allonlinenovel Chapter 193: 32 Silver and 1 Bushel of Grain
Chapter 193: 32 Silver and 1 Bushel of Grain
Lu Tianming listened to what the people in the team behind him were saying, and thought about his almost empty food bags and water bags.
Without much hesitation, he continued to speak to the patrolman:
"Brother, we really have no other choice. I wonder if you can be flexible and pay more for food and water."
The patrolman listened to this, looked at him intently for a few seconds, and then said nonchalantly:
"So how much are you planning to pay for it? Tell me about it."
Lu Tianming was stunned by this question, and after a moment of hesitation, he continued:
"Please give us a price. We haven't bought any grain in a long time, so we don't know what the price is like."
The patrolling man glanced at everyone in the team, focusing on the carriage in front, and then said slowly:
"Thirty taels of silver for a bushel of grain! Five taels of silver for a bucket of water!"
When everyone in the team heard the price, their surprise suddenly increased, and there were exclamations and discussions everywhere.
Lu Tianming was also shocked by the price of grain of thirty taels of silver per dou. In normal years, the price of grain was only a few dozen coins per dou.
This price is really too expensive. Even his family can't buy much food at this price, let alone other families in the village.
The patrolman seemed annoyed by the reactions of the people in the team and sneered:
"Since you asked me to make a price, and you think it's too high after I tell you, then there's no need to say more!"
Having said that, the patrolman turned around and was about to leave.
Lu Tianming hurriedly called out to the man and said with an apologetic smile:
"Brother, don't bother with them. Let's discuss it."
"The price is non-negotiable. This grain is forbidden to be sold outside. I want to secretly transport the grain to you, but it will be very risky!"
The patrol man said this, then looked at the men in Lu Tianming's team and continued:
"If you think it's too expensive, then stay and help with the mining! We're short on manpower here. Not only will you be provided with food and drink, but you'll also be paid if you do a good job. It's better than you continuing to flee!"
Seeing that some men in the team were interested, he added fuel to the fire.
"There's a plague raging outside right now. Once you're infected, you're dead. Think about it carefully. If you've made up your mind, call me!"
After the man finished speaking, he led the people to the house in the town.
As soon as that person left, the discussion in the team broke out completely.
Lu Laosan was the first to stand up.
"Brother Tianming, I'm out of food now. I only have two sips of water left in my water bag, and I have no money left. If I continue walking, I'll be a burden to everyone else. I'm planning to stay here."
Lu Tianming looked at Lu Lao San and said soothingly:
"Third brother, don't be anxious. Let's discuss it first and see if there is any other way."
After hearing this, Lu Tianfu on the side interjected with a sad face:
"Cousin, what else can we do now? They said they won't sell if there's less. If we keep going south, we don't know how long it will take to replenish our food and water!"
Seeing this, Erxi also stood up and said:
"We don't have much food or water left at home. We can't even afford to buy food at 30 taels of silver per bushel and water at 5 taels per bucket. If there's no other way, my father and I will stay and mine!"
Tianfu Niang listened to their words and said anxiously:
"You still owe everyone food. If you stay, where will we get food from? Oh, and I gave you some money before. Use it to pay back the food you owe!"
Erxi's face darkened when he heard Tianfu Niang asking for money.
"We agreed beforehand that we would return the grain to you after things settle down. If you ask me to return it now, I can only give it to you according to the normal annual grain price!"
When Tianfu Niang heard this, she was so angry that she pointed at his nose and started cursing.
"You're such an ungrateful bastard, you can't get enough of taking advantage of others! Now a bushel of grain costs thirty taels of silver, and you're paying me back in a few dozen coins? I really shouldn't have lent you the grain, I should have starved you to death!"
Erxi's face turned unhappy when he heard Tianfu Niang's curse.
Before, he was concerned about the face of Lu Tianming and the old village chief, but now that he planned to stay, he no longer had any concerns.
In an instant, the two sides started cursing at each other, cursing each other's ancestors for eighteen generations.
When the other people in the team heard that Erxi was only willing to return a few dozen cents, they also hesitated.
The grain they had borrowed before was only worth a few dozen cents, and they still had to spend a lot of money to buy grain.
If one is positive and the other is negative, then you will suffer a big loss!
Moreover, many families in the team were thinking that after settling down, they would take out the money they had received before and buy a few acres of land.
If we buy food and water now, even if we escape alive in the future, we won’t have enough money to settle down!
But mining is not a serious job, and they don't want to stay and mine unless they have no other choice.
These days, buying a few acres of land at home and making a living by farming is the right thing to do.
Everyone's thoughts were in turmoil and they were confused, and they started discussing it.
Lu Tianming listened to the two sides cursing more and more harshly, and shouted at them to stop.
When everyone heard Lu Tianming's voice, they gradually quieted down.
Just now, Lu Tianming had been trying to find a solution, but there was really no good way.
The patrolman was firm in his attitude and there was no room for negotiation on the price.
At this price, even if he took out all the money in his family, the food and water he could buy would only be enough to support himself, his parents, and his younger brother's family.
And now, judging from the expressions of other families in the team, they don't intend to use all their money to buy food.
The situation encountered in An County before occurred again, and the team was facing separation.
This time, Lu Tianming did not hesitate any longer and said to everyone:
"My family is going to keep moving forward. If anyone wants to leave, I'll go buy some food and we'll set off tomorrow morning. Now, anyone who wants to keep moving, please raise your hands."
In the team, County Magistrate Yao, Lu Qingqing, Lu Tianxin and Master Yan all raised their hands.
The others hesitated for a while, but in the end did not raise their hands.
The team instantly split into two parts, and people from both sides stood up and greeted the men patrolling in the town.
The man heard the shouting and came over with his men.
Hearing that Erxi and his group wanted to stay, he pointed to the house at the entrance of the town.
"Go wait in those rooms over there!"
Then, he turned to look at Lu Tianming and his group.
"If you want to buy food, you have to wait until after midnight. At other times, there are people watching inside, so I can't move food out!"
Lu Qingqing followed the patrolling man's gaze and saw a group of houses.
The doors of the houses were closed, so I couldn't see what was going on inside.
While everyone was arguing, Lu Qingqing had been observing the town.
Only a few shops in this town were open, and there was no one on the streets. Only this team of patrolmen were guarding under the straw huts.
It's understandable that the residents are hiding at home for fear of being infected, but Lu Qingqing still feels something is strange, so she plans to talk to Lu Tianming about it later.
At this time, Lu Tianming had already agreed with the man to conduct the transaction here after dark.
Then, the patrol team returned to the house in the town.
Lu Qingqing stepped forward and told Lu Tianming what she had observed.
Lu Tianming looked into the town and began to ponder, but he didn't notice anything wrong.