amaotonovel Chapter 280 Who should be sent to collect grain?
Chapter 280 Who should be sent to collect grain?
Food Ding Building.
The crowd was full of people.
Shen Qionghua got off the carriage and walked straight into the lobby. She saw Pei Liangchuan, who was being directed around by An Jin and holding several jars of wine in his hands. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
An Jin was wearing simple and capable clothes. When she saw Shen Qionghua coming, she immediately left Pei Liangchuan and greeted her with a smile.
"Miss."
Shen Qionghua nodded, but glanced at Pei Liangchuan and said, "Doctor Pei, what is this..."
An Jin said shyly, "I didn't let him come, but he insisted on coming..."
"So?" Shen Qionghua raised her eyebrows unconsciously and looked embarrassed when she saw this.
Shen Qionghua wanted to tease her, but after An Jin told her the truth, she became less awkward and said frankly, "Since he's here, how could I be so busy that I can't handle everything while he's wandering around like a big shot?"
Of course I have to help her.
Now in An Jin's eyes, Pei Liangchuan is no longer a miracle doctor, but the person who will live with her in the future, so naturally he should follow her lead.
An Jin won't tolerate his bad habits.
Shen Qionghua laughed inwardly as she listened to An Jin's words.
In the past, An Jin may have been very methodical and appeared particularly mature and steady because of his past experiences and the fact that he had to manage such a large Shidinglou.
Now that she is with Pei Liangchuan, she seems more lively and has a little girlish feel.
Shen Qionghua looked up at Pei Liangchuan again.
Doctor Pei was still dressed in the same ostentatious way as before, and the crown on his head and the ornament around his waist were still made of gold.
He was dressed in gold, but he helped serve food and wine.
The business at Shidinglou was so booming that even though it was late autumn and the weather was cool, he was so busy that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Even though she was dressed carefully, her clothes were a little messy and she looked a little embarrassed after the hustle and bustle.
Even so, there was no sign of dissatisfaction on his face, and he was obviously happy with it.
However, some diners looked at Pei Liangchuan in surprise when they saw him working as a waiter despite being dressed like that.
He looked as if he had seen something strange.
It was obviously not the first time that Pei Liangchuan was looked at like this. His eyebrows suddenly raised and he was about to speak, but suddenly he seemed to think of something. He looked in the direction of An Jin and swallowed the words back.
It was obvious that An Jin had specifically instructed not to conflict with the diners.
Seeing that Pei Liangchuan could do this for An Jin, Shen Qionghua could finally rest assured.
When Pei Liangchuan first came to the capital, Shen Qionghua had some understanding of his temper and character. Now that she can do this for An Jin without any complaints, it can be seen that she is sincere to An Jin.
Shen Qionghua chuckled, "Don't ask him to do too much work. After all, he's not our waiter, and we don't pay him."
An Jin curled his lips and said, "Don't worry, Miss, I know my limits."
She didn't want to order Pei Liangchuan around, but Pei Liangchuan was really annoying. He wandered around all day and kept pestering her in Shidinglou.
She had so many things to do, so she didn't have time to hang out with him in the restaurant.
Since he is free, why not help with the work?
After hearing what An Jin said, Shen Qionghua didn't say anything more.
After all, this matter is ultimately a matter between An Jin and Pei Liangchuan. One of them is willing to fight and the other is willing to be beaten. If she says too much, it will only make her annoying.
Furthermore, Shen Qionghua privately agreed with the way the two of them got along.
After all, in Shen Qionghua's heart, An Jin is much more important than Pei Liangchuan. When the two of them get along, An Jin has the upper hand, and Shen Qionghua will only be happy for her.
Shen Qionghua took Gancao, Shaoyao and An Jin to the second floor, and the four of them disappeared in the lobby.
Pei Liangchuan, who was diligently helping just now, caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, rolled his eyes, stuffed the tray in his hand into the hands of the second servant, and followed quietly.
……
In the box.
Shen Qionghua sat down on a round stool and An Jin handed her a cup of tea.
Shen Qionghua took it, opened the cup and took a sip.
An Jin said softly, "Miss, what do you want to tell An Jin when you come here today?"
In the past, if there was nothing else to do, Shen Qionghua would usually only come to Shidinglou to check the accounts every month, so An Jin asked this question.
