Chapter 222, strange things happen every year, especially this year
Sun Wentang, He Jingnian, Jiang Yunshan and others looked at each other in shock as they watched Hu Wanan leave.
"If this grain costs a penny per pound, I might as well dump it all into the river."
He Jingnian waited for Hu Wanan to leave and couldn't help but said with red eyes.
This time, the He family's losses were too much, at least two million taels of silver. The He family was really struggling. In order to raise such a huge amount of funds to set up a business, they mortgaged a lot of properties and shops.
A lot of the grain purchased here was also purchased on credit.
Now selling for one penny per pound, their He family will become precarious. If they cannot support it, the entire He family may go bankrupt.
"With a penny and a pound, the Hu family is truly worthy of being the leader of Huizhou merchants. They are really wealthy."
Sun Wentang couldn't help but sneered.
Let alone the famine years, this food would never be sold for a penny per catty even in normal times. What's more, the food in their hands is basically rice from Jiangnan, and the cost is extremely high.
"The Hu family wants to buy a pound for a penny, what do you think?"
Jiang Yunshan also followed suit and said, he was extremely unwilling in his heart, but if the Hu family sells it for a penny per catty, what will they do?
As the leader, the Hu family has strong strength and wealth, so they naturally have the most grain in their hands. If the Hu family sells it for one penny per catty, other people will not be able to sell the grain in their hands even if they don't follow.
There was a penny a pound of fish in the front, and a penny a pound of rice in the back. The food in their hands was definitely rotting in their hands.
"I've already said that even if I pour it into the river, I won't sell it for a penny per pound. Anyway, the food is not sea fish. Don't worry about it smelling. I will sell it slowly. I want to see how much Hu Wanan has.
How long can the food be sold?"
Although He Jingnian looks very elegant and is dressed very elegantly, he is a bit ferocious when he speaks, and his true colors are revealed when his own interests are involved.
"Old He, no matter what, we are all Huizhou merchants. It is better for everyone to act in unison. Why, our families have been helping each other for many years, making money together when we have money, and taking on difficulties together."
"Although Mr. Hu's decision is hard to accept, at the moment, it seems that this is the only way we can escape smoothly."
"There is no point in worrying about losses anymore. We still have to look forward. There are many opportunities to make a fortune. If the money is gone, you can make it again."
"If we can't escape smoothly this time, no matter how rich our family is, we won't be able to escape death."
After Jiang Yunshan thought for a long time, he slowly spoke.
Now, no matter what, it is a loss, no matter what, it is a blood loss, and there is no possibility of turning it back. You must know that they have now reduced it to the normal price in the past, but the food still cannot be sold.
The old and young men in the entire capital no longer buy into the accounts of grain merchants like them. Who would sell their grain anyway if they have a penny a pound of sea fish? What’s more, these grain merchants had extremely bad attitudes in the past.
Sold for sky-high prices.
"But with this penny and a pound of grain, doesn't it mean cutting off our flesh to feed those people?"
Although He Jingnian knew very well that what Hu Wanan and Jiang Yunshan said made sense, his heart was bleeding when he thought that the grain he had worked so hard to buy at a high price was only sold for a penny a pound.
"If you keep the green hills, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood!"
Sun Wentang shook his head helplessly, sighed and said, obviously, although he was unwilling in his heart, he still had to follow, because they all knew clearly that this matter would not end so easily, and Emperor Hongzhi would not let it go easily.
The key for them now is how to escape.
"Alas~"
He Jingnian sighed, then thought for a while and said: "It's all the fault of the sea fish coming from Tianjin, otherwise we would not have lost."
...
On the streets of Beijing, waiters at a grain store are still beating gongs and drums and shouting, hoping to attract people to buy food in their grain stores.
Here in the grain store, there is a waiter standing at the door of every grain store. Whenever he sees someone coming, he will immediately go forward to say hello and want to draw the person into his grain store.
The previous arrogance has completely disappeared, and everyone is eagerly waiting for the customers to come up, but there are still no people on the street coming to buy food from the food store, they can only look at it eagerly.
The proprietor behind a grain store quickly spread the news. The shopkeepers and bosses who received the news were all dumbfounded. They had never heard of this grain costing a penny per pound.
After confirming the news again and again, these grain stores began to get busy again. They took out red paper and pen and ink, and quickly changed the banners at the entrance of their grain stores. At the same time, the waiters in the stores hurriedly walked to various parts of the capital.
Convey the orders from the boss above.
"What a penny a pound?"
"Isn't that wrong? This is going to be called out. If we don't sell it for a penny per pound, we will be thrown into the moat by our boss?"
"It's been confirmed again and again, hurry up and shout."
The waiters in charge of shouting didn't dare to shout such slogans at first, because the price was so scary. One penny per pound of food was unheard of, and they all knew the greed of the boss behind them.
It is impossible to say that this grain can be sold for one penny per catty.
Only after repeated confirmations did the waiters start shouting in the streets of the capital.
"Sun's Rice Store is to provide relief to the victims. All grains are priced at one penny per catty, and each person is limited to purchasing three catties per day!"
"Jiangnan Fragrant Rice Shop expresses gratitude to the emperor and expresses sympathy to the victims. All grains are priced at one penny per catty, and each person is limited to purchasing three catties per day~"
"He's Rice Shop works together with the people to provide relief to the victims. All food in our shop is priced at one penny per catty, and each person is limited to purchasing three catties per day~"
"..."
Soon, a waiter from a grocery store started shouting in the streets of the capital, and it was like a huge earthquake, shaking the entire capital.
"A penny and a pound of grain?"
"Did I hear you right? This weird thing happens every year, especially this year. There were two hundred cents per catty of grain before, then one cent per catty of marine fish meat, and now one cent per catty of food. Old man
I have lived for a long time, and I have never seen such a strange thing before."
"How is this possible for grains costing one penny per catty? Those profiteers were still selling them for two hundred pennies per catty two days ago?"
"I also wonder if my ears heard it wrong."
All the old and young men in the capital were wondering if there was something wrong with their ears. This penny per pound of food was unheard of.
"There's nothing surprising. Meat costing a penny per catty has appeared. Grain costing a penny per catty is no longer surprising either."
"That's right, everyone, hurry up and buy grain. I've long been tired of eating these sea fish. These profiteers will take advantage of them. I'm sure this is because the emperor knows that we people are working hard and ordered these grain merchants to pay a penny a pound.
Sold to us."
"It must be the Emperor. Only he will always care about us. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor~"
The people in the entire capital were surprised and quickly ran to the grain store. At the same time, some people knelt down and worshiped the palace.