2:00 PM.
It was the time when the sun was at its fiercest. The dock was completely crowded with people. To see more clearly, even the crooked trees nearby had people hanging off them.
It was hot, crowded, stuffy, and smelly.
But apart from those out-of-place nobles, the vast majority of the poor people had faces full of excitement, anticipation, and hope as they stared at the slowly approaching grain ships.
Whenever a ship docked.
They would spontaneously let out a low cheer. It had no specific meaning, nor did they want to express anything in particular... they were just so happy that they had to shout something.
Finally, all the grain ships had finished docking.
One, two, three... Oh, I can't count them all. Someone stuck their head out and counted loudly. The people around tried hard to distinguish but couldn't get an answer, immediately booing him.
What are you booing for?
The man shouted righteously at the top of his lungs:
I only know how to count to ten! How many tens of grain ships are here? Count them yourselves if you have the ability. Anyway, just knowing there is a lot, a lot of grain is enough!
Yes, so much grain.
The eyes of everyone present became even more eager. Perhaps... they could finally have a full meal.
What are you so happy about?
At this time, a middle-aged man next to them, wearing a silk shirt and sticking out his belly, snorted coldly, looking away in disgust: It's not even certain whether there's grain in those ships!
Bullshit, how could there be no grain? Didn't you see how heavy the ship's draft line is? Don't believe him, everyone. He must be sent by those heartless grain merchants.
Trying to trick us into buying their high-priced grain.
Nonsense.
The middle-aged man really was a grain merchant, albeit with a small capital, not even qualified to join the small circles, but he also wanted to get rich by hoarding grain.
Hearing this, he retorted with a flushed face:
If it really is grain inside, the ships have been docked for so long, why hasn't anyone come down, and why haven't they called the laborers to unload the goods? It might just be rotten wood and hard rocks. They are stalling now because they are afraid of exposing their tricks.
The more he spoke, the more he felt this was the case, and he proudly raised his head:
You mud-legs, no wonder you are so poor you can't even afford to eat. Your brains are just too stupid. Don't you think about whether Su Ning is really a good person? She is just putting on a show with that guy surnamed Chen to appease the public!
After saying this, the man thought he would see these poor wretches looking unwilling and angry.
Unexpectedly, they didn't even look at him.
With their mouths open and heads tilted, all their eyes were looking in one direction—
A small area was cleared at the very front, like a drop of white paint suddenly splashed on a pitch-black canvas, so striking. Then, a young woman, under heavy protection, slowly walked over there.
He knew that person.
It was Su Ning.
His heart suddenly sank straight down.
Just then, Elder Sun and Zhao Hao's group finally arrived. Relying on money and armed force to clear the way, they struggled with great difficulty to squeeze to the front through the sardine-like crowd.
But they couldn't do anything.
They could only watch.
…………
These ships are really nice.
Bathed in the pursuit of countless eager gazes, Su Ning was perfectly composed, even having the leisure to praise the grain ships. But they were indeed quite nice. After admiring them for a few glances, she asked the system:
Are these ships also under the shipping company's name?
That's right.
The system poured cold water on her: Even so, host, you only own twelve percent of the transport company's shares. The one calling the shots is the major shareholder. At this stage, you can only take dividends and get some small privileges.
I know that.
Su Ning feigned surprise: Did you forget? Every product in the mall has a long explanatory note... Can the system get amnesia too?
……
Your fighting capacity is getting worse and worse.
Lil' System.
Su Ning was in a very good mood. That's right, when she previously won the shares of the foreign transport company in the lottery, she didn't care much. After all, it was only twelve percent, and the major shareholder family above her held more than fifty percent.
Trying to pull any little tricks would be meaningless.
However, after experiencing it firsthand, she realized—it was truly amazing.
She was bickering with the system, which in the eyes of others just looked like Su Ning standing motionless for a few seconds. Suspicions arose. Elder Sun panted heavily, not forgetting to reassure the others:
Don't worry, Su Ning is definitely just putting on an act. I've checked. There are no large-scale grain purchase records in the areas around Peiping or the few grain-producing regions.
If not these places, then only Nanyang could possibly supply it.
But that was absolutely impossible!
Transporting the grain filling these ships all the way from Nanyang into the country would require mobilizing a transport capacity beyond ordinary imagination. At least, he couldn't do it for the time being.
