In the blink of an eye, five days passed in a flash.
Shuzhou's weather turned from clear to overcast.
Gray clouds rolled like ocean waves, stretching for thousands of miles. A great sun with a pale halo could faintly be seen behind them.
With no wind stirring, the city felt somewhat stuffy and oppressive.
Just like the common folk traveling between the East and West Markets, every face bore at least a trace of sorrow.
"The grain prices have risen again."
"Five days ago, a dan of fine grain cost one tael and five qian of silver. Three days ago, it rose to two taels. Today, when the Lin Family Grain Merchant opened, the listed price had actually shot up to two taels and seven qian."
"If you ask me, it'll probably rise to three taels per dan tomorrow."
"Damn those black-hearted merchants!"
"When grain prices fall, they're slower than anyone. But when prices rise, each one is faster than the last!"
"If this keeps up, our families will truly run out of food."
"Alas, my boy was already crying that he was hungry two days ago. I, I carry sandbags for a whole day, and it only earns enough for one bowl of noodles..."
Such circumstances naturally drew complaints from the people.
Especially from poor families.
They labored bitterly every day, yet the money they earned was not even enough to let one person eat a full meal. How could they possibly support an entire family?
"Damn it, didn't they say Shuzhou had a good harvest this year? Why is there a shortage of grain?"
"The harvest was good, but it couldn't withstand natural disasters and man-made calamities."
"Some time ago, torrential rain caused the Chishui River to burst through the downstream embankments, flooding the fields of three eastern