novelAbuy Chapter 29 Song Jiang Buys Rice
Chapter 29 Song Jiang Buys Rice
The group, escorting the convict and her lover, quickly disappeared outside the door.
Inside the room, only Liu Bei, Song Jiang, and Wu Yong remained.
The fire in the charcoal brazier was still burning.
The noise and filth from before seemed to dissipate along with that wisp of smoke.
Song Jiang walked up to Liu Bei and bowed deeply once again.
"Brother, today you not only saved Song Jiang's life, but you also rebuilt Song Jiang's life."
Liu Bei helped him up.
"We're brothers, there's no need for thanks."
"However, people's hearts are unpredictable, so we must be more cautious in our future actions."
Song Jiang's face was full of shame.
"Brother knows he was wrong."
Liu Bei patted him on the shoulder and then changed the subject.
"To be honest, there is something I'd like to ask you for a favor, my brother."
Upon hearing this, Song Jiang's spirits lifted, and he immediately bowed.
"Brother, if you have any instructions, Song Jiang will go through fire and water to carry them out for you!"
Liu Bei smiled and said, "Yesterday at Zuixianlou, Sun Sheng told me something. The owner of Dexing Grain Store, Mr. Zhao, is in a hurry to sell a batch of white rice he bought from Jianghuai because his son has debts from gambling. He is willing to offer an 80% discount."
Song Jiang immediately slapped his thigh.
"This is fantastic news!"
"With grain prices rising daily, he could have made at least a 30% profit on this batch of rice if he had sold it normally. But selling it at an 80% discount is practically selling it at cost."
Liu Bei looked at him and said, "I am now in Yuncheng County, a place I know no one. I will need you to handle these matters with the merchants."
Upon hearing this, Song Duo immediately understood Liu Bei's meaning.
He was even more grateful.
Chao Gai's brother is giving him a chance.
An opportunity to repay a favor.
"Don't worry, brother!"
Song Jiang stood up, his face regaining its former radiance.
"Leave this to me, brother!"
"I have a fairly good relationship with that Boss Zhao. Tomorrow morning, I will personally go to his residence and make sure this matter is handled perfectly for you, brother!"
Liu Bei raised his teacup.
"Then I will await your good news, my worthy brother."
Song Jiang and Wu Yong also raised their cups together.
The three exchanged a smile, then drank the tea instead of wine in one gulp.
……
The next morning.
Song Jiang changed into a clean set of official clothes, and without even having breakfast, headed straight for the south of the city.
Dexing Grain Store is a well-established brand in the south of the city, but the owner, Zhao Dexing, is a cautious person, so the business has always been lukewarm.
When Song Jiang arrived, the grain store was not yet open.
He stepped forward and knocked on the shop door.
After a while, a sleepy-eyed waiter opened the door a crack.
"Who is it? So early?"
The waiter recognized Song Jiang and was instantly wide awake.
"It's Clerk Song! I was blind, please come in, please come in!"
Song Jiang waved his hand and walked into the courtyard.
Where is your manager?
The waiter quickly replied, "The manager is in the backyard; he hasn't slept all night."
Song Jiang walked through the front yard, which was piled with grain sacks, and came to the back hall.
There sat an elderly man, over fifty years old with gray hair, sighing in the main room.
On the table in front of him was an oil lamp that had long been extinguished and a stack of account papers filled with numbers.
It was Zhao Dexing, the owner of Dexing Grain Store.
"Manager Zhao."
Song Jiang spoke.
Zhao Dexing suddenly looked up and saw that it was Song Jiang. He quickly stood up.
"Sir Song? What brings you here?"
Song Jiang sat down in the chair opposite him and got straight to the point.
"I have come regarding your son."
Zhao Dexing's face instantly fell.
His lips trembled, and tears streamed down his face.
"Clerk, you must do me justice! My unfilial son lost three hundred strings of cash in one night! Now he's been detained by the gambling den in the west of the city, and they're saying they'll chop off his hand if he doesn't pay up!"
Song Jiang remained calm.
"We both know who's behind the West City Gambling House."
Even if you report it to the authorities, Lord Shi might not care.
Zhao Dexing plopped back into his chair, his face filled with despair.
"Then... what should we do?"
Song Jiang picked up the cold tea on the table and took a sip.
"I heard that the shopkeeper is planning to sell the newly arrived rice at a discount to pay off this debt?"
Zhao Dexing nodded, looking dejected.
"To be honest, this is the only way now."
Song Jiang put down his teacup.
