Chapter 154: The General Store Opens
Hearing Liu Lan’s words, many people became visibly uncomfortable. Yu Luo scanned the crowd, noting that a few others, mostly from the Bai and Liu families, had the same greedy glint in their eyes as Liu Lan. She let out a cold smile.
“Auntie, you really have it all figured out. Why don’t we just take care of you completely?”
Liu Lan’s smile instantly froze, turning into an ugly grimace.
“Xiao Luo, what do you mean by that? You know how little silver we have. But your family—when those bandits came, we all saw you take out a thick stack of banknotes. Just one of those is worth more than all the silver we have combined. So what’s wrong with giving us a little? Good people will be rewarded, right? Or do you expect us to spend every last coin and then starve? Who knows how long we’ll be stuck here? Of course, we need to save our money for emergencies.”
At these words, many people recalled the time Yu Luo had used her silver notes to resolve the bandit crisis. Some had initially thought Liu Lan’s request was too much, but now, as they considered their dwindling funds and the reality that their silver would only deplete further, resentment began to rise. Suddenly, it felt like Yu Luo’s family was exploiting them.
Yu Luo had already anticipated this. That’s why she had planned from the start to establish fair trade with them.
She would provide them with jobs, and they would build her estate.
She would supply goods, and they would earn money through labor to buy them.
It was a cycle—her resources would help construct her future estate, while they would use their labor to secure their survival. Everyone contributed.
That was how the world worked. In both past and present lives, the lower class was always under the control of capital. Some cursed the ruthless nature of wealth accumulation, but in the end, capitalists thrived while the poor struggled for survival.
However, if given a fair chance, if people worked hard, and if the environment allowed it, even those from the lower class could secure a stable life.
But Liu Lan was a classic example of someone who, given a little, would demand more.
“Liu Lan, I call you ‘Auntie’ out of respect since we share the same surname, but let’s be clear—we were strangers before this exile. Stop trying to guilt-trip me.
You said it yourself—one of my silver notes is worth more than all the money you people have combined. So why would I need to exploit you? Don’t flatter yourself. And stop trying to make me look like a fool who gives handouts to everyone!”
“You—!”
Liu Lan hadn’t expected such a sharp and heartless response from Yu Luo. Her cold and detached demeanor showed no regard for kinship, making it clear that she wouldn’t be manipulated.
But before Liu Lan could argue back, Yu Luo turned to address the crowd, her gaze sweeping over them.
“If you all think my family is exploiting you, you’re free to take your silver and buy food from Fengcheng instead.”
“Only a fool would do that! Fengcheng is so far away, and even if An Lord buys supplies for us, he’d be risking his life!”
Liu Mingxia quickly stepped forward, cutting through the tension. “Xiao Luo, we’ll buy from you. If our silver runs out, we’ll deal with it later. But—do you have seeds? We’d like to buy some.”
Having survived through thick and thin, Liu Mingxia was no fool. He had no intention of haggling over pennies like Liu Lan. Instead, he was grateful that Yu Luo was offering them an easier way to secure food.
The mention of seeds suddenly brought clarity to many others who had been swayed by Liu Lan’s complaints.
Their silver would eventually run out, but if they had seeds, they could rely on their own hands to survive.
“Exactly!” Yu Zhengqing spoke up. “If Haojie and Jiamei have goods to sell us, we should be grateful! Instead of worrying about silver, let’s focus on securing what we need.”
With Yu Zhengqing siding with Yu Luo’s family, the crowd immediately shifted. Liu Lan was forgotten, and everyone gathered around Yu Luo’s family, eager to ask about available goods and prices.
Yu Luo had already anticipated this moment and had placed over a thousand catties of grain and various supplies from her system’s storage into their cave.
As everyone followed her family inside, they saw bags of food piled high, taking up nearly half the cave. Their jaws nearly dropped in envy.
“I can’t believe this! Lady Ye, your family truly cherishes you, sending you so many supplies from miles away!”
Lady Lan, who had tagged along, immediately noticed not just the food but also the furnishings inside Yu Luo’s cave—wooden beds, a table, chairs, a large water jar, and other essential household items.
Jealousy surged in her heart. These were ordinary objects back in the capital, but here in the wilderness, they were treasures.
“Your family isn’t bad either,” Yu Luo said lightly. “Didn’t they send you quite a few things before you were exiled?”
“Alright, now that you’ve all had a look, let’s get to business. Step outside and line up. My cave is small, and I need space to retrieve the goods.”
Reluctantly, the crowd shuffled out and began forming a queue.
“I need a hoe. Also, some corn and vegetable seeds, salt, and twenty catties of rice and flour. The cheaper grains—I’ll take a hundred catties. Here’s twenty taels of silver.”
Zhang Yuan didn’t hesitate, pulling out his silver and making his order.
Yu Luo nodded. “We have hoes, but they don’t have handles—you’ll have to make those yourself. They’re made of iron, so they’re a bit pricey. Three taels each. White rice and flour are ten wen per catty. We don’t have a scale, so I’ll use this container—it holds about one and a half catties. Ten scoops will be fifteen catties, which will cost you 150 wen. Does that work for you?”
