Soaring grain prices
At first, the price increase was only two coins at a time, but as the rain lasted longer, the price of grain became more and more expensive. For the first two days, she could still buy grain at the normal price, but for the next two days, she had to pay a much higher price to buy it.
After acquiring two to three million kilograms of rice and sorghum, Fu Zhiqiao stopped.
It rained most of the day, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the streets.
Fu Zhiqiao simply closed both shops, gave each employee a sum of money, and told them to go home and buy some food to stock up for emergencies.
The continuous rainfall has made more and more people realize the importance of food.
As dawn broke, ignoring the light drizzle, a large crowd had already gathered in front of the grain store.
A woman looked worried. "Oh dear, grain prices have gone up again. Coarse grains are now fifteen coins a pound, and refined grains are twenty-eight coins a pound. How can we afford to eat at such high prices!"
Originally, coarse grains in Qingzhou cost eight coins per pound, and refined grains cost thirteen coins per pound. Now the price has almost doubled, so how can the people not complain?
When Manager Huang heard everyone's complaints, he said, "Our grain shop is already being very honest. Go ask around in the neighboring counties. Grain prices in those small counties are rising even more sharply than in our prefecture!"
"I'll buy it no matter how expensive it is; people can't live without food."
Money is inanimate; without food, you'll starve. What's the use of having lots of silver? Buying food now is like buying your own life.
"Sigh, you're right. I'll buy fifty catties of coarse grains first!"
"I want twenty catties of coarse grains and twenty catties of refined grains."
"Shopkeeper, one hundred catties of coarse grains and fifty catties of refined grains." An old man, about fifty or sixty years old, drove an oxcart over.
"Uncle Zhang, why are you buying so much grain?"
Uncle Zhang: "Our family of nine has only a little over 100 jin of grain, which will last us about two months. The rain keeps coming, and if this continues, the price of grain might even go up!"
Uncle Zhang's words reminded many people, and they all said they would buy more.
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy another thirty catties of coarse grains!"
"I want eighty catties of fine grain!"
Manager Huang told the shop assistants to hurry up, while he went to the door to maintain order: "Don't push, don't push! I won't sell grain to anyone who pushes!"
After the threat was made, people spontaneously lined up.
Hearing that grain merchants outside were selling grain at high prices, the villagers of Liujia Village were also filled with emotion. Fortunately, they had stockpiled a batch of grain with their employers before the price increase. Although the quantity was not large, it was enough to keep their families from going hungry.
Especially after witnessing the tragic state of others, they admired Fu Zhi Qiao's foresight even more.
Fu Zhiqiao foresaw that grain prices would rise, but she didn't expect them to do it so blatantly.
In just half a month, the price of grain in Qingzhou City had increased several times over. She didn't believe there was nothing fishy about such a rapid increase.
The reason why grain prices in Qingzhou rose so quickly was partly due to natural disasters and partly due to human factors. Grain merchants in the city colluded to raise grain prices, and grain that originally cost a dozen or so coins was sold for fifty or sixty coins. Some grain merchants made huge profits from this.
Controlling the grain supply is tantamount to controlling the lifeline of the people.
The people did try to resist, but it was no use! Even reporting it to the authorities was useless; the government couldn't punish these grain merchants.
When it comes to profit, all grain merchants are on the same side. If the government dares to order them to restore the original price, they dare to immediately close their shops, leaving the people of the whole city with nowhere to buy grain.
The government can regulate the price of grain, but it can't control whether or not people open shops.
The grain merchants were emboldened, and the people had no choice but to curse and exchange their hard-earned money for a little bit of grain.
*
For two days in a row, the rain continued to fall intermittently.
Zhang, wearing a straw raincoat, knocked on the Fu family's door.
The gatekeeper of the Fu family recognized her as Madam Zhang, who lived at the end of Lingshui Lane, and asked, "Madam Zhang?"
Zhang blushed with embarrassment. She had no connection with the Fu family, and it took her a lot of courage to come and borrow firewood.
She had run out of firewood and was caught in a continuous rainy season, so she couldn't get any more. As a result, her family hadn't been able to cook for two days.
She also asked other neighbors to lend her firewood, but no one was willing to lend it to her.
The reason why her neighbors were unwilling to lend her firewood was simple: she could buy dry firewood on the street or collect free branches from the mountains, so why would she need to borrow firewood from other people's homes?
People who don't even have a single piece of firewood at home are either lazy or poor, and such people are not well-liked.
Moreover, there is a saying among the people of the Great Wei: "Borrow rice but not firewood." Firewood has the connotation of "wealth," and people are generally reluctant to lend firewood. No one is willing to lend their wealth to others.
Zhang shook the water off her sleeves, somewhat embarrassed. "Could I see Miss Fu? We've burned out all the firewood, my husband broke his leg while hunting, and our three-year-old child is starving. I really have no other choice."
The gatekeeper looked her up and down, noticing that her trousers were completely soaked by the rain, and said, "You wait here!"
