Chapter 349: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 349: Concealing Their Own Intentions (5)
Estimating the time, Mo Yan quickly prepared the meal. She also made a lamb stew, adding charcoal to it, and it bubbled away with the aroma of lamb, making everyone's appetite soar.
Before long, Mo Qingze and Han Zhiyun returned. They caught a whiff of the familiar smell of food from afar, both a bit surprised as they had thought that the siblings would only come tomorrow.
Upon learning the reason for their early arrival and seeing the warm clothing items they brought, Mo Qingze felt touched and didn't know what to say. He affectionately tousled their heads and energetically unloaded everything from the carriage, hanging the chickens, rabbits, and lamb meat under the eaves to ventilate.
Han Zhiyun clicked his tongue in admiration, once again feeling the impulse to claim Mo Yan and her siblings as his own children. They were so filial and thoughtful in every aspect; his own children wouldn't have thought of preparing these things. It was truly incomparable!
The steaming lamb stew made everyone sweat profusely as they enjoyed the warmth throughout their bodies. There was nothing more satisfying than this.
After the meal, Mo Yan didn't rush to clean up the dishes but instead asked about the border war. There were plenty of rumors on the streets, but most were unreliable. Places like academies usually had more accurate information.
"Aren't you worried, Yan'er? Don't worry, even if the Ba Ren tribe is formidable, they can't reach the capital. Within ten days, the hundred thousand troops will arrive at the border, and they will surely drive the Ba Ren tribe out," Han Zhiyun reassured Mo Yan with a smile, thinking she might be afraid.
Mo Yan shook her head. She had too many worries. She carefully chose her words, "The price of rice in the city has risen too quickly. As long as the war continues, the price of rice will keep rising. If it goes on for a long time, many people might end up unable to afford food."
Once people went hungry, who knew if they would gather and riot, smashing rice shops? Such things had happened before. She sympathized with the poor and hungry commoners but also worried about her own rice shop, especially with the looming threat of the Xue family. If they took advantage, her rice shop wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Listening to her, Han Zhiyun pondered deeper. In large-scale warfare, food and supplies were consumed the fastest. Moreover, with two consecutive years of natural disasters in the south and reduced taxes, coupled with several months of internal strife, the national treasury was already empty. If the border war dragged on, they would inevitably have to requisition food from the civilians, potentially leading to more unrest.
Of course, Han Zhiyun wouldn't speak of such bleak possibilities, lest it attract trouble. He could only comfort, "The war shouldn't last long. After all, this time the Ba Ren tribe invaded Da Chu just to plunder food. As long as we don't give them any advantage, and with spring approaching, they'll withdraw on their own."
"That would be great. Dragging it out benefits no one," Mo Yan pretended to be happy, but inwardly she sighed. In her dream, the war didn't end until spring in the north. That was still a few months away! She couldn't help but worry about Xiao Ruiyuan, afraid he might get injured or blamed for defeat.
At this moment, she wasn't clear about her feelings of concern, only feeling that they were now friends who could talk about these things. It was normal to worry.
When Mo Qingze and Han Zhiyun returned to the academy, Mo Yan and her siblings planned to go home. By then, the sky had grown increasingly overcast, as if it might rain or snow at any moment.
Mo Yan deliberately drove the carriage to the rice shop. She was worried after seeing Wang Pangtou's hesitant demeanor yesterday.
Arriving at the shop, Mo Yan saw many customers coming and going. Once inside with her siblings, she noticed the price tags had been updated. Rice had gone up by two wen per jin, still limited to five jin per person, while other grains had also increased by one or two wen.
Li Zhong brought out the account book for the past two days and the silver earned from selling grains, asking Mo Yan to take it back later. It wasn't safe to keep so much silver in the shop.
Mo Yan quickly glanced through the account book, checking the daily totals. She found that grain sales had improved compared to before, especially glutinous rice and other miscellaneous grains, which had increased in sales volume. The total sales revenue for these two days had reached sixty taels.
"Very good, Grandpa Li!" Mo Yan put down the account book, smiling warmly at Li Zhong, who remained calm. "Business is getting better and better now, thanks to Grandpa Li's hard work."
Li Zhong waved his hand repeatedly, not taking credit.
Knowing he didn't care about praise, Mo Yan changed the subject to the Xue family. "Has there been any trouble in the shop these past few days? Any movements from the Xue family?"
A hint of gloom crossed Li Zhong's eyes before he smiled and replied, "Everything is fine in the shop. There haven't been any incidents from the Xue family. There are a few people guarding the warehouse, though. They seem to be from the Xue family."
Mo Yan didn't notice his unease and responded with a somewhat ironic smile, "The Xue family is quite interesting. They want to achieve something but refuse to show sincerity. It's amazing they've managed to sit in that position in the Imperial Merchants for decades. However, this time, I suspect the Xue family won't be able to hold out much longer."
Li Zhong nodded, somewhat worried. "I wonder when Young Master Yan will have time. If he doesn't resolve this soon, no one can predict when the Xue family might make a move." It was surprising enough that the Xue family had endured this long.
Bringing up this topic, Mo Yan also felt a bit frustrated. But since she was asking for a favor, it wasn't appropriate to go and urge them repeatedly. However, she could mention it to Shopkeeper Xing. With her mind made up, she went to Huixian Residence, only to find that Shopkeeper Xing wasn't there, which left her feeling annoyed once more...
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