On nine cold days, the dripping water turns into ice, and after the heavy snowfall, it is even more bitterly cold. There was not a single footprint on the streets of Huai'an City, clean as a stretched ribbon of snow. The dark fragrance of plum blossoms rolls into the tavern with the snow foam, which makes the mood of the people who chat and rest here feel a little better.

The shopkeeper Xue rubbed the wine glass in his hand and said to the person sitting opposite him: "How much grain there is, as well as the accounts that are sold, and the accounts that are received must be calculated clearly, and the exchange of rice grains of different colors must also be well known." Everything must be checked again and again before making a decision. Be careful not to trust others. If the master's business is ruined, we will both be unable to eat and walk around! ”

"The shopkeeper can rest assured, the villain remembers it clearly!"

The shopkeeper Xue nodded with satisfaction and said: "There are sixteen towns in Shubei, all the rice and grain are in our hands, this is all silver for nothing, after doing this transaction, we can wash our hands for the rest of our lives!" ”

"Yes, yes, you're right." Sun Shan looked at Xue Da's shopkeeper happily, as if he had seen that he would be able to sit back and drink spicy food without worry. "It's just that maybe there are some people who don't plan to sell grain at all, and the grain is still in their hands, in that case, we can't know."

"We started to harvest rice at the beginning of the year, and the big households in Shubei are watching in our eyes, and there should be no more large quantities of grain, even if others have so many truckloads of grain in their hands, it is not painful. Whether they sell it or not, whether we collect it or not, it doesn't matter if we don't accept it. ”

The shopkeeper Xue said this, and someone from the tavern pushed the door in, and it was his subordinates.

The person who came was a little flustered, looked around and found the shopkeeper Xue, did not dare to attract attention, and hurriedly trotted to the shopkeeper Xue, and whispered in his ear: "The shopkeeper, someone sells rice!" Lots of food! It's not a matter of a few cars at all......"

Xue Da's shopkeeper's face changed suddenly, "Impossible, it is impossible for someone to pinch a large amount of rice grain!" ”

"It's true! The little ones saw it with their own eyes. ”

"What the hell is going on, you tell me carefully!"

"The little one overheard someone talking on the street today, it seems that he wants to collect some rice grain, at first the little one didn't take it to heart, but after turning around, he saw the person again, and several people have been negotiated. The small conjecture is that it is the high price that convinces those who do not sell rice in the first place. ”

"Do you understand? Who is that man? ”

"I understand, the little one followed all the way, and the man had already asked someone to prepare a car to go to someone else's house to pull food!"

"Let's go, go over and have a look!"

Shopkeeper Xue is really anxious this time, if there are still people holding rice grain in their hands, their prices will not be able to rise at that time! This year's hard work has been in vain. Maybe I'll mess up my master's business! The master said plainly, a large amount of grain cannot be allowed to appear in Shubei, and the army cannot be allowed to collect grain, even if it is poor, it must be strictly controlled!

The thin man named Wang Er bowed his head and said yes, then led Xue Da Shopkeeper and Sun Shan out, twisting and turning through several alleys, Wang Er pointed to a person in front of him and said, "Shopkeeper, look over there." ”

The bones of the people who were blown by the north wind were cold, and the people who stood in the snow to resist the rice were tired and sweaty, and after putting all the sacks into the car, a middle-aged man dressed as a scribe and wearing a snow-green robe gave the grain seller a bag, which was heavy and obviously silver.

Xue Da's shopkeeper's face was gloomy, looking at the weight of the money bag, it seemed that he bought those rice grains at two or three times the price, no wonder those who didn't plan to sell rice were moved! Is this man crazy? If you buy at such a high price, you won't make much money by selling it at that time!

When those people were gone, the shopkeeper Xue went out of the alley and squatted on the ground to watch the scattered broken rice that fell out of the rice bag. I can't help but be even more surprised.

Sun Shan said: "The shopkeeper seems to be in poor condition, and some of them are bran rice...... It seems that we are overthinking. It is impossible to have large quantities of rice grains again. ”

"War is unusual, who cares about the quality of rice and grain, as long as you can eat and eat enough, it is already good." The shopkeeper Xue was not so relaxed, and said: "If that person even collects chaff and rice, he must have scraped together a lot of money." If there are too many of them, it will naturally affect us. ”

When it comes to the emergency, it doesn't matter whether the rice is good or bad, you can survive if you eat it, and the bran rice can also resist hunger. Even if the man had all the bran rice in his hand, as long as there was too much, it would have an impact on the rice they had received, and the rice they had hoarded at a great price would be worthless, and all the manpower and material resources would be lost in it.

He couldn't let something like this happen.

"If you ask someone to talk to that person, just say that we have some rice to give, and ask for the price."

"Yes, the little ones are going!" Wang Er agreed repeatedly, and did not dare to delay for a moment before leaving.

The New Year is approaching, and the sound of children playing can be heard in the surrounding alleys, and now in this situation, children who don't know anything can still laugh. Shopkeeper Xue stretched out his hand and breathed a sigh, led Sun Shan into another tavern and sat down, waiting for Wang Er to come back and reply after inquiring.

