I Picked Up a High-Maintenance Mistress for Famine-Fleeing and Farming 95

Chapter 95: A Dilemma

After three rounds of wine and five courses of food.

“Niece, I won’t beat around the bush with you this time. You also know that with the drought this year, there isn’t much fertile land to plant in my place. To be honest, I have to rely on the younger generation for relief,” Old City Lord Sun said with a hint of humility in his words, but his straight back revealed his true thoughts.

“What do you mean, uncle? With the drought this year, my Wanliu City has also had no harvest. I was originally thinking of putting the annual ironware trade with you on hold for a while and resuming it next year when the harvest is better. Are you here to force me?” Wan Liufang had originally wanted to swallow this insult, but this person was clearly here to rob.

“Hey, little niece, don’t say it so harshly. Even when your father was around, he was very polite to me,” City Lord Sun said, and seeing Wan Liufang so impatient, he was amused. She was clearly an easy-to-deal-with brat.

“Speaking of which, when my father was around, you only wanted thirty percent of the grain for your ironware. But last year, it was increased to fifty percent. Do you think I’m young and easy to manipulate, uncle, or do you no longer plan to coexist peacefully with Wanliu City?” Wan Liufang was also anxious, seeing that the other party was pressing at her doorstep.

There was no more beating around the bush in her words, and she was on the verge of tearing off all pretense.

An advisor under the table secretly tugged at the corner of her clothes.

Hearing this, City Lord Sun laughed, “Hahaha.”

“I say, City Lord Wan, all the weapons in your Wanliu City, from the large swords and spears to the small kitchen knives and iron shovels, which of them is not provided by my Sifang City’s iron ore and technology? Now that your wings are grown and you’ve hoarded enough ironware, you want to kick Sifang City aside. Where is there such logic in the world?” City Lord Sun’s voice was a little louder, and his face was no longer amiable.

Wan Liufang looked at the other party, who was beginning to argue unreasonably, her fists clenched under her sleeves, her eyes filled with disgust.

“City Lord Sun, if it were a good harvest year, we could also accept the price of Sifang City’s ironware remaining unchanged. But since the last price increase, I can no longer afford the current price,” Wan Liufang said. No matter what, she could not produce the grain this year.

“City Lord Wan, don’t be so modest. Your Wanliu City can at least irrigate the land. Our Sifang City has little land and many people, and we are far from the water. This is the real dead end. Now, my only hope is on you, niece. Don’t let me down,” he said.

Old City Lord Sun’s cloudy old eyes were fixed on Wan Liufang, as if he were determined to have Wanliu City hand over the grain.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you this year, City Lord Sun. Although Wanliu City has irrigated a part of the land, it is still a futile effort. It’s even a problem whether the common people in the city can survive this winter,” she said. The conversation had reached a deadlock. One had to have it, and the other could not give it.

“Mm… there is indeed a disaster this year. You are a junior after all. Don’t say that I’m making things difficult for you. How about this? In previous years, we would exchange fifty thousand jin of grain. This year, just give me thirty thousand jin. That shouldn’t be too difficult, right?” City Lord Sun said, looking at Wan Liufang as if he were bestowing a charity.

Wan Liufang’s eyes widened as she looked at the robber opposite her.

“City Lord Sun, you might as well just take this worthless life of mine. I really don’t have any grain. The grain harvested from the fields this year is not even thirty thousand jin. I’m afraid you’ve made a trip for nothing,” Wan Liufang said with the attitude of a dead pig not being afraid of boiling water.

“Don’t you be so ungrateful. For our City Lord to do business with you is to think highly of you. If you anger us, what’s to stop us from making you pack your bags and get out of the city?” the half-iron tower beside City Lord Sun spoke, his face fierce and menacing. If it were a young girl, she would have been scared to tears by him.

“Hahahaha, what kind of onion are you? How dare you be so arrogant in my territory?” Wan Liufang was so angry she laughed, looking at the man who was speaking so wildly.

