Portable Space: Small Peasant Girls Farm to Get Rich

Chapter 345 Bartering
In front of the grocery store, a little girl and a woman inside stood facing each other and looked at each other. On this snowy street, the atmosphere in this place was extremely strange.

After a long time, the little girl shifted her gaze under the woman's anxious eyes.

At this moment, the room was filled with the sound of iron colliding and women whispering to each other.

Liu Qingcao only heard a few unimportant words and turned to look in the direction where Liu Er left.

Liu Er came and went quickly. Not long after, he appeared in Liu Qingcao's sight, pulling a sled.

When they arrived at the door of the grocery store, Liu Er nodded slightly to Liu Qingcao, then retreated to Liu Wu's side.

Liu Qingcao walked to the sled board, reached out and lifted a corner of the straw curtain covering the sled board, made sure that everything was correct, and turned to look at the woman at the door of the grocery store.

When Liu Qingcao lifted the straw curtain, the woman looked at it intently. When she saw what was inside, she gasped.

At this moment, Liu Qingcao looked at her. She was surprised, happy and scared. All kinds of emotions overlapped in her heart, making her expression complicated and distorted.

Liu Qingcao ignored the excitement on the woman's face and walked straight up the steps to the wooden door. His tone was neither hot nor cold, and even a little cold, "Sister-in-law, are all the things ready?"

"Okay, okay, my husband has packed up his things and we can move out right away." The woman didn't dare to play any more tricks and nodded quickly in response.

"Okay, let your husband follow my people to the government office to get the transfer documents done. I will fulfill my promise when you come back." Liu Qingcao glanced at the woman, nodded in satisfaction with her choice, and finally a smile appeared on his face.

The woman didn't notice the smile on Liu Qingcao's face. She was very nervous and worried.

There is not much food left at home now. Dad and Mom share half of their food with their two sons every day. Their health is not as good as before. If this continues, they will starve to death. If they sell the house and these people don't give them food, their lives will be even more difficult.

Liu Qingcao saw what the woman was thinking and did not urge her. Instead, he ordered Liu Er to move a bag of food from the sled.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I can give you a bag of food first, and when I get the documents, I will hand over the rest of the food to you."

The woman looked at the bag of grain, quickly opened it and saw that it was filled with good grain. Tears welled up in her eyes and she thanked Liu Qingcao gratefully. She asked the man behind her to take the things and follow Liu Er to the government office.

More than half an hour later, Liu Er came back from the government office with a gloomy face. The man next to him also lowered his head, and no emotion could be seen on his face.

When Liu Qingcao saw this scene, he immediately guessed that something strange might have happened in the government office.

Liu Wu was a man who could not hide his secrets. Seeing Liu Er's dark face, he immediately ran over to ask, "Second brother, what's wrong? What happened?"

Liu Er's gloomy face softened a bit, but his mouth was tightly shut, and he had no intention of saying anything to Liu Wu.

Liu Wu knew Liu Er's temper, and seeing that he remained silent, he could only stand beside him and worry.

Liu Qingcao noticed the deed in Liu Er's hand with his sharp eyes, and had an idea in his mind. When Liu Er came up to him, he did not rush to ask about the result, but first asked Liu Er whether he was in danger.

Liu Er shook his head, handed the deed in his hand to Liu Qingcao, and then began to tell about what happened in the government office.

"Miss, the prefect of this government office not only has to pay silver and money taxes to process the deed, but also has to hand over two liters of grain. If you can't produce that, you have to pay ten taels of silver as a yamen fee.

The yamen's legal advisor was a fat man with big ears. On the table was a cup of top-quality tea and several plates of snacks.

I see that their food is not much different from usual, and I'm afraid that the money and food were also plundered from the people."

Liu Er was still furious and revealed a lot of information in one breath.

After hearing this, Liu Qingcao sighed twice and lamented that the officials in this yamen really knew how to live.

"It's good to be an official. You can deceive the court and bully the people. Your life is really comfortable."

When Liu Qingcao said such irrelevant words, the four people present looked at her with complicated eyes, but she didn't care. She turned around and walked to the sled board, calmly picked up a bag of food and placed it on the ice.

Liu Qingcao curled his lips and smiled, his eyes sparkling, he raised his eyebrows and ordered, "Liu Er, hand over the grain to the government office, we will not be the villains who do not abide by the law."

