The night passed without incident. Xu Mu felt a twinge of 后怕 —fortunately, he'd arranged for night watches. He'd heard that two traveling merchants had their throats slit while sleeping, their silver and goods stolen. Even when town officials came to the inn, they'd merely glanced around, finding nothing. In these times of cheap lives, mere survival for a few extra years counted as good fortune.
"Master, I've checked. The largest grain store in Zhougong Town is Li's Grain Store, less than half a li from the inn." Chen Sheng returned, his voice heavy. "But Wangzhou's February Spring Winery has long been their biggest customer."
Industry rivalry—if he wanted to brew private wine, the old February Spring Winery was an unavoidable opponent.
"Let's go take a look."
Chen Sheng nodded, leading Xu Mu and the others through the crowd toward Li's Grain Store at the town's edge. From a distance, Xu Mu could already see at least twenty or thirty workers, each carrying cudgels, patrolling back and forth around the store, which was covered in straw cloth. Grain merchants hoarding supplies often signaled the start of troubled times.
"Master, I'll go ask." Chen Sheng went in and soon returned with a pot-bellied grain merchant. To Xu Mu's surprise, the merchant barely glanced at him before losing interest.
"One cart of rice and wheat—ten taels. One cart of coarse grains—three taels."
Three taels for a cart of coarse grains was nearly double the usual price. As for rice and wheat, it was absurdly expensive—not that anyone used such grains for winemaking these days.
Xu Mu frowned. "That's steep."
The merchant sneered. "If you think it's too expensive, go buy from the villages. But let me warn you—if you come back, I'll double the price. Take it or leave it."
"This won't be a one-time purchase. I'm looking for long-term cooperation."
"Long-term? Within a hundred li of Wangzhou, my Li's Grain Store has plenty of customers. I don't need you."
Hoarding grain, Xu Mu realized—these merchants had likely bought up nearly all supplies in the area. With refugees surrounding the city, grain was even scarcer. Even if they tried another store, the price would likely be just as high.
"Hmph, if you won't buy, get lost! A pauper pretending to be a big boss." The merchant spat, turning to leave.
Si Hu flew into a rage, reaching for his cudgel, but Xu Mu held him back. No wonder Si Hu was angry—the price was doubled, and the attitude was insufferably arrogant.
"Brother Mu, what do we do?"
Xu Mu's expression was grim. At three taels a cart, with no room to bargain, even five carts would cost fifteen taels. Plus the fifteen taels for his servant wife's debt...
"Chen Sheng, how far are the nearby villages?"
Chen Sheng thought carefully. "Master, they're not far, but there might be bandits."
Bandits—road robbers. Rural areas were far more dangerous than towns with patrols. Besides, there was no guarantee they'd find grain there.
"Hey, wait." The merchant, who'd already entered the store, turned back, a cold smile on his face. "Pauper, ten li outside town, there's a grain shed with exactly five carts of rice and wheat."
"And?" Xu Mu narrowed his eyes.
"Twenty taels for five carts. You won't find a better price anywhere."
Xu Mu had always believed there was no such thing as a free lunch. A grain shed ten li outside town? It was probably unsellable otherwise.
"Ten taels."
"Fifteen."
"Ten, and you sign a contract. If you back out, I'll just buy from the villages tomorrow."
The merchant grinned viciously. "Fine, I won't argue with a pauper like you. Remember—once you have the contract, whatever happens, we're not liable."
Xu Mu nodded coldly. "Fair enough."
With a contract, he doubted the merchant would cheat. Even if he did, taking it to the yamen would cost the merchant far more in bribes than the grain was worth. The real risk was likely that the five carts would never make it back to Wangzhou. But Xu Mu had no choice. Even buying coarse grains at that price was prohibitive. Besides, leaving Li's Grain Store, they might not find any at all.
"Send a clerk to take him to the grain." The merchant took the silver, signed the contract, and returned to the store.
Passing his overflowing granaries, the merchant smiled contentedly, walking a hundred more steps before turning into a lavish room. Inside, seven or eight coquettish courtesans flitted about, serving wine.
"He bought it?" A thin man sitting nearby asked, smiling faintly.
"Of course. He'll be dead by tonight." The merchant sat down, wrapping a plump arm around a passing courtesan. "I've told the refugee gang to rob the grain tonight."
"A pauper trying to make money—he had to have his hand cut off."
"He shouldn't have meddled in private wine." The thin man sighed in relief. "A lowly thug, scraping by with dirty money, yet daring to play merchant. That Fortune Inn 掌柜,Zhou, is a fool too—heard he even paid a deposit."
"Forget that dead pauper. Brother Lu, your February Spring will surely sell like hotcakes again."
"Ha, indeed."
...
As dusk fell, ten li outside Zhougong Town, the clerk finally located the hidden grain shed. Xu Mu suspected the guide was stalling on purpose—he'd pointed them the wrong way several times.
"Si Hu, teach him a lesson." Xu Mu said coldly.
Si Hu grabbed the clerk, punching him several times before the man fled, sobbing, mounting a horse and galloping back to Zhougong Town.
"Master, something's off." Chen Sheng approached, frowning.
"Is there a problem with the grain?"
"No, I checked—it's good... But it's getting dark. Hurrying back now could be dangerous."
Once night fell, even the patrols would return to their barracks.
"Master, why not find a place to rest and head back to Wangzhou tomorrow?"
"No." Xu Mu shook his head. "Staying in the wild at night is even riskier."
"Master, then—"
"Chen Sheng, tell the lads to light the lanterns, tie stone weights to their cudgels, and head for Wangzhou."
Xu Mu had known this would be risky, but he had no choice. If they failed to get the grain, they'd miss their deadline with the Fortune Inn, breaking the deal—and that would be just as fatal.
"Lads." Xu Mu gripped his cudgel, gritting his teeth. "You're all brave men. I'll be honest—every one of you gets an extra tael for this trip back to Wangzhou."
"Fortune favors the bold! With courage, in a few years, we'll all be rich lords!"
At his words, the five coachmen's faces lit up with resolve.
"Si Hu, you lead the first cart!"
Si Hu, cracking his knuckles, climbed onto the cart in a single leap.