Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 349 Each has its own well-kept secrets (5)_1

Chapter 349: Chapter 349 Each has its own well-kept secrets (5)_1

Calculating the time, Mo Yan quickly finished preparing the meal and even made a mutton hot pot. She had already added the charcoal, and it was bubbling away, emitting the aroma of mutton that whetted one’s appetite considerably.

Not long after, Mo Qingze returned with Han Zhiyun. From a distance, they could smell the familiar scent of the cooked meal, surprising both of them as they had thought the siblings would not arrive until tomorrow.

Upon learning the reasons for their early arrival and the items they had brought to keep out the cold, Mo Qingze was moved but at a loss for what to say. He patted their heads one by one, summoned his energy, and unloaded everything from the carriage, hanging the chicken, rabbit, and mutton under the eaves for ventilation.

Han Zhiyun clicked his tongue in admiration, for the umpteenth time feeling the urge to snatch the siblings away to be his own children. They were just too filial and considerate, taking care of every little detail. His own children would never think to prepare such things—truly, there was no comparison!

The steaming mutton hot pot made everyone eat until they were sweating profusely, warming their bodies thoroughly—there was nothing more enjoyable than this.

After the meal, Mo Yan did not hurry to clean up the dishes, but instead asked about the border conflicts. The streets and alleys were full of rumors, but most were far from true, and places like the academy were likely to have more accurate information.

"Is the Yan girl afraid? Don’t worry, even if the Bai people are formidable, they won’t reach Jing City. In no more than ten days, the 100,000 Army should reach the border, and they will surely drive out the Bai people," Han Zhiyun assumed the young girl was frightened and smiled as he comforted her.

Mo Yan shook her head; she had too many worries and only picked something suitable to say, "The price of rice in the city is rising too fast. As long as the war continues day by day, the price will keep increasing. If this goes on for a long time, I’m afraid many people will not have enough to eat."

If people began to go hungry, who knew if some would gather and loot rice shops? Such incidents had occurred in the past. She empathized with the poor who could not afford to eat, but she also worried about her own rice shop, especially with the Xue Family lying in wait. If the Xue Family took advantage of the situation, her rice shop certainly wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure.

After hearing her concerns, Han Zhiyun’s thoughts went deeper. Once a major conflict erupted, grain would be consumed at a rapid rate. Moreover, with the south suffering natural disasters for two consecutive years previously, tax revenue had sharply declined, and the few months of civil strife had consumed a great deal, leaving the national treasury extremely depleted. If the border conflicts dragged on, the state would inevitably collect grain from the people, and this might trigger another rebellion.

Of course, Han Zhiyun naturally would not voice these unfounded speculations, which if spread could bring trouble. He could only offer reassurance, "The conflict should not last too long; after all, the Bai people’s invasion of Great Chu this time is merely to loot for food. If we don’t give them any advantage, they’ll withdraw their troops themselves when spring comes and it gets warmer."

"If that’s the case, it would be great. A prolonged conflict is not good for anyone."

Mo Yan feigned happiness but sighed inwardly. In her dreams, the war had lasted until spring had blossomed in the north, which was still several months away! She couldn’t help worrying about Xiao Ruiyuan, fearing he might get injured or be blamed after a defeat in battle.

At the moment, she did not understand why she was so concerned; she just felt that since they could be considered friends who spoke openly with each other, being worried was quite normal.

Once Mo Qingze and the others returned to the academy, the siblings also planned to head home. By then, the sky had darkened further, as if it would snow or rain at any moment.

Driving the carriage, Mo Yan deliberately detoured to the rice shop, concerned about Wang Pangtou’s hesitant demeanor from the previous day.

Upon arriving at the shop, Mo Yan saw many customers going in and out. As she entered with her siblings, they noticed that the price tags had been updated to the latest ones: rice had increased by two cents, and there was still a limit of five jin per person, while other items had risen by one or two cents.

Lizhong brought out the ledger from the past two days for Mo Yan to see, and also presented the silver from the grain sales, instructing her to take it home later since having so much silver in the shop was not safe.

Mo Yan briefly flipped through the ledger and saw the totals at the end of each day—grain had sold better than before, especially sticky rice and other cereals. The total sales volume had noticeably increased, with the two-day total reaching sixty liang.

"Very good, Grandfather Li has worked hard!" Putting down the ledger, Mo Yan looked at the placid Lizhong with a smile, "With the business improving, we owe much to Grandfather Li’s diligent management."

Lizhong waved his hands, not taking credit at all.

Knowing he did not care for such accolades, Mo Yan dropped the subject and talked about the Xue Family, "There hasn’t been any trouble in the shop these last few days, has there? Any moves from the Xue Family?"

A gloom passed through Lizhong’s eyes, but he soon said with a smile, "Everything at the shop is fine, no one from the Xue Family has come by. However, there are a few people guarding the warehouse, likely from the Xue Family."

Mo Yan, not noticing his change in demeanor, replied with a touch of sarcasm, "The Xue Family is rather interesting, wanting to succeed without showing real commitment. It’s hard to believe they’ve held the position of Imperial Merchant for several decades. This time though, I reckon they won’t be able to hold out much longer."

Lizhong nodded, expressing some concern, "I wonder when Young Master Yan will have the time. If we don’t resolve this soon, no one can predict when the Xue Family will make a move." It was surprising that the Xue Family had managed to wait this long.

At the mention of this, Mo Yan felt somewhat vexed, for she had a favor to ask and it was not appropriate to keep urging by visiting repeatedly. Nonetheless, she could first mention this to the Punishing Shopkeeper. Having made up her mind, she went to the Huixian Residence, only to find that the Punishing Shopkeeper was not there, which further added to her frustration...