Chapter 233 Selling Oneself to Bury Father
"food?"
The shop is doing quite well.
Zhou Wanqing also made a lot of money, and now she wants to do some business with Meng Shilan and Shuang'er.
She was quite surprised, however, because the shops run by noble ladies in the capital were all selling clothes, jewelry, or calligraphy and painting supplies.
The grain is all grown by the villagers themselves, and there are very few grain transactions.
She knew that what they were dealing with in Ding County was grain.
However, no one in the capital city lacked food or clothing.
Is this line of work still viable?
Thinking of this, she still said tactfully, "The grain stores in the capital are basically kept in the hands of Lord Yuan of the Agricultural Department."
"Although we won't be harassed for running a grain store, we won't make much money either."
After returning to the capital, Meng Shilan had always wanted to open another grain store.
In the hunting grounds, His Majesty's candor made her even more certain.
"Food is the most important thing for the people. Even in the prosperous capital, it is impossible for everyone to be rich."
“Outside the capital, there are many people who need food.”
Zhou Wanqing was stunned for a moment, "Making money off the poor?"
"But...isn't doing business all about making money off the rich?"
Meng Shilan smiled and said, "But even the poor need to fill their stomachs."
"We might only earn one or two coins, but there are so many of us."
Zhou Wanqing still felt that making fine clothes and jewelry was more profitable.
Although there are many people, how long would it take to save up one or two copper coins?
Seeing that she didn't have a good opinion of the grain, Meng Shilan didn't insist.
"It's harvest time now, and Shuang'er and I need to get started on buying grain. Please take good care of the shop during this period."
Zhou Wanqing said, "Don't worry, I will take good care of the shop."
Harvesting grain was something Shuang'er handled with ease; it was something she was used to doing.
Over the years, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has bestowed many fertile fields as rewards.
They are all managed by the stewards of the estate.
Meng Shilan had not been able to find the time to check the accounts for the land.
Now we can investigate them all at once.
The wheat fields were a golden expanse, and the aroma of wheat filled the air as soon as I got off the bus.
Shuang'er skillfully stepped forward and struck up a conversation with the tenant farmer.
In previous years, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion had no master in the capital, and all management of the fields, including grain harvesting and distributing money, was handled by the steward.
Therefore, the officials in Zhuangzi had great power.
So large that if he wanted to embezzle, no one would notice.
Meng Shilan arrived without greeting anyone. By the time Zhuangzi received the news and rushed over, Shuang'er had already finished talking.
The head steward wiped the sweat from his brow. "Why did Miss come today? You could have let me know in advance so I could have prepared some refreshing fruits for you."
Meng Shilan said, "I was just passing by when I saw the wheat fields swaying in the wind, which looked beautiful, so I came down to take a look."
The head of the village breathed a sigh of relief.
There is indeed a red maple forest nearby, and many people come here specifically to see the scenery at this time of year.
"Miss has never been to our estate before; this whole area belongs to the manor."
"When the green plums in the west ripen in a while, I'll pick some of the best ones and send them to the manor."
Meng Shilan: "How's the tenants' harvest?"
The foreman glanced at the fields and said, "This year's harvest is bountiful; the tenants have all had a good harvest."
"That's good." She nodded in satisfaction.
She glanced at Shuang'er one last time, "It's getting late, we should go."
The village head stood by the roadside, watching them leave.
Until the carriage had gone quite a distance.
Shuang'er had barely spoken when she said, "There's definitely something wrong with this head of the estate."
"These are all prime farmlands, yet many of the tenant farmers' children are pale and thin, not even as good as the tenant farmers of Dongshan Village."
“I asked many tenants, and not one of them was willing to tell the truth.”
"His eyes darted around, as if saying another word would send him to his death."
Meng Shilan nodded. "We need to find out the details about this estate manager."
"And his relationship with the owners of various grain shops in the capital."
Shuang'er said, "We've already reorganized the shop's manager, so going to the estate this time will definitely alert them."
Meng Shilan smiled. "I'm just afraid of not being surprised."
"If he's up to no good, he'll definitely make a move."
"Instead of us investigating, he will reveal his true colors on his own."
Shuang'er raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I'll go ask Wei Xun for help. He's the best at investigating people's backgrounds."
The carriage swayed and rattled into the capital.
When they reached a certain point, their path was blocked by a crowd of onlookers.
The coachman's voice came over.
"Miss, something has happened up ahead; there's a large crowd gathered there."
Meng Shilan didn't peek out. "Turn around."
Just as the driver pulled on the reins to turn the car around, he heard cursing and swearing coming from behind.
"How do you drive? Is this a place where you can turn around?!"
Another carriage appeared from behind.
The road was narrow, and the two carriages were stuck together, neither of them able to move backward.
Unless the crowd in front disperses.
Shuang'er peeked out.
In the middle of the crowd ahead, you can only vaguely see a person wearing white clothes.
She grabbed a passerby at random and asked, "What happened? Why are there so many people blocking the way?"
"I heard it was a girl who sold herself into servitude to bury her father."
The passerby didn't see anything either; he only heard about it from others.
“What’s so interesting about selling yourself to bury your father? If you really want to sell yourself, just go to a human trafficking agency and sell yourself.”
"Shuang'er, go and see what's going on. No one can get through here. If there are too many people, there's a risk of a stampede."
Shuang'er squeezed her way in after a long time.
Indeed, there is a woman who is selling herself to pay for her father's funeral.
There were many onlookers, but no one made a bid.
She saw the sign on the ground; five taels wasn't expensive. She took out a piece of silver from her pocket and wanted to let her go so she wouldn't be stuck in traffic for who knows how long.
Someone grabbed her arm.
"Please think carefully, young lady. You must not buy this man!"
"Why can't I buy it?"
"She has the fate of Seven Killings! Anyone who gets involved with her will die. Young lady, don't ruin your whole family because of your momentary kindness."
"A destiny marked by the Seven Killings?"
“This girl’s family came here half a year ago. In just six months, her father, mother and brother all died. Now only her father is left, and he is so poor that he doesn’t even have the money to buy a straw mat.”
Shuang'er glanced at the tightly packed crowd.
"I'm not buying it; I'll give the money to her."
Another person said, "A kind old lady gave her a pancake yesterday, and now she's too sick to get up."
“The day before yesterday, the pockmarked man on the street said he wanted to raise money to marry her, so she would be spared the suffering of being sold into prostitution.”
"I was hit by a horse-drawn carriage when I went out this morning."
"That's really weird!"
Shuang'er hesitated, "That's so strange."
"Then what are you all doing here? Just trying to get unlucky?"
Another person chuckled, "I checked here the other day and won some money. Yesterday, I didn't believe it and tried again, and won another ten or so taels."
"I'll stand here a bit longer today, and then I'll go to the casino and try a few rounds later."
So it turns out all these people were just trying to get some good luck.
"That's utter nonsense!"
A figure walked into the crowd.
"Girl, here's five taels. Take it and come with me."
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