Food prices and dignity
The lobby of Yuelai Inn in a small mountain town.
It was lunchtime, and the lobby was bustling with noise, the air so thick it felt like you could wring oil out of it. The stench of sweat, the spiciness of cheap liquor, the greasiness of food, and the faint smell of feet emanating from the corners mingled together, creating a suffocating, foul atmosphere. Waiters, their faces greasy and weary, called out as they weaved through the crowded tables and chairs.
Ling Zhan sat with Hu Zi, Dou Ya, Daniu, and Daya at an inconspicuous square table in the far corner.
The table was unusually simple: four bowls of rice, a plate of stir-fried pickled vegetables, and a bowl of "soup" with a few wilted yellow vegetable leaves floating on top, the bottom of which was clearly visible.
A waiter with a towel draped over his shoulder brought over the last bowl of rice and slammed it down in front of Ling Zhan with a thud, splashing a few drops of soup onto the rough table. "Enjoy your meal, sir! It's all ready!"
His eyelids drooped, his tone was perfunctory, he glanced at the meager food on the table, and curled his lip, "Is that all? Don't you want some meat? Our braised pork is a family secret recipe, the only one of its kind in town! It smells amazing!" His tone carried a hint of barely perceptible disdain.
Ling Zhan didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard anything.
He simply extended his index finger and tapped it twice lightly on the table where the soup had splashed, signaling the waiter to put it down.
The waiter, having been rebuffed, lost face and sullenly snorted. He immediately turned around, put on a fawning smile, and loudly echoed as he rushed towards another table where a merchant dressed in fine silks and satins was loudly hawking his wares: "Coming right up! Boss Wang! Your braised pork knuckle and roast chicken will be ready soon!"
Just then, the sound of conversation from the next table drifted over clearly.
Merchant A took a big gulp of strong liquor, his mouth burning and his teeth grimacing. He wiped his mouth, his voice filled with barely suppressed anxiety and anger: "...Damn it! The price of grain has gone up to a whole fire! Last month, coarse rice was only fifteen coins a dou! Today I went to ask, and they quoted twenty-five coins! Take it or leave it! It's like robbery!"
Merchant B glanced around warily, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of mystery and helplessness, "Brother, keep quiet! Keep quiet! These days... things aren't peaceful in the west! I heard... another war has broken out! It's fierce! The grain convoys are all heading over there to deliver military rations! How many grains will we get here? Of course the price will go up! Even if it goes up, we still have to buy!"
At the next table, a man dressed in a faded, worn-out long gown, looking like an accountant, was frowning and poking at the thin porridge in his bowl with his chopsticks. He sighed, "Alas... it's not just grain prices! Medicine is outrageously expensive! The other day I went to get a very common prescription for a cold, which only contained a few herbs like licorice root, bupleurum root, and dried tangerine peel... guess what? It was twice as expensive as last year! The doctor there just shook his head, saying that many of the herbs couldn't be transported from the west because the road to the west was blocked..."
Tiger pricked up his ears, his little face tense, with a seriousness beyond his years.
She asked Ling Zhan in a low voice, "Mother, they said... there's another war in the west?"
Ling Zhan picked up a strip of pickled vegetable, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, the salty and astringent taste spreading on his tongue.
Her gaze swept calmly across the noisy lobby, lingering for a moment on several ragged men huddled in the shadows by the doorway, silently munching on cold, hard rations. Their eyes were numb and empty.
"Mmm," she responded in a low voice, "Let's eat."
Da Ya quietly and carefully scooped half of the slightly thicker porridge from her bowl into the bowl of bean sprouts next to her.
Bean Sprout glanced at her younger sister, then at her expressionless mother, not daring to ask any more questions, and buried her head in the porridge in her bowl, which was mixed with her sister's lack of affection.
