants of the Li family who had just been watching the commotion originally intended to observe the situation before returning home to discuss with their young mistress how much grain to buy. However, in less than half an hour, the warehouse was emptied.
The servants of the Li family were all dumbfounded, and he stepped forward to ask in disbelief.
"I don't know. Not long ago, the shopkeeper said that the shop had plenty of grain and that everyone could buy as much as they wanted without any limit."
"Oh dear, I'm sorry, young man. I didn't expect them to be so generous. We really have no food left."
"But didn't you just say that there's enough food for everyone to buy as much as they want today?"
"How do we know someone will buy all the remaining grain? Do you know how much he asked for? A thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), that's enough to feed the entire capital for several days!"
The servant's lips twitched violently; they hadn't expected anyone to be so generous.
While they felt some resentment towards the female merchants, they were mostly wary. If the standard was really based on the amount of money and grain they raised, how could they possibly compare to those female merchants?
"But didn't you say that there would be no rationing of food today?"
The servant tried to struggle, but the shopkeeper sneered, "That's ridiculous. We said from the beginning that there was no limit, but we didn't say we couldn't let people buy it all. This young lady's family has bought all our grain, so we can't just refuse to sell it to them, can we?"
He was speechless at the words "servant".
"Shopkeeper, when will you be restocking?"
At first they wanted to wait, but now it seems there's no point in waiting. Who knows when the food will run out? Are they really going to rely on the Zhou family? They sell very little food each day.
"It's hard to say. We don't have any today. Let's see tomorrow!"
Manager Sun spoke politely, saying that Han Kun had been learning a lot from him and was also thinking about how he would deal with such a situation.
It seems he's in the right. When their goods are scarce, there's no need to be polite to those people.
"Shopkeeper, there will definitely be food tomorrow, right?"
The servant still didn't want to give up. He was certain that if he didn't get any definite news from here, he would be scolded when he got back!
"Well, I can't really say! Why don't you come over early tomorrow and take a look?"
That afternoon, countless people came to inquire. The two men were extremely busy. People behind them were still helping to load the grain, which would be transported from here to the Ministry of Revenue warehouse for handover, and that would also take some time.
When Han Luoxue heard the news, she smiled slightly.
It seems this method is indeed effective.
"You can make a reservation book here, let her pay a certain deposit, and then say how much grain she needs. When we have the goods, we'll deliver them in the order listed in the book!" Han Luoxue came up with an idea.
She checked the inventory in her space and estimated that she could make a fortune.
Actually, she initially wanted to use her own resources to replenish the national treasury, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to also make money along the way.
"Also, at the warehouse, post an honor roll every day, listing the top twenty people who raised the most money and grain. It'll be a good way to motivate everyone!"
"A roll of honor?" Zhou Jie was momentarily confused upon hearing this. It was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing.
"The meaning is very simple: publish the list of the top 20 people in the fundraising effort, as well as the amount raised."
Seeing that Zhou Jie still didn't understand the purpose of doing this, Han Luoxue explained, "Do you think this honor roll is even useful?"
After a moment's thought, Zhou Jie suddenly understood: "Ah, sister, sister, how are you so amazing? Your method is so effective!"
At first, she really didn't think it would be of any use, but after Han Luoxue explained it, she understood.
“They would have a competitive mentality, and if they wanted to enter the palace, they would definitely have to raise more money and supplies.”
"That means letting them throw money at it!"
Zhou Jie was overjoyed. She hadn't expected Han Luoxue to be so clever; she had come up with such a good idea in just a short while.
"It's just about motivating them!"
"The key is that you told them from the beginning that regardless of whether they entered the palace or were selected, all the money and grain raised would be donated to the national treasury!"
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