Rebirth Married The Control group Fulang Chapter 99 Part 3

       "Brother, do you have any firewood or charcoal to sell? Prices have gone up again!"

　　A villager was stopped by a charcoal seller driving a cart and asked, "What’s the buying price now?"

　　"Medium-grade charcoal is eighteen copper coins per catty!"

　　The villager clicked his tongue. If the buying price was this high, the market price in the city must be astronomical.

　　However, the more attractive the price, the more hesitant the villagers became. No one knew how long this endless snow would last. The villagers who were frightened by the unpredictable weather, decided it was better to prioritize survival over making a little extra money.

　　Although the villagers of Jijiu Village also cursing the erratic weather and struggling with the snowstorm, they still considered themselves fortunate. Thanks to Zhang Fangyuan’s earlier initiative to have them make charcoal, they had stockpiled some for themselves. Now, everyone was praising Zhang Fangyuan.

　　They believed Zhang Fangyuan had foresight and held him in even higher regard.

　　"Hey, don’t leave! We can negotiate the price!"

　　A villager trudged through the snow, carrying a basket on his back, and waved his hand: "No, we don’t even have enough for ourselves!"

　　The charcoal seller lifted the thick felt hat covering his head. The snow that had accumulated and melted had soaked the hat after hours outside.

　　Looking back at his still-empty cart, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

　　The charcoal sellers couldn’t buy any charcoal, and the city dwellers were running east and west struggling to find firewood and charcoal. Women and ge'ers carried empty baskets, wiping tears from their faces.

[东奔西走 (dōng bēn xī zǒu): lit. To run east and west; fig. To run around busily, often in search of something]

　　"How are we supposed to survive without charcoal? Not just the children, even the adults have been coughing from the cold for days."

　　"Have you checked Tianyan Charcoal Shop in the north of the city?"

　　"Medium-grade charcoal is thirty-eight copper coins per catty there. How can we afford that? I spent over a hundred coins on two bundles of firewood the other day. Life is unbearable."

　　The conversation was filled with sighs. Some women, having failed to buy charcoal several times, even burst into tears. While these people were disheartened, a group of cheerful women and ge'ers walked by, carrying large baskets of charcoal, which made people envy.

　　Seeing this, several people rushed over to ask questions, and the crying women immediately followed.

　　"There’s a place selling charcoal at the southwest entrance of the city, but you’ll have to queue outside. They’ll sell as much as you want."

　   Like the horse didn't stop its hooves, before even asking the price, the women and ge'ers with empty baskets immediately rushed toward the southwest entrance of the city.

[马不停蹄 (mǎ bù tíng tí): lit. The horse doesn’t stop its hooves; fig. To keep going without stopping; to act quickly]

　　The southwest entrance was now bustling with activity, with the queue stretching around the corner of the street. Those at the back, unaware of what was happening, quickly asked, "Is this where they’re selling charcoal?"

　　"Yes! Hurry and join the line, or it may sell out!"

　　"How much is it per catty here?"

　　"I heard from someone at the front that medium-grade charcoal is only thirty copper coins."

　　"Thirty?"

　　Hearing this price, passersby were tempted. Compared to other charcoal shops selling for over thirty or even forty copper coins, this price was definitely not high.

　　Of course, there were places selling for one or two copper coins cheaper, but those were usually sold out before they could even reach the shop.

　　"Is this for real?"

　　Finally finding a charcoal shop with reasonable prices, people were both afraid the price was a lie and worried the stock would run out before their turn. Despite the snow, they eagerly craned their necks, anxiously looking ahead.

　　"Don’t worry, we’ll make sure everyone gets some! No pushing, no pushing!"

　　Zhang Fangyuan had anticipated that opening the warehouse would attract a lot of business, but he hadn’t expected such a massive crowd. Some people came back for a second round, saying they were buying for relatives or fearing prices would rise the next day.

　　He spent most of the day maintaining order, so busy that he didn’t even have time to eat or drink water.

　　Later, Xu He walked through the seemingly endless line with an umbrella and hired a few people from the martial arts school to help with fetching goods and maintaining order. Only then did Zhang Fangyuan get a chance to catch his breath.

　　After drinking a cup of ginger tea, Zhang Fangyuan moved a box full of copper coins into the inner room and brought out an empty one.

　　The warehouse was bustling, and even Xu He, who loved counting money, didn’t have time to sort through the piles of copper coins.

　　"It’s heartbreaking to see people suffering without charcoal in this cold weather. We could sell it cheaper, but if the price is too low, it’ll disrupt the market and upset the other merchants. That wouldn’t do us any good."

　　Zhang Fangyuan spoke to Xu He while working: "A fair price, neither the highest nor the lowest, ensures everyone can buy what they need. That’s the best we can do."

　　Xu He nodded, agreeing with this approach. Just as he was about to speak, a clerk ran in and said, "Boss, there’s a gentleman outside who wants to discuss business with you."