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Chapter 14
Broad daylight had arrived, consequently many people were already waiting in front of the porridge station.
Each person was covered in a layer of black ash.
Their clothes were torn without even patches to mend them. Their thin, rough faces staring fixedly at the porridge stall.
Three to four men in the middle were tapping broken bowls while shouting,
“The porridge is getting thinner. I heard Yunzhou has no grain left. We don’t even know if the porridge station will open.”
“Early this morning before dawn, the disaster relief people left the government office. If they’ve run away, what will happen to us? We’ll starve to death!”
As these few people spoke, although it wasn’t yet time for porridge distribution, the surrounding disaster victims gradually became restless.
From worried glances, to standing up, to walking to the front of the crowd.
They paid taxes every year, surrendering grain that went to those officials, yet in the end, they were left to starve!
The voices grew louder until the porridge station was almost overturned.
If it wasn’t for the guards blocking the government office gate, the surging crowd would have rushed in.
Just at that moment, Liu Zheng and Zhong Jing arrived with a team of people, escorting carts loaded with grain.
“The grain has arrived! The porridge station will open on schedule. Anyone causing trouble will not receive porridge today!”
With this announcement, the pushing disaster victims stopped their actions and looked at the bags of grain on the carts, hope immediately kindling in their eyes.
Although they had never seen such jute bags before, what Zhong Jing held in his hand was really snow-white rice!
With grain secured, everyone stopped making trouble, voluntarily forming a queue to wait for porridge.
Seeing this scene, both Zhong Jing and Liu Zheng sighed with relief.
“Impossible! How could they possibly procure so much grain overnight!”
The spy standing at the street corner was filled with disbelief.
It must be fake. Perhaps only one or two bags on top contained grain while the rest were sand.
He watched the porridge station intently, waiting for distribution time.
The disaster victims had formed a long queue. Soon afterward, the aroma of food wafted from the porridge station.
Those who received food first looked preciously at their bowls of porridge mixed with light yellow brown rice.
The appearance was ordinary, but it smelled fully of the unique fragrance of rice and flour.
One of them blew on the hot steam first, then ate a mouthful impatiently.
“So delicious! It’s been so long since I’ve eaten something this good!”
Such fine porridge was something they couldn’t afford even during good harvest times.
Those queuing behind watched them eating with relish and swallowed their saliva subconsciously while craning their necks toward the porridge station anxiously.
Hurry, hurry faster, everyone urged in their hearts.
Afraid that the porridge would run out, they wanted nothing more than to rush forward immediately to scoop two large spoonfuls into their bowls.
The spy at the street corner watched from beginning to end.
Logically speaking, the remaining granary supplies should only feed half the people, which would ensure that the remaining disaster victims would riot.
Yet even up till now, every queuing disaster victim had received porridge.
He couldn’t understand how, since all grain transport routes had been blocked. What’s more the wealthy merchants in Yunzhou City with grain had received orders not to sell.
So where had they gotten the grain from?
“Orders from above: watch the time they enter that alley. If you can discover how they get in, even better.” The contact instructed.
“Yes.”
The spy was also wondering if that place really housed an expert.
——
Around six in the afternoon, the delivery truck arrived.
Shen You inspected the goods carefully, checking to make sure that no stones were mixed in.
The wholesale boss, Boss Zhou assured her repeatedly that there was no technological trickery or deception, guaranteeing absolute cleanliness.
“This is business from a friend’s recommendation. I wouldn’t jeopardize a big customer for small profits. You won’t find a shop with better value in the entire wholesale market.”
The boss with a black bag at his waist told her.
Shen You nodded in agreement, “As long as there’s no problem with the goods.”
After counting the quantity, she promptly paid in full.
Boss Zhou, eager to maintain his big customer, praised cheerfully, “Young lady, you’re so young yet so good at business, even thinking to rent a warehouse during renovation.”
Shen You responded composedly, “It’s all because friends and village relatives want me to earn some money.”
Boss Zhou understood. As a businessman, he also understood the importance of connections.
Those with fixed major customers in their wholesale market often had relationships with friends or relatives.
“Next time you need grain, remember to contact me.”
Boss Zhou said as he got into his car.
“No problem.”
Watching his car leave, Shen You closed the door and set a reminder.
As soon as Liu Zheng and his people arrived, she could transmit the goods.
Having received so much money, she would definitely complete the job properly.
What’s more it was only after confirming that the goods were transferred to the customer that the transaction would be complete.
The Hai Hour was equivalent to nine o’clock in modern times.
Liu Zheng and his companion arrived about fifteen minutes early.
The surroundings were completely dark, yet the familiar wooden door still emitted a warm light.
Just as Zhong Jing extended his hand to knock, the round object on the eave suddenly produced a sound,
“The goods have been delivered to the courtyard. You can see them when you enter.”
The two men looked up at this speaking object in confusion for quite a while before pushing the door to enter the courtyard.
The wooden door had disappeared. In the specially arranged courtyard, those strange bags were neatly stacked.
Zhong Jing opened one randomly to check. The broken rice was very clean, likewise the golden dried corn.
Yet Shopkeeper Shen had said the quality wasn’t good?
It was actually quite good!
The porters thought the same, with one asking quietly, “Mr. Zhong, has the immortal made a mistake, giving us the good stuff?”
Should they take it away?
What if the immortal thought they were greedy and stopped helping them?
“Probably not.” Liu Zheng answered. This feeling was familiar, just like when he bought the glazed bottles.
“Perhaps in Shopkeeper Shen’s place, these are considered inferior quality.”
Zhong Jing nodded in agreement, directing everyone to transport the grain out.
Mixing broken rice and crushed corn kernels to make porridge would provide for another day or two, which would hopefully sustain them until the disaster relief grain arrived.
The spy hiding in the darkness waited until the grain transport team left, then jumped down from the rooftop quietly.
After circling around several times without finding the so-called entrance, he could only report the time of their grain transport.
*
[Ding—Shop level has been updated.]
Shen You approached the panel to look.
Besides the transaction rewards, the customer satisfaction had also increased business value, which in turn caused such rapid upgrading.
[Shop: Everything Store]
[Owner: Shen You]
[Business Level: lv2(50/100)]
[Development: 20]
[Business Scope: Fake Antiques (Junk), [Great Qi] Collections???]
Great! The level upgrade added another storage compartment to the counter, plus a one-key cleaning function.
It also prompted that she needed just 20 more business points to unlock the next [Great Qi] shop coordinate.
Shen You tried the one-key cleaning, and in an instant. everything was clean inside and out, including the difficult-to-clean wooden shelves.
Dusting once would take considerable time, but now it took just seconds without requiring her effort.
This feature was simply too perfect for a lazy person like her!