CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 455: SELLING GRAIN

In Hua Village, these might not mean much. Every household raises chickens, and occasionally they can catch some game, storing quite a bit over the years. To say they’re craving these things wouldn’t be true.

But that’s for them. For people outside, these are very rare items, especially eggs. Who can still have chickens these days? Only the skilled might hunt some game in the mountains, but even so, you’d have to go deep into the mountains, let alone find this many eggs. That’s impossible.

Hua Chengtian isn’t blind, he could naturally sense the villagers’ gazes, and he felt quite wronged.

He didn’t know about these things either; whether it was meat or eggs, it was obvious his daughter added them at the last minute. Hua Chengtian shot a barely noticeable glance at his daughter; this child sure has a way of making him stand out.

Even Xiaoxiao secretly took a glance at his sister. Xiaoxiao was quite clear about the cart’s contents since he had helped load much of it.

But this boy knows where his priorities lie. Although he was surprised inside, he didn’t show it on his face.

As for Gouzi, who helped with the work, he didn’t care about anything, just focused on exerting his strength.

The appearance of these many good things completely ignited the atmosphere on the street. Even two of the constantly patrolling officials stood not far from their stall. Hua Chengtian noticed and cupped his hands in a polite gesture. With so many people around, it wasn’t realistic to leave.

Then, under everyone’s eager anticipation, business began.

"Big brother, I want twenty jin of white flour, twenty jin of white rice, fifty jin of brown rice, fifty jin of coarse flour, two jin of salted pork, thirty eggs," said a middle-aged man while taking out a silver ingot from his pocket. He was accompanied by a few young men who clearly looked like family.

The man’s face showed a clear look of joy; he took out the money quickly.

He secretly felt lucky for bringing money out. Even though he knew money was not worth much now, he thought there might be someone who didn’t think straight and wanted silver coins. And indeed, there was! He was truly overjoyed.

These cost him nearly four taels of silver, but being able to buy so many good things was enough to keep him excited for a long time.

Between silver and survival, only a fool would choose silver now.

While the man was talking, Xiaoxiao and Gouzi on the other side had already prepared the grain. No need for weighing, Hua Chengtian felt the weight with his hand and handed everything over to the middle-aged man without hesitation.

They were all farm folks who had worked for years. Who doesn’t have a scale in their hands? At such a time, having an approximate is good enough. The man nodded towards Hua Chengtian, and, with the help of his family, packed everything into the basket he brought, guarding it as they quickly squeezed out of the crowd and disappeared down the street.

With this good start, those in line behind were even more eager.

"Big brother, give me ten jin..."

"Big brother, I want thirty jin..."

"..."

The voices of people buying things rose one after another. Hua Chengtian wished he had three heads and six arms, busy to the point of sweating profusely. Even Hua Jin couldn’t stay out of it, asking Xiaoxiao to watch over their dog, taking Xiaoxiao’s place to help their father together.

While busy, Hua Jin suddenly noticed another person beside the cart and looking over, realized it was Luo Song.

Hua Jin was startled, secretly wondering when this guy had come along. Hua Jin hadn’t noticed him at all, as she had been sitting on the ox cart, playfully chatting with her brother on the way.

Though she hadn’t been purposely avoiding him these days, his words had indeed left a deep mark in her heart, especially since his eyes always seemed to be looking intensely at her, like a flame trying to envelop her.

Fortunately, he knew restraint. Otherwise, not just her, even her father would teach him a lesson he won’t forget.

Occasionally catching his focused glances, Hua Jin feigned obliviousness. Though he slightly stirred her heart, nurtured by spring, she was presently indifferent towards love and marriage. She only hoped to accompany her family safely through these tough days.

Even though Hua Jin wasn’t accurate with her hands, she was quick with weights and measures. She moved little slower than Luo Song, who had been in business for years. With their help, Gouzi assisting beside, and two young lads from the village also helping, Hua Chengtian finally caught a breath, occasionally chatting with the buyers, completely unaware of Luo Song’s aggressive gaze on his daughter now and then.

The grain on the ox cart dwindled bit by bit, while the crowd only grew, with people getting the news joining the queue.

Despite Hua Jin occasionally cheating little, the cartload of grain was quickly sold out. As the last bag was sold, looking at the crowd still surrounding the ox cart, Hua Chengtian couldn’t help but wipe the sweat off his forehead. It was too crazy.

In the end, it was only after assuring them that they would return at sunset and come back tomorrow that the crowd dispersed reluctantly. Many even packed up their stalls without setting up again, rushing home to quickly return, making sure they had enough silver, not even having time to drink water before heading back to the town to wait.

Even the officials took the time to send the message home, letting their families come with silver and wait.

The news of someone selling large amounts of grain in Shanggu Town spread throughout the entire town, even reaching the county’s official mansion.

When Hua Chengtian came back in the afternoon, he saw the place where they stood in the morning was already surrounded by three layers of people, forming a long queue.

Seeing the densely packed crowd, Hua Chengtian’s eye twitched uncontrollably. This was truly huge!

His daughter really found them a good business, although collecting the silver was rather joyously painless, having so many people around was dizzying!

Fortunately, they prepared well for the afternoon, directly adding another mule cart loaded with two cartloads full of grain. However, this time there were no eggs, though there were still two hundred jin of salted meat.

To avoid the problem of people not being able to buy in the morning, Hua Chengtian changed the rules for the afternoon. Each person could buy up to ten jin of refined grain, fifty jin of coarse grain, and one jin of salted meat, so the queue could serve more people.

Even so, they planned to sell for at most five days, otherwise, they couldn’t explain the grain’s origin on the cart, as quite a few villagers were involved.

Actually, when they returned to the village, many people didn’t understand Hua Chengtian’s behavior of selling grain. Hua Meng and Hua Qiang, some close relations, even advised him to be cautious, urging him to ensure reserves. It was only when Hua Chengtian assured them did they feel somewhat relieved.

They knew Hua Chengtian had a plan, but weren’t they worried he’d make a rash decision and do something he’d regret?

They also knew the village chief’s family had plenty of grain. When they went down the mountain, several animals were fully loaded, not to mention the grain each person carried back and forth. Just the village chief’s granddaughter alone carried no less than five hundred jin, and after several trips to the valley, they transported the grain back. Anyway, the village chief’s family wasn’t lacking grain, not to mention a new crop had been sown, which would be ready for harvest soon.

The change in the stall’s rules left some people a bit disappointed since they couldn’t buy more, but it still excited many. Nevertheless, many who came in the afternoon regretted missing out on the eggs for a long time.