Chapter 36 Price Increase
Skills: Bow Technique (Full Level), Flying Locust Stone (Full Level), Stereoscopic Drawing (Full Level), Calligraphy (Full Level), Culinary Skill (Full Level), Iron Mountain Skill (Full Level), Instant Kill Skill (Full Level), Black Tiger Fist (Full Level), Willow Catkins Body Technique (Full Level), Wind-breaking Saber Technique (Full Level)
Looking at the system panel filled with skills, Zhong Lin felt a hamster-like delight in hoarding food.
The "Black Tiger Fist" was a secret martial arts manual Zhong Lin picked up from the mountain bandit known as Mountain Tiger. Initially left unused because he couldn't read, he later found it was just a regular martial arts skill, not as good as the "Iron Mountain Skill."
Zhong Lin found an opportunity to record it into the system panel. Little Stone had always wanted to learn martial arts, so he could teach him.
Zhong Lin picked up the Ghost Head Blade and practiced the Wind-breaking Saber Technique. The system panel could inject martial arts experience, but to fully master it, he needed to practice personally.
This saber technique balanced speed and power. The faster the speed, the heavier the power. When practiced to a high level, heads would fall after the saber light flashed.
Actually, it wasn't that exaggerated.
After upgrading with skill points to full level, Zhong Lin realized it was just a technique for using a saber. It wasn't like in novels from the previous life, where a slash emitted a blade light of several meters. Martial arts of the lower third grades was about tempering the body, running faster, jumping higher, and being stronger than ordinary people. Saber techniques were just to better utilize one's strength, not that miraculous.
After practicing the saber and movement techniques for a while, Zhong Lin got up and went to East Market, greeting the residents of Sweet Water Alley along the way.
"Why does it feel like there are more refugees?"
Zhong Lin noticed more refugees in tattered clothes on the streets, furrowing his brow slightly.
Zhong Lin and Little Stone had also fled here, so he was more sensitive to refugees.
Every day, refugees poured into Black Mountain County, and they would soon be assimilated. Some worked as laborers at the docks, some were bought by wealthy families, and others were recruited into the army. However, the number of refugees had been increasing recently, affecting the safety of Black Mountain County.
After all, more refugees often meant more beggars and petty thieves.
"Old Liang, the usual. Cut five pounds of pork belly for me, and add three pounds of fat and three pounds of lean meat."
Zhong Lin called out to Liang the butcher in front of the meat stall.
"Oh! Master Zhong is here. Haven't seen you buying meat in a few days. I just slaughtered a grass-fed pig and saved the pig ears for you, knowing you like them!" Liang the butcher said with a cheerful smile.
Zhong Lin's eyes lit up. With pig ears, he could make a dish of cold mixed rice noodles, a great dish to go with drinks.
"What are you waiting for? Slice it up!"
With that said, he pulled three pieces of broken silver from his money pouch and placed them on the table.
Meat was expensive, with lean meat costing thirty large coins per pound and fat meat forty-five. This purchase of five pounds of pork belly and three pounds of fat could feed an ordinary family for almost half a month.
Liang the butcher did not take the money and continued smiling, "Master Zhong, this... silver is not enough."
"The meat price has increased. It's not just me; everyone has raised their prices. At the grain shop, coarsely milled rice now sells for ten large coins per pound." Liang the butcher quickly explained.
He didn't want to lose a big customer like Zhong Lin, especially one who liked lean meat, as lean meat often sold together with fat.
Zhong Lin furrowed his brow slightly, "Ten large coins per pound? Are you sure?"
Coarsely milled rice is whole grain retained after husking. Compared to refined rice, it doesn't taste as good but is cheaper, five large coins per pound, and now the price had doubled.
"Would I deceive you? That's the price on the grain shop sign. It was eight large coins yesterday, and today it's ten. No choice, I have to follow suit with my meat prices."
"Why did it increase so much?"
"Don't know, heard things are getting chaotic outside. You're with the government office, you should know better than me."
Know my foot, with a heap of troubles these days, Zhong Lin spends his days practicing martial arts, barely aware of the outside situation.
Feeling a bit frustrated, Zhong Lin waved his hand, "Slice it, you won't lose money."
"Oh! Just a moment, it will be ready soon."
Liang the butcher quickly picked up a knife to cut the meat, carefully stringing it with straw.
After paying the silver, Zhong Lin didn't take the meat. He told Liang the butcher he'd come back later and turned to leave.
Watching the noticeably increased number of refugees, Zhong Lin knew something must have happened outside. Since traveling through time, there had only been one rain, the drought not only hadn't ended but had gotten worse.
Passing by the grain shop, Zhong Lin discovered the coarsely milled rice wasn't ten large coins per pound as Liang the butcher said, but
"The grain prices have soared beyond reason; something serious is going to happen."
Zhong Lin's heart sank a little.
People live off food. Whether they can eat is the people's primary concern, and the drastic change in grain prices would surely incite many problems.
While thinking, Zhong Lin arrived at the Xu Medical Clinic, where he often bought Eight Treasures Blood Building Soup before.
But instead of being surrounded by patients as usual, there were some unfamiliar faces.
"Master Huang, this month's regular money."
Xu Le handed over twelve large coins, round on the outside and square on the inside.
Master Huang weighed the large coins in his hand and said satisfactorily, "Not bad, paid promptly. But orders from above state regular money will increase by twenty percent starting this month."
Xu Le instantly became furious. His temper made him want to act immediately, but seeing Master Huang's towering figure, his anger subsided. Reluctantly, he took out three more large coins from his pocket.
"So straightforward? I thought I'd have to resort to some methods!"
Master Huang was surprised. The previous shops either complained about poverty or made excuses after the regular money increase was proposed, but after some rough handling, they obediently handed over the money. He didn't expect Xu Le, this old fellow, to comply so readily, which indeed surprised him.
"Has Doctor Xu been making a fortune recently?" Master Huang asked with a fake smile.
Xu Le forced a smile, "How can I make a fortune? I'm just a bag of old bones guarding a medical clinic. Besides, there's nothing on this street you don't know. If I make a fortune, how could I hide it from you?"
Master Huang thought for a moment, realizing that was indeed the case. He was in charge of this street, after all, nothing escaped his notice.
Putting the money in his cloth bag, Master Huang, leading his group of underlings, swaggered out of the clinic, heading to the next location.
At this moment, Zhong Lin stepped inside, looking at Master Huang's back and said, "The Black Water Gang's Huang Sheng?"