"All grain sold out for today."
"All rice sold out for today."
"Today's price for White Rice: eighty cents. Old Rice: fifty-five cents..."
"Sorghum flour for sale here..."
"Rice bran..."
"..."
「The next morning.」
Cheng Zongyang found a deserted spot and quickly retrieved a wooden frame he had made from the Wilderness World. He placed his specially disguised burlap sacks and back-basket onto the frame, slung the rope over his shoulder, stuck a Firewood Knife in his belt, and began dragging the frame through the streets. As he walked, he took note of the grain prices at some of the rice and flour shops.
Other than a few shops selling sorghum flour, rice bran, and wheat bran that still had long queues, the rest of the rice shops were either sold out, with signs hanging on their wooden doors, or had very few people lining up.
'Dad said Old Rice was fifty cents a catty yesterday, but it's gone up by five cents today. It really is a new price every day.'
He recalled how two years ago, a catty of White Rice was only a few cents, ten cents at most. Now...
'But these unbalanced prices are truly deadly.'
Looking at the situation, Cheng Zongyang guessed this was the grain merchants' strategy. They were taking the opportunity to boil the frog in warm water, raising prices bit by bit. This way, they didn't have to sell large quantities of grain, nor would they instantly provoke a backlash from the common people.
'So, these merchants must be holding on to large stockpiles of grain.'
He had heard that in his past life, at the end of every dynasty, the price of grain per dou (twelve catties) could rise from a few hundred cents to one or two taels of silver, or even as high as seven or eight taels.
It was becoming much the same here now.
Some couldn't afford it, while others could. Those who couldn't had to find other ways to get by, and those who could didn't care about the price.
But he paid it no mind. He didn't have the strength to rob the rich to feed himself. The homes of wealthy merchants like these were undoubtedly protected by Martial Artists.
It just increased the sense of urgency he felt to earn more money and stockpile more grain.
Though he was taking a detour, he didn't stop walking. He ignored the people who kept staring at the tightly wrapped bundle on his wooden frame. After all, with a gleaming Firewood Knife stuck in his belt, some people were bound to be wary.
In these times, messing with someone's food was asking for death.
Besides, the County Town still had laws. He hadn't revealed what was inside, so even if someone got any ideas, they'd have to consider if they could bear the consequences of robbing someone in broad daylight.
Soon, he arrived at his destination: the entrance of a luxurious and grand Restaurant.
Business inside the Restaurant was still decent.
Those who could live in the county naturally had better lives than the farmers. However, he didn't go through the main entrance, instead continuing to drag his frame toward the back door in the side alley.
This wasn't his first time here. When he reached the back door, he happened to run into someone carrying out wine jars.
"Brother Li, making another wine delivery?"
Cheng Zongyang took the initiative to greet Li Ze, who was in the middle of moving wine jars.
The one moving the wine was a young man named Li Ze, twenty-three years old. He was the third son of the Li Family Winery's master. It was said he was born to a concubine and wasn't held in high regard.
The Celestial Fragrance Tower had three types of wine, each corresponding to a different price point and catering to a different clientele.
The low-end wine, called Wooden Fruit Wine, was produced by the Li Family Winery in South City. It was a fruit wine that tasted decent, but not particularly great.
A one-catty pot of Wooden Fruit Wine cost only twenty cents.
Basically, anyone could afford it, which meant sales were good. It was just that fewer people were drinking these days.
As for the other grain-based wines, they were said to be transported from other places unaffected by the disaster, and their prices were just as expensive.
Because he often sold goods from the mountains, he frequently ran into Li Ze. Over time, the two of them had become familiar with each other.
"Ah, it's Younger Brother Cheng! What, did you hunt down something good again? You even brought a wooden frame. Must be quite a haul, right?"
When Li Ze saw Cheng Zongyang, he wiped his face with a sweat towel hanging around his neck. After wiping away the sweat, he broke into a hearty smile.
Cheng Zongyang smiled and said, "It's alright. I found a large Snake Cave, killed what was inside, and brought them here to see what they're worth."
As he spoke, he set the wooden frame on the ground. He reached through a gap in the tightly packed burlap and leaves, pulled two dead snakes, each over a meter long, from the back-basket inside, and placed them on Li Ze's wooden cart. He said with a smile:
"Snake meat is good for the body. Take these two back and make some snake stew to try."
Li Ze quickly refused, "No, no, no. Meat is expensive right now. You can get a good price for these."
Cheng Zongyang held Li Ze's hand down and laughed.
"Brother Li, you were always giving me wine before, and I never had anything good to give back. If you act so distant, I won't dare to accept your wine anymore."
Hearing Cheng Zongyang put it that way, Li Ze no longer refused. "Alright then. Refusing again would just be pretentious of me."
Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Isn't that right? It's not like this cost me any money. Comparatively, the wine you give me is worth more, and I've been shameless enough to accept it."
"Hahaha," Li Ze laughed heartily. "Then we'll say no more about it. But I didn't bring much wine today. Next time you come by my family's winery, I'll give you some."
"Deal. I'll remember that. I'll drop by for a visit when I have time," Cheng Zongyang replied with a smile. But he knew he wouldn't actually go to ask for wine.
Just then, a middle-aged man with a square face, a handlebar mustache, and luxurious clothes walked out from the doorway.
It was the Steward of the Celestial Fragrance Tower. His surname was Zheng, and his given name was Yan.
This Steward, around fifty years old, was also a Martial Artist at the Eighth Grade Muscle Strengthening Realm.
The Celestial Fragrance Tower didn't just have a branch in Jade Peak County; they had branches in nearly every part of Qianye Prefecture.
This showed just how powerful the person behind it was!
Therefore, the Chief overseeing a local branch couldn't possibly be an ordinary person.
