Chapter 24: The Rise in Grain Prices!

"Things from your parents?"

Bai Xiuming froze, his body trembling as he took the scroll from his daughter's hands. He wiped the tears from his eyes, hesitating.

"Father, if you don't want to look at it now, just put it away. After all, we are out in public," Bai Ruyu whispered, leaning close to him.

A few people passed by the corner, casting strange glances their way.

"I will take a look first."

Bai Xiuming fell silent for a moment, but ultimately could not suppress the fluttering in his heart. He was not a child without love. His parents! Even from beyond the grave, they had never forgotten him.

Inside the scroll was a painting of a young man and woman leaning against each other. The man was tall and slender, with a gentle face and refined features, dressed in a cyan robe. He was holding a beautiful, gentle-looking woman who had a small tear mole beneath the corner of her right eye. She was dressed in an apricot-pink gown, her hair tied up with a jade hairpin. In the painting, she was smiling as she caressed her slightly protruding belly, her eyes filled with anticipation and maternal love.

"Father... Mother!" Bai Xiuming’s tears fell drop by drop as he clutched the scroll, choking out, "Your child has finally achieved his wish!"

Seeing his father’s state, it was clearly not suitable to continue wandering outside. Bai Ruyu frowned, struggling with her thoughts for a moment. She looked at Lady Jiang and said, "Mother, why don't you take Father back first? I’ll take the younger ones around to look?"

She hadn't forgotten why they were here—not just to buy grain, but to buy clothes, and most importantly, to get a sense of the outside world. Back at Wushan Village, she had been a "fool," lacking any useful information. If she wanted to survive in this place, she had to do some reconnaissance first.

"This... Yujie, I am worried about you. How about I let Er’gou and the others take your father back, and I stay here to accompany you?" In Lady Jiang’s heart, even though her daughter had become capable and clever, she was still a child. The times were chaotic, and a young woman walking alone would inevitably attract unwanted attention. Besides, their Yujie was only a bit sallow and thin now; with proper care, she would grow into a true beauty.

"I am fine, Father. Let's go," Bai Xiuming said, composing himself. He tucked the scroll away in his robes and offered the others a smile. "I will keep it in my heart. Let's go get something to eat, then look around. From now on, we must treat ourselves well so our parents won't have to worry about us from below." A glimmer of light returned to his eyes, and he seemed much more spirited.

The long-suppressed bitterness in his heart vanished in that moment.

Little Ya trotted over on her short legs and tugged at his pant leg. With big eyes, she said in a milky voice, "Father, let's go quickly."

Hearing that they were going to eat, not just Little Ya, but even Bai Ruyu felt her eyes light up. She was terrified that if she went hungry any longer, she might lose her mind on the spot.

"Alright, alright! Let's go now. Father will take you all to the eatery for a big meal today!" Bai Xiuming crouched down, scooped Little Ya up with one arm, and led the way toward the eatery.

The town was unrefined, and the shops were arranged chaotically without any unified planning; on a single street, one could find anything being sold. As they passed a grain store, Bai Xiuming’s footsteps faltered. He ducked into the shop while still holding Little Ya, and Bai Ruyu followed, bewildered.

"Boss! Why has the price of grain gone up so much all of a sudden?" Bai Xiuming’s tone was urgent. The price board outside the shop showed prices twice as high as usual. Half a month ago, millet was six coins a jin, coarse rice and other grains were around six coins a jin, and fine white rice was ten coins a jin. Coarse flour had been seven coins a jin, and fine flour twelve.

The grain shop owner walked over, eyeing Bai Xiuming with a look of impatience. "Be grateful there is even grain left to buy! In a little while, judging by how you’re dressed, I’m afraid you won't even be able to find a meal."

Bai Xiuming and Lady Jiang exchanged startled looks. Although this owner had a sharp tongue, he was one of the few honest men in town, and many poor families preferred buying from him because he never shortchanged anyone and often gave a little extra.

Bai Xiuming set Little Ya down, stepped forward, glanced left and right, and whispered, "Boss, has something major happened?" As he spoke, he secretly pressed a few copper coins into the owner's hand.

The owner hesitated, tried to push the money back, then sighed with a look of despair. "Sigh! It’s not that I want to raise the price, but the entire Changrong Kingdom is currently suffering from drought, except for the capital and the northern borders, which can still produce grain. As grain is shuttled from one place to another, the cost naturally keeps rising."

Seeing his old wooden sign, the owner’s eyes grew moist. His family had run this shop for generations and had weathered many hardships, never yielding, even through previous droughts. But it had never been this severe. The grain he had stockpiled was all sold out. He had no choice but to restock from elsewhere, but these prices were truly going to cost people their lives.

The owner lifted his sleeve to wipe his eyes, saying sadly, "I don't know how much longer this shop can hold on."

Bai Ruyu remained silent. Along the way, they had passed several closed grain shops, which she had assumed were just closed for the day. It seemed they were simply out of business.

After a long while, Bai Xiuming walked out carrying two bags of grain, Lady Jiang held Little Ya’s hand, and Bai Ruyu followed with her two younger brothers. None of them looked very happy. If the grain shops continued to raise prices or ran out of stock entirely, they would have no choice but to join the ranks of refugees.

"Father, let’s go eat. Regardless of anything else, filling our stomachs is the most important thing." Bai Ruyu trailed behind, rubbing her stomach, her gaze unfocused. Her endurance had reached its limit!

"Let's go. I haven't eaten since morning, and I'm hungry too." Lady Jiang led Little Ya toward the nearby eatery. Rather than worrying about the future, it was better to focus on the present.

Bai Xiuming took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Alright! Let's go, keep up with your mother."

"Father! I want to eat a big pork knuckle!" Sanwa said, dancing about with excitement.

Er’gou followed behind him, retorting bluntly, "Eat, eat, eat! If you eat too much, let’s see if you can still run!"

Seeing his family regain a flicker of vitality, Bai Ruyu shook her head with a faint smile and hurried to catch up. Soon, laughter and chatter filled the street—a sound that stood out sharply in the somewhat desolate and empty surroundings.

The waiter in the eatery saw them coming and quickly stood up to greet them. "Guests, what can I get for you?"

Times were getting tougher, and those who could afford to eat out were few and far between; the eatery’s business had been struggling. Seeing someone walk in, the waiter was exceptionally enthusiastic.