I dress up as a poor noblewoman, and I bring my whole family home with my literary talent.

Chapter 120 Heading to Jiangsu and Zhejiang

A narrow plank was laid between the deck and the pier.
When getting off the boat, Wang Jing followed Song Lingyi.

The person walking in front stepped on the wooden board, causing it to shake. Song Lingyi staggered and almost fell down. Fortunately, a hand behind her firmly held her collar.

The force is a bit strong, and my neck feels suffocated.

"Cough cough cough" Song Lingyi's face turned red

Wang Jing didn't know whether it was intentional or not, but he pulled her back hard and straightened her like a rag doll, "Master Xiao Song, you have to be careful. If you fall and get hurt, what will happen if His Royal Highness delays his work?"

"...Thank you so much!" Song Lingyi rolled her eyes at him secretly and straightened her collar.

"You're welcome"

What a big face
Because Shen Liuyun still had other matters to deal with, he sent Wang Jing and Song Lingyi to the grain store to sound out the situation as soon as he got off the boat.

The bright and dust-free blue sky, the clear green water, and the quaint and elegant restaurants and shops make up the prosperous city of Jinling.

Before going to the big grain store, Wang Jing and Song Lingyi first went to a small grain shop in the market to test the market price of grain in Jinling City.

The retail price of top-quality rice is 900 wen per stone, the price of medium-quality rice is around 650 wen, and the price of low-quality rice ranges from 400 to 500 wen.

There is also inferior old rice with impurities, which are sold at almost half the price.

If you buy more than ten dan of medium-quality rice, you will get one dan of inferior rice for free, which can be used to feed livestock and poultry.

This time, Shen Liuyun wants to purchase one million shi of grain.

The budget for the transfer of rice from Jiangsu to Zhejiang was not much, and Song Lingyi believed that the best solution was to purchase medium-quality rice at the price of low-quality rice.

If the price cannot be reduced to this level, then we will mix the middle-grade and lower-grade rice according to the proportion. After all, the people in the disaster-stricken counties are not very picky about the quality of rice. The most important thing is not to starve to death, and the amount of food must be put first.

After calculating the draft several times in her mind, she planned to purchase medium-quality rice at the price of 500 wen, which would be enough for the people in the disaster-stricken county to survive the disaster year and a half.

With this goal in mind, Song Lingyi first visited the third largest grain store in Jinling, intending to practice her speaking skills before negotiating business with the largest grain store.

As soon as the two men walked into the grain store, the clerk immediately came up to them with a smile on his face and asked them whether they wanted to buy rice or noodles.

Song Lingyi glanced sideways at Wang Jing and was about to speak when she saw Wang Jing experiencedly instructing the waiter to call out their boss, saying that he had a big business to discuss with them.

Wang Jing was still very imposing. The waiter saw that they were dressed quite well and spoke with a Chang'an accent, so he nodded and said "yes", then turned around and called the shopkeeper to come out.

Song Lingyi admired Wang Jing's momentum.

As a man who has been in the military camp for many years, he seems very familiar with dealing with businessmen and does not show any awkwardness as an outsider at all.

The grain store owner came to the store, smiled and bowed to them, "I heard that you two gentlemen have a big business to discuss with us. I wonder how big the business is?"

Song Lingyi did not waste any time and said to the shopkeeper, "We are from Chang'an. We came to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to discuss a big business. I would like to ask the shopkeeper, if we want to purchase your grain in bulk, how much can the grain store provide?"

The shopkeeper's smile froze, and he said with embarrassment: "Well...why don't you tell me, sir, how much do you need?" Wang Jing said: "At least one million."

The shopkeeper was surprised. There were only two people opposite him, but they asked for one million.

"To be honest with you, a few days ago, a group of grain merchants from Zhejiang came and took away most of the grain in our warehouse! Your business is really too big, and I'm afraid our grain store's inventory is not enough to meet your needs."

Song Lingyi's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.

Zhejiang merchants collect grain?

Jiangsu and Zhejiang are thousands of miles away from the disaster-stricken counties, so how could they suddenly purchase a large amount of grain? Moreover, both places are rich in fish and rice, and there is some competition between them. It is impossible for Zhejiang merchants to take care of the business of Jiangsu merchants.

If we collect so much grain and fail to sell it all, after the deadline, it will all become low-quality rice.

Song Lingyi had a feeling that there was something fishy about this matter.

Wang Jing asked: "How much food can your bank provide now?"

The shopkeeper did not hesitate to give them a calculation: "The inventory in our granary is just enough for a year's retail business. When you two came here, you must have inquired about the retail market price. If you two guests need it, our grain store can provide you with a maximum of 50,000 dan of grain - 20% high-quality rice and 80% medium-quality rice, all at a price of 570 wen! I only hope that if you two guests from Chang'an need to buy grain again next year, you will take care of our grain store's business."

This is a very realistic statement. The grain store's inventory is only enough for this year's business, so it should be sold at the market price.

Being willing to take out 50,000 shi of grain and sell it to them at a moderate rice price is indeed very generous.

However, Wang Jing did not appreciate this and said coldly: "Fifty thousand shi is too little. Since your bank only has this much in stock, let's wait and see."

"Young Master..."

Song Lingyi was so anxious that she almost blurted out "Sir" Wang Jing. It was better not to reveal your identity when you are out in public. She pulled Wang Jing aside and talked to him.

This grain store is one of the largest grain stores in Jinling City. The Zhejiang merchants bought so much grain in one go. Regardless of whether other grain stores still have a million dan in stock, if the two of them offend this grain store and ruin His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's plans, it would be a loss.

Under the current circumstances, half of the grain stored in grain stores has been taken away, so local merchants will naturally no longer sell grain below the market price.

The shopkeeper is willing to offer such a preferential price, which can be said to be a huge loss, entirely for the sake of future long-term business.

The price of inferior rice in Jinling city was 400-500 wen per dan, and the price of superior rice was 900 wen per dan. But the shopkeeper was willing to sell them the medium and superior rice at the price of inferior rice, which was really generous. However, the stock was limited, so the quantity was a little less.

Wang Jing refused too quickly and without much thought.

Song Lingyi said, "Five hundred and seventy coins is absolutely a fair price. We must make friends with this shopkeeper and buy the 50,000 dan of grain!" Although there are only 50,000 dan, these 50,000 dan are all cheap and high-quality rice. Other grain stores may not be able to sell them so cheaply. The funds this time are limited, so we can save a little bit.

Wang Jing was unmoved: "Miss Song, don't be fooled by these profiteers. How big is your business? Are you afraid that you can't get a fair price? One million dan of grain, go to a well-stocked grain store to get the goods, and the middle-grade rice will cost at most 500 wen. Why should you accept his little kindness?"

Song Lingyi knew that he was looking at her because she was young and had no business experience, so she patiently advised: "Sir, we are not sure whether other families have sufficient stock now. It would be best if we can buy all the food at a reasonable price, just in case."

Wang Jing didn't listen to the advice at all. He smiled and said, "You are too afraid of trouble. Now the world is peaceful and the harvest is good everywhere. I have discussed with Your Highness when we were on the boat. It is not a problem to buy this mere one million dan of grain at a low price."