Farming in space: the struggle of peasant girls

Chapter 45 045 Double the food price

Mu Yu took fifty weeds and a bag of more than ten catties of millet to the grocery store in Laowangtou on the East Street.

It was a coincidence to come here this time, the grocery store was very lively, and several people were making noise.

"Old Wangtou, you have to give us an explanation this time, it's fine to raise the price of old grain, why has it increased so much?!

The price has doubled! ! ! "

"That's right. Originally, we had to save money to survive. Aren't you trying to force us to death?"

"We have been neighbors for so many years. Your mother is my cousin. We are both distant relatives and close neighbors. Do you really have to drive us to a dead end?"

Then came the old and shrewd voice of the old king,
"Everyone, it's really not that I want to force you, and you don't look at me with hatred.

If you want to hate, you can hate the god who sent this drought, if you want to hate, you can hate the people who took most of our money and grain, or hate those who sold me grain at a high price.

What do you hate me, a little businessman who provides you with food?
Everyone calm down and listen to me.

I did not raise the price of grain. You can go to other grocery stores, grain stores, and grain merchants to inquire about this price. My family is not the only one who sells it at this price. Others are even more expensive than mine!

To tell you the truth, the price of the grain we sell has risen because the price of grain we receive is low and expensive, so we have to raise the price as a last resort. If we don’t raise the price, we will have to go out of business at a loss.

It’s not easy for anyone during a famine. If I don’t make any money to open a shop, it’s impossible for me to pay for it. Then I might as well go out of business and let everyone walk a few more streets to buy food elsewhere.

Everyone knows me well, and everyone thinks that I have made a lot of money. If you go to other shops and don’t know anything about it, how can you believe that they won’t cheat you of your money?
Even if I cheated you, there is no reasoning.

So, I insist on opening this shop, not for making money, but more for everyone!
Everyone said, is it so reasonable? "

……

Mu Yu lay on the door of the grocery store and eavesdropped on the conversation inside, because the people inside were more excited and their voices were louder, so she listened to the conversations of these people in detail.

Especially the big phone call that the old Wangtou said made her very impressed, feeling that she really is a mature person.

This kind of speech method that makes people limping without knowing it is worth learning.

After the old Wangtou made the call, the people who were originally tense and angry became speechless, and even followed his thinking in the end. This skill of turning black into white and avoiding the most serious is really powerful.

If she had the ability, going to the high platform of the ruined temple from time to time to give a few speeches to win people's hearts would definitely be very effective.

But it's a pity that she doesn't have the talent in this area, and she doesn't want to work hard in this area.

At this time, there was another conversation in the grocery store.

"But, but the food price is really too expensive, I really can't afford it..."

"As long as you think about it, there is always a way. I still have two catties of old grain mixed with bran here. You can take it back and deal with it first. I can help you get here. The rest is up to you to find a way. "

Hearing this, Mu Yu quickly took two steps back, pretending to be walking forward.

Sure enough, the next moment she met the old Wangtou who opened the door of the grocery store.

Old Wang's eyes widened suddenly, as if he had been frightened by something, his face was as white as paper, he clutched his chest and stepped back two steps, only to be barely stopped by the help of some disheveled men behind him.

One of the men was holding a patched bag in his hand, he should be the one who was just given two catties of grain mixed with chaff by the old king.

The man supported the old Wangtou and patted him on the back, the old Wangtou gradually recovered, his breathing became calmer, and there was some blood on his face, but his voice didn't sound as contagious as before.

"Ahem, I'm getting old, and I can't eat well. Alas, my body is getting worse day by day, and I don't know how long I can last..."

A more or less sad look appeared on the faces of several men.

"Don't say that, what can we do if you have something to do, we all count on you to help us find food."

"Yes, you have to take care."

The old Wangtou stood firm, looked at these people, and was moved,
"Hey, you go home quickly, the family still counts on you, go back quickly, don't worry about me, old man."

Mu Yu watched this scene quietly, but the old Wangtou's emotion did not reach his eyes.

The old Wang waved goodbye to them, and when they were no longer visible, when he turned to look at her, the emotion on his face and the love for the younger generation immediately faded into kindness.

That was the expression she had seen on Old Wang's face during her previous visits.

"Hey, girl, you scared me to death, why didn't you knock on the door when you came early?"

"I just arrived, and I haven't had time to knock on the door yet."

The old Wang looked at her for a moment, as if judging that she was not lying, and then smiled,
"Today I'm so busy and confused, the shop is too noisy, I can't hear the movement outside, maybe I made a mistake.

Come on, go into the shop and sit down for a while, how many weeds did you bring this time? "

When he said the last sentence, the smile on Old Wang's face was very real.

Mu Yu had already been on guard against him, and didn't trust him in his heart, but he still had to put on a show on the surface.

As soon as she stepped into the shop, the door of the shop closed behind her. The closed grocery store was not very dark, and two candles were lit inside.

To her surprise, Zhang Xiucai, an important figure in her plan, was sitting in front of one of the candles, watching something earnestly.

She was curious, but before she could observe, she heard the old Wangtou say behind her,
"Ah Fu, treat Zhang Xiucai well, and I will take this girl to the back to fetch eggs and coarse grains."

As he said that, he pulled Mu Yu's sleeve and walked to the back of the grocery store.

Mu Yu knew that Lao Wangtou deliberately prevented her from meeting Zhang Xiucai, let alone knowing the details of the grocery store's business with them.

The old Wangtou dragged her to the messy warehouse in the backyard, and then he said,

"The one outside is Zhang Xiucai, he's amazing, he's from a well-known wealthy family nearby, and he's reading an ancient book that I received.

Let's not bother him, what do you want to change, just tell me here. "

Mu Yu sighed in his heart, this scholar's family is really well-off, they have reached this point, and they still have leisure and money to buy ancient books.

The joys and sorrows of people are really not the same.

She said with emotion, "Zhang Xiucai's family is really rich."

The old Wangtou smiled, Zhang Xiucai did come to the grocery store often these days, but it was not to buy any ancient books, and what he was reading was not an ancient book, but an old book from the grocery store.

He asked Zhang Xiucai to help with the old accounts.

The reason why Zhang Xiucai did this was to buy weeds from him.

"How many weeds did you bring this time?
You can exchange it at the price of [-] weeds per catty of old grain, and [-] weeds per egg last time. What do you want to exchange this time? "

Mu Yu was surprised when she heard this, just now she overheard that the price of old grain in the grocery store had doubled, but Old Wangtou didn't increase the price of the deal with her.

(End of this chapter)