“Ah Hai, don’t be rude. I believe that City Lord Wan will think of a way. Don’t you agree, niece?” City Lord Sun said lightly, stopping him, but he looked at Wan Liufang with a smile, the two of them playing good cop and bad cop to threaten her.

“Hmph…!” The tall and strong man with the full beard did not take Wan Liufang, a “thin and small” woman, seriously at all. Now was the time when fists did the talking. If it really didn’t work out, what was to stop them from just robbing her?

“The upper room has already been prepared for you, City Lord Sun. It’s late today, so you can stay here for a day first. We’ll talk about the grain tomorrow,” Wan Liufang was a little tired.

Although she was putting on a brave face, once she really fell out with Sifang City, Wanliu City had no chance of winning.

Wanliu City, including the refugees, had less than one thousand five hundred people, and there were only about four hundred soldiers that could be used. If the other party was determined to fight with her for the territory, then with the few cowards behind her, she was afraid that it wouldn’t take long for them to surrender.

Although Sifang City was not a large place, it was mostly filled with able-bodied men who had a background in forging iron and mining. And they were mostly strong men who were usually warlike, and she had even sent a lot of young men and women to Wan Liufang. In terms of military strength, Wanliu City was at a disadvantage, and City Lord Wan had no experience in fighting with others.

Now, it was clear that they were looking for trouble and robbing her. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of directly dealing with these few people in her territory. But behind Old City Lord Sun were three young and able-bodied heirs, who wished that the old City Lord would die outside so that they could divide the city lord’s position.

But if they used this as an excuse to attack her later, wouldn’t that be the same as City Lord Sun’s fate? To use the large number of people to assassinate this old man in Wanliu City was just a foolish move that would not solve the root problem.

The reason she had always been forbearing and had bowed her head was because she could not defeat the other party.

And on her side, although there seemed to be many people, in reality, there were very few capable people. Whether it was the landlords and wealthy households led by her uncle, or the self-proclaimed advisors and subordinates, they all had their own calculations and were like a plate of loose sand that could not be united.

Wan Liufang, who had been suppressed for many years, really did not dare to have a life-or-death struggle with Sifang City for a moment.

“Then we will be impolite today. You should give us a reply as soon as possible, niece,” Old City Lord Sun’s face was full of triumph. He was sure that Wan Liufang would not dare to do anything to him and would have to obediently hand over whatever he wanted.

“Hehe, let me think about this. You should go and rest first, Uncle Sun. Guards, go and settle all the guests that City Lord Sun has brought,” Wan Liufang said with a faint smile on her lips, her eyes filled with a helpless and hateful indifference.

City Lord Sun, with his two subordinates, strode to the upper room to rest. It seemed that if she didn’t give him an attitude tomorrow, she wouldn’t be able to send them away.

Wan Liufang and a few advisors discussed for more than half the night. Whether to give the grain or to have a frontal confrontation with that old thing from Sifang City, the few of them had different opinions.

They were definitely not willing to fight a losing battle. But the thirty thousand jin of grain they wanted could empty out Wanliu City’s entire fortune.

Now, it was difficult. The whole city was tightening their belts and barely surviving. Even Wan Liufang and the few Madams’ meals had been reduced by more than half. The supply of green vegetables and meat was not even a fraction of what it was in previous years.

Even the usually flamboyant Jiang Xirou had changed into low-key and simple clothes and jewelry, as if she could smell the uneasy and oppressive atmosphere in the city.

…

In the middle of the night, Jiang Xirou was in a daze when she felt a slightly cool body squeeze over.

The person reached out and held her in her arms, pressing against her tightly, as if to take the warmth from her body.

Jiang Xirou was startled and her body trembled.

“It’s me,” Wan Liufang’s voice was low and light, with a deep weariness.

“Why didn’t you make a sound? You scared me to death,” Jiang Xirou said, and she broke free from her arm and gently patted her chest, her not-so-loud voice particularly clear in the dark night.

