After eating, Li Yan gave each soldier fifty wen and asked them to take a walk around the provincial capital. To say that in the past, Fifty Wen could have bought some things, but now in this year, they really can't buy anything, just let them take a look at it.

And he and Li Mu went to various grain stores to explore first. But the result disappointed them, all grain stores are the same, if you buy less, it's okay, listen to dozens of stones, put your face on the face, and tell them, "No!" ”。

It's normal to think about it, everyone knows that food is bullish, so naturally they just hold it in their hands and wait for appreciation. To sell you a little is to keep you alive, and then slowly spend more money to live. If I sell it to you all at once, won't it cut off my own financial route? Only fools do it.

Helpless, they had no choice but to decide to go to Zhuxian Town, the land and water dock. The Jialu River in Zhuxian Town is connected to the Huai River and can be used by large boats. And it is very close to Kaifeng, so it has naturally become a cargo distribution center connecting the northwest and southeast. There is a concentration of goods from all over the world, from foreign goods to local products, as long as they can be bought and sold.

When they returned to the inn, they found that the thirty soldiers had returned, and were drinking together. It turned out that the money given by Li Yan was too small, and everyone couldn't do anything, so Shi Jin came up with an idea, put everyone's money together, bought a small jar of bad wine, and then bought some peanuts and fennel beans or something, and came back to eat and drink.

Early the next morning, they took the cart out of the city and rushed to Zhuxian Town. When they arrived, they felt the prosperity of the place.

Zhuxian Town is divided into two by the Jialu River, forming two areas, east and west. The streets in the town are the concentration of trades, and Qumi Street is a street of rice and wheat grain; Yau Basket Street is a concentration of oil mills; The grocery street is the most prosperous, and there are all kinds of groceries; There is also Paofang Street, which is a concentration of shops that make and sell firecrackers. When you get here, just look at the name of the street, go to the street if you want, and you can find what you want.

Due to the importance of Zhuxian Town, there is a battalion of officers and soldiers stationed here, as well as the Inspection Division, so the safety is still guaranteed. Otherwise, no one would dare to transport things here, then the princes in Kaifeng City would have to suffer, and the things they cared about and enjoyed were all transported to Kaifeng here.

After Li Yan and the others came to Zhuxian Town, they went straight to Qumi Street. There are many grain stores here, and they ask one by one, the prices are about the same, and the supply is also sufficient, but there is one, if you want to buy a large amount of grain, you have to increase the price. The smallest one will also have to increase the price by 20%.

That's it, it's much cheaper than what I bought in Suizhou last year, only one or two buckets. Although this price is more than ten times that of the harvest years, but now it is not a drought, and there is a locust plague, this price is already a conscience price, and it is much more down-to-earth than those gentry and big families. Last time, I just thought that Suizhou was close, the distance was short, and it could be safer.

Li Yan took out a thousand taels of silver and bought three hundred taels in one go, and he could only buy so much. Of course, he can't buy all the rice and wheat, but he also buys a lot of other grains, so that he can continue to harvest wheat next year. As for the iron materials needed, it is better to take some miscellaneous grains to Suizhou to exchange, since there is iron ore there, and the price of grain is high, it is natural to be able to exchange for more iron.

Although Li Yan brought ten carts, they only needed three carts of grain to load. After returning to Kaifeng, he took 100 stones of various grains from Li Chunyu, gathered four truckloads of goods, got up early in the morning, and left Kaifeng to return to Qi County.

There was nothing going on the road, but a few old border soldiers were taking turns looking at a silver hairpin that Shi Jincai bought. The hairpin was bought in Kaifeng, and the money was still taken by Li Yan. Now a few of these border soldiers have begun to pursue the women in the village, and they are all fallen people from the end of the world, and there is no parental order or matchmaker's words. They all knew Li Yan's attitude, and they really wanted to find their other half to live a good life, so Li Yan didn't interfere.

As they approached the vicinity of a small village called Zhouzhai, twenty or thirty men suddenly rushed out of the grass by the roadside, dressed in tatters, some with knives and guns, others with hoes and iron rakes.

"I opened this road, I planted this tree, if you want to cross this road, leave the road to buy money!" A middle-aged man recited the lines in the Water Margin aloud.

By the time he finished reading the lines, Li Yan and the others had already taken out the bow and crossbow and waist knife, and steadily aimed at these homeless people who robbed the road.

"Oops!" The middle-aged man who read the lines said in surprise: "Hero, hero, I'm sorry, I'm mistaken, I'm mistaken." We are not robbers, we want to join the team of heroes, please take them in. ”

After saying that, he threw away a waist knife in his hand. The rest of the outcasts did the same, throwing away their weapons and kneeling down to beg for mercy. They had never seen such a fierce caravan, and they didn't say a word, and almost everyone had crossbows, so that these robbers had no way to live.

Li Yan asked, "How many of you are there?" Where to stay? ”

"The villains live temporarily in Zhouzhai, there are fifty or sixty people." The middle-aged man replied.

Li Yan asked, "How many transactions have you made?" ”

The middle-aged man rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Childe said that he was joking, you don't look like we're used to it." Today is the first time I came out, and I ran into your old caravan. ”

Li Mu laughed and said, "The waist knife and spear in your hand were made by yourself?" When you see the strong, you kneel on the ground and beg for mercy, and you must not show mercy when you see the weak. can distinguish the strong from the weak, then naturally it has suffered a loss, do you dare to say that it is the first time?! ”

The middle-aged man laughed dryly twice and said, "You are old and kind, we haven't done anything hurtful." It's just to get some food and get by. If you don't dislike it, we'll join you, as long as you stutter. ”

"Just join in," Li Yan shook his head and said, "I'm not short of people now." Just get some food, and don't hurt people's lives. If I have the opportunity in the future, it will not be too late to join my command again. ”

After that, he instructed Li Mou: "Leave them a bag of grain." ”

Li Mu didn't ask much, took down a bag of grain from the grain cart, and put it on the side of the road.

"Master Xie gave food. Please ask the name of the child, and I will repay Ma Tianhe in the future. The middle-aged man kowtowed and said gratefully.

"Li Yan." Li Yan said lightly.

"Thank you Li Gongzi for giving food!"

"Thank you for the grace of Li Gongzi's life!"

……

The kneeling homeless people all kowtowed to Li Yan to thank him. Although they only left a bag of food, it was food that could keep them alive, but they didn't get food for more than a month, and they basically took all kinds of grass and leaves and a little bit of food. With this bag of grain, they will be able to live many more days.