Chapter 51: Rice prices soar, bells ring in the evening...
Seven days later, the rice shop assistant was scooping and weighing rice early in the morning. She yawned sleepily as the owner brought back several large containers of rice, and she still had to go to check the inventory later.
A woman in tattered clothes entered, carrying a shredded cloth bag. She was pale and her limbs felt weak. "I want... I want two jin of rice—"
The waiter came out, glanced at her, pursed his lips, and told her to go pay the bill first before weighing the rice.
Sweet potatoes have been unavailable in the countryside for the past few days, and the woman's family has been eating grass roots and other vegetables.
She bent over and pleaded with the shopkeeper, "I've sold all the clothes in my house. My family of six is waiting for rice to cook. Please, have mercy, could you give me a discount...?" As she spoke, she took out a few copper coins and handed them over tremblingly.
"What good are these few coins?" The shopkeeper waved her hand away with disgust. "What are you doing out here if you don't have money? Get out!"
That was all the money in the house! The woman panicked and crawled on the ground to search, but was suddenly kicked.
"Don't block our business!"
The woman's waist hit the threshold, and she cried out in pain. The waiter, instead of feeling guilty, called his companions, and together they threw the woman out.
The local residents passing by weren't having an easy time either. Prices had skyrocketed recently, but wages for workers hadn't increased, making life extremely difficult. Seeing this, they gathered around, angrily shouting:
"That rice traitor is utterly despicable, driving up rice prices and making it so that no one can afford to eat anymore!"
"Pah! You drink human blood, may you be reborn as a pig in your next life!"
The waiter was so frightened by the cursing that he took a few steps back and almost tripped over a shelf next to him.
The newly hired guards came over with sticks and beat several people before finally driving the group away.
At Shenshi (3-5 PM), the shop assistant reported the matter to Boss Mi, who didn't seem to care. Instead, he asked, "Did you remember the faces of those who caused trouble today?"
The shop assistant grinned slyly: "I've noted it all down. I won't sell them a single grain of rice from now on!"
Boss Mi smirked and said, "They won't listen to reason, so they'll have to suffer the consequences. Let them see what happens when they dare to go against me, Boss Mi."
Her eyes were chillingly cold as she pointed a heavy finger at the ground. "If you don't want to stand up to eat rice, then kneel down and gnaw on grass roots!"
Over at the house, Brother Xi and Du Zaolang were shelling beans. As soon as they finished, he wiped his hands and hurried outside.
Xiao Rong cut a piece of orange and quickly called to Xi Ge to eat it before going.
He glanced around, pursed his lips, and muttered to himself, "I told you to keep your mouth shut, but you still had to provoke him. Now look what happened! You're assigned all the cleaning and laundry, and your monthly pay is halved."
Xige picked up a piece of orange, his face filled with worry as he thought of that man. He muttered to himself, "Who would have thought he could regain favor..."
Du Zaolang was also feeling bad. He had given that man a hard time last time and hadn't gotten away with it either, but he only had half a month's wages deducted, unlike Xi Ge who had it worse.
Xiao Rong nudged Xi Ge's arm and gave him some advice: "From now on, go and serve that person diligently. Maybe he'll see that you're sincerely repentant and let you off the hook."
These past few days, Xi Ge had been so badly punished that he felt a physical fear of that person, wishing he could stay a hundred miles away from him. How could he dare to linger in front of him? Upon hearing this, he shook his head like a rattle drum and hurriedly said, "No, no! I dare not, I dare not."
Seeing his resistance, Xiao Rong didn't bring it up again.
Du Zaolang's eyes darted around, but after a moment's thought, he immediately dismissed the idea.
That guy is really difficult to deal with. Oh well, let's just deduct his pay!
......
After finishing his studies and having lunch, Zhang Ting discussed the layout of the house with Zong Suyi. He politely declined Zong's offer of help and then led Li Ruilian back to the village to check on the construction progress.
The country dirt roads are difficult to travel on; they sway and shake, making one's head spin.
Suddenly the carriage stopped abruptly, and before Zhang Ting could ask any questions, it moved forward a short distance, but then reversed again.
The driver cried out "Ouch!" and turned to Zhang Ting, saying, "Miss, there's a deep pit over here, and the wheels are stuck."
"Please get out of the car, and Master Li and I will push it forward a bit."
"Okay." Zhang Ting bent down and crawled out. The sun was blazing, and the wind was warm. She squinted as she stepped off the carriage and went around to the back to take a look. Sure enough, the wheels were stuck.
The driver and Li Ruilian worked together to push the carriage forward, but the carriage was too heavy and they still couldn't get it out of the deep pit. Just as Zhang Ting rolled up his sleeves to help, a strong woman carrying a bundle ran over and helped push the carriage out of the pit along with the other two.
The wheels were finally pushed forward. The driver thanked the strong woman and then hurried to the front to take the reins.
Li Ruilian bowed to her in thanks, and Zhang Ting walked over and saw that it was an acquaintance.
She greeted the person, "Sister Wang, thank you so much for today!"
This person is Wang Xiu, the village chief's eldest daughter. A few days ago, when Zhang Ting came to the village chief's house to collect the contract, she secretly asked Zhang Ting where he had gone to make his fortune.
Wang Xiu scratched his head sheepishly, noticing his hands were covered in dust. He deliberately kept his distance from Zhang Ting to avoid getting her silk robe dirty. "Hey, what's the big deal! We saw you standing here from far away. Hehe, anyway, we're just farmers, we don't have much else but our strength."
