The shop door was ajar, and it was obvious that it was not open for business yet.
In such a drought, who would come to buy charcoal?
Unfortunately, Jiang Yue is a person who does the opposite.
Just because no one is buying charcoal doesn’t mean the store has no stock.
In winter, the charcoal shop was emptied. The weather had been unusual in the past two years, and if the owner behind it hadn't had a keen sense of smell and hadn't made timely preparations, he wouldn't have been able to open such a large shop in the capital.
"Is anyone there? Shopkeeper."
After shouting twice, a guy came out. He was half naked, sweating, his face was red, and he was hot.
She guessed that he was either burning charcoal in the backyard or moving things. She would not miss out today.
When the guy saw that it was a young lady shouting, he quickly put on his shirt.
Jiang Nian didn't react much. He was half-naked at home every day (occasionally completely naked), and he had no idea of avoiding suspicion in this regard.
The waiter straightened his clothes and asked curiously, "What can I do for you two guests?"
"We want to buy charcoal, already made charcoal."
The waiter was shocked. "Are you kidding? It's the scorching summer heat."
Jiang Yue shook her head. "Of course we have a use for it. I wonder how much it can be sold for now? What's the price?"
From what he heard, it seemed the two wanted quite a bit. The clerk couldn't make up his mind for the moment, so he said he would go ask the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper, who was over forty years old and had a bright face, said with a smile, "We have some charcoal now, but we have to save it for the winter. We can't sell it all."
Jiang Yue nodded, knowing that charcoal was expensive in winter.
"We want 100 kilograms of ordinary charcoal. Please pay now."
The shopkeeper nodded in agreement. The quantity was not large and could be produced by firing two large kilns once.
The average price in winter is between 20 and 30 wen, and the most expensive price during snow disasters is 100 wen per catty - of course, this price is suppressed by the government.
It is the hottest time of the year now, and the city has long resumed selling firewood. The price is 2 cents cheaper than summer charcoal in normal weather. 100 jin of charcoal costs a total of 800 cents, which is very cheap.
I don’t know if the shopkeeper will regret it.
The man packed it into 4 bags. Jiang Yue didn't care whether it was clean or not, and directly loaded it onto the mule cart.
Before leaving, she thought about it and decided to move closer to the shopkeeper and whispered to him that there were a lot of refugees outside.
Whether their kilns are in the backyard or outside the city, the material for making charcoal is wood, so they must go outside the city.
Jiang Yue just gave a reminder, saying that was enough, and then drove home.
The shopkeeper's face tensed, and he bowed to the two men in thanks. He was experienced and knew what refugees represented, so he didn't mind being "taken advantage of" and immediately rode off to report the matter to his boss.
Jiang Yue put the charcoal back into the space, she was worried.
Jiang Nian asked, "Is Yueyue worried about refugees rushing in?"
"Well, if the refugees break into the city, we'll definitely have a tough battle. If they can't break in, everyone will be in danger. It's more convenient to prepare some charcoal than dry firewood."
They must prepare for the worst, which is to flee.
That afternoon, the prefect issued a decree that people were only allowed to leave the city but not enter, and were required to carry their household registration with them. People without local household registration were not allowed to stay in the city unless they had relatives to act as guarantors.
As soon as the decree was issued, the people were talking about it. There was no restriction even during the most severe snowstorm period, so why was there a restriction at this time?
Someone who knew about this said, "There are so many refugees outside! The city is already short of food, and now we rely on the wealthy to donate food. If it doesn't rain this year, we'll have to endure another year of hunger. The grain store can't get any grain, are you willing to let them come in and steal your food?"
"Of course not!"
"That's right. I also heard that these refugees not only eat human flesh but also drink human blood!"
Those who heard it took a deep breath, but they could understand. They were still starving and eating expensive grain. They were almost dying. How could they care about what kind of meat it was?
Magistrate Zhang stood on the city wall and looked into the distance, where scattered refugees kept appearing.
Due to the guards’ vigilance, they were only allowed to be settled 2 miles outside the city.
If the number of refugees was small, perhaps disaster relief and resettlement could be provided within the city. However, hundreds of them have arrived, and the daily porridge provided won't last more than a few days.
Moreover, the people in the city are still in urgent need of the government to solve their food problem. If relief is provided to the victims outside the city, how can the people in the city be appeased?
Magistrate Zhang's face was gloomy. "Has the official letter been sent out?"
A man behind him replied, "Your Excellency, we have sent someone to deliver it to the capital at full speed. It is expected to arrive the day after tomorrow."
The fastest round trip would take at least six days. Requests for disaster relief have been repeatedly suppressed. Now refugees are surrounding the city, and I don’t know what the higher-ups mean?
They are unable to rescue them, but these refugees are also our people. Are they just going to watch them starve to death?
"Order the soldiers to strengthen the manpower and guard the city day and night. No one is allowed to enter or leave the city gates without permission, and no one is allowed to provide assistance to strangers at will."
"Yes, sir!"
Jiang Yue racked her brains to make preparations. What consequences will the refugees cause?
1. Kill and be killed—they have their weapons ready.
2. If you can’t win, you have to flee - you have already packed your things and prepared supplies, and you can escape at any time.
3. There is another one, infectious disease!
Refugees are more or less likely to have some diseases. Food and drink can bring germs.
For example, epidemics.
This epidemic is a general term for various diseases with extremely high infectious rates, including high fever and runny nose, severe cough, and malaria.
Jiang Yue went out again and bought a dozen large and small ceramic pots to collect boiled water. Although the natural water she brought was cleaner than the water exposed to the outside, it was still better to boil it before drinking.
She read medical books more diligently, trying to memorize the symptoms of the epidemic and the prevention methods.
Jiang Nian was always paying attention to the news from the city gate.
Three days later, in the dead of night, gongs and drums were struck in the city, waking the people from their sleep.
Jiang Yue and the other man quickly put on their clothes, took their knives, and stood guard at the door.
A small yamen runner walked through the streets, beating gongs in urgent voices, "Dangdangdang—refugees are fleeing, and no one is allowed to open the door!"
"Ding ding ding—refugees are fleeing, everyone, close your doors!"
The gong sounds lasted two or three times and then stopped, followed by shouts of fighting and killing.
Jiang Nian brought a ladder and leaned against the wall to observe the surrounding situation.
The number of refugees seemed small, but they were scattered and ran towards the houses of ordinary people. Their figures could not be seen clearly at night, and it was difficult for the officers and soldiers to chase them.
"Yueyue, someone is coming to this street." Jiang Nian whispered.
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