The two entered the house and asked for drinks and side dishes, and Sun Shan said: "Shopkeeper, this person is not stingy with money, will it not be for selling, but for the garrison in Shubei?" ”

Xue Da's shopkeeper is most worried about this, their rice is still the second, if the garrison gets enough rice and food, they have ten lives and are not enough to explain to the master. "We'll have to pay attention."

"Or ...... Let's quietly set a fire......"

"Idiot! Are you afraid that things won't make a big fuss?! The shopkeeper Xue glared at Sun Shan fiercely.

"That'...... So what to do? Why don't we buy it from the other side? ”

"Are you afraid that you won't be able to attract the attention of others?" The shopkeeper Xue's face was gloomy and dripping water. "This person is collecting bran rice at the same price with great fanfare, and if we still come out, it will inevitably be extraneous. So...... We have to find a way not to attract attention. I also want to make the rice grain in his hand useless. ”

"What does the shopkeeper mean by destroying the rice in his hand?"

"I'd rather destroy it than let this rice flow out and ruin a big deal!"

The two of them said this, Wang Er had already returned.

Sun Shan asked anxiously, "What did the other party say?" But who is it? ”

Wang Er came in with a cold air, his hair and eyebrows quickly condensed a layer of hoarfrost, and turned into mist, he brushed it away with his hand without care, and said in a continuous voice: "I didn't dare to ask the origin, for fear that he would be suspicious." This person pays the money with one hand and delivers the goods with the other, and no one is afraid of being deceived, so no one asks where he comes from. I pretended to ask casually while the man was going to collect grain from another house, and it really startled me. The man took the grain at a very high price, no matter how much it was! ”

"How tall?"

"The second rice and the bran rice are all charged at the price of good rice, and the good rice is charged at double the price!"

"What!" Sun Shan's eyes straightened, "He's crazy?" Could it be that he is a boy who has just come down to earth to scatter wealth?! ”

What Shopkeeper Xue was most worried about happened.

"I'm afraid this man is not going to sell grain, but to collect grain for the garrison." Fortunately, they found out early.

Sun Shan and Wang Er didn't dare to answer when they heard this, they looked at each other and waited for Xue Da Shopkeeper to speak.

The shopkeeper Xue got up with his hands behind his back, "Let's go back first, keep an eye on everything, I have to think about it." ”

……

The night was dark and the wind was high, and a white moon hung in the sky, reflecting the white snow and barely illuminating the surrounding scenery. Something creeped in the darkness of the alley.

Wang Er led a few people, cautiously lying on a wall and looking down, only to see five or six people holding long knives in their hands, expressionless, at first glance they were trained officers and soldiers, it seems that the shopkeeper guessed correctly. Sure enough, there were people who did not hesitate to scatter their wealth to help the garrison raise rice and grain.

"Find a way to bring down the people in the yard." Wang Er gave a low command, and someone immediately answered. Some of the people he brought with him were indiscriminate, and it was not a problem to deal with a few officers and soldiers.

The group waited in the alley until midnight, the guards guarding the rice and grain changed in a wave, and after another half an hour, one of the officers and soldiers fell to the ground with a thud, and the remaining few people were shocked, and hurriedly went over to check, but they were also dizzy and fell to the ground one after another.

"That's it!"

Wang Er was still not at ease, and asked, "Are you sure that the people inside are also fascinated?" ”

"The little ones put something in their water, whether it's food or drink, and if they touch it, they will be unconscious for an hour."

"Wait a little longer." The shopkeeper Xue told him to be cautious, and he didn't dare not listen.

Another time for tea passed, and there was no abnormality in the yard, Wang Er distributed a few small bags to them, "Mix these rat poisons into rice bags, move quickly!" But it can't be seen that Mi has been tampered with! ”

Several people responded to the words, climbed the wall and went straight to the rice bag.

Wang Er entered the treasury and looked back and forth in the middle of the grain bag, and sure enough, there was rice of all colors, and bran rice accounted for most of it. He stood aside with his arms in his arms and waited for the guys to make a move, thinking that Xue Da Shopkeeper was really ruthless, these rice grains were mixed with rat poison, and if they were eaten, they would die, as long as there was a dead person, no one would dare to eat these rice again...... But no matter what, one must die first!

A few guys moved quickly, and it was quickly done, and Wang Eryi waved his hand: "Withdraw." ”

The group left as quickly as they came, bent on their waists, like unsightly bedbugs in a ditch.

Wang Er dismissed a few buddies and went to see Xue Da's shopkeeper by himself.

Sun Shan was also still here, and when he saw Wang Er, he hurriedly beckoned him to sit down, "How is it, the matter is done?" Nothing is wrong, right? ”

Wang Er glanced at the two of them and nodded, "I watched them pour rat poison into the rice bag with my own eyes." Most of it was chaff, and presumably the man would take some back one after another. ”

Shopkeeper Xue squinted his eyes and showed a sneer: "No matter what kind of rice it is, no matter how much he can collect, as long as there is a problem once, no one will dare to eat these grains, and if he eats it, he may die in Huangquan!" ”