Zhang Ting smiled and asked her what she was going to do.
She patted the bundle and grinned, "It's because my husband's family is in a bad situation. They still have some surplus grain, so my mother asked us to send it over."
Zhang Ting nodded, praising the village chief for his kindness and integrity.
Wang Xiu's smile deepened, even more so than when Zhang Ting praised her.
Suddenly a commotion came from behind them, and the two turned their heads to look.
Dozens of people were seen carrying bundles made of scraps of cloth on their backs, pulling carts along the road ahead. Several children were lying on the carts, covered with large taro leaves, fast asleep.
Li Ruilian frowned and asked, "What are they trying to do?"
Wang Xiugang had come from that area and had spoken with these people before. Hearing this, he sighed and explained to Li Ruilian, "It's all because of the county's prices! It's not easy for us in the countryside these days. These days, many people come to buy grain, and we sell a lot, but when we take it to the county to buy rice, we can't even buy half of it back."
"These dozens of people are all residents of the county. Recently, grain prices have soared, and their monthly wages are not enough to cover their expenses. They heard that grain prices in Taizhou Prefecture are still normal. Since they don't own any property and all their houses are rented, they discussed it with a few neighbors and decided to move their whole family to Taizhou Prefecture."
Li Ruilian had heard about the county town's malicious price gouging of grain, and now hearing that these people were being forced to leave their homes, she was filled with resentment. "That rice traitor! He's really vicious."
Wang Xiu was also indignant and said, "The government should send people to arrest the traitors!"
Zhang Ting lowered his eyelids, but thought to himself that the fact that the two officials of the county government had not yet stepped in to stop the situation, which already spoke volumes.
She shook her head. It was getting late, and if she delayed any longer, it would be dark by the time she got back.
After a hasty farewell to Wang Xiu, Zhang Ting stepped into the carriage, which then turned onto a side path through the woods and began to move slowly.
They arrived shortly afterward. Zhang Ting's new house had just had a few pillars erected. She walked around it and was quite satisfied.
The house is situated halfway up the mountain, with a bamboo forest in front that isolates it from the village, so that no one can easily spy on any movements within the house. Behind it is a gentle hillside covered in lush green grass, with beautiful scenery.
After making the decision, Zhang Ting discussed with the village and decided to buy the entire area to avoid being disturbed.
She nodded to herself, thinking that when the bamboo shoots sprouted, she could pick them to stir-fry, and then scatter flower seeds to create a flower garden.
When the craftsman in charge of building the house saw the employer arrive, he greeted his companions and hurried over.
Zhang Ting turned her head and met her gaze. Ah, this was also an acquaintance, the old craftsman who had helped her family repair their dilapidated house.
She greeted him warmly, saying it was fate. When the old master first met Zhang Ting, she was living alone in a dilapidated house. Now, seeing her again, he was happy for her because she had not only become successful but also built a huge new mansion.
Zhang Ting informed the master craftsman of the results of her discussion with Zong Suyi, and at the end asked her, "I've heard that bamboo has intertwined roots. Will that bamboo grove in front of the house be obstructive to the houses?"
The experienced craftsman chuckled and waved his hand, pointing to a bamboo grove ahead, saying, "This is a clumping bamboo; the bamboo rhizomes won't stick into the house."
Zhang Ting immediately felt relieved. After chatting with her for a few more minutes, she set off on her return journey.
The wheels rolled slowly, finally arriving at 5:15 PM.
Having traveled through the countryside today, Zhang Ting inevitably got covered in dust. He washed up first before going to the dining room for a meal.
Sitting in the main seat, still damp with sweat, before the meal was served, she took out a string of colorful bells made of peacock feathers and handed them to Zong Suyi.
Zhang Ting saw it by chance on her way back. She only glanced at it and thought that Zong Suyi would definitely like it, so she bought it.
Zong Suyi accepted the bell with delight, staring at the magnificent colors on the peacock feathers, her eyes shining with endless light. She turned her head and looked at Zhang Ting, her lips unconsciously curving upwards, and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Miss. I like it very much."
Zhang Ting was also very happy that the gift touched his heart.
At this moment, Du Zhaolang led Xiao Rong over to set the table. After setting the food, he didn't leave. He glanced at Zong Suyi, who was in a good mood, and then lowered his head to say, "Reporting to Young Master and Miss, I went out for a stroll today. Recently, the price of rice and flour has gone up again, and for some reason, the prices of vegetables and fruits have also increased..."
"I'm afraid the money we deposited in the kitchen last time will be... quite a bit short."
The rising prices didn't dampen Zong Suyi's good mood much. He lowered his head, carefully wrapped up the ringtone, and casually waved his hand, "I know, I'll transfer some more money to you tomorrow when you come to my place."
Du Zaolang smiled and agreed repeatedly before stepping down with peace of mind.
However, Zhang Ting's mood was not so pleasant.
Her brows were furrowed tightly. The rising price of rice was forcing the overall price level in the county to rise. Even if the profits from Keyinglou were distributed, the money was being spent on inflated prices, which was really annoying.
She couldn't take it anymore before the situation got completely out of control.
Now that rice prices are going up again, Zhang Ting felt nauseous just thinking about it. She put down her chopsticks, pursed her lips, and her eyes darkened.
Why should my money just flow into your pocket with a simple price increase?
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