Chapter 239 - 239 The Worsening Drought (2)
“You’re being too polite. Even if that incident didn’t happen, there would still be refugees coming here. It’s just a matter of time.” Mayor Kong said as he helped him up.
“But to be honest, the drought is getting worryingly serious,” he continued. “Many wealthy families in the county have decided to take refuge in the south.
“The following days are really not going to be easy; you guys have to be careful.”
“We will. Then, do you want to handle those people, or should we do as we see fit?”
“How about this? You go back and keep an eye on them first. Tonight, 1 will discuss this with the other officials in the county. No matter the result, I will give you a definite answer tomorrow.”
“Alright, sorry to trouble you.” Gu Chengrui took two small porcelain bottles from the first-aid box and handed them to him. “One bottle is to relieve fatigue, and the other is to prevent heat stroke. Keep it, just in case.”
“Thank you.” County Mayor Kong took it with a smile.
After that, he gave Gu Chengrui a few more instructions.
Gu Chengrui responded and left the county government office.
After he came out, he detoured to the market to purchase some medicinal herbs.
When he passed by the bank on his way back, he realized that many people were going in and out. He went up to ask around and discovered that many people were exchanging silver or banknotes.
He also heard that many people were planning to head south.
Further ahead, many others lined up in the grain store. However, they were now selling in limited quantities, and each household could only buy five pounds of grain daily.
He also saw that the cloth shop was selling at a 30% discount. Thus, he went in and bought 20 batches of fine cotton cloth, three batches of silk cloth, and several needles and thread. He put all of them in his carriage and left.
When he was about to leave town, they heard someone shout, “Leather is selling at half price! Half-price leather; don’t miss it if you pass by. There won’t be such a deal after this shop!”
Gu Chengrui walked over and took a look at the leather. It was mostly sheepskin and rabbit skins, so he immediately lost interest. There were many of these things in the interspace.
When the shop assistant noticed he was about to leave, he stepped forward and smiled. “Please don’t leave, sir. What kind of leather do you want? We have a lot of them in our shop. You’ll definitely be satisfied with them.”
“You’re selling in a hurry. Are you closing shop?” Gu Chengrui stopped and asked.
“Yeah, business isn’t doing well now. The boss wants to go south, so…”
“I understand. Do you have any good leather here?”
“Good leather? What kind of leather do you want? Take a look around to find anything you need.”
“Mink and fox fur.”
The shop assistant knew Gu Chengrui was rich and nodded in joy. “We don’t have mink fur because it’s too valuable and is usually taken away by high officials and nobles.”
“However, we have four red fox furs here. It’s good to make a cloak with them. Do you want to take a look?”
“Sure, but I have a carriage that needs to be tended, so 1 won’t be going in. Help me take it out.”
“Please wait a moment.” After the assistant finished speaking, he turned around and ran into the shop. After a while, he ran out with two pieces of fur skin, followed by a middle-aged man, who was also holding another two pieces.
Gu Chengrui looked at the furs and saw they were the hides of an adult fox. The fur was smooth and beautiful and looked complete. It looked lovely at first glance.
“How much are these? If it’s appropriate, 1’11 take it all.” Gu Chengrui said.
“’IWenty taels, no bargaining.” The middle-aged man said.
At the same time, the shop assistant opened his mouth but swallowed the words that were about to come out. However, from his disdainful expression, it was not difficult to tell that the price of the furs was too high.
Seeing this, Gu Chengrui returned them to the middle-aged man. “You should keep it for yourself then. It’s more expensive compared to usual..”