https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-30-Completing-the-Mission-Part-1-/13030736/
Chapter 29: Zhang Family Grain Store
Chapter 29: Zhang Family Grain Store
By this time, it was already close to noon, and Lu HaiKong's stomach was starting to growl. Zhang Feng and Li Yi, who had been hungry for a whole day, were almost collapsing on the ground. So, Lu HaiKong took the two of them to a street vendor for a meal.
It wasn't that Lu HaiKong didn't want to eat something better; he just didn't have much money in his pocket. Additionally, he was preoccupied with his mission and planned to take care of that first before indulging in a better meal.
However, Lu HaiKong was quite disappointed with the food. The chef's skills were far inferior to Wang Fat's, but the portions were generous, and the three of them wolfed down their meal in about ten minutes.
When it came time to pay, Lu HaiKong noticed that the cost of living here was much lower than in the bandit camp. A meal for three people only cost around 100 copper coins, which made him quite happy. Cheaper food meant it would be easier to obtain, increasing his chances of completing his mission.
With Zhang Feng and Li Yi leading the way, Lu HaiKong spent over an hour gathering information on the grain prices in Shanwu County.
The most expensive grain was rice from Jiangdong, which sold for 100 copper coins per pound. Initially, Lu HaiKong had a puzzled look on his face, thinking that rice shouldn't be available in the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, he quickly rationalized that since this was a game world, it wasn't surprising to find things that shouldn't exist. Nevertheless, at that price, which was equivalent to a quiver of arrows, Lu HaiKong knew he couldn't afford it. Even the idea of buying a few pounds to get Wang Fat to cook him a special meal was quickly abandoned, as he didn't want to risk becoming addicted to such expensive food and going broke.
After searching for a while, Lu HaiKong was disappointed to find that the cheapest grain available was the lowest quality wheat, which still cost 5 copper coins per pound.
Lu HaiKong was still short of about 90,000 pounds of grain, meaning he would need 45 gold coins to buy enough of the cheapest, lowest-quality wheat to complete his mission. Clearly, he didn't have that much money, which left him feeling quite anxious. This mission was important to him, so he continued to visit grain stores, asking if they had any cheaper options, but all he received were negative responses.
After about half an hour of searching, Lu HaiKong finally arrived at the last and largest grain store in Shanwu County. Despite the slim chances of finding anything, he still decided to give it a try. If nothing was available, he would have to sell some of his possessions to get the money needed for the mission.
As Lu HaiKong and his companions entered the store, a shop assistant, looking quite impatient, approached them with a faint smile. "What can I do for you, gentlemen?"
Lu HaiKong, who was initially a bit embarrassed, quickly regained his composure when he saw the assistant's impatient face. "Do you have any cheaper grain for sale?"
"Cheaper grain?" The assistant's lips curled in a mix of disdain and mockery. He had already heard that three people had come to the market looking for cheap grain, and even the 5-copper-per-pound spoiled wheat was too expensive for them. He couldn't imagine what business they could possibly do.
Just this morning, the shopkeeper had given him a good scolding, and Lu HaiKong was still fuming when these three guys happened to bump into him. The shop assistant decided to have some fun at Lu HaiKong's expense.
"Coincidentally, our shop recently had a batch of grain that was improperly stored. We were going to feed it to the livestock, but we're willing to sell it to you for just one copper coin per pound. Are you interested?"
"How much do you have?" The shop assistant's attitude annoyed Lu HaiKong, but the latter part of his statement caught Lu HaiKong's attention.
He needed the grain for a quest, and as long as he could complete the quest, it didn't matter if it was edible or not; he wasn't going to eat it anyway.
"The problem isn't how much you have, but how much you can afford." Lu HaiKong was clearly acting arrogant, and the shop assistant sneered, "Even for this grade B product, if you want a few thousand pounds, it's best to keep quiet and leave. Otherwise, it might get awkward for everyone, don't you think?"
"Go get your shopkeeper. I'm about to discuss a deal that you're not qualified to handle!" The shop assistant's attitude finally pushed Lu HaiKong over the edge.
"Hehe, there's no need to call the shopkeeper. For a few thousand pounds, I can make the decision. Besides, our shopkeeper has a certain status; not everyone can see him..." Before the assistant could finish, a slightly worn-out small bag flew towards his face, hitting him with a loud slap and knocking him to the ground.
"Damn it! You damn poor ghosts, how dare you hit me! I'll show you what kind of place this is!" The assistant was stunned by the blow, and as he struggled to get up and pounce on Lu HaiKong, he noticed the bag that had fallen by his side. It was open, and the sight of what was inside made him freeze in shock.
Gold. Lots and lots of gold.
That small bag contained at least twenty gold, which was enough to buy not just a few thousand pounds but even a few tens of thousands.
This is the 1619 version, no mistake!
The shop assistant's face turned bitter, as if he had just eaten bitter herbs. He rarely got a chance to be arrogant, and now he had hit a brick wall.
"What are you still standing there for? Go get the shopkeeper!" Lu HaiKong's cold command left the assistant frozen in place, unsure whether to go or not.
If he went, he would offend the man in front of him. If he didn't go, he might get in trouble for not bringing the shopkeeper, who had been worrying about that batch of grain so much that his hair was turning white. If the shopkeeper found out that he had missed this opportunity, he might even kill the assistant.
"What's the matter?" As the assistant hesitated, an old man in a long robe, looking about fifty years old and very stern, approached them.
Upon seeing this old man, the shop assistant's face paled, and even his blood drained. He knew he was done for.
Sure enough, when the old man, who turned out to be the shopkeeper of the Zhang Family Grain Store, understood the situation, especially after learning that Lu HaiKong wanted to buy 90,000 pounds of the water-damaged grain, his eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he fired the assistant on the spot in front of Lu HaiKong.
(End of Chapter)
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