I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 158 Spending money like water

Knight David was in a good mood today, unlike in a long time. Perhaps it was because his son, who had just turned nine, had finally learned how to ride a horse and fight, which earned him a lot of praise; or perhaps it was because the food that had been delivered not long ago had solved the village's urgent needs; or perhaps it was because an excellent warhorse had been stolen from that damn dwarf-like guy. In short, this man with a pair of hawk-like sharp eyes rarely squeezed out a smile from his serious face.

"Master, it's time to eat. The kitchen made delicious honey-roasted rabbit and exquisite white bread today to congratulate the young master on his successful horseback riding."

"Yes, it's time to celebrate. Go to the cellar and get me some more wine."

"As you wish, sir."

David's territory was not poor, on the contrary it was very rich under his rule, otherwise he would not have had the money to buy food from the Jews. Except for honey, wine and salt, he did not produce any of them. He purchased all of them from outside and rarely ate them.

Seeing that David was indeed in a very good mood, the butler hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and said, "My dear master, I have something I want to tell you."

"What's the matter?" David pulled out a chair and asked.

"A convoy from the Church of Cluny would like to borrow our granary to store their purchased grain for approximately ten days. They will provide compensation for this. I hope to gain your approval, sir."

"The Church of Cluny?" David paused, turned his head, and frowned. "The Church of Cluny in northern Burgundy? Do you have any documents?"

The asceticism of the Church of Cluny was well-known in Burgundy. Although it had not yet caused any substantial impact on the local church, it had already had a certain influence. David, who had heard a little about it, was more in agreement with their ideas.

"Yes, this is their envelope."

The butler pulled out an envelope he had prepared long ago. The parchment was sealed with beeswax wax. He opened it and glanced at it casually. David nodded, then asked in confusion:

"The paperwork is fine, but why are they coming here to buy food? Is the church still short of food?"

"I heard they want to provide disaster relief food to the war-torn Lorraine region."

"Ha, disaster relief food!"

David sneered and sneered, then plopped down on a wooden chair. He grabbed the rabbit leg and stuffed it into his mouth. He had no custom of using cutlery, so he muttered as he chewed, "The ideas of these monks are indeed worthy of respect, but their behavior is really pedantic. God is merciful, but most people are filthy pigs. Just wait and see, their food will sooner or later be devoured by Lorraine and his group of greedy and stupid guys like Berry!"

Seeing David mocking Berry, the butler smiled and agreed. Ever since Berry had forced him to confiscate food, he had been scolding him from time to time. He was already used to it. What he cared about most was David's thoughts. The butler, with some forehead wrinkles, chose his words carefully and said, "Master, what is your suggestion?"

"Fifteen pfennigs a day, no bargaining."

David licked his fingers, handed the other rabbit leg to his son, and responded casually without looking up.

"As you wish, my lord!"

The butler bowed slightly, retreated out of the castle, and immediately straightened his back. Ignoring the greetings of the servants, he found a shepherd and followed him straight into the second floor of the tavern.

Pushing open the compartment on the second floor, the housekeeper said to everyone in the room:
"The matter is settled. The master allows you to store the food, but it will cost you twenty pfennigs a day."

"Thank you, Butler Dio. This is the fee of two hundred pfennigs. In addition, as agreed, this bottle of cider and twenty pfennigs are your due compensation."

It was Luc's man who said nothing and calmly asked Ryan to take out enough money and a small pottery jar of cider and gently handed it to Dio. After getting a pass, he watched the other party leave with satisfaction, and then gave two pfennigs to the shepherd who led the way for him and Dio.

After sending everyone away, Ryan sat on the straw mat and said depressedly, "I didn't expect it would cost so much to buy food once. This old guy must have raised the price."

Miller also nodded deeply. He was a farmer's son, and it hurt him to see the money flowing away like water these days.

"We can't help it. Buying food in winter is already difficult, and with wars going on in the south and the north, being able to buy food is already a blessing. Let's think positively. At least this food problem has been solved. Next year, if we open up more land, we won't encounter this problem again."

Luke sat cross-legged on the ground, wiping his sword while comforting others. Spending money is always faster than making money. This is an eternal truth, especially for those who are down and out. If it weren't for the ten pounds that Du Si had given him before, he probably wouldn't be able to afford a new warhorse. Even so, the remaining money was only enough to buy one.