“I’m sorry,” Wan Liufang did not argue with her, but moved forward again and buried her head in her warm body.

“What’s wrong with you? Were you bullied by that old man?” Jiang Xirou asked, and feeling Wan Liufang’s tired and low mood, she obediently let her hold her, and used her fingers to smooth her slightly messy hair.

She found that she had indeed lost a lot of weight recently. Her chin, poking at her body, was obvious.

Sigh, perhaps no matter how unprofessional she was, she was still shouldering a great responsibility.

Jiang Xirou looked at the somewhat fragile City Lord and suddenly, a soft spot in her heart was touched. She was already tied to the same boat as the one surnamed Wan. Why not just accept her fate and live a good life?

Thinking about it, besides being a bit of a bastard occasionally, she was not bad to her.

“What? Are you going to take revenge for me?” Wan Liufang was amused by her words. That old dead man had indeed bullied her.

“I don’t have that ability. How about I add some poison to their food and just poison them to death,” Jiang Xirou’s words were filled with sincerity.

“Hehehe, alright. Tomorrow, I’ll send you to poison them,” Wan Liufang said, and she lifted her head and looked at Jiang Xirou in the dim night.

She could vaguely see her delicate outline, her high topknot, and the mutton-fat jade earrings that she had not taken off.

Wan Liufang felt that if one day she ran away, she might take her with her.

“What are you thinking about?” Jiang Xirou asked when she saw that she had not moved for a long time.

“I’m thinking of eloping with you. Whoever wants this broken city can have it. I’m not serving anymore.”

“Heh, are we on such good terms now that we can elope? Besides, I’ve just gotten used to this life, and you’re asking me to go and beg for food with you? I can’t leave this place of fine clothes and food. I’m a delicate flower that needs to be pampered. You can go and find the Third Madam for a life of eating bran and wild vegetables. I see she’s willing to be with you,” Jiang Xirou’s delicate voice was drawn out, full of unwillingness.

“Hehe, I won’t take her. I’ll just take you, and let you eat bran and wild vegetables,” Wan Liufang said, pinching her slender waist deliberately.

Her annoyed mood was eased a little by Jiang Xirou’s delicate and affected complaints. She would have a good sleep tonight. Tomorrow’s matters would be discussed tomorrow.

…

The next day, City Lord Sun left with a satisfactory reply. Wan Liufang had helplessly agreed to the condition of giving grain to Sifang City.

On her side, Wan Liufang had proposed to tear off all pretense with City Lord Sun and have a military confrontation. The others had all been cowards, and no one had agreed to this path.

She knew that this group of old people just wanted to live in peace and comfort. Wan Liufang was also very helpless. She also did not want to have a frontal conflict with that bandit, but she still retained a trace of a young person’s sharpness and wanted to give it a try.

But if there was no one behind her to support her, her small amount of courage came and went quickly.

But when they heard that they had to give grain if they didn’t want to fight, this group of people fell silent again. They didn’t want to fight, and they didn’t want to give grain even more. In the end, Wan Liufang told City Lord Sun that in seven days, she would have the other party bring things to Wanliu City to exchange, and only then did she send those bandits away.

They were clearly here to rob, but they still had to send a pile of iron ore. How “benevolent.” Wan Liufang’s teeth itched with hatred as she looked at the departing robbers.

Unlike Wanliu City’s situation, Zhangjia Village was at the time of a great harvest. The grain that the villagers had planted was better than expected. At first, they had said that it was two acres of seeds, but with the diligent hands of the villagers, they had done more and more.

As long as it was a place where grain could be planted, they would not let it be wasted. Muchun, seeing that the villagers were really farming, was not stingy with the seeds and distributed them according to their needs, encouraging more work for more gain.

After a summer of day and night irrigation, the land had finally not failed the villagers’ sweat and had given them their due reward.

On this day, Muchun took Guan Yue and the Li brothers and began to collect the grain from each household with a horse-cart.