mtl008 Chapter 49 Snow Disaster
Chapter 49 Snow Disaster
It has been snowing for three days now, and it doesn't seem to be stopping. In fact, it's getting heavier and heavier. There's not enough time to clear the snow out of the yard. Seeing this, Xiao Siyue felt a little anxious. If this continues, there is a high possibility of a snow disaster.
Around noon, Xiao Qiren braved the heavy snow to return from the town.
"Father, something's happened," Xiao Qiren said gravely.
"Boss, what's going on?" The old man's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked.
“Lizhou, the closest prefecture to us, has been hit by a snow disaster. I heard from passersby that it has been snowing heavily for three days straight. Houses have collapsed, people have been displaced, and many people have died.” Xiao Qiren said with a serious expression as he recounted the news he had heard.
"What?" Old Master Xiao was shocked, his eyes widened, and his body unconsciously leaned back in his chair.
“Yes, and many refugees have already started heading towards Qinzhou,” Xiao Qiren added.
"Then, eldest brother, why did you come back today?" Old Master Xiao asked hesitantly.
"Father, I came back today to talk to you about whether we should hurry up and buy some grain. The price of grain in town has already started to rise." Xiao Qiren frowned, his tone tinged with anxiety.
"Huh? Grain prices have gone up?" Old Master Xiao asked in surprise.
“Yes, Dad, when I came back from town today, I found that the price of grain was much higher than usual. If we don’t buy some now, it will probably be even more expensive later,” Xiao Qiren explained.
"Grain prices have gone up? By how much?" Upon hearing this news, Old Master Xiao's face immediately showed worry. As an experienced elder, he knew all too well the impact of rising grain prices on people's lives. He had personally experienced disasters and understood the immense suffering and hardship that each disaster brought to the people.
Upon hearing this news, Xiao Siyue's expression turned grim. A snow disaster! Even in modern society, snow disasters are difficult to control, let alone in ancient times. Ancient people lacked effective means of keeping warm, and even if they managed to escape a snow disaster, they would still find it difficult to withstand the harsh cold.
However, she is now powerless and can only hope that the system will reward her with cotton seeds sometime.
Xiao Qiren continued, "Now, the price of unhulled wheat has risen to 60 wen per dou, coarse flour has risen to 120 wen per dou, and fine flour is as high as 200 wen per dou."
Upon hearing this, the others gasped in shock. This meant that food prices had almost doubled, and if they continued to rise, they would likely be unable to afford such high prices.
Xiao Siyue remembered that a dou of fine flour used to cost 120 wen, but now it costs 200 wen. It seems that this is a deliberate attempt to raise the price of grain, and the imperial court doesn't care?
"Eldest brother, are there many people buying grain in town these days?" Old Master Xiao wanted to find out the situation first before making a decision.
“There were many, several grain shops were overcrowded,” Xiao Qiren frowned as he recalled the scene he saw when he went to the grain shops.
“I was thinking we should buy some too, otherwise I’m afraid the village won’t be able to get out when it snows, and the price of grain will go up,” Xiao Qiren said.
“Okay,” Grandpa Xiao nodded in agreement. Although his family had a bumper harvest this year, the amount of food was simply not enough to feed their large family.
He wasn't sure if the snowstorm would affect their village; if it did, it would be a huge problem. So they needed to prepare early.
So he turned to Xiao Qili and said, "Second brother, go to the village chief's house and tell him this news. See if there's anyone in the village who's willing to buy grain." After all, they're all from the same village and will see each other all the time, so it's good to help each other out.
Moreover, Grandpa Xiao was kind-hearted and naturally did not want to see the villagers starve to death because they did not have enough food.
"Father, I'm going right now." Xiao Qili said, turning around and leaving.
However, given the current situation, it is impossible to go to town to buy grain; the roads are covered with deep snow, making it impossible for the oxcart to move.
Fortunately, the snow gradually stopped by the evening of the following day. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as they had feared the heavy snow would continue and cause a snow disaster, forcing them to leave their homes.
It was still very cold, and a biting chill swept over Xiao Siyue, making her shiver.
The people of Xiaojia Village gathered together to discuss buying grain.
Originally, without the snow disaster causing the price of grain to rise, the people of Xiaojia Village could have waited until next year's harvest to have enough food. Even some families could buy less without any problem. Although they might still not have enough to eat, they wouldn't starve to death.
But now, with rising grain prices, they simply don't have enough money to buy enough food to feed themselves.
Xiao Siyue felt sad as she watched many of the women in the village weeping bitterly.
"Village chief, please save us! I don't want to die!" The one speaking was Liu Damei from the village. Xiao Siyue knew this woman; she was the one who had fought with Aunt Lanhua before.
He used to be very arrogant and domineering, but now he's crying and clinging to the village chief, pleading with him.
Xiao Siyue was a little confused. She remembered that Liu Damei's family was quite well-off before, so they shouldn't be at the point where they didn't have money to buy grain.
"Mother, what's going on with their family?" Xiao Siyue tugged at Lin Qin's sleeve and asked, puzzled.
"I heard that when the wheat harvest came out, Liu Damei sold almost all of her family's grain and gave the money to her son to pay off his gambling debts. After that, her family lived a very frugal life. Now that the price of grain has risen, they are even more unable to afford food," Lin Qin said softly, lowering her head.
"What? His son gambles?" Xiao Siyue was shocked.
"Yes, his son is lazy and good-for-nothing. This year, he's been hanging out with some bad influences and started gambling, squandering the family's fortune," Lin Qin said with disgust, utterly loathing this kind of man.
Xiao Siyue sighed upon hearing this. She had asked Old Lady Xiao about the family's situation after witnessing Liu Damei's fight. She knew that Liu Damei favored sons over daughters, spoiling her son from a young age and causing him to die young.
I wonder if not reaching that level now is retribution.
"Liu Damei, let go! What kind of behavior is this, pulling and tugging like that?" The village chief's face turned red with anger. With so many people watching, what about his authority?
"Village chief, please save my family! If you don't, our whole family will starve to death!" Liu Damei was so frightened that she quickly let go of the old village chief, but she kept talking.
The village chief was also helpless. It wasn't just Liu Damei's family in the village who didn't have enough food. He couldn't possibly save everyone. Although her family was able to get by, they weren't a wealthy family.
As for what happened next, Xiao Siyue didn't know. After the village chief said that they would go to town in seven days, they went home.