Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity

Chapter 1096 - 932: Sell! Sell Everything!

"But there isn’t much rice left in the granary. If it’s completely sold out, how will we solve the problem of the disaster victims’ food?"Ding Shi was hesitant and wanted to persuade his master to stop selling, thinking it was better to save some rice!

"The time is not right, wait for two more days." The Xia Family hasn’t made any moves, so we still need to sell. When the rice price drops further, we will buy rice back to fill the granary.

"Many commoners are already lining up at the Ju’s rice shop to buy rice, and there’s not a single person in front of our government office’s side gate."

Gu Chengyu nodded knowingly, "Wait until tomorrow. If the Xia Family still doesn’t make any moves, we’ll lower the price as well, to nine wens per pound."

Upon hearing this, Ding Shi was dumbfounded.

"Master! Are we really going to sell at nine wens per pound? That’s a serious loss." Ding Shi was on the verge of tears, feeling that his master truly does not understand the high cost of daily living!

Gu Chengyu shook his head, "It’s just a few silvers, it’s okay if we lose them. To have them quickly release their grain, we need to pay some price. Don’t worry! The grain in the granary will definitely be replenished within these two days!"

"Master! Both the Ju Family and the Jiang Family are selling rice, should we start selling as well?" A follower rushed into the study, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.

"What? How much are they selling per pound?" The Xia Clan Leader had a gloomy face, as the Ju Family was never on good terms with their Xia Family. Mr. Ju had a bad temper and was exceedingly stubborn.

This person was petty and narrow-minded; it was unexpected that he would stockpilе so much grain this time. With Ju Haoming’s determination, he wouldn’t normally pull off something like this.

Previously, this person was unwise not to sell the grain to us, and now he’s doing this foolish thing.

"The Ju Family sells at nine wens per pound, the Jiang Family at ten wens. Today, in front of Ju’s rice shop, the commoners are packed tightly, all there to buy grain."

The follower reported the thriving sale of Ju’s rice grain and asked the Xia Clan Leader for his opinion.

"Master, should we start selling grain as well? If we continue to hold off, the grains will sprout. These two families have stocked quite a lot of grain, the commoners are no longer short on food, and even if we don’t sell, it won’t threaten them."

The Xia Clan Leader pondered for a moment, feeling unwilling. Much effort was spent stockpiling grain, travelling across several prefectures and counties.

Moreover, the final cost of the purchased grain vastly exceeded ten wens, sometimes even costing several times more. Selling at nine or ten wens per pound would result in substantial losses for him.

"Is the government office still selling rice?" Previously, Gu Chengyu had been selling at a loss. Now that Ju Family and Jiang Family have started selling, Gu Chengyu has achieved his goal and surely won’t continue selling.

"I had someone gather information. They’re saying Mr. Gu’s followers bought a considerable amount of grain. Today, there is no business for them, and all that grain will likely stay unsold with them. Moreover, they’ve ordered tens of thousands of stones elsewhere, with plans to deliver piecemeal to Yingnan Mansion and Hangtian Prefecture over the next few days. From what I’ve heard, it seems they also plan to sell at a lowered price."

The follower reported the gathered information to the Xia Clan Leader, believing that if grain is not sold soon, they might not even be able to sell it at nine wens per pound later.

The Xia Clan Leader was shocked to hear this, not expecting Gu Chengyu to have bought such a large amount of grain. Where did he get the silver from? Did he use the disaster relief funds to buy grain?

Gu Chengyu might not have anticipated that the Ju Family and Jiang Family would sell grain at this time; he had already bought all the grain earlier, making it too late to change his decision now.

Currently, Yingnan Mansion is truly not short of grain; seeing the low price of grain, the commoners would surely stockpile it excessively.

For a long period, the common people won’t worry about not having enough grain to eat. But what about the grain stored in his warehouse? Half of it comprises coarse rice and unhusked rice.

Originally, when stockpiling, grain prices were high. But if it’s not sold now, with the prices expected to drop further in the future, the Xia Family will suffer severe losses.

What if Gu Chengyu is just putting on a show? That’s not out of the question! If this is all a conspiracy, wouldn’t that mean they’ve fallen into Gu Chengyu’s trap?

The Xia Clan Leader considered it from every angle but couldn’t make up his mind, "Wait! Let’s wait a bit longer!"

But not even a day passed before the Xia Clan Leader was restless.

"Are you saying that the government office has indeed lowered their prices?" The Xia Clan Leader’s tone suddenly rose, appearing extremely surprised.

"Yes! They’re also selling at nine wens per pound. Now, the commoners are stockpiling grain crazily as if it’s free. Even the Jiang Family has lowered their prices; they were selling at nine wens per pound this morning."

The Xia Clan Leader was anxiously pacing around the room; selling now would mean losses. He had stockpiled quite a lot of expensive grain later on. If he doesn’t sell, all that grain will go to waste, leading to even greater losses.

While the Xia Clan Leader was struggling with his decision, a steward hurriedly entered the room, "Master, Jiang Family has lowered their price again, now it’s eight wens per pound for coarse rice. Seven wens per sho for unhusked rice."

The Xia Clan Leader was shaking with anger, "These people really can’t hold their nerve, damn it!"

"Master! We should sell as well! If we don’t sell soon, grain prices will drop even more. If they drop to five or six wens, won’t that mean total bankruptcy?"

The steward was extremely anxious; selling grain now would at least recoup most of the cost, only losing a bit of silver. For the Xia Family, it wouldn’t affect their foundation or bones.

However, the steward feared his master might stubbornly hold on and refuse to sell.

Once the new grain arrives next year, the old grain will become even less desirable. Unless it’s even cheaper than new grain, it’s still a loss.

In any calculation, it results in a loss. It’s better to minimize the damage.

"Sell it! Sell it all!" The Xia Clan Leader took a deep breath, his face showing sheer exhaustion.

It pains him to see so much silver slipping through his fingers; it’s heart-wrenching!

They shouldn’t have been so impatient; couldn’t they wait a bit longer? Once Gu Chengyu spends all his silver on grain purchases, what will he use to buy more?

At the ancestral home of the Jiang Family, Jiang Shouren looked at the account books in his hand and sighed.

Over the past two days, as the Jiang Family grain prices fell, commoners went wild, with entire households lining up to buy grain.

He understood they’re terrified of hunger; whenever they start buying grain, they will continue to stockpile until they have enough to eat through the next year.

In just two days, half of his granary was emptied. Although silver could rapidly return, aside from the basic cost, there was hardly any profit.

He didn’t understand why his master instructed him to sell grain at a low price now, knowing most of the grain Mr. Gu brought back was mixed with sand.

"Master! Here’s the account book; at this trend, the stockpiling of grain this time won’t result in losses, but certainly not profits."

The man took the ledger and glanced through it briefly, noting Jiang Shouren’s face showing discontent. He snorted coldly.

He slapped the ledger onto the table, its sound startling Jiang Shouren.

"Hmph! The master’s decision, is it for you to question? You think Mr. Gu lacks silver, buying virtually worthless grain with sand? No! He just won’t spend silver on that. Do you know how much silver he earned by shipping cloth from Ju Family to other prefectures?"