Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

"Shopkeeper, why is this salt so cheap?" Shen Chen couldn't help but ask the shopkeeper.

"Oh, don't you know?" the shopkeeper said. "A while ago, several salt wells were discovered behind our mountain stronghold. There's so much salt that we can't finish it all, so of course the price has come down."

"I see." Shen Chen suddenly realized.

The Great Yan region is vast and rich in resources. The East China Sea produces hundreds of millions of tons of salt, enough to supply the entire country. Salt is not a rare commodity. If a few more salt wells are discovered near Quanya Mountain, the price of salt can be pushed down even further.

Shen Chen had only taken a few steps towards the store entrance when he suddenly turned back.

He remembered something: when he drew lots for "Straw Hat Bandit" Wei Xiong, the lot revealed a piece of information.

The northern barbarians are preparing to raid southwards; war is imminent!

Once war breaks out, the army will need salt for sterilization and disinfection, as well as for pickling rations. The demand for salt will increase significantly, and the price will certainly rise accordingly.

"This is a business opportunity." Shen Chen's pupils shrank, and he immediately drew a fortune stick.

[Good fortune: You have purchased ownership of several salt wells in the back mountain. When war breaks out, salt prices will skyrocket, and you will make a fortune. Auspicious!]

[Good fortune: You stockpiled a large quantity of salt and sold it off when salt prices rose, making a considerable profit. Minor good fortune.]

[Winning the lottery: You didn't take any action and simply missed this opportunity. It's a draw.]

Shen Chen took a deep breath and asked the shopkeeper, "Who owns those salt wells now?"

…………

The rain poured down, the night was dark, and only a single light shone faintly in the wilderness.

A man wearing a straw hat, following the light, cracked his whip on his horse: "Go."

Wei Xiong pushed open the door of the inn, and a large amount of rainwater flowed from his straw hat all the way to the floor. If you looked closely, you could see traces of blood mixed in with the rainwater.

Xue Sanniang glanced at Wei Xiong at the door and said softly, "Hero Wei, did you come back from making a fortune in the Northern Barbarians?"

Wei Xiong coughed twice, his face pale: "Don't even mention it, those bastards up north are completely untrustworthy. They swallowed half of my goods and didn't pay me a single penny, damn it..."

He cursed for a while, then felt fortunate: "Luckily, Brother Shen reminded me that barbarians are untrustworthy, so I didn't mortgage all my goods to them..."

"Third Sister, give me a bowl of chicken soup, and add some blood-nourishing medicine." Wei Xiong placed several Da Yan banknotes face down on the table.

After waiting for a while, the waiter brought Wei Xiong a bowl of chicken soup sprinkled with goji berries.

Wei Xiong drank it all in one gulp, and his pale face regained some color.

"Third Sister, please ask me to pass on a message to Qin Pi and Shen Chen of Dog Tooth Mountain: Wei Xiong has returned and would like to have another chat with you two brothers." Wei Xiong then handed a handful of Great Yan Treasure Notes to Xue Third Sister.

Xue Sanniang counted on her fingers and laughed, "This money probably isn't enough, Master Wei. Don't you know that the value of the Great Yan currency has been steadily declining lately?"

Wei Xiong said, "I'll owe it to you for now. That damn Yan Ting, he prints money faster than I can spend it..."

Xue Sanniang said, "Hero Wei, you're quite shrewd, thinking of shorting my small business?"

Wei Xiong asked in confusion, "Why do you say that, Third Sister?"

Xue Sanniang said, "You are unaware of this, but Yan Ting recently formed an alliance with Da Qin, and will pay tribute to Da Qin every year. Furthermore, Da Qin's currency is allowed to circulate in Yan. Before long, Da Yan's paper money will become worthless..."

Wei Xiong paused, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He instantly recalled Shen Chen's warning: "Once the Great Qin and the Great Yan form an alliance, the Northern Desert will be a death trap..."

The resentment Wei Xiong felt at being deceived by the barbarians suddenly dissipated, replaced by a sense of relief at surviving a calamity.

No wonder I haven't been able to contact those old acquaintances in the northern desert lately; their heads are probably in the hands of the soldiers of Yan and Qin right now.

If I hadn't listened to Shen Chen's advice and insisted on going to the northern desert, I wouldn't have had the chance to drink soup now.

When Wei Xiong came to his senses, he found that his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

He picked up the chicken soup and drank it all in big gulps. After his body warmed up, he slammed the bowl down and threw out a stack of banknotes: "Third Sister, here's all the money I have. Please help me contact the brothers in Dog Tooth Mountain as soon as possible."

He paused, then said, "Especially that Brother Shen, I must meet him."

Dogtooth Mountain.

Zhuang Fu stared at his shopkeeper in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly: "What? Someone wants to buy the salt wells?"

The shopkeeper said, "Yes, he's waiting in my shop right now, saying he wants to talk to you in person."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Fu couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha, it's like a pillow coming right when I'm about to fall asleep. I never thought there would be a fool buying salt wells at this critical juncture."

Those salt wells on the back mountain were indeed his property. When he first heard that salt wells had been discovered on the back mountain, he immediately bought up the land, intending to make a fortune.

The good news is that there are indeed salt wells, but the bad news is that the salt production from these wells is ridiculously high, far exceeding the demand. As a result, salt prices have been falling, while the costs of maintaining the salt wells and storing the salt deposits have been rising, leaving very little profit to be made.

Just as Zhuang Fu was considering how to deal with this hot potato in his hands, someone unexpectedly took over for him.

"Take me to see that scoundrel... no, that great benefactor." Zhuang Fu smiled and pushed the shopkeeper out.

He hurried to the shop and soon ran into Shen Chen.

"Third Master, this is Brother Shen who wants to buy your salt well," the shopkeeper introduced to Zhuang Fu.

Upon meeting, Zhuang Fu shook Shen Chen's hand: "Brother Shen, right? I heard you want to buy my four salt wells?"

Looking at the portly man in front of him, Shen Chen recalled for a moment that Zhuang Fu, the third leader of Quanya Mountain, nicknamed the Golden Toad, was in charge of the village's money and food. In terms of strength, he might be considered inferior among the leaders, but in terms of wealth, he was absolutely the most powerful in the village.

"Shen Chen greets Master Zhuang," Shen Chen said politely. "I do indeed have some interest in these four salt wells."

Shen Chen? That name sounds familiar.

Zhuang Fu was slightly taken aback. He remembered that this was the person who had taken away his cousin Zhuang Man's leadership position, and his smile deepened.

Zhuang Fu generally divides people into three categories: those who can make money, those who cannot make money, and those who lose money.

Shen Chen was originally considered a third-class person by Zhuang Fu. Now that he is actively trying to climb to the first class, Zhuang Fu feels that he should give him the opportunity.

"Brother Shen is a smart man. The salt from these salt wells is of excellent quality. It's so delicious that you'll want to bite your tongue off when you use it to pickle vegetables or cook meat!" Zhuang Fu boasted about the salt from the salt wells. "I didn't originally intend to sell these salt wells, but I've been entangled in matters of the mountain stronghold lately, and it's inconvenient for me to manage them. But since I've met Brother Shen today, I'll listen to your price."