Chapter 280 Food Handover
That night, at the port of Fang County, the waves beat against the rocks on the shore. Qin Sheng and Qin Zhao led a team of people and were on full alert.
After the transaction between Lu Songli and Ji Wuyin was completed, Ji Wuyin gave them the exact location and time to receive the goods, and his trusted steward Liu Xiaohuai led Lu Songli's people to receive and unload the goods.
“Here it comes!”
Liu Xiaohuai, along with Qin Sheng, Wu Ren and others, were the first to board the ship to meet Lin Shan, the person in charge of the fleet.
After the boat came to a stop, Lin Shan stretched himself and said to his deputy, "We finally managed to transport Ji Daxiu's grain to Liaodong County without any danger."
The deputy smiled and said, "We are lucky."
Lin Shan nodded and shouted, "Boys, cheer up! After we unload the cargo, I'll have someone prepare some wine and food so we can have a good drink!"
Liu Xiaohuai just happened to arrive and immediately took over the conversation, "Deputy Gang Leader Lin, we'll treat you to a feast as a reward for all the brothers."
Lin Shan laughed, "Then we won't be polite to your housekeeper Liu."
Time was urgent, so Liu Xiaohuai communicated directly with Lin Shan about stopping the ship and unloading the cargo.
Lin Shan saw that Liu Xiaohuai was accompanied by a handsome and heroic young man, but the other party had no intention of introducing himself, so he did not say much.
After Liu Xiaohuai and Lin Shan finished communicating, Qin Zhao, Qin Sheng and others were able to unload the grain.
Ships loaded with grain lined up on the river, waiting to dock to unload and then resupply.
Under the leadership of Qin Sheng and others, the soldiers began to board ships, transport and deliver food.
Bags of grain were unloaded from the ship's hold and piled on the dock, but soon, the grain piled on the dock was immediately taken away.
This group of people didn't need any help from the crew, so the crew just watched from the side.
Those with discerning eyes saw something and asked, "Are these soldiers?"
Their well-trained mobility and the murderous aura they exude are not something that ordinary dock laborers possess.
“No wonder it’s so fast.”
Lin Shan asked Liu Xiaohuai curiously, "Who is the owner of the goods that Ji Daxiu is trading with this time? He actually used the army to transport the grain."
In the southern region, local custom is to add the character "wan" (wan) after the surname of a wealthy merchant as a sign of respect and to denote wealth. Other titles, such as Qiji, Langguan, and Xiu, distinguish the ranks of wealthy merchants. Xiu is the highest rank, and to reach this level, a household must possess assets exceeding ten thousand guan (10,000 guan). Ji Wuyin, the eldest child in his family, was respectfully called Ji Daxiu in the southern region.
Liu Xiaohuai simply said, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't ask about."
Lin Shan said he understood.
Liu Xiaohuai asked him again, "Did you have a good journey north? Did you encounter any danger?"
Lin Shan: "It was a close call."
Liu Xiaohuai looked over at him, and his deputy beside him continued, "It was indeed a close call. We encountered two pirates along the way. Fortunately, we brought enough people with us this time. The two sides engaged in close combat, and the enemy probably found a way to force their way through, so they wandered around for half an hour before reluctantly leaving."
It’s just that the target of 20,000 shi of grain is too big. I hope Ji Daxiu won’t bring such a large amount of goods on the way back.
The other party gave up so easily because they realized that the goods were all food. For the pirates, they had no shortage of food at the moment, so naturally they didn't think the food was precious. The food was too bulky, unlike precious items like jewelry, gold, and silver, which they could just grab and run.
The speaker may not intend it, but the listener may take it seriously.
Qin Sheng's eyes lit up when he heard this. There are also pirates on the water?
The Qin family had always lived inland and had occasionally heard of pirates. At that time, they were responsible for guarding the northern border and had no such troubles, so they just listened to them and let it go.
After arriving in Liaodong County, Qin Sheng heard the word "water bandits" again.
He was worrying about where to get money for his wife after clearing out the rest of the strongholds in Liaodong County. Now he has it, right?
But they don't have a boat...
Qin Sheng looked at the large ships on the river with longing eyes, wanting to...
As soon as the grain was delivered, Wu Ren came to report, "Madam Qin Liu, the grain has arrived, a full 20,000 dan!"
Lu Songli ordered, "Store 10,000 dan of it for emergency use. Give 3,000 dan of the remaining 10,000 dan to Houcheng, and 7,000 dan to Wangping, Wuliu County, Liaoyang County, and Gaoxian County."
Wu Ren quickly calculated that out of 10,000 dan of grain, Houcheng took up 3,000 dan, and the other four counties would probably get less than 2,000 dan.
