Chapter 80 Chapter 80 After the rain, the sky clears up...
The officer walked away with the gong. It took Lin Qiuran a long time to come back to her senses. Now that she was a mother, she felt sad when she heard such things.
But there was nothing he could do, after all, the kid rushed into Zui Chunfeng and stole things first.
Lin Qiuran missed Tangyuan, and wondered if he could get used to being away from home. Sun and Xiao Dashi must be worried about him too.
Lin Qiuran lowered her head. She could not interfere in other people's affairs. All she could do was to give alms in critical moments, do business well, protect Jinding Building, and strive to ensure that Tangyuan would live a good life in the future.
It was already daybreak, the wind whirling the leaves, and outside had become quiet again. Lin Qiuran had no plans to do business today, but he had to go check on the Jinding Building. He hadn't been out for two days, and with all the noise outside, he wondered what the Jinding Building had become.
The worst-case scenario she had planned was that the Jinding Building was smashed up, but with two dogs there and Lin Ming being a man, he would definitely be fine.
Lin Qiuran went to the Jinding Building with her guards. She took a quick look in front and found that the door of the Jin Ruyi Building next door was open, but it was quiet and messy inside. There was only one door left, the window was gone, and the cabinets and velvet cloth used to hold the jewelry were also gone.
It was probably robbed.
The door of Jinding Tower was still locked, and there was nothing happening in front of the building. After taking a look, Lin Qiuran went in through the back door.
Lin Ming heard the commotion and came out. Seeing that it was Lin Qiuran, he breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "Madam, the restaurant is fine. No one smashed the doors or windows. However, the Jin Ruyi next door was smashed the night before."
Lin Qiuran had just seen that the things next door had been moved out long ago and there had been no business in recent days. Only the doors, windows and cabinets were damaged, but compared to the theft of gold jewelry, the loss was much less, which was a blessing in disguise.
Lin Qiuran said, "Are you all okay?"
Lin Ming shook his head. That night, he didn't dare breathe. Those people seemed to have lost their minds. If the county court had found Drunk Spring Breeze's men guilty, they would probably have been even more arrogant. But fortunately, the troublemakers that night were identified and imprisoned in the Yu'an dungeon.
Lin Qiuran nodded, "I'm glad Jindinglou is alright."
Lin Ming thought it was because of the alms. After a few days of alms, the refugees would always say something good. Besides, the restaurant even had a dog. There was one more thing he almost forgot to mention, "Madam, Mr. Xu came by the day before yesterday, but he left when he saw nothing was wrong."
Lin Qiuran was stunned for a moment, "Okay, I understand."
Although Lin Ming said that everything was fine, Lin Qiuran still checked the restaurant inside and out. Finally, he drew well water and fed it to the chickens and ducks in the pen. Seeing that they were fine after drinking it, he felt relieved.
The streets are relatively peaceful now. Lin Qiuran asked Lin Ming to go ask around on the streets and visit the inn to ask if Jiang Sijie needed anything. She had originally gone south to seek refuge, but was stopped in Yu'an.
"Go to the Li family again and give them some food." Lin Qiuran knew that Aunt Yu had a large family and was worried that there wouldn't be enough food.
But the streets are peaceful now, and everyone can go out, but it's not easy to go in empty-handed.
Lin Ming sighed and went out.
Lin Qiuran took a deep breath. The restaurant's doors were locked inside and out, and she didn't open them. She didn't plan to do business today anyway, so she decided to wait and see.
She took Lin Dong and a few others to clean the shop. Since they hadn't been there for a few days, the tables, chairs and windowsills were all covered with dust.
After cleaning, Lin Dong cooked, left some for Lin Ming, and fed the two dogs. They had been following Lin Ming to eat, but Lin Ming didn't know how to cook, so he just ate them half-heartedly. The dogs didn't eat anything good either, and now they were listless.
An hour later, Lin Ming finally came back from outside.
He said, "Madam, there are still not many people on the street. I asked the people at the inn, and they said that Miss Jiang is no longer in Yu'an. They said that she was picked up by someone from Xuzhou a few days ago."
Even though the city gates are closed, that only applies to common people. The powerful can still enter and exit freely.
Lin Qiuran thought to herself that it would be nice for a girl to go back home. She then asked, "What about Madam Yu's family? Is it okay?"
Lin Ming said, "Everything is fine at Madam Yu's house."