Hearing him say this.
The other grain merchants breathed a slight sigh of relief. Zhao Hao, mixed among them, felt as if he had returned from hell to the living world—
He, the Zhao family, had already put all their eggs in one basket and couldn't bear even the slightest failure.
At the same time, he felt slightly dissatisfied with his wife. Knowing it was an act, she should have notified him in advance. The feeling of being on tenterhooks was too uncomfortable... Alas, that matter had ultimately caused a rift in their relationship.
In his heart, he hated Su Ning even more.
He moved his body, struggling to change his posture in the narrow gap, frowned, and looked up at the very front at Su Ning, who was riding a tiger and finding it hard to get off.
He felt very gratified.
Let's see you be arrogant. You messed up, right? There were definitely quite a few smart people who had guessed the truth just like them. Let's see how you wrap this up!
Right at this moment, Su Ning glanced over here. With those eyes that seemed to forever contain a hint of mockery, Zhao Hao subconsciously and awkwardly lowered his head, not daring to make eye contact.
After reacting, he fiercely clenched his fists.
How could...
Ding, detected that the tasker is heartless in her wealth, severely injuring the spirit of the tier-one plot character Zhao Hao. Rewarded one million, and one lottery draw. Please keep up the good work.
Su Ning withdrew her gaze, very satisfied with this unexpected harvest. Although she had looked over just now precisely because of this, knowing the deeply affectionate male secondary lead had arrived.
Miss, can we unload the goods?
Let them unload.
As her voice fell.
The dock porters appeared under the leadership of the manager. Almost everyone had at least two bags stacked on their shoulders. The heavy grain bags pressed their bodies down, and with every step, their sweat shattered into eight petals.
But no one paid attention to the porters' hard work.
Everyone was looking at the grain bags. That shape, that appearance... anyone with a little experience could tell that what was inside was absolutely grain.
Cheers had already erupted from the crowd.
Time slowly passed.
The first emptied grain ship slowly moved out of the way. Su Ning casually signed her name, feeling a bit wilted from the heat. Not far away, a man suddenly lunged at the grain bags—
In just a few moves, he was pinned to the ground.
The man shouted with all his might:
Let me go! I was just too excited, so I wanted to see if it was really grain in the bags. I have no malicious intent! I'm innocent, Miss Su.
The crowd immediately became restless, and someone else echoed from within:
Let us see so we can have peace of mind.
With someone taking the lead, similar words rang out one after another. Before long, it actually formed a wave of voices, nothing more than demanding that Su Ning open the grain bags to let them see.
Seeing her remain unmoved, the wave of voices grew louder, and some even tried to squeeze over. Lin Sen, who was beside her, had already started making hand signals, ready to protect the young lady and leave if anything went wrong.
You want to see?
On Su Ning's indifferent face, a mocking smile appeared: Then look closely.
Then, the crowd watched as two people lifted a grain sack, flipped it upside down, and tore it open... Splash, golden wheat grains poured down in a cascade—
Falling straight into the river.
The crowd erupted in an uproar.
"What a sin! This is life-saving grain!"
"This will bring down the wrath of the heavens... Enough, enough, don't pour out any more! We believe you, we believe you!"
Voices filled with heartache and pity echoed endlessly.
Sensing a tidal wave of reward notifications flooding in, Su Ning ordered her men to stop. This was mainly because wasting food was indeed a bad thing, and absolutely not because she was afraid her own little life would be in danger if a real riot broke out.
"There are still many grain sacks here. If you think any of them are not filled with grain, point them out." Su Ning looked unabashedly toward Elder Sun and his group.
Her tone was mocking:
"However, for every sack you inspect, you will have to compensate me at ten times the market price. How about it? I'm not afraid of an inspection, but I wonder who else wants to step up and give it a try."
The crowd was noisy, yet no one stepped forward.
Zhao Hao broke out in a cold sweat.
A sharp cry suddenly pierced his ears. Oh, it turned out that the man surnamed Sun had suffered a rush of blood to his head and passed out... He closed his eyes, wishing he could also just faint and remain blissfully unaware of everything.
It was over.
He was finished, and the Zhao family was finished.
As for his marital bond with Wen Yun, heh, what was there left to misunderstand at this point? It was nothing but a trap set by Su Ning!