Houcheng, as the new central city of Liaodong County, has a very poor foundation and needs more preferential treatment and support to help it establish its position in Liaodong County.
The other four counties surround Houcheng and are closest to it. All the bandits in the counties have been eliminated (Gaoxian County is currently eliminating bandits), so the people can buy food and don't have to worry about being robbed.
For the people of Houcheng and nearby counties, towns and villages, this day was an ordinary yet extraordinary day.
Qingshui Village, Gaoxian County
Many villagers work in the fields, weeding the crops and catching insects.
At this time, an old man with a hunched back came from the village entrance.
Someone recognized the old man and greeted him, "Uncle Hu, you're back from the county. Have the grain prices dropped there?"
The others noticed the sensitive word "food price" and stopped what they were doing to look at them.
Uncle Hu shook his head and sighed, "What's the point of lowering the price? A bushel of grain is already selling for three hundred coins. I can't afford it. This is just ordinary grain. Good grain costs more than this."
His words made those who heard them feel heavy-hearted.
"I think the price of food will continue to rise. Let's save the food at home. If we have money, we can buy some more." After saying this, Uncle Hu put his hands behind his back and prepared to go home.
"Uncle Hu, what are you talking about? Where is the extra money at home?"
"We've already saved as much as we can. We cook porridge for every meal, and you can even count the grains of rice."
"Alas, when will days like this end?"
"I heard that Houcheng, Wangping, and Wuliu counties are all recruiting people for military service. During the service, the government will provide free good soup."
"Is this true?"
"It's true. We have two meals a day, one bowl per person. Sometimes it's meat and bones stewed with kelp, and sometimes it's seaweed and egg drop soup. I heard it tastes very good."
"I've heard about that, too. I wonder when it will be Gaoxian County's turn?"
The villagers all looked longing.
In previous years, ordinary people avoided serving in the military, but now, in order to get two bowls of free soup a day and save some food for their families, they are eager to serve early.
Just then, a young man came running in from outside and called out to everyone, "Hurry, everyone, go to town! The Liaodong Chamber of Commerce Grain and Oil Store in town has cheap food for sale! It opens at 5 p.m., so hurry up."
"Cheap food? How cheap?"
"One dou, two hundred wen."
Someone grumbled, "This price is the same as before."
Uncle Hu sternly scolded the other person, "Don't be so ungrateful. The past was the past, but now is the time. They're willing to sell it for 200 wen a dou, which is 100 wen cheaper than the grain store now! What else do you want? Give it to you for free?"
"It's so cheap, could it be moldy food?"
The young man said, "No, I've checked, and the grain is all good grain. Everyone who wants to buy grain, remember to bring your household registration book! You won't be allowed to buy grain without your household registration book. Oh, and by the way, one household registration book can buy up to 36 kilograms of grain."
"Household registration book? Is that the one the government ordered us to get during the population census a while ago?"
"Yes, that one."
"Okay, I'll get it."
"It's bad. My family thought it was too troublesome and didn't do it. What should we do next?"
At that time, the government was counting the population and doing household registration, but the Yang family thought they were smart and hid away and did not do it.
"Hurry up and go to the government office to get it done. Otherwise, you won't be able to buy food!"
"One household registration book can buy a maximum of 36 kilograms of grain? There are 15 people in my family, so I should be able to buy 45 kilograms of grain. This number is wrong."
The young man who came to report the news said casually, "Then let's divide the households. Otherwise, Aunt Li, your family has so many people and you won't be able to buy nearly ten kilograms of food."
Many of the people present were from wealthy families with over ten or twenty members, and they hesitated at the thought of dividing the household. Divide the household? If they separated all the sons except the eldest, they could buy enough food. But corvée service was based on the number of members in the household. Dividing the household would mean she would lose control over her sons' families, and more of them would have to serve in the coming year.
The young man could see everyone's hesitation, but he felt that staying alive was the most important thing, and that they could deal with the future later. If they did not separate the households now and could not buy enough food, it would be a real loss.
But he didn't try to persuade them. The elders in the family had to figure this out on their own; it was useless for others to persuade them. He checked the time and said quickly, "Uncle Hu, I still need to inform the neighboring village, so I won't say any more. Everyone in the village should inform each other that there is a purchase limit. Those who have their household registration books are limited to buying three kilograms of grain per person."
"Okay, I won't say anything more. Let's go back and get our household registration book and buy some food!"
"Everyone, don't dawdle, hurry up. Each person is limited to buying three kilograms of grain, and it's bound to sell out quickly. We don't know when more grain will arrive."
Countless people flocked to the town. The same situation occurred in several county towns and villages centered on Houcheng.
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