The Storybook Lin Feng Wrote

"Achoo—"

Gongxi Chou rubbed his persistently itchy nose.

It took several sneezes before he finally settled down.

"It's this late already. Who's talking about me?" Gongxi Chou lifted his bowl of muddy wine and took a big gulp, his swordlike brows furrowing. During the few days he'd been a "prisoner" in Xiaocheng, he'd been given only the finest wine. His palate had grown so discerning that the wine out here never tasted quite right. He set down his bowl, took a bite of the food that went with it, and muttered, "It's probably A Lai or Mama..."

He was just about to finish eating and head back to his room to rest.

The conversation of the diners by the window caught his attention.

Diner A sighed repeatedly. Diner B asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"...Sigh, nothing's happened to my family. I just heard there's going to be another war. I'd planned to buy some grain this year while prices were good. Who knew..." Diner A sighed.

Diner A was troubled. His family were grain merchants, and the grain from their own fields wasn't enough to sell. They had to buy grain elsewhere at low prices, then transport it back and sell it at a markup. Their profit came from the difference.

They couldn't wait until the autumn harvest to buy it, either. They had to negotiate a few months in advance and pay a deposit, or other merchants would snap up the grain. Without grain to sell, the business naturally couldn't continue.

The family had plenty of expenses. They couldn't just live off their savings forever.

"Another war?" Diner B asked. "Where?"

Diner A rolled his eyes. "Where else? That bunch and the Tyrannical Lord. They've been fighting for so long and still haven't settled anything. All they do is