Aunt Yu hasn't gone to the street to do business since she came to Jindinglou to complain last time. Her family is not short of money now, and they are honest people who dare not cause trouble, so they simply quit their job. They will only earn less money for a few days. I heard that some vendors even had trouble with the refugees. Although Aunt Yu's family didn't make much money, they didn't lose anything either.
Lin Qiuran: "That's good."
Lin Ming: "The grain shops, grocery stores, and butcher stalls on the street are all doing business. Today, the price of rice is 16 wen, and the price of meat is 18 wen. There are quite a few people buying."
People now worry about rising grain prices and being unable to afford it, and even more about not being able to buy it in the future. Some are more resourceful, hoarding grain when it was only 11 or 12 wen, and selling it privately now, making a profit of 3 or 4 wen per jin. Many are also buying grain early, often hundreds of jin at a time, with the intention of selling it later.
However, more people cannot afford rice and flour, which are more expensive than meat before, so they mostly buy sweet potatoes, millet, and beans, and the prices of these grains have not increased much.
The restaurant still had enough food, but Lin Qiuran also wanted to stockpile more. She also planned to buy more land after this incident was over and plant crops every year. The saying that food is the most important thing for the people is true. Especially in this era, sometimes money is useless.
Lin Qiuran: "After you finish your meal, go out and buy some. If you can't find any, forget it."
Lin Ming finished his meal and went out again. Lin Qiuran and Lin Dong continued to clean up the shop. After a while, Jin Ruyi's shopkeeper came with some people. No one had stayed in the shop for the past few days. The shopkeeper looked at the mess in the house with dismay, "What kind of people are these? Letting these people into Yu'an is simply raising a tiger to cause trouble!"
Repairs and renovations also cost money, but no one knows who destroyed it.
The shopkeeper couldn't help but complain to Lin Qiuran, "How would an outsider know what the shop is for? The doors and windows are locked, and there's nothing inside. If they see nothing, they can just leave... This guy is really mean. He even smashed the house when he has nothing."
This was a purely unexpected disaster. Now we can only think positively. The jewelry has been moved away long ago and the person is fine.
The shopkeeper couldn't help but look at Lin Qiuran, and after a while he suddenly asked, "Is Jindinglou okay?"
Lin Qiuran smiled helplessly upon seeing this, "Some things were smashed, but luckily no one was seriously hurt."
Some people are like this. When something happens to themselves, they hope that something happens to others as well, otherwise they will feel unfair.
The shopkeeper smiled and tried to comfort Lin Qiuran, "Alas, there's nothing we can do about it. Relax. Things are so chaotic right now, and I don't know what the county government is going to do..."
If we leave things alone, chaos will only worsen. But if we intervene, the refugees will already be dissatisfied. Too much intervention will lead to dissatisfaction, while too little intervention will be ineffective, making the situation even more difficult. Furthermore, food and meat prices are high, making business difficult. We can't keep doing this.
Shopkeeper Jin Ruyi sighed and went into the house to pack up his things. Lin Qiuran didn't get along with him, so he also returned to Jinding Tower.
Lin Qiuran felt that this would not continue forever. Now that all the troublemakers had been locked up, anyone who wanted to cause trouble would have to think twice. The county government was in charge, and even if they caused trouble, the refugees would have to live their lives.
Shopkeeper Shi and his companions came over at the appointed time, but left when they learned that the shop was closed.
This continued until September 16th, when the grain prices at the grain store finally dropped. Rice and flour dropped from 16 wen per jin to 13 wen per jin, and pork also dropped to 15 wen per jin. Other goods, such as sweet potatoes and soybeans, also became cheaper.
However, although the price of grain has dropped, many people cannot buy it. They have to go to the grain store early in the morning to buy grain, and the store has a purchase limit.
But even so, it is much better than when the price of grain was high before. If you can't buy fine grains, you can still buy coarse grains, and at least you can have enough to eat.
The refugees also began to look for work, doing hard labor, embroidery, and some who were good at cooking Northwestern food. Lin Qiuran found a wife who was good at cooking Northwestern food.
However, the restaurant does not plan to sell Northwestern food for the time being, so she will be left here to wash dishes.
This is a family of five, a couple and three children who fled here. They have a son and two daughters. Although the journey was difficult and the family was starving, none of the children were lost, and the children were in better spirits than the adults.
They started looking for work two days after arriving in Yu'an.
Men were easy to find because they were strong. They would go to the dock to carry bags. They would earn eight cents a day, which was enough to buy some coarse grains and add the rice given by the county government, which was enough to eat for a while.