"Greetings, Steward Zheng."
Cheng Zongyang and Li Ze slightly cupped their hands and bowed to the newcomer.
"So, Cheng the kid is here." Zheng Yan chuckled and nodded.
Then, he handed a money bag to Li Ze, his face full of warmth as he said:
"This is the payment for the wine this time, ten taels of silver. Go on, count it."
Li Ze took the money bag and stuffed it into his robes, saying with a smile:
"Who in all of Jade Peak County doesn't know of Steward Zheng's reputation? You wouldn't short me by a single cent. I'll be taking my leave then. Please, carry on, Steward."
At the end of his sentence, Li Ze cupped his hands toward Zheng Yan.
Zheng Yan smiled and nodded.
"Brother, I'm heading out now."
Li Ze looked at Cheng Zongyang, who nodded in response. "Alright. Be careful on the road."
Watching Li Ze pull away a cart full of empty wine jars, Zheng Yan turned to Cheng Zongyang. "So, you kid caught some snakes today?"
He said, glancing at the wooden frame to the side.
Cheng Zongyang immediately untied the hemp ropes and rattan vines, opening the burlap sacks and thick layers of leaves to reveal the back-basket and sacks inside.
Cheng Zongyang said quickly, "Steward Zheng, these are all snakes. But their Snake Galls were taken by an old Doctor. I brought the meat over. I was wondering if you would take it?"
After all, they weren't alive, which meant they wouldn't keep well. Only freshly killed ones could guarantee freshness.
Hearing this, Zheng Yan frowned. "They're all dead, and there are so many... that'll be difficult to handle."
Cheng Zongyang remained silent, not responding. While waiting for the other man to continue, he opened the lid and untied the sacks.
As a result, when Zheng Yan saw the various knife wounds on their bodies, he looked at Cheng Zongyang with confusion.
Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang explained with some embarrassment:
"I found some snake caves. I had no other choice but to smoke them out and then hack at them wildly with my Firewood Knife."
Now, Zheng Yan understood.
But he also noticed the snakes were quite long and fat. "To find snakes this plump these days is truly rare."
A hint of surprise entered his eyes as he looked at Cheng Zongyang.
They didn't seem like snakes from the Outer Mountain. But he didn't dwell on it. After a moment of silence, he spoke:
"Cheng the kid, if these snakes were alive, like the ones you've sold before, I'd take them all at eighty cents a catty. But these are all dead, and the Snake Galls are gone, so the price has to be lower. You know how it is in the middle of summer. If this dead stock doesn't sell in two days, it'll start to go bad."
"How about this: these snakes are all roughly the same size, so I'll take them all at a price of seventy cents a catty. They can't be stored for long, so I'll just have to sell them off cheap as quickly as possible, which means much less profit. If you take this price to any other restaurant, it'll be more or less the same."
A difference of ten cents wasn't huge. But it was galling that the price for this meat was the same as the price for White Rice outside.
He also understood that the Restaurant had to press down the price to make a profit. After a moment's thought, he could only agree.
He had spent half a year building this connection with Zheng Yan, who was now his regular sales channel. All in all, the price was still within his acceptable range.
Although he could take them elsewhere to sell slowly, or even to the black market, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be targeted. Besides, the black market only operated at night and required a fee.
This was why he brought his goods here. At the very least, if trouble arose, Zheng Yan, a Martial Artist, could help him resolve it.
Thinking about how it was a no-cost business for him helped to offset the lower price, making him feel a bit better. He immediately nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go with your price. I hope Steward Zheng will continue to look out for me in the future!"
"Hahaha, of course, of course!"
Hearing Cheng Zongyang agree, Zheng Yan smiled, very satisfied with the young man's cleverness.
While the small price difference meant nothing to him, haggling with this promising farmer's son he had his eye on was a sort of guilty pleasure when he was bored.
He had a waiter bring out a scale. With the waiter's help, the total came to 286 catties.
Twenty taels and twenty cents.
This money, after paying back his second uncle, would be enough for his family to cover this year's tax silver and buy more grain.
Cheng Zongyang had kept five snakes aside to give to his second uncle.
After transferring the goods, taking the money, and shouldering his back-basket, Cheng Zongyang suddenly asked Zheng Yan:
"Steward Zheng, are you interested in bear meat? Some villagers killed a bear. The paws have been sold, and the Bear Gall is spoken for, but the rest is still there."
Hearing this, Zheng Yan gave Cheng Zongyang a meaningful smile.
"Those two parts are the most valuable on a bear. The paws are the real delicacy. Since your 'friend' already sold them, the rest isn't worth as much. However, bear meat is considered a high-grade meat. If your 'friend' is willing to sell, you can bring it over. I can give a price of one hundred and thirty cents a catty."
One hundred and thirty cents!
A bear weighed 700-odd catties at most, which would come out to around ninety-seven taels of silver.
Having hunted for so many years, he was very clear about the price of a bear.
A bear like the one he killed could have sold for around one hundred taels of silver at its peak in the past.
As it was, the slightly reduced price was indeed fair.
Cheng Zongyang asked with a calm expression:
"Can't the price be raised a little? I hear bear meat is also highly beneficial for Martial Artists."
Zheng Yan chuckled and said, "The Bear Gall and the paws!"
"What if it includes the Bear Gall?"
Zheng Yan showed no impatience and replied with a faint smile, "If you include the Bear Gall, I can add another thirty taels to the price."
'Only thirty taels? What a crook.' This time, Cheng Zongyang didn't say any more. He cupped his hands and said:
"Thank you, Steward Zheng. I'll go back and ask. I'll be taking my leave now."
"Mm." Zheng Yan didn't say much either, walking back inside with his hands clasped behind his back.