novelAbuy Chapter 31 Three Major Grain Merchants
Chapter 31 Three Major Grain Merchants
In the back room, the oil lamps were lit.
Liu Bei sat in the main seat, Wu Yong sat opposite him, and Zhang Shi stood by the table, holding an account book in his hands.
"Brother, today's transaction amount is a total of 237 strings and 600 coins." Zhang Shi's voice was somewhat unsteady.
He had worked as an accountant for most of his life and had never seen so much grain sold in a single day.
Liu Bei took the account book and flipped through it.
"How many shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain would that be?"
Zhang Shi said, "Based on our selling price, it came to about 190 shi."
Wu Yong fanned himself and did some calculations: "At this rate, the 1,650 shi of grain in storage will be sold out in seven or eight days."
Liu Bei returned the account books to Zhang Shi.
Zhang Shi took the account book, but hesitated to speak.
Liu Bei sensed that he had something to say: "Mr. Zhang, what's troubling you?"
Zhang Shi rubbed his hands together: "Brother, I'm really too busy today. I'm managing the accounts all by myself, collecting money, keeping records, and serving guests. There were several entries that I almost mixed up. If it weren't for Brother Sun Sheng helping out, things would have been chaotic by now."
He paused for a moment, then said, "I would like to ask you, brother, if you could add a few more people? One to collect the money, and another to keep the books. I will coordinate the arrangements, and that will ensure everything is in order."
Liu Bei nodded: "Mr. Zhang is right. You'll have to work hard these next few days. I'll find an opportunity to find a few suitable candidates. Once I have the manpower, I'll assign them to you immediately."
Zhang Shi clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your understanding, brother."
He left. Only Liu Bei and Wu Yong remained in the back hall.
Wu Yong put away his fan and said, "Brother, Zhang Shi is right. The rice shop has already achieved this momentum since it just opened; it will only get busier in the future. We do need a few trustworthy people."
Liu Bei picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Does the scholar have someone in mind?"
Wu Yong thought for a moment: "Not right now. Such a person must be literate and good at math, keep his mouth shut, and be of good character and trustworthy. I'm afraid I wouldn't dare to use an ordinary accountant."
Liu Bei put down his teacup: "No rush. Take your time searching."
.........
the next day.
Before dawn, people were already standing at the entrance of the rice shop.
There weren't just one or two, but dozens. Some brought benches, some brought dry rations, and the old man at the very front of the line had reportedly arrived before dawn.
He set off from home as soon as the night watchman's clapper sounded on the city wall at the fifth watch.
When Sun Sheng opened the door, he was startled by the dense crowd.
"Fellow villagers, please wait a little longer. We don't open until Chenshi (7-9 AM), there's still an hour to go!"
No one left.
The line stood quietly, some people were dozing against the wall, and some were squatting on the ground eating dry rations.
A few acquaintances gathered together to chat, mostly about rice business.
"Chao Baozheng's rice is half a percent cheaper than Li Ji's, and the quality is guaranteed. It's reliable."
"That's right. I bought three bushels yesterday, and when I got home and measured them, they were very high."
"I'll buy two more bushels today and store them."
At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the main gate opened.
The crowd surged forward again, even more intensely than yesterday.
……
At the east end of the street, on the second floor of Wangyue Tower.
In the private room by the window, three people sat at the table, their tea already cold.
The three men were the owners of the three largest grain stores in Yuncheng County: Li Wanchun of Yongfeng Grain Store on East Street, Zhao Demao of Deyuan Grain Store on South Street, and Qian Guangcai of Hengsheng Grain Store on North Street.
The three are rivals in normal times, and when they meet, they don't get along at all.
Today, however, we all sat together by chance.
Li Wanchun was the oldest, in his early fifties, with a gray beard.
He held his teacup but didn't drink; he just stared at the long queue outside the window.
Zhao Demao was in his forties, with a chubby face and small eyes. He was spinning two walnuts in his hands, spinning them very quickly.
Qian Guangcai was the youngest, thirty-five or thirty-six years old, tall and thin, with a gloomy face.
None of the three spoke.
After a long while, Li Wanchun put down his teacup and sighed.
"Just who is this Chao Gai?"
Zhao Demao snorted: "I've found out everything. He's the head of Dongxi Village, nicknamed something like 'Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.' I heard he's on friendly terms with Song Jiang, Lei Heng, and the like."