The woman was not idle either. She took her children out to look for work, but she couldn't find any until she found the Jindinglou, which had once provided them with porridge.
Lin Qiuran thought this family was very clever. The woman didn't mention that the family was stranded outside and asked Lin Qiuran to pity them. Instead, she said, "I can do a lot of work. I'm stronger than the people here, and I can take less wages. As long as there is work to do, it's fine."
"My three children can also help and won't cause any trouble."
If it was not easy for this lady to cry, Lin Qiuran would not have felt any sympathy, but the children, one big and three small, stood awkwardly in front of her with clear eyes. The children were well brought up by their parents and did not look around or move around. They were very well-behaved.
It reminded Lin Qiuran of Tangyuan.
This is a self-reliant person. Lin Qiuran said, "I'm still short of someone to wash dishes and do odd jobs. Come on."
Aunt Liu and her friend come here at noon every day, do some shopping first, and then wait for the shop to close before doing another round.
When business is good, there are a lot of dishes and chopsticks, and they have to be washed in the middle. It's tiring work and the pay is not much, so it's okay to add one more person.
Lin Qiuran: "Eight cents a day, no meals provided."
The woman was very grateful and said happily, "I'm also good at cooking Northwestern food. If I have cow's milk or goat's milk, I can make milk tea and milk tofu... I can also cook beef and mutton."
People in the northwest are good at herding. Lin Qiuran saw that this man was well-spoken and estimated that he had a good life there before. However, life is unpredictable. After traveling for so many days, there was not much money left after bringing it out, and he could not spend it all.
Lin Qiuran said, "We have mutton here, but not much beef. If you have a chance, you can try it."
Madam Yang smiled and nodded. Lin Qiuran then asked, "You came from the northwest. Do you know what the war situation is like there?"
Madam Yang spoke with an accent, and it was obvious that she wasn't a local. She also looked different from the people of Yu'an. Lin Qiuran had seen many refugees these days, but this was the first time he had asked her about it.
It can be seen from Yang Niangzi's family that these people were in good order when they left the Northwest, but they suffered too much on the way, otherwise they would not have become like this.
Transportation and correspondence were slow, and Lin Qiuran had no idea what was happening over there. The war was still raging in the northwest, and the current relatively stable situation was entirely due to them.
Lin Qiuran knew that casualties were inevitable, but he still wanted to ask about Xiao Xun.
Is Xiao Xun alright? Is he… still alive? Perhaps he is emerging as a promising talent. Madam Yang has heard of Xiao Xun’s name.
But Madam Yang shook her head. She said, "When we left Yingzhou, everything was fine. They just said they were afraid of the war and asked the people to leave first and return when everything was fine. I don't know what Yingzhou is like now."
It had taken them several months to get here. They were so afraid of death that they wanted to keep going south. There were so many people fleeing, and the journey was difficult and dangerous. Several months had passed, and Madam Yang had no idea what was happening in Yingzhou.
Lin Qiuran asked again: "Were there any wars going on at that time?"
Madam Yang recalled and nodded, "They are fighting."
Lin Qiuran couldn't help but look nervous. If they had won the battle, the people probably wouldn't have been forced to leave Yingzhou and seek refuge elsewhere.
I always feel that it is not going to end well.
Seeing that Lin Qiuran kept asking about the war, Madam Yang wondered if someone in her family had joined the army, but she didn't dare ask.
Although the lives of those who fled were miserable and some died on the road, and the other day a child from some family accidentally lost his life while trying to steal someone else's chicken legs, their lives were not dangerous or hard compared to the soldiers who went to fight in the northwest.
If Lin Qiuran's father, brother or husband went to join the army, it would be a life-threatening situation. She didn't dare to mention it. If something really happened, wouldn't it bring bad luck to the boss?
Madam Yang lowered her head and said nothing. Lin Qiuran did not ask any more questions. "Come over tomorrow at noon and work twice a day, morning and evening. Your wages have always been paid monthly, but since you're new to Yu'an, I'll pay you daily. You can bring your child over during the day, but he or she must clean up and cannot go to the front hall to disturb the guests. He or she must stay in the courtyard."
The kitchen cannot be entered either. Lin Qiuran is not doing charity. There are two rooms in total, and one is for Madam Yang's children.
The oldest of Yang's children looked to be eight or nine, the youngest only three or four. Their parents were out working, and the children were left restless in the tent.
Upon seeing this, Madam Yang immediately said, "Don't worry, sir. My children are all obedient. Just let them stay at the back door. They will definitely not cause any trouble."
