Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 15 In Chaotic Times, Food is as Valuable as Gold (Please Read and Support)

Although it was late at night, the Lin family's "Fu Man Cang" rice shop in the southern part of the city was still brightly lit.

In this chaotic world, what business is the most profitable?

It wasn't silk, nor gold or silver, but grain.

Sometimes a bowl of rice can save a life.

At this moment, in the storeroom in the backyard of the rice shop, a plump man dressed in a silk shirt was sitting at a small table, leisurely drinking wine with a plate of pickled vegetables and tofu.

He was Wang Shun, the head manager of Fumancang.

"Old Li, calculate carefully!" Wang Shun picked up a piece of tofu, blew on it to cool it down, and mumbled to the accountant next to him who was engrossed in calculating on the abacus.

"This ledger will be sent to the master's residence for inspection in a few days. Not a single penny can be wrong, or neither of us will be in good shape."

The accountant didn't even look up; his thin fingers clicked rapidly on the abacus, as fast as if he were playing a pipa.

"Don't worry, shopkeeper," he replied with a smile. "I've been working with abacuses for thirty years, and I can do a calculation without making a mistake even with my eyes closed."

"Better safe than sorry." Wang Shun snorted, took another swig of wine, and comfortably squinted his eyes.

Outside, there was widespread suffering, but here he had no shortage of food and wine; it was like living the life of a god.

Therefore, this year of great disaster turned out to be the best year for him.

As the manager of the rice shop, he dared not steal rice, after all, the Lin family was not to be trifled with, and if he was found out, he would be doomed.

He was adept at mixing old rice into polished rice and sand and stones into plump japonica rice.

If you mix a handful of sand into a peck of rice, by the end of the day, the "saved" rice will be enough for his whole family to eat until their mouths are greasy.

He didn't care at all whether the people who bought rice would break their teeth from the sand or starve to death in some corner because they didn't have enough to eat.

In his view, those lowly people had lives as fragile as paper; once they died, they were gone. His own ability to live comfortably in this chaotic world was the most important thing.

Thinking about these things, Wang Shun felt increasingly relaxed and even started humming a tuneless little tune.

But at that moment, his melody abruptly stopped.

Because he noticed something was amiss.

It's so quiet outside...

To prevent refugees from storming the rice shop, he specially arranged for the shop assistants to work in two shifts, patrolling the courtyard day and night.

The thugs he personally recruited were all uncouth men. Their patrol footsteps were heavy and chaotic, and they often uttered a few vulgar curses.

But now, all those voices have disappeared.

The drunkenness on Wang Shun's face vanished instantly, replaced by a wild, alertness.

He rose from a street thug to his current position not only through ruthlessness but also through extraordinary alertness.

He immediately realized that something was wrong!

"Shh!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Shun suddenly pulled out a crossbow from under the table.

This crossbow was given to him by the head steward of the Lin family. The crossbow body was made of ironwood, and when strung, it could pierce cowhide from twenty paces away.

Therefore, this thing became his most treasured life-saving item.

"Old Li, go out and see what's going on outside?" Wang Shun pointed his crossbow at the warehouse door, his voice hushed.

The accountant was startled by his sudden action, stopped using the abacus, and trembled like a leaf.

"Manager...Manager, I..." "Stop talking nonsense! Go when I tell you to!" Wang Shun roared, his eyes flashing with ferocity.

The accountant shuddered in fright, knowing that if he disobeyed, the shopkeeper would surely shoot him with a crossbow bolt. With a mournful face, he stood up shakily, moved step by step to the door, and tremblingly pulled open the bolt.

The door creaked open a crack.

The accountant peeked out and saw that the courtyard was empty, with only moonlight shining on the ground, creating a cold and desolate atmosphere.

He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn around and say that everything was fine when he caught a glimpse of several figures lying haphazardly in the shadows under the corner of the wall.

It was those same guys who usually swaggered around like thugs!

They lay motionless on the ground, their fate unknown.

"Ah..." The accountant was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. He let out a distorted scream and turned to shrink back into the storeroom.

"Damn it, get out there and see what's going on!" Wang Shun kicked him out from behind, his crossbow bolt pointed steadily at his back. "If you dare to run, I'll send you on your way first!"

The accountant was forced into a corner, his legs were so weak they were like noodles, and he practically crawled out of the storeroom.

He dared not look at the men, but kept inching forward, praying silently in his heart.

But just then, a short and shrill sound came from behind.

The sound didn't resemble a human scream; it was more like the final, mournful cry of a wild animal struggling desperately as its throat was slit.

The accountant froze, mechanically turning his head around.

Then, he witnessed a scene he would never forget.

The once fierce-looking shopkeeper, Wang Shun, was now standing there dumbfounded.

The crossbow in his hand fell to the ground, his eyes wide open, filled with extreme terror and bewilderment.

On his neck, a thin line of blood had appeared without his knowledge.

The bloodline was initially very thin, but then it suddenly split open, and scalding blood gushed out like a fountain!

Wang Shun opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but could only make a hissing sound before falling straight backward, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Ghost... ghost!"

The accountant's mental defenses completely collapsed at this moment. He let out a heart-wrenching scream and tried to escape as fast as he could.

But as soon as he turned around, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Immediately afterwards, a masked man emerged from the shadows.

It was Chen Ye.

He first looked down at Wang Shun, who was still convulsing and had not yet completely died.

Wang Shun stared intently at him, his bulging eyes filled with anger and resentment.

Chen Ye could even read the meaning in his eyes: Who are you? Why?
However, Chen Ye ignored him, turned around and went into the storeroom, picked up the ledger on the table, flipped through it, and then threw it aside.

This thing might be very important to the Lin family, but to Chen Ye it was like waste paper; what he cared about was the whole warehouse full of grain.

He walked up to the mountain of rice sacks and casually cut one open with a knife.

With a "splash," the white rice grains spilled all over the ground.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ye narrowed his eyes and then went outside, scooped up a ladle of cold water, and poured it on the accountant on the ground.

(End of this chapter)