Qian Guangcai said with a gloomy face, "It's one thing to deal with the official granaries. But the price they pay for grain is one or two cents higher than ours. And the price they sell grain to is half a cent cheaper than ours. I asked those grain merchants last night, and they all said that from now on, the grain will be given directly to Chao Gai."
Li Wanchun didn't reply, but picked up his teacup and took another sip.
The tea had indeed cooled down and was a bit bitter.
Zhao Demao leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Manager Li, what do you think?"
Li Wanchun put down his teacup and sighed softly.
"How can I tell? It's not like a fierce dragon can't cross the river. The fact that they were able to occupy this official granary means that they've already pulled some strings with Master Shi."
Qian Guangcai sneered, "Yuncheng County is only so big, and there are only so many people who need grain. If he sells one more bushel, we sell one less. Can you tolerate this?"
The walnut in Zhao Demao's hand stopped spinning.
"How can we tolerate this? He's cutting off our source of income!"
Li Wanchun stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the long queue on the street.
"Of course we can't just stand by and watch."
He turned around and looked at Zhao Demao and Qian Guangcai.
"I'll treat everyone to dinner tonight. Let's invite Mr. Shi to a meal and find out what he has to say."
Zhao Demao asked in confusion, "Didn't you say he had already pulled the strings...?"
Li Wanchun sneered, "Making connections is one thing, but all business in this world boils down to profit. Why can't we reciprocate the profits Chao Gai offers? As long as Master Shi doesn't protect him, we can kill him. Then, won't the grain in Yuncheng County be under our control?"
Qian Guangcai's eyes lit up immediately: "It's settled then!"
That evening, on the top floor of Zuixianlou, in the No. 1 private room of the Heavenly Class.
Li Wanchun arrived early.
He changed into a dark brown silk robe, with a jade pendant tied around his waist, and his hair was neatly combed.
Zhao Demao and Qian Guangcai followed behind him, one carrying a mahogany box and the other carrying two jars of old wine.
Zhao Demao placed the mahogany box on the table and patted it.
"Manager Li, do you think Mr. Shi will be able to come tonight?"
Li Wanchun sat down in a chair, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
"I delivered the invitation in person, and it made it very clear—I have a business deal to discuss and would like your guidance. He's accepted our holiday gifts for so many years, he won't refuse this small favor."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of a carriage stopping came from downstairs.
Li Wanchun put down his teacup and stood up.
"They're here."
The three greeted him at the top of the stairs.
A moment later, Shi Wenbin, dressed in casual clothes and holding a folding fan, slowly walked up.
A servant followed behind him, carrying a lantern.
Li Wanchun quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Master Shi, you've worked hard. Please come in."
Shi Wenbin smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, then lingering for a moment on the mahogany box in Zhao Demao's hand. Without saying anything, he stepped into the private room.
The four of them sat down at the table.
Shi Wenbin sat in the main seat, with Li Wanchun to his left, and Zhao Demao and Qian Guangcai to his right.
The waiter brought out cold dishes, and the warmed wine was also served.
Li Wanchun personally poured Shi Wenbin a full cup from the teapot.
"My lord, this wine is Lao Bai Fen, transported from Fenzhou, and aged for ten years. Please have a taste."
Shi Wenbin picked up his wine glass, smelled it, took a sip, and nodded.
"Good wine."
He put down his cup, placed his folding fan on the table, and glanced at the three people.
"The three managers have invited me here today for more than just drinks, haven't they?"
Li Wanchun smiled ingratiatingly: "My lord, you are wise. We are a few men, and we do indeed have something we would like to ask you to enlighten us on."
"explain."
Li Wanchun carefully considered his words: "The new rice shop that opened in the west of the city belongs to Chao Baozheng. He sells grain at a fair price, half a percent cheaper than the market price. Business has been slow for us these past few days. We've been doing business in Yuncheng County for over ten years, always operating honestly and never engaging in unfair competition. It's just that..."
"Just what?"
"But his price is simply too high for us commoners to match."
Li Wanchun said with a bitter face, "Sometimes the official granary doesn't collect rent or taxes. But our shops have to pay rent, commercial taxes, and employees every month. If we price our shops the same as him, we lose money. If we don't price them the same as him, we have no business. What should we do?"
Zhao Demao chimed in, "Yes, sir, my family of dozens of people depend on this grain shop for their livelihood. If this continues, we're afraid we'll have to close it down."