Chapter 116: Food Prices
"Brother Zhao, where do you want to go these days?" As a guide appointed by his father himself, Wang Buzhi naturally had to do his duty well.
"I want to go outside the city."
Wang Buzhi hesitated for a moment: "I know what Brother Zhao is thinking, but to be honest, Brother Zhao, you can't conjure up food out of thin air. If you want to really solve the problem, you still have to go there."
Wang Buzhi pointed to a place. Zhao Yushu looked at it carefully and frowned subconsciously: Nanyang Prefecture Yamen.
"Brother Wang, do you want me to break into the government office and have a heart-to-heart talk with the prefect?" What a joke! He is a fourth-rank official and a great master of the seventh level. I am no match for him in either literature or martial arts. Why should I go to him?
"There is always a way. For example, we can take a roundabout way." Wang Buzhi laughed obscenely, and Zhao Yushu felt a chill.
"What's the roundabout way?"
"Brother Zhao, please come with me to attend a dinner party tonight."
As the saying goes, food, sex and nature are all part of human nature, and food always comes first. This is true for ordinary people and for the refugees outside the city, but not for the participants of tonight's banquet.
Food is just an excuse, a decoration, and a condiment for tonight's conversation.
After all, Zhao Yushu had been to Tianxianglou many times, and he thought that no matter how high-end the banquets in Nanyang were, he would not feel restrained. He was wrong.
It was the most uncomfortable meal he had ever had.
This is the best restaurant in Nanyang. Unlike the front building which is bustling with people, this is a small building in the backyard that is used to receive distinguished guests. However, its decoration is much more luxurious and elegant than the front building. Now, the whole building has been booked, and the third floor is full of people.
Zhao Yushu sat awkwardly at a dining table. His identity tonight was Wang Bushi's friend, and the other participants were all children of prominent figures in Nanyang City.
This is a social gathering between two generations.
Out of respect for President Wang and out of respect for the behemoth that is Baima Academy, Zhao Yushu was treated with no less courtesy than Wang Bushi. If these people knew that he was the Sixth Master of Tianji Pavilion, he would immediately become the protagonist of the night.
"Brother Zhao, let me introduce you. This is the second son of Yongsheng Trading Company, Master Ma. This is the disciple of Baima Academy, Master Zhao."
Well, I have suddenly become the chief priest's disciple, although it's only half a disciple after all.
"Oh, I have admired you for a long time" "Disrespected"
"Brother Zhao, this is Miss Lu from Dafeng Grain Store."
"Meet Miss Lu" "Mr. Zhao is polite"
This conversation lasted for nearly half an hour. Zhao Yushu didn't even have time to drink a sip of water. To be honest, he didn't remember many people after going around in circles. It turned out that he was not the type to enjoy socializing.
"Brother Wang, why did you bring me here to meet so many, uh, elite people?"
"Brother Zhao is confused. Think about it. Any father of these people here can make Nanyang tremble slightly by stomping his feet. If they all think that the granaries should be opened to release grain, do you think the governor will seriously consider this matter?"
"Brother Wang, that's a good idea." Zhao Yushu's eyes lit up: "But will they agree to persuade the governor?"
Wang Buzhi opened his folding fan with a snap: "Of course I have to explain it to him with my feelings."
Zhao Yushu suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.
"My friends, please listen to what I have to say." Wang Buzhi suddenly stood up, bowed and shouted. The noise on the huge floor slowly died down. Some people held cups, some fanned themselves, and looked at Wang Buzhi with great interest.
As the son of the president of Nanyang Academy, his status and position are quite high.
"I'm sure you've all heard about the refugees gathering outside the city."
After hearing this, everyone nodded and started whispering again.
"I, a humble person, went to the north of the city to distribute porridge this morning. Although there were many twists and turns, I have done my best."
As soon as Wang Buzhi finished speaking, the whole place was filled with words of admiration and respect. Wang Buzhi bowed and thanked him: "I am not trying to brag here, but I feel that in this difficult time, I should stand up and do my part for the people. What do you think?"
"My dear brother, you are so kind. It's not that we are stingy with our money. My dear brother, you also know that the governor has ordered that grain cannot be released privately. I have also heard a little about what happened this morning. I remember that General Sun went out of the city to stop my dear brother from coming back, right?"
The speaker was a young man in his twenties. Zhao Yushu couldn't really remember his name, but he only vaguely remembered that he was the son of a certain lieutenant.
"That's true. What I'm thinking is, why don't we all petition the governor to open the granary and release the grain?"
After Wang Buzhi finished speaking, the whole place fell silent. After a while, a woman stood up gracefully. Zhao Yushu had an impression of her. She was the eldest daughter of Dafeng Grain Store.
"What you said is true, Master Wang, but I don't have the same compassion as you. I only know how to talk business. If the governor opens the warehouse to release grain, it may solve the urgent problem for the time being. But Master Wang, you know that there are 400,000 people in Nanyang, and there are no less than 30,000 to 50,000 refugees outside the city. The daily consumption of grain is at least 20,000 buckets. Because of the snowstorm, the surrounding food is now out of stock. Last year, the lowest price of grain was 60 coins per bucket. Now the cost of my family to get grain, including the road expenses along the way, is already 100 coins per bucket. It will only be more expensive in the future. Even if my family does not make a profit, it will cost 2,000 taels of silver every day. Master Wang, 2,000 taels is not a lot of money. Any of us can afford it. But 2,000 taels a day, how many days do we have to take it? How many days can the governor take it, and how many days do we have to take it? Do you have an account in mind?"
Miss Lu's words stunned Wang Buzhi, and Zhao Yushu was also worried. Yu Shu had left him 15,000 taels of silver, which made him already a wealthy man. If he used up all the money in a city, even if he only ate grain and no meat, he could only last for six or seven days.
He also remembered that in his previous life, when prices were lowest in the Tang Dynasty, rice was only two wen a dou. But in the Ming Dynasty, during the year of great disaster, the price of rice reached one hundred and sixty wen a dou. There was a huge difference between the prosperous times and the chaotic times.
"Brother Wang, if there is no grain allocated by the imperial court, even if Nanyang alone is used up, there is nothing we can do."
"Yes, brother Wang, no matter what, this is not the time for us to worry. It's a rare occasion for us to get together today, so let's drink a lot. If the governor is willing to give in in the future, we can donate a few porridge stalls. Just for the sake of our token of appreciation."
Several people stood up to persuade them, saying that they could pay a small amount of money with words, and it would help them gain a good reputation, but forget about doing the real work.
Zhao Yushu lowered his head and pondered for a while. That's not right. We are talking about disaster relief. There are only 30,000 or 50,000 refugees. How can we say that there are 400,000 civilians in the city? A lot of refugees are starving to death outside, but the people in the city don't have less food.
Zhao Yushu was about to open her mouth to remind everyone that the account was wrong, but when the words came to her lips, she just laughed bitterly. How could she be the daughter of a grain store, so she made a mistake in the account? What they gave was the price they offered. If you give this money, naturally someone will say good things to the higher-ups. If you can't afford this money, then it's your fault.
After drinking a glass of bitter wine and watching the endless singing and dancing in the hall, Zhao Yushu felt that the wine was a little cold, which made his stomach feel a little uncomfortable. So he found an excuse to get up and say goodbye, firmly rejected Wang Buzhi's kindness to leave with him, and walked out of the restaurant alone.
The spring night breeze is slightly cool...