As soon as we sat down, Sun Sansi came over and said, "Mr. Zhang, after the Jin army withdrew, many victims poured into Dongjing City. They were left with no clothes to wear, no food to eat, and people were dying every day. The court ignored this tragedy. Faced with this situation, our Women's Federation stepped forward, raising funds, holding charity performances, collecting food everywhere, setting up soup kitchens, and treating the injured and sick victims."
Zhang Shixun gave a thumbs up and said, "Well done, Women's Federation. I give you a thumbs up."
Sun Sansi blinked his eyes and asked, "Like... what do you want to like?"
“It means praise.”
"So you support our actions?"
"This is a good deed, so of course we should support it."
Sun Sansi leaned closer and said, "We got some money, but the problem is, prices in Tokyo have skyrocketed, and unscrupulous grain merchants are taking advantage of the situation to hoard grain, so we can't buy food."
At this point, Zhang Shixun understood that Sun Sansi was coming for the food in Wang Dong's hands.
Sun Sansi tugged at his sleeve and looked at him pitifully, "Mr. Zhang, we knew Mr. Wang had some grain, so we wanted to buy some from him, but he wouldn't sell us a single grain."
Zhang Shixun turned his gaze to Wang Dong.
Wang Dong had a blank expression on his face. "Don't look at me. Those are war rations. Don't touch a single grain."
Sun Sansi pouted and said, "Now that the Jin soldiers have retreated and there's no fighting, how can we call it war reserve rations?"
Wang Dong was too lazy to explain.
Zhang Shixun said, "Madam Sun, the grain transport is now open, and the grain will be delivered soon. The grain here in Wang Dong is really useful, so we can't move it."
Sun Sansi insisted, "We are not unwilling to pay. Sell us some first to help us out. Otherwise, I will not leave."
Wang Dong said calmly, "The guest room in my house has been empty for a long time. If you want to stay here, feel free to do so. It doesn't matter how long you stay."
After he finished speaking, he stood up and said to Zhang Shixun, "Let's go to the study. I have something to discuss with you."
The two came to the study.
Wang Dong plopped down on a chair and said angrily, "The new emperor Zhao Huan is worse than his father."
Zhang Shixun also sat down and reached out to pick up the glass paperweight on the table. While playing with it, he asked, "What happened to Zhao Huan?"
"He sent someone to inform me a few days ago that we are no longer allowed to brew wine privately. If we want to brew wine, we must buy the yeast from the government. The government will also underwrite the wine we brew, and the price of the wine will also be set by the government."
Zhang Shixun laughed and said, "Since Zhao Kuangyin founded the country, we've implemented a liquor monopoly. The reason we were able to build a winery was because Prince Yun was a shareholder, so no one dared to collect liquor taxes from us. Now that he's emperor, it's natural for him to take action against those who once challenged him to the throne."
"So... what do you mean?"
"Let's close the winery for now."
"That's easy to say, but without the winery, our income will be reduced by more than half."
"Alas! Just bear with it for now." Zhang Shixun sighed, "If the money is not enough, I can transfer the restaurant. In addition, the house by the Bian River can also be sold."
Wang Dong shook his head and said, "You can sell the restaurant, but you should keep the house. You need a place to stay in the city."
"Then...do you have enough money?"
"The food is almost ready, and we have a lot of gunpowder raw materials stored. It will be enough for the time being."
Zhang Shixun nodded and changed the subject, "I have to go to the city. Han Shizhong and Yue Fei have already returned to Beijing. I need to meet with them."
"Well! These two men are too important. They must be tied firmly to our chariot."
At this point, Wang Dong said, "You should take advantage of this gap to get married and don't put it off any longer."
Zhang Shixun smiled and said, "Let's wait until I meet Ding Dusai and see what she thinks."
"Just asking for her opinion? What about Li Shishi?" Wang Dong glared at him. "Don't constrain yourself by the moral standards of later generations. This is the Song Dynasty after all."
"Let's talk later." Zhang Shixun stood up, patted his stomach and said, "If you don't have anything else to do, let me fill my stomach first. I've been traveling all day and my stomach is already empty."
"Um!"
Zhang Shixun walked to the door, suddenly stopped, turned to Wang Dong and said, "Can we take out some of our food? I'd like to take advantage of their disaster relief efforts to show myself."
Wang Dong thought for a moment and said, "You still have quite a few black beans from Moutuogang. If you want them, I can give you several thousand kilograms."
Zhang Shixun said quickly, "Black beans are fine too. As long as the disaster victims can fill their stomachs, that's all."
"Okay, I'll have someone prepare it right away."
When Zhang Shixun was eating, Sun Sansi sat next to him and watched.
"Madam Sun, I can't eat if you look at me like that." Zhang Shixun put down his chopsticks.
"The victims in Tokyo are starving to death."
"wait for me……"
Sun Sansi repeated, "The victims in Tokyo are starving to death."
"Listen to me..."
"The victims in Tokyo are starving to death."
Zhang Shixun shook his head and said loudly, "I have asked Wang Dong for some food for you."
"Really?" Sun Sansi jumped up. "You didn't lie to me?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Zhang Shixun glared at her. "Wang Dong has already sent someone to prepare it. After I finish my meal, I'll go back to the city with you and the food."
"Oh! Eat it, eat it quickly."
Sun Sansi achieved his goal and walked out of the living room with a smile.
Zhang Shixun finished his meal in no time and just walked into the yard when he saw Taoqi and Yue Yun walking in, sweating profusely.
When Taoqi saw Zhang Shixun, he immediately threw himself into his arms, hugged his neck and said, "Uncle, you're back."
"Where have you been?" Zhang Shixun rubbed his head. "You're covered in mud, and you've even soiled my clothes."
Taoqi pointed back and said, "Yue Yun and I went to the riverbank to hunt wild ducks. We caught quite a few."
Only then did Zhang Shixun notice that Yue Yun was holding a few wild ducks in his hands.
Yue Yun put down the duck, walked over and saluted respectfully, "I, Yue Yun, greet my uncle."
Zhang Shixun was very fond of his chubby appearance and pulled him aside, "Let me see... Tsk tsk! It's only been a few days since we last saw each other, and you seem to have grown taller and become stronger."
Yue Yun said, "I've never been hungry since I came here, so of course I'm growing fast."
Zhang Shixun chatted with them for a while before leaving with Sun Sansi.
Two farmhands were already waiting at the door, pulling a mule cart loaded with more than ten bags of grain.
When Sun Sansi saw the food, he happily stepped forward and patted the sacks. He said to Zhang Shixun happily, "With this food, we can save many more people."
Zhang Shixun nodded and said, "Let's go into the city together."
On the way, Sun Sansi said, "Ding Dusai must have missed you terribly during the time you were away... Oh! And Li Shishi, she missed you terribly too and often mentioned your name."
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