CHAPTER 59

Black Heart

The carriage swayed as it made its way down Chongyuanfang Street.

The street was still bustling under the glow of lanterns, with vendors on both sides calling out to attract customers.

As they passed the entrance of Chen Ji Mipu, the sound of shouting and crying echoed through the air.

A woman had collapsed on the ground, clutching an empty rice sack, her voice thick with despair.

"This life is unbearable!" she wailed. "The price of rice keeps rising—seven coins, then nine, then ten, and now fifteen! How are we supposed to survive?"

"I only earn thirty coins a day working at the docks. I have a family to feed. If rice becomes this expensive, how are we supposed to live?"

"Yes! Where is Boss Chen? This is robbery! The price of rice has doubled in just three months! He must give us a way to survive!"

"Boss Chen, we want to see him!"

A worker at the rice shop, unfazed by the desperation around him, jabbed a bamboo stick into a rice bucket, the label reading 'Fifteen coins per liter'. His gaze was indifferent as he sneered, "Buy it if you want. If not, step aside. But I'll tell you this—our boss said the price is going up again after the next market cycle!"

"This can't be helped," he continued. "The floods in Qizhou and Qingzhou have wiped out crops. The starving are gathering outside Weizhou Prefecture. There's no grain left in those regions, and there's only so much on the market! We're only selling three stones of rice today. If you don't buy it now, don't blame us when it's all gone."

"Try going to another shop—you won't find rice there either. Chen Ji Mipu is the only store in Weizhou City with enough stock left for you to buy."

Inside the carriage, Yu Linlang lifted the curtain and looked out. A large crowd had gathered outside Chen Ji Mipu, their cries of misery filling the street.

Beside her, Jiujin clenched his fists and muttered through gritted teeth, "Profiteering from a national crisis… disgusting."

"Let's go," Yu Linlang said softly, lowering the curtain.

Just then, Chen Xinlian, the eldest daughter of the Chen family, arrived at the scene.

Waving a silk handkerchief, she strutted forward, her nose wrinkling in disdain. "What is this filth blocking my doorway? The smell of poverty is unbearable!"

Immediately, the shop worker's expression changed. He bowed deeply and smiled ingratiatingly. "Miss, please come inside! Everyone, move aside! Don't you see our young lady has arrived?"

"Hmph! A bunch of lowly beggars," Chen Xinlian scoffed, her gaze dripping with contempt.

Just then, a ragged-looking man stumbled forward, desperation in his eyes. "I have thirteen coins. My child is sick—he just needs some warm rice. Please, just one liter!"

As he spoke, he accidentally brushed against Chen Xinlian's sleeve.

She shrieked, her high-pitched scream slicing through the air.

Her maid rushed forward, frantically patting her mistress down with a clean veil. "You filthy rat! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

The beggar's eyes were red with desperation. He repeatedly bowed his head, pressing it against the cold stone ground. "Miss, I was careless—I didn't mean to offend you! Please, have mercy! My child is dying! Just one liter of rice—please!"

Chen Xinlian smirked, dabbing her handkerchief against her sleeve as though wiping away contamination. "This is a rice shop, not a charity. If you don't have enough money, get lost!"

The surrounding crowd grew agitated, murmuring in anger.

Noticing their hostility, Chen Xinlian's expression darkened. "What are you all standing around for? Drive them away! We're closing—no rice today or tomorrow!"

"Yes, Miss!"

The workers immediately lunged forward, shoving the crying people away. One of them kicked the beggar hard, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

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Back at the Residence

Jiujin stormed into the house, still fuming over Chen Ji Mipu's price gouging.

"It's outrageous how one family controls the entire market. We need to expand Su Ji Rice across the country—let's see if Chen Ji Mipu still dares to act so high and mighty then!"

Baliang emerged from the inner room, smiling as she finished making the bed. "Weren't you supposed to check on the medicine porridge at the southern warehouse? Why did you come back in such a bad mood?"

"Don't even mention it!" Jiujin huffed. "That Chen Ji Rice Shop has driven up the price from seven coins to fifteen—and they say it'll go even higher! How are people supposed to survive?"

Baliang's eyes widened. "That high?"

"Exactly! I say we rename them Weizhou City's Number One Black-Hearted Rice Shop!"

"If they raise it again, won't it go up to sixteen or seventeen coins?" Baliang mused, bringing over a basin of warm water for Yu Linlang to wash her hands. "Miss, if we transport rice from the south, even with the cost of transport, it wouldn't need to be that expensive."

Yu Linlang wiped her hands with a towel, her gaze thoughtful. "A black-hearted rice shop… hoarding grain to manipulate the market."

She smirked. "It's fine. I've already written to my brother to send more shipments of rice. If we flood the market, Chen Ji Mipu will be stuck with their overpriced stock, unable to sell it. Let's see how they like being backed into a corner."

Jiujin chuckled. "You're wicked, girl."

The three of them continued chatting and laughing—until a knock interrupted them.

Madam Hu pushed the door open with a bright smile. "Miss Linlang, good news! The master is finally home for dinner tonight, and the old lady says the whole family will be gathering. It's also the last reunion dinner before the eldest miss's wedding."

Yu Linlang's expression stiffened.

Madam Hu was observant. She could tell at a glance that Miss Yu didn't want to attend. She quickly added, "The master has been very busy this year. Normally, the yamen would have already closed for the season, but the Demon Murder Case is still unresolved. The officials are searching for the victims' families, and the master is waiting for an urgent court report before deciding on the next steps."

She sighed. "It's been an exhausting year… but he's finally free tonight. It wouldn't be right for the young miss to skip the reunion dinner, don't you think?"

Yu Linlang's eyes darkened.

Every time she attended, she left in a foul mood. For her, the reunion dinner hardly mattered at all.