After saying that, Liu Qingcao quietly approached Liu Wu again, whispered a few words to her, and then blinked at Liu Wu, without any of the cunning look he had just shown when he spoke to Liu Er.

Liu Wu's eyelids suddenly twitched. She remembered that every time the girl punished someone, she would be like a cunning and obedient fox. The more indifferent she looked on the surface, the more decisive she would act in secret.

Liu Wu also understood the purpose of the girl winking at her. After Liu Er left, Liu Wu turned around and left the grocery store.

Outside the grocery store, Liu Qingcao followed the woman into the house. Every room was cleaned very cleanly, bedding and clothes were tidied and put together, and the woman's husband was looking for a bamboo pole to carry the things.

Liu Qingcao learned from the woman that their family had an unused small courtyard outside the city.

Because we bought a house in the city before the snow started, our whole family moved in. We never expected to encounter a snowstorm, and we had to buy rice twice during that time.

After they bought the house, they had little money left. After two purchases of grain, they only had a dozen taels of silver left. The grain shop began to raise the price at will. When they took the money to the grain shop, there was no grain to buy.

The woman took great pains to exchange sixteen taels of silver and her dowry bracelet for ten kilograms of rice and flour. It was also because of this rice and flour that their family has been able to survive until now.

Regarding the arrival of Liu Qingcao and his group, the woman originally thought that since she was young and the people around her were not very old, she wanted to take advantage of the fact that she had more people and lived in the city to get some food from them.

But things went against their wishes. Liu Qingcao was not stupid, and Liu Er and Liu Wu were not ordinary people. Their plan failed, and they dared not to think about it anymore. They had to bear the pain and move the house.

"Little girl, this house is in a great location. It can be used for any business. If you need anything in the shop, we will give it to you."

The woman was unsure, because the things in the shop were worthless. Under normal circumstances, this room full of things would be worth dozens of taels, but now they could only be exchanged for two kilograms of grain.

Liu Qingcao said nothing and went back to the shop.

There were a lot of things in the shop and they were very miscellaneous. Some of them were a little damaged after being used for a long time, and some baskets and boxes were empty. Liu Qingcao guessed that the things inside should be dry goods.

After a quick look around, the most valuable things in the shop right now are the jar of coarse salt and half a box of fine salt. The other things are not very useful at this time.

However, Liu Qingcao didn't mind.

"Okay, three kilograms of rice, and I'll give you an extra half kilogram of coarse salt." Liu Qingcao thought about it and gave a number that she thought was quite kind.

When the woman heard that she was going to receive three pounds of grain and salt, she knelt on the ground and kowtowed in gratitude.

Liu Qingcao touched her nose, and the smile on the corner of her mouth froze unnaturally. She took a step away and avoided the direction where the woman was kowtowing.

Originally, when Liu Qingcao noticed the woman's little thoughts, she was unwilling to give her a good look, but later she knew that she just wanted to bargain with the house deed, so she didn't care too much. After all, this was not what she had guessed at the time.

Three kilograms of rice, plus the fifty kilograms of rice and flour obtained from the house, would be enough for them to eat for two months if they were eaten frugally. Even after the snowstorm, it would put them at ease with the thought of causing trouble in the future.

After the woman and her family packed up and moved out, Liu Qingcao went into the backyard again.

There are three rooms, a small kitchen and a small yard in the backyard. There are two osmanthus trees as thick as bowls planted in the yard. A rope is tied to them, which is used for drying clothes on weekdays.

After confirming once again that the house was safe, Liu Qingcao took out four hundred kilograms of grain from the space and put it into the wing room. Places with grain naturally had to be protected from insects and moisture, so insect repellent and quicklime were essential.

Liu Qingcao finished everything and left the yard. She came to the shop and put some of the things inside into the space in case of emergency.

After locking the door, Liu Qingcao went to the cloth shop alone. The door was slightly open and there was no one in the shop. Liu Qingcao walked through the shop to the backyard. After making sure that Manager Wu was asleep, he took out fifty kilograms of rice and flour, a can of coarse salt, two kilograms of dried vegetables and a bottle of anti-epidemic pills from the space and placed them at his door, along with a letter.

After finishing the work, Liu Qingcao knocked on the door and left.

At the government office, Liu Er brought food to find the legal advisor. When the legal advisor saw Liu Er coming back, fear appeared on his purple face, and his eyes were gloomy.

