Soon, Shi Shanbao returned.
The town's merchants, notified by him, began arriving one after another.
The first to arrive was the grain storekeeper.
"I am Tang Chun, keeper of the Tang Family Grain Store. It's an honor to meet you, Young Master Lin."
An elderly man dressed in silk introduced himself.
The other two grain storekeepers, Yin Jiazhu and Fei Chuan, also exchanged greetings before introducing themselves.
Lin Ze spoke up. "I need at least a hundred thousand catties of grain every month. What prices can your three stores offer?"
A hundred thousand catties of grain each month, with a long-term supply contract.
This was a huge deal.
Tang Chun and the others exchanged glances, and each saw greed in the others' eyes.
Without much hesitation, they quoted their lowest prices.
"Seven wen per catty."
"Six wen per catty."
"Thirteen wen for two catties."
Hearing their answers, Lin Ze turned to Fei Chuan, who had offered the lowest price, and asked, "What quality of rice can I get for six wen a catty?"
Fei Chuan answered honestly, "The market price for rice is eight wen a catty. Anything cheaper is old or broken rice. It doesn't look very good, but it's still perfectly edible. If Young Master Lin wants something cheaper still, the only option is grain that's been dampened. Eating it could make you sick."
Clearly, a deal involving a hundred thousand catties wasn't for personal consumption. Otherwise, Fei Chuan would have recommended fragrant rice at twelve wen a catty.
When Lin Ze looked their way, Tang Chun and Yin Jiazhu gave much the same answer.
"Then each month, I'll buy seventy thousand catties from the Fei Family Grain Store, twenty thousand from the Yin Family Grain Store, and ten thousand from the Tang Family Grain Store. If our