Zhao Hao wasn't the only one who looked completely devastated.
Countless people had wanted to make a fortune off the war. On the scene, grain merchants whose hopes had just been shattered fainted one after another... It was hard to tell if they passed out from the sweltering heat or out of sheer anger at the harsh reality.
The weather was simply too hot.
With no one left daring to question her, Su Ning had no desire to stay any longer. So, she played the hands-off boss once again, leaving the rest of the work to her subordinates.
Su 'Bloodsucker' Ning skillfully tossed out the same empty promises her former bosses used to feed her:
"It's because I believe in your abilities that I feel at ease leaving this to you. Work hard, keep up the good effort, and I won't treat you poorly in the future."
However.
Her promises were actually fulfilled.
...
The center of the storm brushed off her sleeves and left without taking a single cloud with her, yet the crowd left behind lingered. As the news spread, even more people flocked to the docks.
None of them felt the heat, nor did they mind the crowding.
"Another grain ship has been emptied."
"Don't worry, there are still plenty of grain ships behind it... I reckon they'll be unloading until at least midnight. But you can't really blame these porters; it's been so long and they're still carrying four or five sacks of grain at a time. I wonder what kind of pay she's giving them?"
Someone in the know replied:
"You'll die of envy if I tell you. They're paid by the sack: three dollars for a hundred sacks, with no upper limit. No wonder these guys are working with all their might!"
Sounds of sharp intakes of breath could be heard.
Given the short distance from the dock to the cargo carts, assuming a porter carries five sacks per trip, twenty trips would earn them three dollars. If they endure a bit of hardship, they could easily make ten dollars a day.
That was ten silver dollars!
The crowd's eyes turned envious, with some wishing they could take the porters' places. Eager to try, the bolder ones went up and asked if they could join in the work.
It was just strenuous manual labor, after all. At worst, they'd be a bit slow, but nothing could really go wrong. The sooner they finished moving everything, the sooner it would be over, and they wouldn't have to stand guard anymore.
The men who were asked couldn't make the decision.
So they went to ask Lin Sen for instructions.
"No."
Hearing this, Lin Sen refused without even looking up. It wasn't that he was reluctant to spend a bit more money; the grain was too tempting. If they just let anyone move the goods and one person ran off with a sack of grain, it could trigger a chain reaction...
The consequences would be unimaginable.
However, there was no need to voice these considerations out loud, as it would be a waste of breath and time. Having worked under Su Ning for so long, Assistant Lin had undergone an ultimate evolution and no longer cared much about his reputation.
Monkey see, monkey do, for one.
Secondly, how could it make sense for the boss to have a notoriously foul reputation while the subordinates had a good one?
Sure enough—
"Why won't he?" The disappointed crowd simply couldn't understand. It was clearly a win-win situation. "Could it be that he's skimming something off the top?"
This was a malicious speculation.
Others thought of the departed Su Ning. However, for the sake of this genuine grain, they were much more merciful with their words. Well, they only said that a crooked stick will have a crooked shadow, and like master, like servant...
The key was that they still had doubts in their hearts.
The grain was indeed real.
But was it really as the newspapers said, that Su Ning wanted to support the municipal government in stabilizing grain prices, rather than making a massive fortune alongside those ruthless scumbags?
"...Absolutely impossible."
Elder Sun, who had finally been squeezed out of the crowd and moved to a well-ventilated area before slowly waking up, had a trembling beard. Ignoring his bruised philtrum from being pinched, he reassured the crowd:
"Everyone, hold your ground. I already know what Su Ning is really trying to do!"
Hope returned to the grain merchants' eyes.
"Please enlighten us, Elder Sun."
"Hmph, what she wants is to swallow this massive fortune all by herself!" Elder Sun revealed his speculations one by one. He believed Su Ning had released a smokescreen in the newspapers to make them panic and sell off their grain at low prices.
Then she would secretly buy the grain back.
"...By that time, she'll drive the grain prices sky-high, and those peasants will have no choice but to obediently buy it, because they'll have no other options!"
Elder Sun let out a long sigh.
Hiss.
Too wicked, truly too wicked. The grain merchants cursed Su Ning angrily while feeling a lingering fear.
There really is always someone more ruthless—they only thought about teaming up to manipulate grain prices and earn some hard-earned money. But Su Ning, your appetite is so huge, aren't you afraid of choking to death!
After cursing her, they began to flatter Elder Sun. Words like perceptive, resourceful, and master strategist were piled onto him as if they cost nothing, praising him for seeing right through Su Ning's plot in an instant.
No one was tactless enough to mention that he had been the first one to faint from sheer panic just moments ago.
"Cough, cough. Alright."
Elder Sun coughed lightly twice. "In short, everyone must stay steady. Even if Su Ning really releases cheap grain later, ignore her and stick to our current prices... Hmph, once she realizes we aren't falling for it, she'll stop!"
The grain merchants nodded profusely.
However, some were still half-skeptical. After hesitating for a long while, someone whispered:
"What if what the newspaper said is true?"
If this massive amount of grain was truly released into the market at a low price by Su Ning to save the market, and they didn't sell their grain early on to recoup their losses, they would lose more and more later... Many of them had gone bankrupt hoarding grain at high prices. If they couldn't sell it for even more, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Impossible."
Elder Sun only said one sentence:
"Would a person like Su Ning have any compassion for those peasants?"
The scene fell silent for a moment.
Then, a massive burst of laughter erupted. One grain merchant laughed until he was out of breath: "Hahaha, Su Ning, compassion? Compared to her, I feel like a downright saint!"
Who wouldn't laugh upon hearing that.
Grab anyone off the street and ask their impression of Su Ning.
Nine out of ten would say she wasn't a good person, and the remaining one would stay silent—because either they or their family worked under Su Ning to make a living, so they couldn't badmouth her, yet they couldn't lie against their conscience either.
After they had laughed enough, they completely relaxed and agreed to hold their ground.
They would absolutely not be tricked by Su Ning into releasing their grain!
"Hey, where did Zhao Hao go?"
Someone noticed he had disappeared at some point. The Zhao family also had quite a bit of grain, so they couldn't be ignored. Thus, someone asked casually.
"Who cares what he's doing." Pausing, the tone gradually turned mocking: "Men don't cry easily, only when their hearts are truly broken. He probably went somewhere to wipe his tears."
A round of knowing laughter followed.
Regardless of what conspiracy Su Ning was harboring, one thing was certain—
That the couple's reconciliation was fake. Zhao Hao and the Zhao family had been deceived. Those who knew they had mortgaged their land in exchange for grain took even more pleasure in their misfortune.
"Send someone to the Zhao family later."
Elder Sun spoke with earnest gravity:
"Jokes aside, we are all grasshoppers tied to the same rope. If the Zhao family holds onto their grain, even if they lose their land, at worst they'll still have the money from selling the grain."
"True."
"Elder Sun is truly righteous."
"A woman's heart is the most poisonous of all. If you ask me, Zhao Hao shouldn't have been blinded by their past affection as husband and wife. You are the company you keep; what kind of good people could possibly surround Su Ning?"
"Hahahahaha."