Just to put it in context: seven days of board and lodging cost 210 pfennigs, and he just spent another 222 pfennigs. He brewed his own cider, but given the current market price and the winter price increase, he could sell it for at least 8 pfennigs. Then there's the 50 pfennig deposit he paid earlier and the parchment he bought at the monastery. Yes, the envelope from Cluny was certainly forged by Luc. Given his experience with beeswax and Hugo's letter writing, forging a church document wouldn't be difficult. Just like mercenaries transporting food for the church, forged documents are common. If Luc had clairvoyance, he'd probably know there was someone in Scotland doing the same thing right now, but that person was even more serious—he was smuggling weapons.

Fortunately, the abbot knew the relationship between Luc and Pierre. After all, Pierre had written to him some time ago hoping that he could go to the county after the spring. Luc didn't know what the other party wanted him to do, but he agreed anyway, so the abbey didn't raise the price, and even sold him a small piece of parchment for only twenty pfennigs. But that's not all.

Luke wiped his sword and stood up, looking at the stable behind the tavern.

—The mule that was led there was the donkey that George had brought back yesterday along with the clerical cider.

"People eat and horses chew, all of it is money."

Luc put away his sword, but the days of throwing gold like this were coming to an end.

The Jewish businessman is back!
After lunch, Luc led the four of them back to the agreed-upon abandoned church. There, Ezra was still waiting for them with his signature smile. "Captain John, here are two thousand pounds of hulled rye. Please check it out."

Ezra laughed heartily. Looking in the direction of his arm, he saw a dozen mules squatting behind the church. Among them, the unloaded grain was neatly stacked on the cleared ground.

Luc didn't hesitate and walked over to check each one. After a while, he found that there was indeed no sand or moldy wheat grains. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "It looks good indeed."

"Of course, we are very trustworthy!"

Luke didn't comment on this, but turned his head and said in a deep voice: "Let's talk about the price."

Food, especially rye, is actually not expensive. Two thousand pounds can be purchased for about two hundred pfennigs, but that is normal.

Sure enough, after hearing Luke's reply, Ezra immediately counted on his fingers and said:
“The market price is two hundred pfennigs, yes, but it’s winter now and food is scarce. Wouldn’t it be unreasonable to double the price for our long journey?
There is war everywhere, food is hard to come by, and many people don’t even have tree bark to eat, so doubling the amount wouldn’t be too much, right?

We hulled the rye in advance, saving you a lot of time and money. We also gave you the ropes for the sacks for free. Considering our brotherly friendship, doubling the price wouldn't be too much, right?"

As Ezra spoke, he seemed not to notice the increasingly hostile looks from Luke and the others, and finally he suddenly sighed:

"Alas, my friend, you know how difficult it is for us Jews to be merchants. We always encounter inexplicable prejudice and injustice along the way. I have no intention of complaining about this situation. It's just that the customs taxes are so numerous. Wouldn't it be too much to double them?"

"Well, considering this is our first transaction, I'll give you a special price. How about a thousand pfennigs?"

"Whoo~"

Looking at Ezra's expression that looked like he was taking advantage of him, Luc slowly exhaled a foul breath, stopped the angry Ryan and Miller, narrowed his eyes and said, "Very good, a good price."

"Ryan, go get the money."

"Master?!" Ryan looked at Luke in surprise. For the first time, he did not follow the order immediately.

"Go!"

Ryan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and handed Ezra a thousand pfennigs under his smiling eyes.

Ezra skillfully put the money into his waist bag and said with his hand on his chest: "Thank you for your patronage. I look forward to our next cooperation."

……

"Master, Ezra is clearly trying to scam us. I've bought grain at high prices in Provence, but never this much. Are we just going to let this damned guy go?"

After receiving the food, Luc no longer hesitated and ordered Hans and others to transport the food to David's warehouse. Hearing Ryan's still angry words, Luc paused and said, "Let's transport the food back first."

"The most important thing now is to transport the food back to the valley. As long as we can fill the gap in the valley, spending more money is not a big problem. We need to take a long-term view. As for Ezra..."

Luke's eyes were dim: "This account will be settled sooner or later."

(End of this chapter)