After being reborn as a widow, the mistress of the Hou family remarried a powerful official

Chapter 67 Keeping the Timber
"Madam, although we have a lot of food in stock, if..."

"You mean there are too many refugees and not enough food?"

Li Wei nodded, "Yes, since registering to buy rice, there has been a lot of order, and no one dares to make trouble anymore, but those rice grains can only support the people of Shengjing."

If the four major grain stores were still open, the situation would be better. However, they were already in disarray in the early days of the famine. There are very few stores that can open as stably as Deji Hall without raising prices. Even if they open for sale, it will be Under great pressure.

Moreover, the four major grain stores saw the behavior of Dejitang and were angry in their hearts, so they simply discussed it together. Even if there was still rice, they would not sell it to the outside world, just waiting for the day when Dejitang would collapse due to lack of rice. .

Li Chang broke into a cold sweat. He took it upon himself to let the refugees have enough food to pay for other wages. Could it be that a hole had been dug in this situation?
Ke Yiqing frowned, "How long can the rice grain last?"

"According to the current situation, they can last for more than three months." After all, they have no way out now. Although they have a lot of food in storage, if they continue like this, sooner or later the food will be sold out.

"Where are the potatoes? How are the potatoes?"

Li Wei was stunned for a moment and replied truthfully: "It is true that more and more people are buying, but more than half of it is left, so I will probably lose a part of it." There is no way to do this. Zhuangyuanlang's sign is indeed very effective, but most of them are eating fresh food. , this thing has never been included in the recipes of Shengjing people.

"Potatoes?" Li Chang's eyes lit up and he stepped forward and said, "Madam, I grew up in the village and know best that these things are very resistant to hunger even if they are boiled in water. How about..."

Ke Yiqing understood what he meant, "You mean, using potatoes as wages?"

Li Chang nodded, but Li Wei disagreed. The reason was that although these people were all refugees, they were not all from remote areas.

Using potatoes that people in Shengjing looked down upon as wages, he was afraid that these people would be resentful in the long run.

Ke Yiqing was also troubled. On the one hand, she thought the idea was good, but on the other hand, she felt that Li Wei's concerns were reasonable.

Who should she listen to? For a moment, she couldn't make up her mind.

After resting for a while in the evening, Li Wei and Li Chang divided the crowd into two groups. One group stayed to continue digging people, while the other group returned to Shengjing to transport potatoes.

There is no other way. It is a strenuous job like poaching people. If we don't eat, I am afraid that another life will happen. Moreover, these newly organized refugees are also in urgent need of a guarantee.

Mr. Chen came over with a glass of water, "Madam, why don't you go back with Mr. Li?"

Ke Yiqing smiled, "As his 'wife', if I leave, no one left behind will believe what he said."

What he was talking about was the remaining refugees. After Li Wei left for them, these people looked wrong, so some people must be left to look after them.

What's more, she only completed one of the three goals of this trip.

Looking at the lush trees all over the mountain, the desire to make money took root in her heart, "Mr. Chen, where is the batch of wood that I ordered before?"

Mr. Chen threw the sweat towel over his shoulder and stopped the shovel in his hand, "It's placed in the back mountain, but..."

"what happened?"

He hesitated again and again, but still informed, "Looking at the weather, it's going to rain in a few days! I'm afraid the wood won't be saved!"

rain?That’s a whole month’s worth of lumber in the camp!Her charcoal business depends on them!
"Madam, I can't help you. The main reason is that our entire village has been buried underneath. I'm worried, little one!"

Mr. Chen wiped his tears. He really had no choice. There weren't many people coming. If Li Wei went to rescue the wood and left them alone, I'm afraid everyone in the village would die.

Ke Yiqing came with them. He hadn't eaten a decent meal for a long time. When he heard this, he felt dizzy.

It will be cold in the coming days, and there is no extra food. It is unrealistic to expect to hoard wood...

Looking at Mr. Chen's fearful and guilty face, she couldn't say anything serious.

"Mr. Chen, no matter what, you should inform us of this matter so that we can be prepared."

"Yes, yes." Embarrassment appeared on his skinny face, "Then our village..." She sighed, "Human lives are at stake, so of course we have to save them, but when Li Wei comes back, you have to tell them one by one."

The situation has developed to this point, and we can only find a way to solve it.

As expected, Li Wei blushed with anger when he came back, but still promised that he would continue to save people after everyone finished eating the potatoes.

On the contrary, it was Li Chang who immediately stepped forward after learning about it and cursed angrily: "You old thief, our boss paid us all for the charcoal business, but you kept it secret. How can you compensate for such a large amount of wood?" ?!”

Mr. Chen was kicked so hard that he begged for mercy. The rescued villagers also came over in groups. They all said they would finish eating soon, and everyone went to carry charcoal.

Li Chang gnawed on the potatoes. He didn't say yes or no. Instead, he came over and bowed, handing over a box: "Madam, I know that you can't get used to eating like this, so I made my own decision and asked someone to take care of it." A little more."

She looked at the logo of Deji Hall on the box and knew that it was borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha, but she still accepted it.

Li Chang thoughtfully covered her with a curtain, and when he was almost done eating, he said, "Madam, how do you solve the problem of the wood in the back mountain?"

"Although this mountain is not far from the city gate, the current situation makes it unrealistic to transport it back in a short time."

"The younger one has an idea."

Ke Yiqing was filled with admiration in his heart. This man had a measured approach and retreat. He clearly had a strategy in mind, but he was still willing to lower his profile and ask his employer's opinion first.

"Then talk about it."

Li Chang secretly rejoiced, "If we can't survive, why not stay in the back mountain and build some sheds?"

She really didn't understand this aspect, so she humbly asked for advice: "Mr. Chen said it will rain. If it rains heavily, can the shed be used?"

"Madam, please don't worry. These villagers depend on the weather for their livelihood. Every household will weave a lot of mats for the sun, so it's okay to use them."

It sounds reliable, but the requisition of farm tools requires the consent of the villagers.

I discussed this idea with Mr. Li Weichen and soon received approval from both of them.

"I don't have any objections to other things, it's just about the manpower..."

Li Chang rubbed his hands, "Manpower? With this group, other refugees will be rushing to come!"

With Ke Yiqing's permission, Li Weiye said: "Yes, we can hire another batch. The requirements are not high, as long as they can come over to help, and the wages will be paid in potatoes."

When they returned to Shengjing this time, they also counted the potatoes in the warehouse and cellar. Not to mention [-] people, even more than [-] people were able to do it.

"The salary is three potatoes a day."

Li Chang's smile stopped on his face, three?Is it a little too much?He had the city in his mind and immediately set off to find Ke Yiqing.

"Madam, there are both men and women taking care of the children, and there are people of all ages who come to work. No matter how much you work, you can get three potatoes. Isn't it a bit..."

When she heard this, she also realized that if things continued like this, some people might regard her as a source of resentment. "In your opinion, what are you going to do?"

Li Chang's smile continued, "You will get paid as much as you do."

Ke Yiqing's eyes darkened. Since this person avoided Li Wei and came directly to her, why not let him take over the matter?It's not a big deal.

But small things can often reflect a person's essence, and it just so happened that she was in urgent need of help from outside the city.

Although Li Wei is capable, he is upright and kind. There are many villains among the refugees. To deal with these gangsters, it may take someone like Li Chang.

(End of this chapter)