Reborn as a Cube Man in the Late Ming Dynasty

In front of the nameless shop, the people of Chengcheng, who had heard the rumors, gathered in the alley.

"We're really running out of flour!"

"I knew it! No matter how cheap it is, it'll sell out sooner or later!"

"What am I going to do? All the work I've done these past few days hasn't even bought me enough flour. It won't last a month at most. How am I going to survive after that!"

People lined up in long queues, stamping their feet to warm themselves up a little, sighing and groaning.

They included both old and young people, some dressed in rags, others in relatively neat clothes.

Without exception, everyone's attention was focused on the small shop in front, and their eyes revealed worry.

We're almost out of flour.

Their lives are also nearing their end!

Everyone knew this day would come, and some even thought that the fact that the shop had survived for so long was an unexpected and joyous occasion.

But when that day actually came, they also began to panic.

"I told you long ago that we can't sell it so cheaply, we have to limit the purchase! But why don't you listen? Those damned merchants, they're hoarding grain! Sigh~" The old man with the cane muttered to himself.

Wei Laosi, standing beside him, also shook his head repeatedly with a mournful face, sighing, "Sigh~"

He had told the shop owner early on that he wanted the price to be slightly higher, but the shop owner said that the price would never change and that the shop would always be located in Chengcheng.

Even when they were recruiting people to repair the road, Wei Laosi was the first to sign up.

He was fully prepared for hard work.

Unexpectedly, not only was there less work than usual, but the wages were also several times higher than before.

With the money he earned, Wei Laosi couldn't bear to spend it and used it all to buy flour to keep at home.

These flours are our lifeline!

And it wasn't that he wanted to hoard grain, but rather those damned wealthy merchants who were moving huge amounts of flour into their warehouses.

We need to buy more flour before they run out.

But now that purchase limits have been implemented, the flour is clearly running out!

They all ran into the warehouses of those wealthy merchants!

"Take advantage of this time to buy more, and eat flour sparingly. It should last until next year." Wei Laosi tightened his felt coat, exhaled a breath of cold air, and said with a wry smile.

The wool used in those felt garments was also purchased from this store.

This winter, which was many times colder than in previous years, was surprisingly much better than usual.

These days feel like a dream.

He was almost truly convinced that a deity had descended to take care of them, and that good days were truly on the horizon!

Just now, the news of the purchase restriction came like a bolt from the blue, plunging him from fantasy into reality.

Looking back now, it was just my wishful thinking.

Old Wei sighed and said, "Yes, how could there really be an abundance of grain that can't be sold?"

The line slowly crept forward, and Wei Laosi saw Shi Lai again.

The price was still 10 coins per pound, but there was now a sign next to it indicating a purchase limit.

"Sir, what would you like?" Shi Lai asked with a smile as he approached Wei Laosi.

Old Wei took out a copper coin and said softly, "Would you mind weighing out two catties of flour for me, shopkeeper?"

"Okay." Shi Lai took the copper coin and handed over the flour that had already been prepared.

Wei Laosi looked distraught and hesitated for a long time before asking, "Shopkeeper, are you really out of flour?"

"Yes," Shi Lai said decisively, smiling as he added, "Sir, don't worry. Even if the whole city were filled with flour, there might not be enough to hold it all."

"Haha, shopkeeper, you're joking." Wei Laosi forced a smile, took the flour, put it aside, looked at the statue, and asked, "May I pray to the White Immortal Lord? It won't be long."

This is the first time I've heard of such a request.

Shi Lai was taken aback. He stared at Wei Laosi in surprise, stepped aside, and said softly, "Of course."

After bowing respectfully, Wei Laosi nodded to Shi Lai and then silently prepared to leave.

He wasn't putting on a show, thinking he could buy a few more pounds of flour; it came from the bottom of his heart.

"Sir/Madam!"

Wei Laosi turned around and saw that Shi Lai, who had been smiling, had stopped smiling, walked up to him, stared at him seriously, and whispered meaningfully.

"Sir, where do you think our flour comes from? We have more flour than we can sell, so please feel free to go home."

Where is it?

The question lingered in Wei Laosi's mind. He didn't know how he got out of the store. Not long after he came out, a commotion came from the back of the line.

People craned their necks to look, and Wei Laosi followed suit.

"It's the County Magistrate!" Wei Laosi exclaimed, and quickly bowed.

Meng Yongnian frowned and hurried into the store.

After the magistrate went inside, Wei Laosi took the flour and walked out of the alley.

"Wait, we'll take your flour!"

……

Meng Yongnian looked around, and when he didn't see Miao Zhiming, he said in a deep voice, "Who's in charge?"

Shi Lai stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble subject, Shi Lai, greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate."

Meng Yongnian stared at one of them, his brows furrowed.

Seeing this, the other people in the shop could tell that there was something important to discuss, so they asked the people who bought noodles to leave the shop temporarily.

"Are you really out of flour?" Meng Yongnian asked, getting straight to the point.

Shi Lai nodded and said, "Your Excellency, it's almost gone, there's still a tiny bit left."

"Hmph, just as I thought," Meng Yongnian said in a low voice, "How about I sell the remaining flour on your behalf?"

Only in this way can this flour truly reach the hands of ordinary people, instead of being bought back at high prices by wealthy merchants and hoarded in the city.

Shi Lai refused without hesitation, saying, "There's no need for you to trouble yourself, Your Excellency. We will make our own decision."

"Are you worried that I'll line my own pockets?" Meng Yongnian asked sternly, his face expressionless. "Do you know who those people in the shop just now were?"

Shi Lai said calmly, "He's a servant of a wealthy merchant in the city. Your Excellency, wouldn't you agree?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yongnian's imposing manner vanished, and he was quite taken aback.

He stared at Shi Lai with a complicated expression, then asked speechlessly, "Since you knew that, why did you still sell to them? Didn't you run out of flour?"

"There aren't any left, that's why we're limiting purchases!" Shi Lai said softly.

"Don't play dumb with me. Miao Zhiming won't let an idiot manage things," Meng Yongnian said angrily. "You should know that most of that flour ended up in the hands of the local gentry and merchants. They're just waiting for you to sell out your flour so they can resell it at a high price in Chengcheng!"

"But they can only sell theirs after we've sold them all, right?" Shi Lai said matter-of-factly.

Meng Yongnian said irritably, "Didn't you say you were almost out of flour? How can you still sell it?"

"Yes, we can sell them, but only a little bit," Shi Lai said calmly.

Therefore, he truly did not understand what these cultists were thinking.