Chapter 1687 - 1515: Female Supremacy 19 (4,000 Words)_2
Chapter 1687: Chapter 1515: Female Supremacy 19 (4,000 Words)_2
But the common people ultimately did not have much money on hand, and later, many had run out of money to buy grain. Even when Shuangshuang slightly lowered the grain prices to the point of losing a bit, they still couldn’t afford it.
Shuangshuang watched helplessly as more and more people could only squat outside the grain store, begging those who could afford grain for a bit of food, realizing that things couldn’t continue like this, or people would starve to death.
Having done so much good already, it was better to complete it rather than leave it halfway. Soon, those who couldn’t afford grain received good news: they could collect grain for free.
Of course, this "free" wasn’t without cost. It meant that whatever amount of grain was taken today had to be compensated in equal measure after the autumn harvest next year.
Furthermore, seeds for next year’s planting could also be collected from the Qi Guan Family’s grain store. Later, they simply had to return the same weight of grain.
Upon hearing this news, both the people who couldn’t afford grain and those with a bit of money were overjoyed. Someone started it off, and a group of common people knelt on the ground thanking the Qi Guan Family’s grain store.
They were tearful with genuine gratitude because, without the Qi Guan Family, they didn’t know what their situation would be now; at least the children in the family would certainly have already been sold, who knows how many.
Witnessing this, the shopkeeper and clerks, who had been sent by Shuangshuang to sell grain at low prices but didn’t really understand her actions, were also moved.
When doing good deeds, even without seeking repayment, when those helped show genuine gratitude, it’s hard not to feel touched.
The shopkeeper and clerks stepped out and helped each person up, without having time to offer much comfort before they continued selling grain, only now with increased enthusiasm among everyone.
Even though they could collect grain for free, these common people carefully calculated the amount to take, understanding that while the Qi Guan Family was genuinely kind, the court was not truly benevolent.
Even if next year were to be a good year, after deducting taxes and necessary expenses, there must still be enough grain left for the following year’s consumption. So, they chose to take only enough grain to avoid starving.
During this drought, the Qi Guan Family’s grain transport team became a remarkable sight, a lengthy procession of grain carts moving ostentatiously across districts and provinces, passing villages and towns affected by the disaster.
This was previously impossible during years of famine; there were no grain caravans that would dare openly pass through areas with many disaster victims.
Yet the Qi Guan Family’s grain transport team not only passed through openly in front of the disaster victims, but these victims also offered the precious water they were reluctant to drink to entertain the transport team.
When the imperial envoy finally arrived, bringing the relief grain difficultly sourced, a small rain already awaited the common people.
With the court’s relief grain provided, the Qi Guan Family’s grain stores closed one after another because most of the grain arranged by Shuangshuang had been consumed.
......
Zhao Lao Yi, the village chief of Zhao Family Village, finally saw some rain in the last couple of days, with the dry, cracked soil starting to recover somewhat. She had been wandering around the fields these days.
At this time, if it hadn’t been a disaster year, it would be near the autumn harvest. The climate here remains warm enough for them to plant another crop of winter wheat.
This year, due to the severe drought, the court had to remit taxes. Planting winter wheat could entirely repay the borrowings from the Qi Guan Family and still leave food for the next year.
While thinking this over, some villagers came back with drooping heads, carrying bulging cloth bags, making Zhao Lao Yi curious about their dejected looks.
Walking out of the fields, she stomped the mud from her shoes and asked puzzledly, "Did you all not go to collect the relief grain from the court? Why have you returned like this?"
The leading villager, with a disheartened face, sighed to Zhao Lao Yi, "They gave us relief grain, but what they provided really... You should see this grain for yourself to understand."
With that, everyone opened their grain bags, and Zhao Lao Yi looked down and immediately noticed something was wrong. Two of the bags contained moldy grain, clearly inedible.
While when extremely hungry, moldy grain might still be considered a treasure, they hadn’t reached that point yet, so the moldy grain was not easily consumable.
The remaining bags seemed fine but had sand visibly mixed in. Eating it would take much time to sift the grain, and if half remained after sorting, it would be considered a lot.