A woman holding a child, who had just received some porridge, almost dropped her bowl upon hearing this and hurriedly pulled the man next to her back.
"Honey, what do we do? The rice in the jar is empty."
The man's face darkened, and he pushed her behind him.
"What should we do? Let's borrow some money!"
The woman didn't reply. She looked down at the child's frostbitten hands, held a half-bowl of thin porridge, and followed the crowd into the street.
Two streets away, a long line of people had already formed in front of Xu's Rice Shop.
The waiter stood on a stool and hung up the newly written price tag; the ink on the black lacquered wooden board was still wet.
One dou of aged rice costs 160 wen.
A dou of new rice, two hundred and thirty articles.
Pork costs ninety coins per pound.
One pound of vegetable oil costs 110 coins.
The old man at the front of the line looked up and saw that the copper coin in his hand had fallen into the snow. He bent down and searched for a long time before finally picking it up.
"Shopkeeper, is there a mistake? This isn't the price for a night's bread."
The shopkeeper behind the counter was busy with his abacus, without even looking up.
"Yesterday is yesterday. Today, the snow is heavy, and grain trucks can't get in, so the price is naturally different."
"But the grain supply route outside the city has been cut off!"
"Then go buy it outside the city."
The old man's lips trembled twice; he wanted to curse but dared not, and finally clutched his money bag and retreated to the side.
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but shout, "You just donated silver for the princess, and now you're trying to make up for it by taking it from us? What kind of blessing is this!"
The shopkeeper finally raised his head, his face falling.
"Hey~ You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. The Xu Clan donated money voluntarily, and the rice price is the market price. Go ahead and sue the authorities if you dare."
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Everyone knows that nowadays, wealthy merchants' names are displayed outside the soup kitchens. The money they donate is to give face to the Prince An's Residence, but what lies beneath this face is the grain that ordinary people cannot afford to buy for the New Year.
A burly man squeezed out from in front of the meat stall, clutching only a dozen or so copper coins in his hand.
He just asked about the price of meat.
He demanded two days' wages for half a pound of pork.
My mother is sick at home. Last night she was still asking if she could have some meat soup during the Chinese New Year.
The burly man stood in the snow for a long time before finally stuffing the money bag back into his arms and walking toward the money exchange with the " Stable Loan " sign hanging on the street corner.
A charcoal brazier was placed at the entrance of the money exchange, and two clerks, dressed in thick cotton-padded coats, smiled warmly as they saw someone else coming in.
"Borrow money?"
The burly man ignored them, staring only at the line of small characters on the wall.
Borrow 100 coins, with a monthly interest of 20 coins.
He swallowed hard.
"Borrow another two hundred today."
The clerk immediately produced the IOU.
"The fingerprints are all correct. The money will be returned slowly after the New Year. Prince An is benevolent and dedicated to relieving the people's worries and difficulties."
The burly man stared at the paper, his finger hovering above the inkpad, unable to bring it down.
Someone outside cursed.
"Solve my ass! If I borrow and can't pay it back, I'll lose my life! You bastard!"
The money exchange clerk's face darkened, and he reached out and pulled the curtain shut tightly.
"If you spout nonsense again, you'll be caught and beaten to death!"
The snow is still falling.
In front of the porridge stall, Lady Lü heard the commotion coming from the city, and the smile on her face faded a little. She turned to ask the nanny beside her.
What happened?
The old woman had already received the news and approached hesitantly.
"Your Majesty, the prices of grain and meat in the city have doubled, and the people are protesting."
The spoon in Lady Lü's hand froze in mid-air.
She hadn't expected these merchants to be so audacious.
Yesterday he was patting his chest in the restaurant, saying he was willing to share the burden of the Prince An's Residence, and today he has doubled the price, not even able to wait half a day.
"Let Zhou Huaili handle it."
Lady Lü handed the spoon to the nanny, her voice low.
"Tell those shops not to make too much of a scene, at least hold out until after the New Year."
The streets of Yi Prefecture City were busier than usual.
The roofs of the shantytowns in the south of the city were damaged by the recent strong winds; the wooden planks cracked and the tarpaulins leaked air.
Tuoba Mang and several of his favorite women had inspected the houses last night, and this morning craftsmen were already carrying tools to make repairs.
When Gu Moran returned from the front yard, Liu Ruyan was already waiting for him in the warm pavilion.
She was wearing a crimson short jacket today. On the table were several old files and a half-finished map of Cypress Village. Her fingertips were pressing on one of the pages, and her expression was not good.
