CHAPTER 454: CHAPTER 454: EXCITEMENT

Little Four’s sharp eyes spotted an empty space and shouted, "Sister, Dad, there’s some space over there."

Next to a stall selling straw mats, there was a middle-aged man sitting, with two young people behind him. They were all skinny, but not as emaciated as people Hua Jin had seen after the extreme cold. It was evident that everyone’s bodies had recuperated quite a bit over the past few months.

Moreover, with her external assistance, life was somewhat better than during the bitter cold on the mountain. People who had harvested grain truly lacked water, but most families didn’t lack food anymore.

"Dad," Hua Jin gestured to her father. The empty space Little Four saw was indeed suitable and could fit their ox cart.

Hua Chengtian naturally saw it too. Without further ado, he pulled the ox cart over there. The other people from the village, seeing this, also chose spots nearby to set up with the things they had brought.

As their ox cart came over, the stalls on either side instinctively moved aside, freeing up quite a bit of space for the cart.

These days, raising an ox this well and having a cart, who would believe such a thing was common for ordinary folk? Almost everyone did it unconsciously.

Yet curiosity couldn’t be suppressed. Unable to look openly, they couldn’t help but glance sideways at the ox cart. What business was this family in with such a large cart?

Hua Chengtian amicably smiled and thanked the stall owners on both sides, which also served as a greeting. He then uncovered the oilcloth on the cart, revealing bags of grain piled high in front of everyone.

As soon as some of the bags were opened, many people’s eyes widened, and the next moment, they couldn’t help but gather closer, even among the vendors.

It was grain, all kinds of grain. These days, who could resist moving forward when they saw food, regardless of whether they had any or not?

Seeing more and more people gathering in front of the ox cart, some Hua Village men scattered around immediately stood in front of the cart, surrounding it. Their fierce expressions stopped people in their tracks, especially when they saw the long, cloth-wrapped objects on their backs, making them even more cautious about pushing forward.

Hua Chengtian wasn’t in a rush. Didn’t he see the constables not far away glancing over? These people were just excited to see grain. There didn’t seem to be any ulterior motives, and even if there were, they wouldn’t dare act in broad daylight. Especially since they made such a high-profile entrance, anyone with a bit of sense would hesitate.

"Brother, are you selling this?"

Someone couldn’t help but ask, having spotted fine grain on the cart. Their children hadn’t tasted fine grain in years, and the temptation was overwhelming!

"I am selling it, but don’t rush. Wait until my brothers finish setting up, then you can buy or trade."

Hua Chengtian said as he moved the bags of grain one by one to the back of the cart. Little Four and Gouzi, two young boys, helped out as well. Hua Jin, dressed in men’s clothes, sat at the front of the cart without intending to step forward, but her spiritual power had already invisibly spread out, missing nothing.

In fact, there wasn’t much to set up. Just moving a few more bags and opening them was enough. More and more people gathered, and shortly afterward, news of someone with a large amount of grain spread like wildfire throughout Shanggu Town.

"Ahem, ahem..." Hua Chengtian cleared his throat a few times, watching the eager eyes of the crowd. "Well, anyone interested in buying or trading can start now. But let me say this upfront—I am neither a saint nor a good person. I’m here to exchange for some silver or necessary items. If everyone queues up and buys peacefully, that’s fine, but if anyone has any ill intentions or causes trouble, don’t blame me, Hua, for being hard to deal with."

As he spoke, Hua Chengtian casually picked up a wooden stick the size of an adult’s arm and easily snapped it in two at his feet. Coupled with the cold sternness in his eyes, it significantly intimidated the crowd. Moreover, there were so many strong men around him, all watching coldly, making people even more hesitant to act recklessly. Almost instantly, everyone automatically formed three lines.

"That’s better. Now, I’ll tell you the price of the grain, so you can consider and decide..."

Hua Chengtian cleared his throat again and then explained the prices or how to trade for the items one by one.

Overall, the prices were higher than normal grain prices but not ridiculously so. They weren’t much different from street prices, except that fine grain was more expensive because having fine grain at this time was a rarity.

A pound of fine grain cost fifty wen, which was indeed several times more than before the disaster, but it was already a considerate price. Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon for fine grain to be even more expensive.

And now, in these times, anyone who survived surely had calculated their expenses. Those with silver would grit their teeth and still be willing to buy because even with money, you couldn’t buy food these days. The whole market was about bartering, indicating that silver coins had become worthless.

Once the prices were announced, many people were tempted.

With repeated disasters, silver coins could now buy nothing. It was rare to find someone willing to accept silver. The common folk were tempted, and even the constables keeping order were all moved.

"Brother, is the price you’re asking really true?" someone wanted to confirm again.

"Of course, whether it’s bartering or paying with silver, it’s all possible. If interested, you may start..."

As Hua Chengtian’s words ended, almost everyone present became impatient. Some even told their family members to quickly run home and grab silver, and to bring more people along. It was rare to find someone willing to sell food; they had to seize the opportunity to buy as much as they could.

While they were thinking this, they saw the young boys carrying out a pile of cured and smoked meat, easily weighing hundreds of pounds. The variety of meat was mixed, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that it was meat. How long had it been since anyone here had eaten meat? Some couldn’t even remember what it tasted like.

Just when you thought that was it, the two young boys then brought out two baskets from the front of the ox cart. Lifting the worn cloth revealed eggs stacked as high as half a person. Two big baskets in total made everyone’s eyes widen, and their excitement grew even stronger.

"Eggs..." someone shouted excitedly from within the crowd.

The people at the back wished they could stand on stilts, resenting their parents for birthing them too short for the first time. Everyone stood on tiptoe, craning their necks to see the front, but all they saw were the back of people’s heads, unable to see the baskets.

The people in front stared greedily at the eggs in the baskets. They were also good for nourishment, and thinking of their families, everyone started calculating what they had brought with them.

The excitement within the crowd made the men from Hua Village even more solemn. They guarded the ox cart without allowing a drop of water through, giving Hua Chengtian an aggrieved glance. They were here to buy things, but ended up as this guy’s protectors.

They knew this guy had brought a lot of things, since the cart was obviously full for anyone with eyes to see.

But they hadn’t expected him to bring so many things, and such good things too.