In the shadows by the doorway, a homeless man, his face covered in dust, whispered desperately to his companion in a hoarse, almost inaudible voice: "...East of the city...that dilapidated temple in the east of the city...is too crowded...I heard...several villages in the west...are gone...everyone ran east...where...where is there any way to survive..."
Shen Yan, who came in later, paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding chopsticks, her fingertips turning slightly white.
He immediately lowered his eyes, concealing the complex emotions that flashed across them, picked up the bowl of clear soup, took a sip, and then, as if to cover up his urgency, called out, "Waiter! Where's our braised pork knuckle? Hurry up!"
Ling Zhan carefully picked up the last grain of rice from the bowl with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, then put down the chopsticks, placed her hands on her knees, straightened her back, and waited quietly. Her bowl was as clean as if it had been washed.
Soon, a glistening, fragrant braised pork knuckle was brought over by the waiter and placed in the center of the table, a stark contrast to the meager dishes around it. Chen's weary gaze swept over the knuckle, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, but unusually, he didn't immediately pick up his chopsticks. He watched the four children—especially Tiger and Bean Sprout—who, though trying to restrain themselves, were involuntarily drawn to the tempting aroma of the meat.
The two girls, Da Niu and Da Ya, seemed more sensible, simply lowering their heads and sipping their porridge.
The children devoured the brown rice and pickled vegetables in a flash, and even drank the bowl of clear soup clean.
Shen Yan, who had been clamoring for braised pork knuckle, only symbolically picked up a small piece of skin, chewed it a couple of times, and then put down his chopsticks, looking somewhat absent-minded. "Tiger, take the pork knuckle back."
After the meal.
Ling Zhan's voice was clear and steady, carrying an unquestionable command: "Tiger, settle the bill."
Without the slightest hesitation, Hu Zi immediately pulled a small cloth bag from the pocket close to his body, opened it, and inside were neatly stacked copper coins. He carefully counted out the amount due for the meal, not a single copper coin more or less, and placed them neatly on the greasy corner of the table.
Shen Yan glanced at Ling Zhan, then at Hu Zi, whose movements were steady and whose eyes were firm. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just pursed her lips, turned her gaze elsewhere, and said nothing.
The two, with their two sons and two daughters, had a clear goal.
I walked steadily through the bustling streets, heading straight for the west side of town—where the town's largest pharmacy, Jishetang, was located.
Inside Jishetang.
The shopkeeper, his face clouded with worry, fiddled with the abacus beads, sighing as he looked at the ledger: "...Angelica is completely out of stock...and Panax notoginseng is only left with some last year's stock...the quality is poor, and the medicinal properties are weak...in this chaotic situation...sigh..."
Just then, Shen Yan stepped into the shop first, walked straight to the high counter, untied an inconspicuous bundle from his back, and placed it on the counter with a "thud." He deftly untied a corner of the bundle, revealing the true appearance of several plants inside—the roots were intact and gnarled like dragons, the leaves were thick and emerald green, and the whole plant faintly shimmered with a warm and strange luster. An extremely pure and refreshing medicinal fragrance instantly filled the air!
The shopkeeper's nose twitched suddenly, and his cloudy old eyes widened instantly, as if he had seen a ghost!
He stared intently at the few medicinal herbs, holding his breath. When he saw Ling Zhan walk in next, the sorrow on his face was instantly replaced by wild joy, his voice trembled with excitement, and he practically pounced on the counter.
"This...this is?! Lady Ling...this quality...this spiritual energy...Heavens! From which celestial mountain or blessed land did you obtain this?!"
Ling Zhan's words were concise and his voice steady: "In the mountains. To collect?"
The shopkeeper was so excited that his goatee trembled. He awkwardly wiped his hands on his clothes before carefully picking up one of the plants and examining it closely in the light streaming in from the doorway. His fingers were trembling slightly. "Buy! Buy! I must buy! This is a divine product! I've never heard of it before! Madam, name your price! I will not haggle! But... but the processing must be done with utmost care. I must ask a master craftsman to do it himself to ensure that this abundant spiritual energy is preserved!"