Liu Er ignored the master and threw a bag of grain on the table. He glanced at the yamen runners beside him coldly and warned with a dark face, "My daughter is a good person. I bought this grain at a high price. If the daughter doesn't care, I'm not that easy to talk to. If you dare to ask for more, let me know. Don't blame me for being blind."

The lawyer shuddered. He didn't dare pull the bag of grain to himself, nor did he dare push it away. He just lowered his head timidly and agreed.

Liu Er lowered his eyes, glanced at the scattered grain bags, and strode out of the government office. In front of a tea stall abandoned by merchants, Liu Qingcao, Liu Er and Liu Wu met one after the other.

Liu Qingcao smiled and nodded at the two of them, then asked, "Is everything settled?"

"Miss, everything you said is fine. The master saw the things in the bag and I guess he would keep some for himself." Liu Er nodded and replied with relief.

Liu Qingcao hummed, and looked at Liu Wu. Liu Wu grinned and took out a plate of official deeds from his arms and handed it to her, and said excitedly, "Miss, there are twelve deeds in total. There are shops and houses in them. They all exchanged voluntarily. After getting the food, they followed me to the government office to exchange. As soon as the deeds were handed over, these people immediately took their things and left quietly. I think they must have houses somewhere else, otherwise they wouldn't be so happy."

Liu Qingcao raised the corner of his lips in satisfaction, took the contract and looked at it page by page.

Among the twelve deeds, seven are houses, three are shops, and two are restaurants. These properties are not small in size and are in good locations. Once the snowstorm is over, these properties will bring her countless gold and silver.

Liu Qingcao put it away and walked towards the place where Liu Xiao and the others were staying together with Liu Er and Liu Wu.

Passing by a cloth shop on the way, Liu Qingcao glanced sideways and saw that the wooden door of the cloth shop had been closed, leaving only a shallow mark on the door.

Liu Qingcao just wanted to buy Manager Wu’s cloth shop, but then he changed his mind and gave up the idea.

She had already promised to help him, and she must not go back on her word again. After all, she was in need of a loyal partner. With Manager Wu in Feichi City, it would be much easier for her to do things and get the news.

So Liu Qingcao gave up the idea.

Liu Xiao and his friends settled in a restaurant that she had just taken over. The decoration of the restaurant was quite old, and the tables, chairs and benches in the room were in a mess, probably because of someone's forced entry.

Fortunately, although the things were in a mess, not much was damaged. Liu Qingcao casually looked around and didn't find any problems.

It was already the end of the day when they arrived at the city. After they finished their work, it was already getting dark. Liu Si was cooking dinner in the restaurant kitchen. The dish was very simple, just a pot of boiled potatoes and nothing else.

It wasn't that Liu Qingcao had exchanged some of the grain and therefore withheld their food, but there were still many people in the city who were still alive. They carried long sleds and walked through the city openly.

Although she asked Liu Xiao to put a sleight of hand on the sled board and asked people on the roadside if they wanted to buy firewood from them, and of course, she actually sold some, but people's hearts are unpredictable and no one can let down their guard at this time.

Before entering Feichi Prefecture, Liu Qingcao and the other seven people put on simple makeup. The shadow makeup method made their faces look flabby, but there was still a big difference between them and the skinny people in the city.

A large pot of potatoes was served on the table, with a light aroma that was not easily noticeable. Liu Xiao and the others knew that the situation was special, so they were not picky. They picked up a piece of potato and ate it with the skin dipped in the sauce.

That night, Liu Qingcao decided to spend the night in the city and set off before dawn the next day.

Most of the rooms in the restaurant have been idle for several months, and the beds and tables are covered with dust. They have to be cleaned if you want to stay there.

Liu Xiao and his six companions were very efficient and in less than a quarter of an hour they had tidied up four rooms.

Liu Qingcao moved into one of the rooms. Liu Wu and Liu Liu wanted to accompany him, but Liu Qingcao shook his head and refused.

After entering the room, closing the doors and windows, Liu Qingcao flashed into the space.

In this space, many crops have grown ripe fruits, just waiting for Liu Qingcao to pick them and store them.

Ershiyi and Qinxin had already returned to their room to rest. They had been busy all day and were not feeling relaxed, so they were sleeping soundly at this moment.

Liu Qingcao picked a plate of cherries to adjust the taste in his mouth, then he got up and went to the wooden shelf in the warehouse to get ten sticks of incense and antidote and went out.

When she met Liu Xiao when she went out, she handed the two things to him, and then explained them in detail before entering the space again and starting to get busy.

