Chapter 803 Timely Rain
"I heard that the army was short of food, so I found a caravan to buy tens of thousands of taels of silver worth of coarse rice and coarse flour."
Xiao Qiuyue had no way to get around; the medicinal herbs had already been looted, and only the price of grain was normal. He followed the caravan and took a shortcut that few people knew about, and they did not encounter any bandits along the way.
However, with the outbreak of war in the Northwest, caravans had stopped transporting goods. When he arrived in Qincheng, he discovered that prices were rising higher and higher, even surpassing those in the capital.
"You're a lifesaver!"
Lin Yuesha sighed, realizing that this was her most difficult time, but Xiao Qiuyue had solved it so easily.
The tens of thousands of taels of silver worth of grain and fodder were enough to sustain the soldiers in the Northwest for a period of time, relieving their immediate crisis.
"In order to buy grain, I humbled myself and became a storyteller, but all I got in return was a bag of rice."
Lin Yuesha took a big gulp of tea. After telling stories during the day, her voice was hoarse and her mouth was dry. She really felt sorry for herself.
"It seems you're right."
Xiao Qiuyue comforted Lin Yuesha with ease, explaining that the Northwest couldn't grow rice due to the climate, and with the war raging, a bag of japonica rice was a rare commodity, and she would definitely earn more than an ordinary storyteller.
"It's just something to comfort myself with."
Lin Yuesha breathed a sigh of relief after being teased by Xiao Qiuyue, as the immediate problem of food shortages was temporarily alleviated.
"The down jacket you made is both lightweight and warm. I managed to snag one in Qincheng Prison at a high price."
People highly valued down jackets and would use the duck down they had saved from slaughtering ducks, plus some money, to exchange for down jacket stocks.
Lin Yuesha's business expanded rapidly and has now reached several surrounding cities, where it is thriving.
However, Xiao Qiuyue didn't bring only good news.
"I came from Qincheng. I heard that the northern lands have fallen into the hands of the Wei family, and caravans are prohibited from transporting large quantities of grain."
This meant that the northern regions couldn't supply enough grain, and they had to buy rice from the south. Because of the long distance, grain prices remained stubbornly high. And the shop assistant was right; buying more grain wouldn't just mean doubling the price.
Xiao Qiuyue couldn't offer much help with military supplies; there was very little he could do.
On the way, he led the Qiuyue Troupe in rehearsing several plays about defending the country, ready to go on stage and sing at any time.
"Don't rush to go on stage, you should rest for a day or two first."
The Qi soldiers had just recaptured the border city, and the situation was not yet stable. Moreover, although the foreign tribes had retreated, they had captured Xu Da, and another fierce battle was yet to come.
After settling Xiao Qiuyue in, Lin Yuesha handed over the goods to the caravan, counted the amount of grain, and dispatched the caravan to transport it to the border town's granary.
After working almost all night, Lin Yuesha returned to her room and felt unwell, but she was too tired and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Bai Cha called out twice, but received no response for a long time.
"Miss, the village chief you met yesterday has come with his men. They must be here to reply to your letter regarding the purchase of grain and fodder."
Bai Cha stood by the bed, assuming that her young mistress had slept in too late and was staying in bed too long, so she didn't take it to heart.
After waiting for a long time, Lin Yuesha remained motionless, and Bai Cha began to panic.
"Miss, why is your forehead so hot to the touch!"
Bai Cha lifted the gauze curtain and saw that her young mistress's face was flushed, like a boiled shrimp. She immediately reached out to touch her, but her hand trembled as she was burned by the heat of Lin Yuesha's forehead.
Oh no, Miss has a fever!
"White tea, water."
Lin Yuesha barely opened her eyes and tried to move her fingers, but her body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.
Her throat was dry and sore, and it was swollen.
"Miss, I'll go and bring you some tea right away."
Bai Cha placed a pillow under the headboard and then helped Lin Yuesha sit up. It took the two of them a lot of effort; it was just a simple action, but it made Lin Yuesha sweat profusely.
"Miss, I'll go and fetch a doctor to take a look at you."
Fever is no small matter, Bai Cha was anxious, and Qi Heng was busy with the war and couldn't take care of his young lady at all.
"You mean the village chief is here?"
In a daze, Lin Yuesha seemed to hear Bai Cha mention that the village chief's arrival so quickly might mean that things had taken a turn for the better in their grain purchase.
"Oh dear, miss, what time is it? Why are you still worrying about such trivial matters? Your health is the most important thing right now."
Bai Cha was very agitated and inwardly blamed Qi Heng.
It's all the fault of that pockmarked man insisting on proposing marriage, dragging his own young lady into this mess. Now, as the wife of a young general, she's been silently sacrificing herself, doing all the work for free.
With the recent intense fighting, the young lady can only get a few hours of sleep a day, and her body can't take it anymore.
"Just have the doctor find a servant to run errands. Go see the village chief and pass on the message."
Lin Yuesha straightened her expression. She had worked so hard, and she couldn't let it all be for nothing at this crucial moment. If she guessed correctly, the grain purchase was successful.
"As long as the village chief's conditions are reasonable, you should agree on my behalf and let him go back to the village to wait for news."
After giving Bai Cha a few instructions, Lin Yuesha fell silent.
Just now, she almost lost her voice. It must be the fever caused by tonsillitis. Simply reducing the fever won't work; we need to find the cause from the source.
Bai Cha went out for a while and came back excitedly to report the good news: "Miss, you really are a prophet! The village chief, together with the village chiefs of several surrounding villages, has agreed to sell the grain from the granary to the soldiers of Daqi as military supplies."
It's not a high price; it's just a little more than the purchase price to cover costs. In addition, the barley we produce is traded at the price before the grain price skyrocketed.
"That would be wonderful!"
Lin Yuesha clapped her hands, but they felt weak and powerless. She thought she was going to have to go through some twists and turns, but she didn't expect the village chief to bring good news so quickly.
"However, they have one small condition..."
Bai Cha hadn't finished speaking when she made a condition: Lin Yuesha had to finish telling the story of Journey to the West.
After Lin Yuesha left last night, the village chief gathered the people to discuss the matter. Unexpectedly, those people were not interested in selling supplies to the Qi army and collectively opposed it. Instead, they became addicted to listening to Journey to the West.
The village chief talked on and on until late at night.
The crowd kept pressing for answers, but the village chief himself didn't hear the second half.
Sure enough, the other party quickly agreed to the terms and urged the village chief to send a message. The matter of grain and fodder was negotiable, and they also wanted to hear the sequel to Journey to the West.
“Miss, the villagers don’t know many characters, and there are no opera troupes in Wucheng, so they can only rely on hearsay from their travels and then tell the villagers about it when they come back.”
Whenever villagers return from outside the city, everyone gathers at the threshing ground, bringing their own small stools to listen. They bring their own tea, stools, and melon seeds, making it even more lively than the New Year.
Most villagers, whose ancestors have stayed in the village for generations, have never left Wucheng. They don't even know that there are places where it's spring all year round and where it doesn't snow in winter.
It was a rare treat to hear such a wonderful story, and the villagers couldn't stop listening. They even dreamt of Sun Wukong causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and when they woke up, they were still eager for more.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
