Chapter 120: Great Disaster
Torrential rain poured down continuously for half a month. In the first few days, the people just grumbled a bit, feeling the rain had lasted too long and travel was inconvenient. On the tenth day, grain prices rose, and worry appeared on the people’s faces. After half a month of stormy weather, they could no longer hold their patience; with such hellish weather, there were no customers at all, and all the shops had to close.
With the shops closed, the shop assistants could only return to their own homes. The originally bustling street became deserted, and every household shut their doors tightly.
If this continued, grain prices kept rising higher, and other daily necessities followed suit in price increases, with the most outrageous rises being in grain, as well as charcoal and firewood.
Inside Peach Blossom Workshop. Zhang Zhaodi ate the osmanthus cake made by Jia Chunni, her face full of worry: “Although we don’t worry about food or clothing, and staying in this room for a year or two is no problem, this is really affecting business too much. We bought this shop and stocked so much grain, but we don’t have much money left. If there’s no business like this all the time, won’t we just consume all our savings?”
“This is a natural disaster; we can’t do anything about it.” Zhang Pandi said, “Luckily, Yaoguang this clever girl prepared various things in advance, so we don’t have to get upset like those people outside.”
Jiang Jing returned from outside, took off her raincoat, removed her bamboo hat, patted the water stains on her body, and said: “I just passed by the Grain Store; there were too many people queuing, and one dou of rice has already risen to two hundred coins.”
“This is too expensive, even more expensive than meat.” Zhang Yingdi said, shocked.
“No no no, not more expensive than meat; meat has already risen to fifty copper coins per catty.” Zhang Pandi said, “Grain can be stored, but fresh meat can’t; we have to buy fresh too. Today when I went to queue, I heard the butcher say fifty copper coins per catty. I really wanted to throw the basket in my hand at his face and come back by myself. But no, we still need to eat meat; without it, we won’t have strength.”
“How’s Chun E sis over there?” Su Yaoguang asked.
“Her man came back; I didn’t see her. Her man said she went back to her maternal family and is stuck there by the rain, hasn’t come back.” Jiang Jing said, “Her maternal family is in the countryside, far from in the city!”
Su Yaoguang stood at the doorway and happened to see Jiang Yihuan seeing a man out; that man was no other than Qian Yongqiang, who had come to propose marriage here not long ago.
Qian Yongqiang stood at the doorway, looking heartbroken at the much thinner Jiang Yihuan, and said: “Huan’er, I’ll find a way to get some grain and send some over to you later. Don’t skimp; look how thin you’ve gotten.”
Jiang Yihuan’s eyes reddened, and she said moved: “Brother Qian, you’re so good to me; I don’t even know how to thank you. At this critical moment, grain is like life; you’ve saved my life.”
“I’m good to you without expecting anything in return; don’t overthink it.” Qian Yongqiang touched his head, “Of course, if you could fall in love with me and agree to marry me, that would be the best.”
Zhang Pandi’s voice came from behind: “This Jiang family girl really has some skills; look at these men who are so devoted to her. Whatever she wants, men send it over; she doesn’t have to worry at all.”
“And without spending money.” Jia Chunni chimed in from the side.
“Eating people’s food makes you soft-mouthed, taking people’s things ties your hands. She’s taken so many cheap deals now; she’ll have to pay them back later. These men all have one goal: to get her. If she can’t give them what they want, who knows what trouble it’ll cause later.” Su Yaoguang said, “Chunni, don’t learn from her; this is not a good example.”
A boy dressed as a book servant ran over holding an umbrella to Peach Blossom Workshop and said to Su Yaoguang: “May I ask which one is Su Yaoguang?”
Su Yaoguang said: “I am.”
“Many scholars in the academy are now sick; Zhou Wangshu is also sick. The academy wants you family members to send some silver over for seeing a doctor and buying medicine.”
“Zhou Wangshu is sick?” Su Yaoguang said worriedly, “We want to bring him back to take care of him; is that okay?”
“No. The scholars’ symptoms are all similar; the headmaster worries the illness is contagious and won’t let scholars leave the academy. The headmaster has already isolated all the sick people.”
“The academy was clearly fine before; that person hadn’t caught the illness.” Su Yaoguang muttered to herself, “How did it change so much?”
The development trajectory of this life was different from the previous life, so of course many things couldn’t be the same as the previous life. For example, in the previous life the academy was very safe and not short of food, but this life was not so smooth.
“What are their symptoms like?” Su Yaoguang continued to ask, “Have they called a doctor? What did the doctor say?”
“At first it was just some fever, then vomiting and diarrhea. Sigh, it can only be blamed on that Xiao Scholar. The headmaster said this rain was too strange and told the scholars to stay in the academy to study and not go out, but he took a commission from a yuanwai for a painting job and insisted on going to the other’s place to paint a wall painting. After coming back, he fell ill. Scholars who were close to him went to visit, and after coming back they got sick too; it spread one by one, and now seven or eight people are sick.”
After hearing the book servant’s words, Su Yaoguang understood why this life was different from the previous life. In the previous life, Xiao Yanci had no financial pressure and never thought of going out to find work, so naturally no danger. In this life, he wanted to earn more money for Jiang Yihuan, but ended up harming others.
“Really can’t go to accompany him? If I go alone, go in and not come out until his illness is better, then come out together with him; even that won’t work?”
This illness is no small illness; it looks somewhat similar to common cold, but when it strikes, it’s deadly. How many people died in the previous life? That boy’s luck isn’t great; who knows if he’ll croak like that?
Of course, if she decided to go see him, she would definitely take all kinds of protective measures. After all, in the previous life she had already experienced it once and knew how to deal with this situation.
“This illness is a bit suspicious; aren’t you afraid of catching it?”
“We have a doctor at home; I’ll bring the medicine she prescribes, then accompany him to recover. It’s settled like this; I’ll go back first to pack some things, and once packed, I’ll go to the academy.”
“Alright, I also need to go to Fenghua Pavilion opposite to notify Xiao Scholar’s family.”
Hearing she was going opposite to notify Jiang Yihuan, Su Yaoguang stirred up trouble gleefully, turned to instruct Jiang Jing and the others a few words, then followed the book servant to the doorway of Fenghua Pavilion.
The book servant saw her following and found it strange, but said nothing more.
He knocked on the door; the shop assistant who opened it. He explained his purpose, and the shop assistant immediately went in to find Jiang Yihuan and brought her out.
Zhong Lanhua had a fiery personality; Jiang Yihuan’s image outside was gentle and kind. The shop assistants were often scolded, but she helped speak up for them, so the shop assistants were loyal to her.
“How much silver is needed? Is ten taels enough?” Jiang Yihuan said troubled, “Our home hasn’t had business for a long time; the previous silver was all used to procure goods, and now we’re also in difficulty.”
