“Bah! Don’t give me that useless talk. If our village hadn’t taken you outsiders in, you’d have been eaten by wolves long ago.”
“Our Wangjiacun’s kindness to your Gan Family is something your whole family couldn’t repay even if you spent your lives as beasts of burden. These ten shi of rice are what your family owes us.”
Before transmigrating, Gan Tian knew that ancient clan concepts were deep-rooted and complex, but she hadn’t expected them to be this severe.
Just because their family name wasn’t Wang, were they supposed to hand over their food with both hands?
Gan Fanren glanced at the surrounding villagers. Everyone had their heads lowered, staying silent.
Someone else stood up and said, “Your family consists only of women and children; you can’t eat twenty shi of grain anyway. You might as well give it up to help those in need.”
“Exactly, Xiucai Gan. How long would it take to eat all that food? Leaving it to rot is just a waste.”
With support, Wang Lishi’s words became even more arrogant.
“Did you hear that? If you’re smart, hand over the grain. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being impolite.”
“Fine, fine.”
“I saved your lives just a moment ago, and the next moment you come to bully me.”
Gan Fanren laughed loudly.
“What a fine story of Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf!”
“If you want this grain, I can give it to you, but not for free. It goes to the highest bidder. Otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I will take this to the officials.”
Gan Fanren’s gaze swept across the faces of these fellow villagers, his heart full of misery.
As a Xiucai, he should have been respected, but because he was an outsider, he was looked down upon everywhere.
Even when they called him “Xiucai,” it was filled with mockery.
He had never taken these things to heart; usually, when people asked him to write or read letters, he didn’t charge a cent. In his spare time, he even helped look after the children and review their essays. He thought that even if these people didn’t treat him as family, they would at least show him some kindness.
He never expected that today, for a few shi of water-soaked grain, they would put him in such danger.
If they truly reached the point of starvation his daughter spoke of, the Gan Family would likely be the first to die.
Human nature.
He finally saw it clearly for what it was.
Inside the house, Gan Tian listened to her father’s cry of anguish, her arms waving up and down incessantly.
[My dad is such a good person; he studied to benefit all living beings, yet the heavens are so unfair to him. No wonder he eventually blackens…]
Hearing her husband’s roar outside, Hui Niang’s eyes also reddened. Through the crack in the window, she watched her husband’s desolate figure, gently patting Gan Tian’s back.
The Lizheng arrived in a hurry, looking at the villagers with disappointment.
“Have you all caused enough trouble?”
“Was a single flood enough to muddle your brains? Have you forgotten the laws of the Son of Heaven and the teachings of your ancestors?”
“Anyone who makes more trouble can get out of the village. Don’t bring shame to our Wangjiacun.”
In the village, the Lizheng’s word was law. No one would cross him.
So, everyone stopped making a scene, but they continued to cast probing glances at the Gan Family’s courtyard.
They seemed to be trying to figure out where the grain was hidden.
Did they lack food now?
Not really.
Although the flood had swept away quite a bit, which farming family didn’t have some grain stored away? Even if it was soaked, it could still sustain them.
It was just that the skyrocketing price of grain made them panic and want to take advantage.
The Gan Family was small and easy to bully; many had already made up their minds to come and scout the Gan house tonight.
As for whether the Gan family lived or died?
They didn’t care.
Noticing those furtive glances, Gan Fanren said loudly, “Lizheng, you’ve come at the right time. I intend to sell the grain in my house. I ask you to be a witness.”
“Anyone who wants to buy is welcome; there are nineteen shi of grain. The highest bidder wins.”
The phrase “highest bidder” silenced the surroundings.
Seeing no one speak, Wang Lishi hurriedly said, “Nine hundred coins.”
[So shameless! My dad didn’t even buy it that cheap.]
Gan Tian complained in her heart, stretching her neck to get a better look at that old woman’s shameless face.
Worried that her daughter might fall, Hui Niang simply carried her outside.
When they saw Hui Niang, the men who had been shouting and making trouble settled down significantly.
[Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I’ve already unlocked the Liangyou District. I have as much rice as we need. It doesn’t matter if this water-soaked rice is gone.]
The little one babbled, her small hands gently touching her mother’s beautiful face, fearing her mother was unhappy.
“You old hag, don’t go too far. Nine hundred coins for nineteen shi? How do you have the face?”
A woman who didn’t get along with Wang Lishi spat and looked at Gan Fanren with a smile.
“Xiucai Gan, I’m not as shameless as her. I’ll give one tael of silver.”
“A single shi of water-soaked rice is worth one tael now. You have the nerve to offer one tael for nineteen shi? I offer two taels.”
“Three taels…”
“Five taels…”
With rice being so expensive now, even if they didn’t eat it themselves, selling it to others was a good deal.
Everyone joined the bidding, and in the end, the grain was sold for twenty-one taels of silver—a sum far higher than the usual market price of three taels.
Nineteen shi of grain sold for twenty-one taels.
The one who bought the grain was a wealthy man from the village.
His vision was more long-term than the other villagers; it was still several months until the next harvest.
Grain would only get more expensive. The servant he just sent to buy rice said the price of water-soaked rice in the grain shops had risen again, reaching one and a half taels per shi.
Since grain was already this expensive, it would likely be even worse later.
The wealthy families were all stockpiling grain.
Even these people knew to stockpile; a scholar like Xiucai Gan certainly knew as well. If Wang Lishi hadn’t caused trouble trying to get the rice for free, Xiucai Gan wouldn’t have sold it.
Having scored a bargain, he felt a bit of pity for the scholar.
Glancing at Wang Lishi, who looked resentful, he felt inclined to offer some protection: “It’s late today. Tomorrow morning, I will have my servants bring the silver over.”
Since she hadn’t gained anything, Wang Lishi probably wouldn’t let it go. If the silver were given directly to the Xiucai, the Gan family might fall victim to her schemes tonight.
Bringing the silver tomorrow morning would also give the Gan Family time to think about how to handle the money.
Xiucai Gan bowed gratefully to the wealthy man.
As the grain was moved away, the Lizheng dispersed the crowd.
Seeing that Xiucai Gan no longer had grain and the money hadn’t arrived yet, Wang Lishi lost interest in staying and left with everyone else.
Gan Fanren invited the Lizheng inside for tea.
He sat at the simple table, his expression sorrowful. “Lizheng, you saw what happened today. I fear I can no longer stay in this village. I hope you will issue a few Luyin for us; we intend to go to Wangdu.”
The Lizheng tried to persuade him to stay several times. Seeing that Gan Fanren’s mind was made up, he sighed. “What Wang Lishi did today was wrong. Tomorrow I will open the ancestral hall and give her a harsh lesson in front of the ancestors.”
“You and Hui Niang should stay and rest. At least wait until Hui Niang finishes her month of confinement before leaving.”
He knew the benefits of having a Xiucai in the village.
A Xiucai was exempt from taxes, and more than half of the village’s land was registered under Gan Fanren’s name. Over the years, he knew exactly how much money Gan Fanren had saved the village.
Today’s events had ultimately broken the scholar’s heart.