"How much rice is there in that batch?"
"A total of three hundred shi (a unit of dry measure), all of which are top-quality white rice transported from the Jianghuai region, with plump grains and a crystal-clear color. At market price, it is worth at least four hundred and fifty guan (another unit of dry measure)."
Song Jiang asked, "How much are you planning to sell it for?"
Zhao Dexing held up five fingers, his voice hoarse.
"Four hundred strings of cash... As long as I can raise enough money to redeem that bastard, I'll close this grain shop."
Song Jiang shook his head.
"Too expensive."
Zhao Dexing was taken aback.
Song Jiang continued, "You intend to sell this batch of rice all at once. How many families in the entire Yuncheng County can afford to consume three hundred shi of grain and come up with four hundred guan in cash in one go?"
"If you sell in batches, it will take too long, and the gambling den won't be able to wait. If you go to those big grain merchants, they will only push the price down even further because they know you need the money urgently."
Zhao Dexing broke out in a cold sweat; every word Song Jiang said struck a nerve.
"Then... in your opinion, sir?"
Song Jiang held up three fingers.
"Three hundred and fifty strings of cash."
"I can give you the cash today. Take the money and go redeem your son. This rice will then be mine."
Zhao Dexing's face was full of struggle.
Three hundred and fifty strings of cash, fifty strings less than his desired price.
But Song Jiang was right; apart from him, probably no one else could so readily take out so much cash.
For example, the three major grain merchants in the city, Li, Zhao, and Qian, only offered a maximum of 280 strings of cash.
Seeing his expression, Song Jiang added another sentence.
"I'll go and talk to the gambling den for you. Tell them that your son is never allowed to set foot in a casino again."
That last sentence became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Zhao Dexing stood up and bowed deeply to Song Jiang.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
"As the clerk says, three hundred and fifty strings of cash!"
Three hundred and fifty strings of cash, equivalent to about forty taels of gold.
Song Jiang immediately placed the black cloth package that Liu Bei had given him on the table.
He didn't say whose money it was, only that he was doing something for a friend who didn't want to reveal his name.
Zhao Dexing examined the gold and expressed his deepest gratitude.
Song Jiang then summoned the grain shop's employees and ordered them to immediately load all three hundred shi of white rice onto carts and transport it to the official granary in the west of the city.
……
The official granary in the west of the city.
Sun Sheng strode in from outside, followed by two lean men.
"Brother, you're such a scholar."
Sun Sheng stepped forward and bowed.
"How's the investigation going?" Liu Bei asked.
Sun Sheng said, "Replying to your question, brother. I have already sent people to investigate all the blacksmith shops in the city, big and small. The best craftsmanship is found in 'Zhang Family Blacksmith Shop' in the east of the city. However, the shopkeeper, Zhang Tiebi, has an eccentric temper and never makes weapons for government officials or wealthy households. He only takes on jobs making farm tools and kitchen knives."
Liu Bei responded with an "oh".
"Anything else?"
"I also heard that a while ago, a group of merchants from out of town bought a batch of high-quality iron and timber from us, saying they were going to transport it to Jeju Island."
Wu Yong interjected, "Do you know who they are?"
Sun Sheng shook his head: "I only know that they are generous and don't ask about the price. I have already sent two clever brothers to follow them."
Liu Bei remained silent, lost in thought.
Just then, the sound of rolling wheels came from outside the gate of the official granary.
One after another, large carts loaded with grain sacks slowly drove into the courtyard, led by Song Jiang.
The migrant workers in the courtyard stopped what they were doing when they saw the mountain of grain sacks, their eyes gleaming with fervent desire.
It's grain!
Song Jiang jumped off the carriage and walked quickly to Liu Bei, his face beaming with joy.
"Brother, I have not failed you!"
He briefly recounted the purchasing process.
"Three hundred shi of top-quality white rice cost a total of three hundred and fifty guan, not a penny less. The grain is all here."
He handed the empty black cloth bundle back to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei did not accept.
He looked at Song Jiang and smiled.
"You've done a great job, my brother."
"If the rice shop makes money in the future, my brother will take half of the profits."
Song Jiang was stunned, then a surge of excitement rose on his face.
He understood that from this moment on, he was truly regarded as one of his own by Brother Chao Gai.
"Thank you, brother!"
Liu Bei helped him up.
"We're family, no need for formalities."
He turned around and looked at the newly delivered grain and the hundreds of hopeful eyes in the yard.
"Let's go inspect the grain."