Chapter 404: Food Prices Like Clouds
In Luojiang County, no matter how bad the business is, there are two places where there will always be people and you will never have to worry about having no customers.
One is the grocery store that sells salt; the other is this grain store.
When Bai Shanbao and his companions arrived, there were only three customers in the store. The clerk simply glanced at them and asked, "What would you like to buy?"
Bai Shanbao said, "Let's take a look."
The guy nodded and said, "Just look around. If you like it, ask me the price."
As they were talking, a guest nearby asked, "Why is rice still fifty wen a dou? I see the wheat in the fields outside has been harvested."
"That little winter wheat is only enough for the villagers to feed themselves. Who would sell it to others?" the waiter said. "Right now, our grain is still imported at a high price. This price isn't considered high. If you want to wait for prices to drop, you'll have to wait until the summer harvest, or even after the autumn harvest."
The three customers who were hesitating whether to buy could only helplessly say, "Then measure me a bucket."
There is still at least a month and a half before the summer harvest. Who can wait until then on an empty stomach?
But they didn't buy much. Now is not like last year when the disaster happened. They think that food prices will only get lower and lower and will not go any higher.
So they would rather make several more trips to buy a bucket each time than spend that little extra money.
Yang Heshu watched the servant measuring the rice for them and asked the three children, "What was the price of rice here before last year?"
Bai Shanbao said he didn't understand, and Bai Erlang knew even less.
Manbao said, "My second brother brought grain from home to the county town and sold it for eight cents a bushel. I heard that the grain shop sells it for ten cents."
Yang Heshu frowned. Isn't this a huge difference?
He reached out and pinched a handful of millet and asked the waiter, "How much do you sell millet now?"
"Thirty wen a dou."
“How did you sell it before?”
The waiter smiled and asked, "Sir, how long ago are you asking about?"
Yang Heshu asked with interest, "All grains before this are included. I don't think I've seen such expensive grains outside."
"Oh, that's because you haven't seen it. For example, at the beginning of spring, grain was 48 wen a dou. Even before that, last May, when the rain had just stopped but the roads collapsed and the grain couldn't be brought in, you couldn't even buy it for 60 wen a dou."
Manbao was stunned when he heard this, and thought to himself: If she had so much wheat in her system at that time, she would definitely find a way to exchange it for money.
Unfortunately, there is no if.
Yang Heshu asked calmly, "What about further ahead?"
"Before the disaster, when there were no more severe harvests, the price of grain varied from month to month, even from ten days to ten days, but it wasn't much different. The highest was only fifteen wen a dou, and that was usually during the lean season." The clerk said, "When it was low, it was ten wen a dou, or even nine wen a dou. That was usually shortly after the autumn harvest, when there was more new grain. Some old grain was sold for eight wen a dou."
Yang Heshu sighed. It seemed that last year's flood had a great impact on Luojiang County. The price of grain fluctuated violently like a god sitting on the clouds.
The waiter disagreed, saying, "Don't despise our high grain prices. I heard from my boss that the prices in Yizhou are much worse. Although the current grain prices are still 30 or 40 wen, that's because the court is suppressing the prices. The grain shops don't have much grain on display, and there's not enough to grab every day."
Yang Heshu had not expected the situation in Yizhou to be like this, and could not help asking, "Will the people not make trouble if they don't have enough to eat?"
"What's the fuss? They're selling it privately. 50 or 60 wen a dou. The grain merchants are selling it privately. The people are afraid they won't even sell it for that little, so they don't dare to make a fuss."
Yang Heshu looked at him suspiciously, "How do you know?"
Manbao, Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang stopped looking at the food and crowded up to look at him with sharp eyes. Yes, yes, how did you know?
Being stared at by three pairs of round eyes, the clerk couldn't help but feel guilty. He looked around and found that they were the only ones left in the grain shop. Then he bit the bullet and whispered, "My boss also wanted to transport grain to Yizhou to make a fortune, but he didn't have the connections. After he went there, he was rejected by the local grain merchants and ended up barely breaking even."
So when I got angry, I couldn't help but start cursing in the backyard. Once I started cursing, wouldn't he know?
Manbao and the other two suddenly realized: It turns out that he is also a profiteer!
Manbao asked, "Don't they grow winter wheat in Yizhou?"
"Oh, that's why they're so unlucky. Last year, their fertile fields were washed away. There were still puddles there until winter. Not to mention that the fertile soil was washed away. It's a wonder they can even grow crops there."
Yang Heshu, however, was able to consider things more comprehensively. He was afraid that even if the land was suitable for cultivation, no one would cultivate it.
When the Jianwei Weir burst last year, he was still in the Hanlin Academy, responsible for copying the official documents. It is said that at that time, all the surviving people in Yizhou were fleeing.
It is not certain whether the people will be willing to return to their homeland after the disaster relief. Without people, even if the land is arable, no one will cultivate it.
For example, there are still many refugees from Yizhou in Luojiang County.
Yang Heshu was stunned when he thought of this. Since the situation in Yizhou was so bad, why should he persuade those refugees to leave?
Wouldn't it be better to just stay and settle down there?
It would be even better if I could go back and bring the rest of the family with me.
Yang He's mind lit up, and when he came to his senses, he saw the three children and the waiter looking at him strangely.
He couldn't help coughing lightly and asked, "What's wrong?"
The four of them shook their heads together. Manbao thought: Lord Yang must be thinking about something delicious, otherwise why would he look like he is drooling?
But Koko said that telling the truth too much will make people dislike you, so sometimes we have to learn to be silent.
Bai Shanbao asked about the prices of wheat and grain, then casually asked, "Does your grain shop sell grain?"
The waiter's eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "Yes, yes. Young Master, do you have any food to sell?"
"How much do you get per bushel of wheat?"
"Thirty cents a bushel."
Yang Heshu couldn't help but frown, "We just asked the price, your flour is ninety coins a dou."
"Yes, there is loss when wheat is ground into flour."
It's impossible to lose three times as much, right?
The waiter said, "Our price is fair. If you don't believe me, just go and ask around. Most other places only charge twenty-eight or twenty-nine wen a dou."
Manbao pointed at the golden grains of wheat in the corner and asked, "What about that one? How much is that one?"
"That's wheat seed. It's even more expensive. It's not sold by the bushel, but by the jin. One jin costs twelve cents."
One dou is about 12 jin, so this dou...
Manbao did some calculations in his head and exclaimed in astonishment, "This costs one hundred and forty-four coins per dou."
Bai Shanbao also saw the wheat seeds in the corner, with a gleam in his eyes. He turned his head to look at Manbao, who was also looking at him. They both couldn't help but grin and laugh.
(End of this chapter)
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