Now with the help of Eryi and Qinxin, the daily grain harvest is more than ten times more than what she could harvest alone before, which also makes her more tired.

But she didn't care. She felt it was worth it to work hard for a day in order to save countless people and upgrade the space.

The next day, before dawn, Liu Qingcao got on the carriage and left the restaurant. As soon as she got out of the door, she quickly lifted the curtain and took a look.

As she expected, many uninvited guests came to the vicinity of the restaurant yesterday, including yamen runners in yamen uniforms. They were all knocked unconscious by the incense, and after a long time, their faces had begun to turn blue and purple. If they didn't wake up, they would be dead.

Liu Qingcao called Liu Xiao, took out several doses of antidote, and asked him to detoxify the people on the snow and then catch up quickly.

Half an hour later, in the backyard of the Feichi government office, a fat, big-eared, middle-aged man in casual clothes suddenly glared, blood spurted from his nose, and he fell to the ground with a distorted face, groaning in pain. Several concubines serving him at the table were so scared that they screamed and hid, trembling.

The servant came to his senses in a panic, rushed out of the door and ran towards the clinic on the street.

The doctor in the clinic was dragged to the government office by a servant. When he saw the sumptuous meal on the table, his sunken and lifeless eyes flashed with light and he completely forgot about the prefect who was unconscious on the ground.

Seeing that the doctor was staring at the food on the table, the servant kicked the doctor's leg in annoyance. The doctor's leg was caught off guard and he staggered forward and almost fell to his knees.

The doctor was quite old and had not eaten enough for a long time, so he was already weak. Although the servant's kick did not break any of his bones, it did injure some of his small bones.

He groaned in pain, holding on to the corner of the table to steady himself, pain and sorrow surging in his gray pupils.

The servant frowned and urged him softly. The doctor endured the piercing pain in his leg and gritted his teeth to go forward to check on the prefect.

After a thorough examination, the doctor's brows were furrowed.

The prefect has been poisoned. The poison is not difficult to cure, but it will damage the spleen and stomach. After the poison is cured, I'm afraid he won't be able to eat much meat in the future.

Looking at the extremely obese prefect, the doctor seemed to be in a much better mood. It was obvious that someone was dissatisfied with the prefect and had secretly taken action against him.

"Your Excellency, the prefect has damaged your spleen and stomach. You should be careful with your food in the future and never take any more meat."

The servant did not understand what the doctor meant and immediately asked, "Doctor, what do you mean by that?"

The doctor quietly glanced at the servant, feeling happy in his heart but worried on his face, "My lord, you have been eating fatty foods for a long time, and your body cannot bear the strong tonic, which has damaged your stomach and spleen. If it is discovered early, it can be cured."

After the doctor finished speaking, he no longer cared about what the servant was thinking. He picked up the pen and began to write the prescription on the paper.

He did not tamper with the prescription or the medicinal materials. He was a doctor, and even if the prefect's actions were criticized and hated, he could not go against medical training.

"This is the prescription. Take five doses of the medicine and boil it once a day. After taking the medicine, the nosebleed will stop and the person will wake up."

The servant was a little dumbfounded, and it took him a long time to react and take the prescription.

The doctor waited for him to take the prescription and then left with the medicine box.

There's no telling which dish on the table might be poisonous. What if this young man uses the food as medical payment and he can't resist the temptation and eats it?

He has to leave quickly!
When the servant was holding the prescription and preparing to pay the consultation fee, he saw the doctor walking out of the door quickly with the medicine box on his back.

Seeing the doctor like this, the servant was worried.

Could it be that the prefect's illness is more serious than the doctor said?
The boy's hand holding the food shook, and the bowl fell to the ground and broke into pieces. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he ran out in a hurry without having time to think.

The same scene also happened in the lawyer's house.

But the lawyer was more greedy. He took three out of five strawberries, and his symptoms were far more serious than those of the prefect.

He knew that he was the victim of Liu Er's scheme, but he couldn't say a word in front of the prefect, so he could only swallow this loss with tears.

Two days after Liu Qingcao left, the couple who sold goods to Liu Qingcao's grocery store went to the government office with ten kilograms of grain and a woman.

A quarter of an hour later, the couple walked out of the yamen with smiles on their faces, holding in their hands a red deed with an official seal.

Liu Qingcao would never have thought that the two of them would share the same idea as her and take advantage of the extra food they had to come to the capital city to exchange for a shop bigger than a grocery store.