If you don't listen, you won't be able to reach Yu'an alive.
Lin Qiuran: "Well, let's first tell you how to do the work. Wash the dishes and chopsticks once, rinse them twice, and scald them once. Don't be lazy. Otherwise, I won't be able to keep you here to continue working. I want people with clean hands and feet."
Madam Yang agreed and left with the child.
Lin Qiuran plans to start his business from tomorrow. The prices of grain and meat are lower now, so he can lower his costs. Otherwise, if he sells too expensively, no customers will be willing to come and eat.
Xu Yuanheng came over in the afternoon and delivered several carts of rice and flour to Lin Qiuran.
Lin Qiuran was reluctant to accept it. "I still have more here, enough for you."
Xu Yuanheng said, "I know. I've already sold Yu An's grain. I still have over 2,000 kilograms left. The price will drop, but grain is hard to come by. Just take it."
Selling now wouldn't make much money, and the grain merchants were certainly eager to make a profit, so even though the county had ordered a price reduction, they still held onto some grain. They'd tell people they'd sold out, and if they wanted to buy, they'd pay a premium privately. The surface price was one, the real price was another, and this was going to continue for a while.
They will all be caught in the end.
And the refugee issue is not over yet. Xu Yuanheng knows that some small vendors are taking the opportunity to stockpile food.
The price was not low when they were hoarding it, but now that the price of grain has dropped, it is difficult to sell it for fear of causing trouble.
In business, there are gains and losses. Xu Yuanheng has always understood this truth, but many people don't understand it.
Lin Qiuran nodded, accepting Xu Yuanheng's kindness, "Then I will give it to you according to the current grain price, just consider it as selling it to me."
Xu Yuanheng didn't need the money, but to make Lin Qiuran feel more at ease, he just kept the money and could return it somewhere else in the future.
But food prices will drop tomorrow. Based on the current situation, is Lin Qiuran stupid?
Xu Yuanheng: "I won't make money from you, I'll just pay you ten cents per pound."
Lin Qiuran spent twenty-three taels of grain for more than two thousand kilograms. Xu Yuanheng's information was very accurate.
The day after the food price dropped, something happened to someone.
Some saw the price drop and sold quickly, but still lost money, but accepted the loss. Some were reluctant to sell, but they couldn't make back their money either. A catty was worth three or four wen, so a hundred catties was worth three or four hundred wen, and a thousand catties was worth three or four liang of silver.
He stockpiled several thousand kilograms of goods and lost more than ten taels of silver in two days.
They stocked up too much and couldn't finish it at home, so they would lose a lot of money if they sold it now. Moreover, some vendors did not trade in grain because they had their own money, but instead borrowed money at high interest rates in the hope of making a fortune.
Seeing that he could not repay the loan and would suffer greater losses if the grain price dropped further, he drank arsenic that night.
Originally dreaming of getting rich, now only the family is left. Some people who had little food stored quickly sold it when they saw the situation. As the food became more abundant, the price dropped again. By September 21st, the price of food had reached ten coins per catty.
Coarse grains were cheaper, so Lin Qiuran was able to do business peacefully for a few days.
The streets were much quieter, but Lin Qiuran never thought of taking Tangyuan back.
I heard from Wang Zhubu that there were more than 200 refugees outside the city. The county government set up tents outside the city to distribute porridge and appease them first, but did not let them into the city. Otherwise, if another group of people came in, it would definitely cause more chaos.
Lin Qiuran planned to wait and see after this group of people came in, and then take Tangyuan back when everything was completely clear.
This wait lasted until the end of the month, and on the 23rd, refugees entered the city again. However, having learned from the previous experience, the county government had more control over these people, so these people were much more honest and looked for work as soon as they came in. The lives of the people of Yu'an were the same as usual.
Seeing that the time was almost right, Lin Qiuran mentioned to Xu Yuanheng the matter of bringing Tangyuan back.
On the third day of October, Lin Qiuran waited eagerly in front of the Jinding Tower. The Xu family's carriage finally arrived. Lin Qiuran went to greet it and followed the carriage for a dozen steps. Sun was holding a glutinous rice dumpling in the carriage and showed it to her, "Qiuran, look."
The child had been gone for over a month and had grown bigger than when he left.
Lin Qiuran knew in his heart that nothing would happen to Tangyuan, but he felt completely at ease only when he saw the child with his own eyes.
Tang Yuan looked out of the car window, his eyes flickering, "Ah... Mom."
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