Shen Qionghua nodded gently and said, "There is indeed something I want you to do."
As Shen Qionghua spoke, he took out a stack of silver bills from his sleeve. All of them were worth one hundred taels of silver, which amounted to as much as fifty or sixty thousand taels.
"I need to purchase some food. I can't buy it in large quantities, so I have to buy it slowly to avoid arousing suspicion. Here's the money for the food. Buy this for now. If there's a need, I might need to buy more later."
An Jin took the banknote, pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said, "Miss, have you heard that the Emperor ordered Prince An to assist the Minister of Revenue in dispatching grain and fodder for the border? Are you worried that Prince An will cause trouble for His Royal Highness Prince Rui?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Qionghua's eyes. "Have you heard about this too?"
An Jin chuckled and said, "I just found out too. The emperor just issued an edict this morning. Many diners in the Food Tripod Building are discussing this matter. They all say that the emperor values Prince An. It just so happens that after suffering such a serious injury, the emperor let Prince An take charge of such a big matter."
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Shen Qionghua's eyes.
Yes, now everyone in the capital says that Prince An was seriously injured at the border, and no one still remembers that he was defeated.
Prince An made a very good move.
Shen Qionghua nodded and said, "Yes, I am indeed worried that Prince An will interfere and deliberately delay the arrival of grain and grass at the border."
"This isn't just a battle for the throne between Prince An and Prince Rui; it also concerns the lives of soldiers at the border. It's always a good idea to be prepared just in case."
"It would be best if Prince An honestly delivered the food and supplies to the border, but if he really did tamper with it, we wouldn't be completely unprepared."
"Since Shi Ding Lou's business is booming, if the food and fodder are delivered smoothly, Shi Ding Lou will be able to consume the food we purchased, so it won't be wasted."
"As for the food you bought, don't put it in the Food Bowl Building yet. Find an empty farm outside the city to store it first, so as not to attract attention."
An Jin smiled and said, "Miss, you are very thoughtful and considerate. An Jin will make the arrangements."
An Jin said this and turned to call for help.
After taking a few steps, Shen Qionghua suddenly felt something was wrong and said, "Wait."
An Jin paused and looked back at Shen Qionghua.
"It's better to find someone trustworthy and unfamiliar to collect the grain this time, otherwise the news might leak out." Shen Qionghua said.
The reason why we were able to successfully purchase so much food in advance during the last flood.
First, the common people and merchants were unaware of the flood. Second, last year's grain production was high and the price was cheap. Third, at that time, neither Prince An nor the Yongning Earl's Mansion knew that Shidinglou was the property of the Shen family, so they did not pay much attention to it and tried to interfere.
However, this time it was different.
A new batch of grain has just been harvested. Due to the flood at the beginning of the year, grain is particularly expensive this year. Coupled with the war at the border, people who could buy three kilograms of grain in previous years can only buy one kilogram this year.
If Prince An really wanted to tamper with the food supplies and take advantage of the situation to attack Prince Rui, he would probably send people to monitor the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and even the Shen family would not be able to escape.
If An Jin sent his men from Shidinglou to collect grain, he was afraid that Prince An would interfere. Either the price of grain would be ridiculously high and silver would have to be paid to Prince An, or no grain would be collected at all.
An Jin frowned slightly after hearing what Shen Qionghua said, "What should we do? If we send someone else, they may not be able to negotiate the price."
Miss wants to purchase a large amount of grain, so the seller will definitely give her a lower price. With the current price of grain, if it can be cheaper, you can save a lot of money.
Although the Shen family is wealthy, An Jin would still feel a little distressed if he gave the money to others for nothing.
Shen Qionghua gritted her teeth and said, "It's nothing, it just costs a little more money, there's nothing we can do about it."
If spending more money can break Xie Qian'an's plan, then the money will be worth spending.
As soon as Shen Qionghua finished speaking, she heard Shaoyao yell, "Who's outside?"
Shen Qionghua's eyes became sharp and she looked at An Jin.
Shaoyao immediately stepped forward to open the door, and bumped into Pei Liangchuan who was about to escape.
Pei Liangchuan: "..."
He raised his hand awkwardly and waved, greeting Shen Qionghua: "Hello, Miss Shen!"
Shen Qionghua and An Jin's eyes lit up at the same time.