"Okay, be careful when you water it yourself. If you get tired, wait for me to finish and I'll water it for you."
"I understand, you should go now!" Xu Han urged.
After saying that, he continued to water the corn. The corn was already quite big. Since it was spring corn, it would be ready for harvest in a while.
By the time Xu Han finished watering the area, Lu Chuan had already finished dealing with the wild boar.
Xu Han put the wild boar into her spatial storage and said, "Let's go to the county town tomorrow! This wild boar is so big, plus the two already in the space, it takes up quite a bit of space."
“Okay, then let’s go to the county town tomorrow and sell the wild boar while we’re at it,” Lu Chuan agreed.
After finishing their meal, Xu Han suddenly asked, "Besides buying a bathtub, should we also buy some saltpeter? I think it would be better to buy more."
"Okay! Let's buy some more then! The usage is quite large. Do you want to buy anything else?" Lu Chuan asked.
"I can't think of anything I need to buy right now! Is there anything else you need to buy?"
"Let's see if we can buy a few more machetes or kitchen knives! We already have these at home, but we'll still buy an extra set as a backup!"
"Okay, then we'll go to the blacksmith's shop tomorrow and see if we can buy it."
After finishing dinner, the two sat on deck chairs in the yard to cool off. After a while, they still felt very hot, so they had no choice but to go back to their room and use ice to cool down.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the two hurried on their way while the sun was still out, otherwise it would be too hot once the sun came out.
Because we set off early, it was still early when we arrived at the main road, but the fields were already full of people.
Everyone looked hurried as they carried water to irrigate their own fields.
Lu Chuan wanted to strike up a conversation, but no one was willing to say more than a few words; they were all in a hurry to water the fields!
Left with no other choice, the two had to go to the county town to check out the situation first.
After entering the county town, I found that there were even fewer people on the streets than last time! And some shops had already closed down.
Seeing this, Lu Chuan and Xu Han exchanged a glance but did not say anything.
Then Lu Chuan took Xu Han to Manxianglou. Lu Chuan led Xu Han directly to the back door of Manxianglou, and after knocking for a long time, a servant finally came to open the door.
When the servant saw that it was Lu Chuan and Xu Han, he quickly invited them into the courtyard and went to call the manager.
"Oh! It really is Brother Lu! It's been such a long time since I've seen you!" Manager Li said warmly.
"It hasn't rained lately, so we haven't been down here much. But we hunted two wild boars yesterday and wanted to come to the county town to see if you still accept them!"
"Yes, yes, you know that although the weather is bad now and ordinary people don't want to come to restaurants to eat, there are always those rich gentlemen who want to eat some wild game."
For the past six months, many families have been busy stockpiling food, and even the number of people selling wild animals has decreased significantly. Those wealthy people! They have nowhere to spend their money even if they want to.
After saying that, he turned to the waiter and instructed him, "Go and inform Master Li, Master Lu, and other wealthy families that Manxianglou has received two wild boars. Those who want to eat them should come and make a reservation as soon as possible."
After hearing this, Xiao Er quickly ran out. Business at the restaurant had been slow lately, and fewer and fewer people were coming to eat. He was worried that he would lose his job soon. But now that there were two wild boars, those who wanted to eat wild game would surely come and pay up for it!
As he thought about it, his pace quickened, and eventually he even started running.
After weighing the wild boar, Manager Li said, "The market hasn't been good lately, but this kind of game is indeed rare. How about this: I'll add five coins per pound for you, but that's all I can offer."
“Alright, I’ll do as Brother Li says,” Lu Chuan said politely.
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they naturally wanted to have a good chat. Manager Li asked the waiter to bring tea, and the group drank and talked.
"How has Uncle Li been feeling lately?" Lu Chuan asked.
"I'm in good health. It's all thanks to what you said back then, that I bought more grain when prices were low. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to keep my restaurant running. Although grain prices haven't risen too much, prices for all kinds of goods have skyrocketed."
Xu Han asked, puzzled, "Is Manager Li keeping this shop afloat with the grain he bought before?"
"Well, not really, it's just routine operations! Business has been getting worse and worse over the past six months, and most of the staff have quit. Now there are only a few people left to keep it going. I've been thinking about whether I should close the shop for now!"
“On our way here, we saw that many shops had already closed down, and there were only a few shops left on the street,” Lu Chuan added.
“Shops are no longer profitable. Some shops have high staff expenses and can’t make money, so they naturally close down. If it weren’t for the fact that this shop was bought and doesn’t require rent, I probably would have closed it down long ago.”
"There's still no sign of rain, so this year's summer harvest won't be very good. Brother Li, you'd better make plans early. A tall tree catches the wind, and wealth shouldn't be flaunted." Lu Chuan left it at that.
Shopkeeper Li thought for a moment and instantly understood Lu Chuan's advice. He was originally running a food stall, and it wasn't harvest time yet, so he wasn't in a desperate situation.
If it doesn't rain after the summer harvest, it means the autumn harvest may be a complete failure.
At that point, people will have nothing to eat and will definitely be driven to desperation.
If I keep my food stall open, wouldn't that be like telling others, "I have food here, come and take it from me"?
Having figured this out, he said, "I understand, thank you, Brother Lu."
“Farmers usually have stored grain at home, plus the harvested grain from the summer. They figure that they can make enough to last through the year. But if things continue like this, next year will be tough,” Lu Chuan said.
"Brother Lu, do you still have any grain stored at home? When you reminded me, I bought some extra. I can spare some for you," Manager Li asked.
"We're alright, we can still manage. We bought more grain last year when prices were low, so we should be able to get through this year without any problem. Thank you for your kindness, Brother Li," Lu Chuan said.
"Hey, this is nothing. If you hadn't brought it up, I would never have thought about buying food. We are so grateful to you! Otherwise, my family would be living on a tight budget by now."
"Who could have imagined a drought would happen! I was just trying to save some money, otherwise I really would have had to ask Brother Li for help." Lu Chuan scratched the back of his head and said with an honest expression.
"Hahaha, what's the big deal! Just let me know if you need anything!" Manager Li said heartily.
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