I Just Won't Buy Your Chicks

Lin Shouyi cursed angrily:

"How can these people be so ignorant?

Anyway, I've said everything I should and tried to persuade everyone I could. I went from house to house talking to them.

I wonder what things will be like when the time comes?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said:

"We've done our part. If they won't listen, that's their business.

Besides, water doesn't cost anything. If they won't even store some water, they're asking to die, and nobody can talk them out of it."

"True. You see things more clearly, girl. By the way, what did you need me for?"

Zhou Wanwan smiled. "I'm planning to go into town to buy a few more things. Are you free?"

"I am! My family's dog has been barking all day long these past few days. My father says something isn't right and there's bound to be a natural disaster, so he told me to buy more grain." Lin Shouyi's face was full of worry.

They hit it off at once, and Lin Shouyi took Zhou Wanwan straight into town. Little Ginseng was in Zhou Wanwan's cloth bag.

Zhou Wanwan had cut two openings in the bag, and Little Ginseng was overjoyed:

"Oh my! This young master has finally made it into town! Grandpa never let me come. He said the town was full of bad people, so I've never been here before.

Wow! What's that? Is that candied hawthorn? I really want some! Too bad I can't eat it."

Zhou Wanwan promptly took out ten wen and bought five skewers of candied hawthorn.

Lin Shouyi looked at the skewers and said, "Oh! Why did you buy me candied hawthorn? I don't eat that."

Zhou Wanwan pressed some into his hand. "Go on, eat! Have plenty. I'm going to the apothecary, Uncle Lin, so I'll go on ahead. Let's meet at the grain shop later."

Lin Shouyi smiled. "All right. I'll go spend some time at the county yamen."

Zhou Wanwan went straight to the apothecary and took out the medicinal herbs she had dug up yesterday. The shopkeeper smiled and said, "You've had quite good luck, miss. I'll give you two taels and five hundred wen for these herbs. What do you say?"

Zhou Wanwan nodded.

"Shopkeeper, sorry for the trouble, but could you also get me a packet of silver needles and put together a few herbs? Three qian each of notoginseng and angelica, and five qian each of teasel root and drynaria.

"Also, two qian each of safflower, frankincense, and myrrh, plus some achyranthes and dragon's blood."

The shopkeeper listened carefully, answering, "Right away," as he turned and deftly gathered the herbs from the medicine cabinet behind him. He weighed them precisely on a small scale and folded the paper packets neatly.

A moment later, he handed over a packet of silver needles and several tied bundles of herbs. His abacus clacked as he worked out the total, and he smiled. "Everything you asked for comes to exactly one tael and eight hundred wen, miss."

Zhou Wanwan nodded. "All right, that'll do."

The shopkeeper smiled and said:

"Who might you be, miss? You're quite capable, bringing in so many herbs in a single night.

"If you have any other fine herbs, I'll buy them all."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said:

"The elders in my family found these herbs in the mountains. They're rather busy, so they sent me to sell them.

"If we have any suitable herbs, I'll bring them over."

Zhou Wanwan immediately picked up her back basket and left. The shopkeeper had been trying to draw information out of her, and she was afraid too.

They turned and went straight to the market. Markets in ancient times were nothing like the neat ones on television.

There were all sorts of miscellaneous goods, mostly baskets people had woven at home, along with handmade shoes and homegrown vegetables...

Zhou Wanwan walked around the market for quite a while before she saw someone selling chicks. She hurried over and asked, "How much for a chick?"

"Three wen each. How many do you want, miss?"

Zhou Wanwan wanted to buy them all, but Little Ginseng cried out, "No good! These chicks are no good at all. They'll die as soon as you take them home. Don't buy them, don't!"

Zhou Wanwan coughed and said, "We'll look around some more and come back later..."

The old man's expression soured. "Hmph! Aren't you just making trouble? If you can't afford them, don't buy them."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him. "What do you mean, I can't afford them? I just don't like your chicks. Is that not allowed?"

The old man pulled out a dry tobacco pipe and looked at her. "Who are you trying to fool? You were born a pauper and can't even afford a chick. How do you have the nerve to show your face out here?"

Zhou Wanwan gave him a cool glance and walked straight to the neighboring stall. "What are you selling here?"

The man there was middle-aged. He looked up at her and said, "Chicks and eggs. I've also got three piglets at home."

Little Ginseng bounced up and down in the bag. "His are good, his are good! Buy his!"

Zhou Wanwan asked directly, "How much are your chicks?"

"Pah! No point asking. You can't afford them anyway." The old man spat.

"My chicks are two wen each. There are twenty-two in all."

Zhou Wanwan looked at the eggs. "What about these?"

"A hundred eggs. I'll let you have them for a hundred wen..."

Zhou Wanwan counted them and said, "I'll take them all."

Zhou Qingyan carefully placed the eggs in the back basket, while Zhou Qinghe put the chicks in it.

Zhou Wanwan asked, "You have piglets at home too?"

"Yes, they were just born. One female and two males, sixty wen each. If you want them, I'll let you have them for a hundred and fifty wen. How about it?"

Zhou Wanwan nodded. "All right, I'll take all three piglets."

The old man said sarcastically from the side, "Pah! Even if you buy them, you won't be able to keep them alive. You're just doing it to show me up."

Zhou Wanwan chuckled. "That's right, I am doing it to show you up. I just won't buy your chicks. What can you do about it?"

The old man sprang to his feet in a rage. "Believe it or not, I'll beat you with my pipe!"

Lin Shouyi walked over. "You old rogue, you think people from our village are easy to bully, do you?"

The old man immediately backed down. "So she's from your village? I didn't know! I was just a little angry because she wouldn't buy my chicks."

Lin Shouyi sneered. "They can buy from whoever they want. We don't hold with forcing people to buy or sell."

With that, he took Zhou Wanwan away.

Zhou Wanwan smiled. "Uncle Lin, I haven't finished shopping yet. I was planning to buy some more grain..."

"All right, let's go together! I'll take you to buy official grain. It's cheaper.

"But you mustn't tell anyone. The officials are selling this grain off to line their own pockets, which is why it's so cheap," Lin Shouyi said softly.

He only had access to this official grain thanks to his second uncle, who worked at the county yamen.

This was no price set by the Ever-Normal Granary out of official concern for the people. The officials were plainly using their positions to line their own pockets!

When the county collected grain, it was extremely strict with farmers. Shriveled, broken, or damp grains were all rejected; only plump, thoroughly dried grain was selected.

When it was put into storage, it was sifted and winnowed until not a trace of dirt or chaff remained. The milled rice was gleaming white and rich in rice oil, and the fragrance of the cooked rice could waft halfway down the street.

But although the authorities had collected this superior official grain from farmers at low prices, none of it had gone into the Ever-Normal Granary to relieve the people as the rules required. Instead, officials had diverted it in private.

They sold it secretly at a price slightly higher than what they had paid for it, yet thirty percent cheaper than privately sold grain outside.