Before Ling Zhan could speak, Shen Yan stepped forward, straightened his back, and said loudly, "Manager, a family with a thousand members needs one person to manage it. Matters of great importance like money are naturally decided by me, the head of the family."
His tone was arrogant and self-assured, and he deliberately emphasized the words "head of the family".
The shopkeeper was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Ling Zhan.
As expected, Ling Zhan calmly and naturally took a half step back, giving Shen Yan the position to negotiate. The shopkeeper's eyes instantly filled with envy, admiration, and a hint of knowing that "being handsome really does get you ahead."
The two men leaned closer and engaged in a quick, hushed conversation, accompanied by the shopkeeper's occasional exclamations and nods.
The money was quickly transferred.
Shen Yan carefully stuffed a heavy money bag, so heavy it deformed the hem of her clothes, into the innermost part of her bosom. The shopkeeper, on the other hand, carefully rewrapped the medicinal herbs as if they were rare treasures, muttering to himself as he did so.
"Full of spiritual energy...a divine item...truly a divine item..."
Seeing that Shen Yan hadn't mentioned having Da Niu and Da Ya learn how to prepare food, Ling Zhan didn't ask any further questions, as if he had already expected it.
She turned around and clearly uttered two words to the four children standing quietly behind her: "Grain Shop".
The largest grain store in town, "Fengyu Grain Store".
At this moment, the entrance to the grain store was bustling with people, even more lively than a market day.
The men were running around, sweating profusely, and their voices were hoarse from shouting.
Everyone who came to buy grain had the same anxiety and fear etched on their face.
A grain shop clerk in a short jacket was wiping his sweat and impatiently waving his hand at an old farmer who had squeezed in front of the counter: "That's all! Only three bushels of brown rice left! Hurry up if you want to buy! Twenty-five coins a bushel!"
The old farmer looked at his empty money bag with a face full of despair.
Ling Zhan, with his family, stood like a steady watershed, parting the crowded flow of people, and walked to the counter. The shop assistant, having finished dealing with the old farmer, turned and saw Ling Zhan's simple clothes and the several teenagers behind him. His brow furrowed habitually, and he spoke with a hint of disdain: "How much do you want, sir? Unpolished rice is twenty-five coins a dou, polished rice forty coins! New wheat flour is thirty coins a sheng! If you want too much, we'll have to wait for restocking; who knows when it will be available!"
Ling Zhan's gaze swept past the shop assistants, sharply across the mountain of grain piled up behind them, and directly pointed to the large amount of unpopular brown rice piled up in the corner, along with several stacks of new wheat flour: "Brown rice, twenty shi. Refined rice, five shi. Wheat flour, ten shi. Fine salt, two jars. Freshly pressed peanut oil, two urns."
The waiter gasped, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets! He scrutinized Ling Zhan from head to toe, then looked at the silent child behind her and the handsome Shen Yan, who, despite being dressed in coarse cloth, couldn't hide his striking good looks. His face was filled with hesitation and disbelief.
"Sir...sir, you...you're not joking, are you? This...this is no small amount...just twenty bushels of unpolished rice would cost...five taels of silver! You..." The meaning couldn't be clearer: Can you afford it?
Ling Zhan remained expressionless, not even bothering to explain, and simply extended a hand to Shen Yan beside him.
Shen Yan immediately understood and pulled out the heavy money bag he had just gotten from the pharmacy. He untied the drawstring, tore open the bag, and grabbed a handful of silver ingots, placing them on the counter—the gleaming silver ingots, mixed with a few pieces of fine silver, shimmered with a breathtaking light in the dim grain shop! At a glance, it was definitely worth far more than five taels!
"Enough?" Ling Zhan asked.
The waiter's face instantly changed from disdain to extreme shock, followed by ecstatic fawning!