"We've lost all contact with Yang Tie."
Gu Moran sat down and accepted the hot tea that Uncle Fu offered.
"It broke so quickly?"
"He added hidden sentries around his residence, and unfamiliar faces rotated through the front and back alleys; those delivering vegetables, firewood, and even emptying chamber pots were all questioned."
Liu Ruyan pushed the map forward a little.
"The people I originally arranged only found that he had been frequently visiting the pharmacy in recent days, and that there were several heavily concealed carriages in the backyard."
Upon further exploration, the Yang residence was found to be surrounded by an iron barrel.
It seems that Chen Qing contacted him a few days ago and reminded him.
Gu Moran lightly tapped the table with his fingertips.
Chen Qing's uniquely clever thinking actually startled Yang Tie.
Yang Tie had the audacity to get involved in Madam Shen's death, and he dared to keep so many girls of dubious origin in his mansion; he must have a lot of dirty laundry on his hands.
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
Uncle Fu entered carrying a bright red visiting card with gold lettering, followed by two servants carrying the gift list.
"Your Highness, it was sent by the Yang Family of Cypress Village."
Gu Moran accepted the visiting card.
The letter was written with extreme respect.
[Grateful for Prince Yi's benevolence to his hometown, Yang Tie wishes to contribute his humble efforts to the people of Yi Prefecture.]
Uncle Fu unfolded the gift list, and halfway through reading it, even Liu Ruyan looked up.
"Ten thousand taels of silver, two hundred pieces of top-quality pine wood, eighty pieces of nanmu wood, three hundred pieces of fir wood, and some bricks, tiles, tung oil, and lime."
"Your Highness, his entourage has taken up half the street!"
Gu Moran placed the visiting card back on the table.
"What a grand gesture!"
Liu Ruyan said coldly, "With such a grand display and this unsolicited favor, he probably wants to tie himself to the Prince Yi's Residence and see if our mansion dares to accept him."
Why not accept money that's offered to you?
Gu Moran looked up at Uncle Fu.
"The money will be deposited into the public treasury, listed separately, and used for the renovation of the old shantytown. The accounts will be posted on the bulletin board in the south of the city so that the people can see them clearly."
"Where's the timber?"
"They'll also be moved to the shantytowns."
Gu Moran picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"Fix the leak in the roof first, repair the missing door panels, repair the missing window frames, and build more schools for the rest. Also, build a shelter for the schools and the express delivery station."
Uncle Fu agreed, then hesitated and said, " The Yang Family steward is still waiting outside, saying he wants to pay his respects to the Prince in person."
"Let him in."
Before long, a middle-aged steward in a brocade robe was led into the warm pavilion.
He was covered in strong incense, and upon entering, he knelt down with his forehead pressed against the carpet, striking a very serious pose.
"This humble servant, Yang Fugui, pays his respects to Your Highness on behalf of my master."
Gu Moran leaned back in her chair.
"Mr. Yang, you're very kind."
Yang Fugui hurriedly smiled and said, "My master often says that Yi Prefecture's current prosperity is all thanks to Your Highness's hard work. The Yang Family is in the timber business and doesn't have anything rare to offer. We only hope to contribute a few bricks and repair a few tiles to the city."
"I accept Mr. Yang's kind offer."
Yang Fugui looked up, clearly not expecting things to go so smoothly.
Gu Moran raised his hand and called Su Yao over.
Su Yao entered carrying the account book. After listening to Uncle Fu's words, she immediately turned to a blank page and began to write.
Gu Moran, " The Yang Family donated 10,000 taels of silver and a certain amount of timber, all of which will be used for the repair of the shantytowns in the south of the city. Tomorrow, I will have the bookstore write a notice and post it out. I also ask Manager Yang to take a look at it in person."
Yang Fugui's smile faltered.
"Your Highness, this... there's no need for such a grand display. The Yang Family only wishes to express our sincere gratitude."
Why are you afraid of people knowing you're doing good deeds?
Gu Moran looked at him.
"Or does Mr. Yang have another purpose in sending these things?"
[Fourth update delivered, thank you everyone for your support!]
[Thanks to: Yi'ao's amazing certification! Xixi's character summon + 2 milk teas, Yu Hu's update reminder, Mu Nian's inspiration capsule, Erhu's flowers x4, Xue Lin, Liang Mei, Kang Ke, X's flowers x2, Ling Ling, Yu Mao's milk tea, Shen Yuan's flowers + likes, Fen Jie's likes + milk tea, Quan Shui's likes, and everyone else for their love and support, love you all!]