Zhang was also worried. She wasn't sure if she could borrow firewood. It had been raining continuously, and no one was out selling firewood on the streets. Going into the mountains to collect firewood in the heavy rain would be even more risky. She was forced into this situation by circumstances.
The doorman relayed Zhang's situation to Fu Zhiqiao.
Fu Zhiqiao didn't have any impression of Zhang Shi, but when she heard that her husband's leg was broken and he couldn't move, and that there were two or three-year-old children waiting for firewood to cook, she felt sorry for her and asked a servant to fill a bundle of firewood in the woodshed for her to take back.
Zhang was extremely grateful, bowing repeatedly towards the Fu family's gate, saying, "Thank you, Miss Fu, thank you, Miss Fu. I will definitely return the firewood once the weather clears up."
It was raining everywhere, and the people had nowhere to go but to stay at home.
The persistent rainy weather easily creates anxiety, and as news spread that farmland outside the city had been flooded, panic in the city quickly reached its peak.
What? The farmland is flooded? This means we can't grow any crops this season!
People rushed to the shops to buy grain. They carried sacks and baskets, crowding around the entrance of the grain shops, hoping to be at the front and buy the grain.
Almost the entire city turned out, and the entrances to every grain shop were packed with people.
So many people came to buy grain that the grain shop finally put up a sign to announce it.
Coarse grains cost 35 coins per pound, and refined grains cost 80 coins per pound. Each person is limited to purchasing 10 pounds.
The public found this notice unacceptable.
"Coarse grains were 25 coins yesterday, how come they've risen to 35 coins today?"
"This price increase is too fast!"
"Grain prices are changing every day. How are ordinary people supposed to make a living? Can't the imperial court do something about this? Life is unbearable!"
"Manager, you've released far too little grain! It's not enough for so many of us!"
"Exactly! I won't even mention the high price, but why the limited quantity?"
"Everyone is relying on this grain to survive, so shopkeeper, stop hiding it and bring it out quickly!"
"They have grain but won't sell it; they're heartless merchants."
Seeing that everyone was agitated, Manager Huang had no choice but to speak up.
These days, with the soaring grain prices, he has indeed made a fortune. However, by this time, he doesn't have much grain left in his warehouse. He wants to go and buy more, but there's flooding everywhere outside, so he can't go anywhere. He has to keep some for his own family to eat!
Manager Huang also complained to everyone: "It's not that I don't want to sell grain, it's just that I have no stock left. With the rain so heavy now, even if I wanted to replenish the grain, I couldn't!"
When the people heard that the grain merchants were also running out of grain, they were all filled with regret, beating their chests and stamping their feet, wishing they had bought more.
"Today is the last day our grain shop sells grain. Everyone, please go home and check elsewhere; maybe there's still some grain left." Manager Huang hung up the "Sold Out" sign.
Those who hadn't been able to buy any grain pressed on, asking, "Your grain store is out of grain! Where can we buy any more?"
Manager Huang shook his head: "Sigh, everyone should eat sparingly. I hope the imperial court will send disaster relief grain soon."
As food prices continue to rise, people's pockets are gradually being emptied. More and more people are unable to afford food, and some are even selling their children to obtain it.
Even after the grain shop closed, the people did not leave.
When will the imperial relief grain finally arrive?
"This isn't just raining, it's like the sky is pouring water down on us!"
"God, how long are you going to keep raining? Please stop!"
“Our city is relatively better off; several villages outside the city were hit much worse, with most of the farmland destroyed.”
"I don't know when this rain will stop. I heard that many places outside the city are flooded and some people have been swept away by the water. I don't know if it's true or not."
"Oh dear, the rain is secondary now. What I'm most worried about is the Chishui Dam. Yesterday, I passed by the city gate and saw the government sending people out of the city to patrol the river. Do you think the dam might collapse?"
"Who knows? If the dam collapses, we'll be in big trouble."
"Hey, should we move up the mountain to live?" Some people were worried that the dam would be destroyed and wanted to move to higher ground to save their lives.
“There are refugees everywhere outside the city. You’ll be robbed as soon as you leave the city.”
There were already many disaster victims outside the city gates. Families with money had paid their dues and entered the city, while those without money could only run to the high mountains every day to find some edible wild vegetables to fill their stomachs.
Two days later, more and more disaster victims poured into the city.
The people of Qingzhou panicked and rushed to buy grain in bulk with their silver, but by then they could only buy very little grain.
Those who didn't buy grain before the price skyrocketed, and only bought it after the price had already soared, are now kicking themselves.
Most of the grain shops in the city have sold out and closed down, and the restaurants and eateries have also closed long ago. Even the dried goods and all other edible items in the grocery stores have been sold out.
Families with limited food supplies have already begun to tighten their belts and dare not eat their fill.
People went from eating three meals a day to two, and now to one. Well-off families still have food to eat, while poor families can only drink wild vegetable porridge.
Worse still, a large number of disaster victims have appeared in the city, to the point that they are affecting the daily lives of the city's residents.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
