Chapter 391 Winning the People's Hearts
After Lin Shan left, the grain merchants on the dock still gathered together. Some of the more angry ones said angrily, "Let's go and find another ship to help us transport the grain back!" The Cao Gang was not the only one with ships.
"Yes, I, Old Li, just don't believe it. Without Zhang the Butcher, we'd still have to eat hairy pigs!"
"Yeah, at worst we can go back by land!"
"No, I have too much food for the boat to handle."
The idea of ​​returning by land was even more ridiculous. The costs along the way were barely manageable for short distances, but ridiculously high for longer distances. And regardless of distance, there were still bandits to consider along the way.
Neither this nor that works. Are they really going to admit defeat this time?
The dock was still bustling.
Grain merchants from all over the country were shocked by the news that Ji's branch was selling large quantities of low-priced grain.
At this time, the Qingzhou grain merchants also gathered together. There were about a dozen grain merchants, big and small.
"What do you think? Did we fall into a trap?" someone came to his senses.
Once reminded, the grain merchants in Qingzhou all remembered that they had become interested because of the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce's large-scale grain transportation and the knowledge that the grain price in Nanyang was the highest in the country.
Now that I think about it, the actions of Wu Ren and others seemed a bit deliberate.
Someone said with an ugly face, "We have been tricked by the Ji family!"
Someone felt something was wrong. "Wait a minute. The ones transporting the grain to sell weren't from the Ji family, but from the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce, right? Besides, the grain prices in Nanyang were raised by the Yuzhou Grain Merchants Association, right?"
Someone said weakly, "Indeed, the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce might not even know that the Ji family is selling grain at such a low price. Is it possible that Shopkeeper Wu has also been cheated?"
Some people disagreed with their statement, saying, "Everyone knows that the Ji family has invested a lot of money in Liaodong County, and they are as close to the people there as if they were wearing the same pants. I don't believe Wu Ren was unaware of Ji Wuyin's actions."
Some people can't stand the way they blame others when things go wrong, saying, "Who's forcing you to do this?"
Someone agreed, "Yeah, what does it have to do with them? It's not like Ji Wuyin forced us to come here."
These are the more rational ones, Tao Xun being one of them, although they are not in a good mood now.
Someone stiffened his neck and said, "There is suspicion of seduction between Ji Changnian and Wu Ren, that's not wrong, right?" Ji Changnian is the name of Young Master Ji.
Those who say these things are more impulsive.
Tao Xun rolled his eyes and said, "Humph, if we hadn't encountered this incident, would you share our profits with us?"
The man he was questioning had a flickering look in his eyes and remained silent.
Tao Xun was too lazy to squeeze him anymore.
When doing business, you are responsible for your own profits and losses.
Merchants are profit-driven and they follow the scent of something.
The current situation can only be attributed to their lack of consideration and information, as they were unaware that the Ji family and the Yuzhou Grain Merchants Association were fighting each other.
As a result, those who transported grain to Nanyang were like fish in the pond that were affected by the disaster.
"Shopkeeper Tao, what do you think we should do next?" someone asked Tao Xun.
Everyone looked at him.
Tao Xun was a relatively trustworthy figure among the grain merchants in Qingzhou. His colleagues were asking him for advice, suggesting he should take the lead.
At this time, Tao Xun also took the initiative and said after a moment of silence, "I want to visit Ji Daxiu."
"I'll go with you."
"I'm going too."
"Pick two or three people to go with me. The rest of you, why don't you rent a place to store the food while no one else is reacting? If you're late, I'm afraid they'll raise the price again."
As fellow businessmen, they are well aware of the tricks used by businessmen.
So, at Tao Xun's suggestion, they split into two groups. One group headed to the Ji's Chamber of Commerce branch, while the rest were busy renting a warehouse.
"Why do we still need to rent a warehouse?" The remaining Qingzhou grain merchants all sighed. They thought that after transporting the grain, they could directly sell it at a high price and the deal would be done.
In front of the gate of the Luoyang branch of Ji's Chamber of Commerce, there was a crowd of people, and thirty teams lined up like a long dragon.
"Everyone line up, don't rush or squeeze, don't worry, there's plenty of affordable food!"
This was the first day they sold affordable grain, and Young Master Ji was there in person to take charge.
"You cannot cut in line, you cannot use force to force others to give up their seats, and you cannot engage in immoral behavior. Otherwise, if you are caught, you will not be allowed to buy food!"
Because of Ji's tough attitude and the fact that he sent out many guards to maintain order at the grain-buying site, everyone lined up obediently.
Everyone was carrying baskets, baskets, or sacks, looking anxiously ahead.
When buying grain, some common people asked Master Ji, "Master Ji, can we buy more grain?"
They made the relevant registration and found that each household and each person was limited to purchasing only five kilograms of grain, which they felt was too little.
Ji Changnian said, "Don't worry, there's no need to buy more. We have prepared a lot of food, which is enough to supply everyone for the next six months."
Those who bought food and those who didn't saw that whenever the food in front was sold out, people from Ji's business would come forward carrying sacks of food to replenish the stock. It was really like what Young Master Ji had said, that there was enough food.
Most of the people felt relieved immediately.
People in the queue also felt like chatting.
"Ji's business is truly a conscientious business."
"Yes, this grain price is the same as in a good year."
Of course, in good years, when grain merchants came to buy grain, the price they offered was not high, about 90 or 100 wen per dou. When selling, they would sell it for 110 or 120 wen per dou.
"Isn't it? We can't even make ends meet. My old man said that if we can't make it, we have to buy some grain even if it's 280 wen."
Lord Zhang Xian said that the imperial court's disaster relief food has been used up, and they will have to rely on themselves from now on.
"I just hope that Ji's company can continue to sell grain at a reasonable price, preferably until the middle of next year."
"Yes, it will be fine after the grain comes in the middle of next year."
In this incomparably harmonious atmosphere of conversation, an extremely harsh voice suddenly emerged, "This food is sold so cheaply, there won't be any problems, right?"
Li Si saw that everyone was silent and looking at him. Some of the ladies even looked him up and down with creepy eyes, which made him feel uneasy.
"Sisters, go!"
"Bah! I'll beat you to death, you bad bastard!"
"I've checked. The grain sold at the Ji branch isn't this year's new grain, but it's definitely not bad."
"I don't know what you, a jerk, mean when you say these things."
"You will die a miserable death for slandering the Ji family business like this!"
"That's right, are you deliberately trying to anger Ji?"
They don't want to offend conscientious merchants like Ji. If Ji gets angry and stops selling grain at a reasonable price, won't they be forced to buy grain at a high price?
When faced with someone disrupting the situation, the Ji family didn't even need to intervene; the common people would tear him apart. Even worse, several men worked together to capture Li Si and bring him directly before Young Master Ji.
Young Master Ji accepted it with a smile and said, "Keep the man under guard!"
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