Rebirth Married The Control group Fulang Chapter 96 Part 1

 Chapter 96

　　"In Wojiang County, there's a severe drought. The river has completely dried up. A while ago, the villagers were happy to pick fish from the river to eat, but now that the river has no water left, they’re panicking. Not only is there no water to irrigate the crops, but it’s even hard to find enough water to fill two buckets for drinking."

　　"In previous years, even though summers were hot, we’ve never encountered anything like this. No one was prepared for it, and this year’s harvest is likely to be poor."

　　"Not just Wojiang County, the entire Ningjiang Prefecture is in a dire situation. Even here in Siyang, this summer is much hotter than usual. Villagers have already started drawing water from the river to irrigate their crops."

　　As Zhang Fangyuan entered the pharmacy, he overheard a group of people chatting idly. He tilted his head to listen, and once he caught wind of the conversation, he was completely absorbed.

　　"Sir, besides the Isatis root, do you need anything else?"

[Isatis root: a part of the Isatis tinctoria plant that is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been used to treat a variety of conditions, including infections, fevers, and skin conditions]

　　"Sir!"

　　The young clerk at the counter noticed that Zhang Fangyuan was distracted by the chatter and raised his voice slightly. Only then did Zhang Fangyuan snap out of his thoughts and apologize: "Just this will do."

　　The clerk opened the drawer behind him containing Isatis root and noticed that there wasn’t much left. He instructed an assistant to fetch more from the warehouse.

　　While waiting, the clerk struck up a casual conversation with Zhang Fangyuan: "This year’s heat is unbearable, and with droughts elsewhere, the Isatis root for clearing heat is in high demand. Prices might go up soon. Would you like to buy a few extra packs to stock up?"

　　"Sure."

　　The clerk’s casual remark struck a chord with Zhang Fangyuan, who smiled faintly in agreement. The clerk, pleased with the response, quickly tied up the medicine packets.

　　As Zhang Fangyuan left the pharmacy with the medicine, he couldn’t help but glance up at the sky.

　　He had left for the city at the crack of dawn, and though the sun hadn’t fully risen yet, the bright daylight and white clouds on the horizon showed no signs of rain. It was bound to be another scorching day.

　　A sense of unease settled in Zhang Fangyuan’s heart. He stopped by a roadside tea house for a cup of tea and asked a few traveling merchants for news. Everywhere he turned, the topic was the drought. It had become the hottest subject of discussion, and the stories from the merchants matched what he had heard from the peddlers at his family’s tea shed.

　　This only confirmed Zhang Fangyuan’s growing concerns.

　　He sighed, his emotions a tangled mix.

　　While he pitied the suffering of the people affected by the disaster, he didn’t hesitate for long. Tossing a few copper coins on the table, he headed straight to the Linglong Shop, where he left the medicine. Then, after withdrawing some available funds from the shop’s accounts, he made his way to the grain market in the city.

　　"Don’t rush, don’t rush! Line up properly, everyone will get their turn!"

　　"You over there, come and join the line! Don’t even think about cutting in!"

　　"It’s thirty copper coins per catty now, not the old price! If you don’t have the money ready, let the person behind you go first!"

        When Zhang Fangyuan entered the grain store, he was taken aback. The usually quiet place was bustling with activity, as lively as a roadside tea house on a hot day. For a moment, he wondered if he had walked into the wrong place.

　　With so many customers coming and going, the seven clerks were overwhelmed. The noise was deafening, and it took a while before anyone noticed the tall, burly Zhang Fangyuan standing at the entrance.

　　Perhaps one of the clerks recognized him, as they hurried over to greet him: "Manager Zhang, you’ve come too! We’re so busy today, I didn’t notice you right away."

　　Zhang Fangyuan waved his hand: "No worries. Business is booming today, huh?"

　　"Not just today," the clerk replied with a hint of pride. "It’s been like this for a while now. Manager Zhang, are you here to stock up on grain too? What kind of rice are you looking for? I’ll take you to choose."

　　Zhang Fangyuan took a deep breath. Seeing the scene before him, it was clear that the people in city had already started hoarding grain. He had originally planned to buy a large quantity of grain at a low price, anticipating that the drought would lead to food shortages and skyrocketing prices.

　　Unfortunately, he was too late. Even the common people had started buying and storing grain, and the well-informed merchants had already hoarded their supplies. There was no room left for him to make a fortune.

　　He should have been more alert when Song Yong came to Siyang. If he had carefully considered the situation and started hoarding grain then, he would have made a fortune. But at that time, he was preoccupied with the silkworm cocoons, clearing the wasteland, and Xiao E’s wedding. By the time he realized what was happening, the heat had already become unbearable.

　　"Manager Zhang, the price of premium rice has gone up by ten copper coins," the clerk mentioned casually, assuming that a merchant like Zhang Fangyuan wouldn’t be interested in lower-quality rice and didn’t even bring it up.

　　Zhang Fangyuan had originally come to buy grain for resale, so he naturally wasn’t planning to buy premium rice. Hearing that the price of premium rice had risen, he knew the lower-quality rice would follow suit. He had to abandon his plan to make a profit and asked, "How much has the price of lower-quality rice increased?"

　　"Half the increase of premium rice."

　　Zhang Fangyuan nodded. It was expected, but this price hike would still be a heavy blow to the common people.

　　Villagers were better off since they grew their own food, but the city dwellers who relied entirely on buying their food would suffer the most.

　　The clerk added, "At this rate, the price might go up even more."

　　Zhang Fangyuan agreed: "With so many people buying, it’s bound to happen."

　　"So, what kind of rice would you like?"

　　Although they hadn’t planted much last year, the Zhang family still had some grain stored in their warehouse. His fourth uncle’s family had a bumper harvest last year, and the surplus was stored in their granary. They could survive the disaster, but the impact of natural calamities was long-lasting. It wasn’t just about getting through this year.