Chapter 11: Escape from famine, head to the capital

"Bah, stop talking to me about those useless things. If you, the outsiders, hadn't been taken in by our village, you would have been eaten by wolves long ago."

"The kindness that our Wangjia Village has shown to your Gan family is something that you can't repay even if you work like slaves for your entire lives. These ten stones of rice are what you owe us."

Before she traveled through time, Gan Tian knew that the ancients had a strong clan concept and were entangled, but she didn't expect it to be so serious.

Just because their family is not surnamed Wang, they deserve to have their food handed over with both hands?

Gan Fanren glanced at the villagers around him. Everyone lowered their heads and didn't speak.

Someone else stood up and said, "You have only women and children in your family, and you can't eat 20 dan of grain. You might as well give it up and help those in need."

"That's right, Mr. Gan. How long will it take to eat so much grain? It's better to throw it away."

Wang Li's wife had someone to support her, and she spoke a little more confidently.

"Did you hear me? Hand over the grain if you know what's good for you, or don't blame us for being rude."

"Okay, okay."

"I just saved your lives, and you come to bully me right after."

Gan Fanren laughed a few times.

"What a Mr. Dongguo and the wolf."

"If you want this grain, I can give it to you, but it can't be given for free. The highest bidder gets it. Otherwise, even if I lose my life, I will report it to the official."

Gan Fanren's eyes swept across the faces of these villagers, and he felt sad.

As a scholar, he should be respected, but because he is a foreigner, he is looked down upon everywhere.

Even calling him a scholar is full of ridicule.

He never took these things to heart. On weekdays, when someone asked him to write a letter, he would read the letter for free. In his spare time, he would help everyone take care of the children and help these children read articles. He thought that even if these people did not regard him as a relative or friend, they would at least take better care of him.

I didn't expect that now for a few stones of water to soak food, they would put him in danger.

If it really came to the point where their daughter could not eat enough, I am afraid that their Gan family would be the first to die.

The word human nature.

He finally saw it clearly again.

Gan Tian listened to his father's sad cry in the room, and his arms kept waving up and down.

[My father is such a good man, he studied for the benefit of all people, but God is so unfair to him, no wonder my father turned evil in the end...]

Hui Niang's eyes were red as she listened to her husband's roar outside the door. She looked at her husband's cold back through the gap in the window and gently patted his sweet back.

Li Zheng hurried over and looked at the villagers disappointedly.

"Have you made enough noise?"

"It's just a flood, has it washed away your brains? Have you forgotten the laws of the emperor and the teachings of your ancestors?"

"Get out of the village if you are making trouble, and don't bring shame to our Wangjia Village."

In the village, Li Zheng's words are the sky, and no one will go against Li Zheng.

So everyone stopped making noise, and just looked at Gan Fanren's yard with inquiring eyes.

They seemed to be looking for food.

Are you short of food now?

Actually, they are not short of food.

Although the flood washed away a lot of food, every farmer has some food stored. Although it was soaked by water, it can still hold on.

It’s just that the price of food has skyrocketed, which makes them panic and want to take advantage of it.

The Gan family is small and easy to bully. Many people have made up their minds to come and check on the Gan family at night.

As for the life and death of the Gan family?

They don’t care.

Gan Fanren noticed those vague gazes and said loudly: "Li Zheng, you came at the right time. I was just about to sell the grain at home. Please be a witness."

"If you want to buy, just come to me. Nineteen stone of grain, the highest bidder wins."

The words "the highest bidder wins" made the surroundings much quieter.

Wang Li saw that no one spoke, and hurriedly said: "Nine hundred yuan."

[Too shameless, my father didn't buy it so cheaply. ]

Gan Tian complained in his heart, stretched his neck to look out, and looked clearly at the shameless look of the old woman.

Hui Niang was worried that her daughter would fall, so she just walked out with people.

Seeing Hui Niang, the men who were just gruff and ready to make trouble just now became much more obedient.

[Don't worry, mom and dad. I've unlocked the grain and oil area. You can buy as much rice as you want. It doesn't matter if the soaked rice is gone.]

The little girl babbled and gently touched her mother's pretty face with her little hands, fearing that her mother would be unhappy.

"Old woman, don't be too much. You have the nerve to buy 19 shi for 900 wen."

A woman who had a bad relationship with Wang Li spat and looked at Gan Fanren with a smile.

"Mr. Gan, I'm not as shameless as her. I'll pay one tael of silver."

"Now this shi of soaked rice is worth one tael. You have the nerve to pay one tael of silver for 19 shi. I'll pay two taels."

"Three taels..."

"Five taels..."

Rice is so expensive now. Even if you don't eat it yourself, it's good to sell it to others.

Everyone joined the bidding, and in the end, the rice was sold for three taels of silver, far more than the market price.

Nineteen dan of rice was sold for twenty-one taels.

The one who paid for the grain was a wealthy family in the village.

He had a longer vision than the villagers, and it would be several months before the next grain harvest.

Grain would only become more expensive. The servant who had just gone to buy rice said that the price of soaked rice in the grain store had risen again, and it was already one tael and a half per dan.

Grain was already so expensive now, and it would probably be even more expensive in the future.

Every wealthy household was hoarding grain.

Even these people knew about hoarding food, so Gan Xiucai, a scholar, would know this. If Wang Li hadn't made trouble today and wanted to take rice for free, Gan Xiucai wouldn't have sold rice.

He took advantage of the situation and felt a little more sympathetic towards Gan Xiucai.

Glancing at Wang Li, who looked unkind, he wanted to protect her: "It's late today. I'll ask the servants to deliver the silver tomorrow morning."

Wang Li would not let it go without any benefit. If the silver was given directly to Gan Xiucai, Gan Xiucai's family would probably be killed by Wang Li tonight.

It would be better to deliver the silver tomorrow morning, so that Gan Xiucai's family can think about how to deal with the silver.

Gan Xiucai bowed to the rich man gratefully.

Seeing the rich man moving the food away, Li Zheng also dispersed the crowd.

Wang Li saw that Gan Xiucai had no food and no money, so she didn't want to stay here anymore and left with the crowd.

Gan Fanren kept Li Zheng and invited him into the house for tea.

He sat at the simple table, looking sad: "Li Zheng, you have seen what happened today. I am afraid I can't stay in the village. I hope you can open a few passes for our family. We want to go to the capital." Li

Zheng tried to persuade Gan Fanren to stay again and again, but seeing that Gan Fanren was determined to leave, he sighed and said, "It was Wang Li who did something wrong today. Tomorrow I will open the ancestral hall and give her a good lesson in front of our ancestors."

"You and Hui Niang should stay here peacefully. At least wait until Hui Niang finishes her confinement before leaving."

He knew the benefits of a scholar staying in the village.

The scholar didn't have to pay taxes, and more than half of the land in the village belonged to Gan Xiucai. He knew how much money Gan Xiucai had saved for the village over the years.

What happened today finally chilled Gan Xiucai's heart.