He finally recognized the woman next to him as Shen Yan, a "celebrity" in town, and the woman with a cold demeanor in front of him must be the legendary Lady Ling, who fought off a hungry wolf and crossed a flood on a raft! He bent his back at a ninety-degree angle instantly, his smile almost overflowing, and his voice rose eight octaves, filled with utmost respect.
"Enough! Enough! Enough! Absolutely enough! I was blind and didn't recognize your worth! Madam Ling, you are so generous! Please wait a moment! Right away! Right away, I'll get you the best rice and flour!" He shouted loudly while vigorously wiping the counter with his sleeve. "Little Liu! Where have you been! Quickly! Get our esteemed guest twenty shi of the best brown rice! Every grain must be plump! Five shi of polished rice! Ten shi of wheat flour! All of it must be freshly arrived, top-quality goods! The salt must be fine salt! The oil must be freshly pressed first-pressed peanut oil! Hurry up! If you neglect our esteemed guest, I'll skin you alive!"
Ling Zhan stood quietly at the somewhat disheveled entrance of the grain store, his posture as upright as a pine tree, his gaze calm and serene, watching the workers bustle about as if they were on steroids. Three sturdy carts were quickly filled, the bulging grain sacks piled up like small mountains, and salt jars and oil urns were carefully secured in the gaps.
This massive and conspicuous purchase volume, like a boulder thrown into a noisy pond, instantly attracted countless complex gazes from all around.
There was unbelievable shock, naked envy, deep jealousy, and despairing numbness...
Looking at the three "mountains of grain," Douya couldn't help but tug at Huzi's sleeve and exclaimed softly, "Brother Huzi... so much grain... enough... enough for us to eat for a long, long time, right?" Her voice was filled with a dreamlike daze.
Da Ya nodded, her eyes like those of a wary deer, quickly scanning the crowded people around her with their varied gazes. She instinctively leaned close to Ling Zhan and whispered, "Yes. Buy more. You heard it yourself, grain prices are skyrocketing... Mother has plans."
Her voice carried a precocious worry.
Tiger tensed all his muscles, like a young leopard ready to pounce. One hand was pressed tightly against the short wooden stick hidden at his waist, and his eyes, sharp as a hawk's, scanned every person who approached the vehicle without any attempt to conceal their presence, full of warning.
Only Chen Yan seemed oblivious to the stares around him, or rather, indifferent to them.
He crossed his arms, his peach-blossom eyes casually scanning the roof beams and pillars of the grain store, as if studying the carvings on them.
Ling Zhan watched as the last bag of rice was stacked and tied tightly, then said to the panting but smiling worker, "Deliver it. Kaoshan Village, the small courtyard at the east end of the village."
The shopkeeper immediately looked troubled: "Honorable guest... Madam Ling, the village is far and remote, and the transportation cost for these three cartloads of goods is..."
"Snap!"
Before he could finish speaking, a small but high-quality silver coin was flicked onto the counter in front of him by a steady little hand. Tiger stepped forward, his voice not loud, but carrying a composure and unquestionable authority rarely seen in a young man: "Lead the way. Take it to the counter and you'll get extra pay for your trouble."
The shop assistant was both surprised and delighted when he saw the loose silver on the counter. His embarrassment was instantly replaced by elation, and he bowed repeatedly, saying, "Oh! Young master, you're too kind! You're so thoughtful! So thoughtful! Don't worry! Don't worry! I'll make sure it's delivered to your house perfectly! Not a single penny will be missing!"
He gave Tiger a thumbs up and showered him with praise.
Watching Hu Zi calmly pay the bill and the waiter fawn over him, Shen Yan's nonchalant expression vanished instantly, replaced by a clear look of astonishment and... barely perceptible embarrassment.
He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Only his handsome profile tightened slightly, and his ears seemed to be burning.
He felt that his position as "head of the household" was being challenged in an invisible way.
The challenger, however, is precisely the "small labor force" that he himself proposed to "make reasonable use of."
------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
