Ye Chutang felt something wasn’t quite right about this.

If it were for money, Ye Heng had plenty of other ways to get it, and much faster and in greater amounts.

If it were for some other reason... ’Why on earth is he hoarding grain?’

He had been extremely cautious, ordering only five thousand *dan*, a number that wouldn’t attract too much attention.

Even Ye Chutang herself would likely never have known if she hadn’t personally returned to Qingzhou this time.

Pan Ying asked tentatively, "Second Miss Ye, are you perhaps planning to buy this grain in Mr. Ye’s place?"

Before Ye Chutang could speak, Ye Yunfeng frowned. "That’s not an option."

’Five thousand *dan* of rice... Big Sis isn’t even in this line of business. Even if she bought it, where would she sell it?!’

Besides, this involves Ye Heng. Who knows how deep the rabbit hole goes?

Just as he thought, Ye Chutang pondered for a moment before shaking her head and politely declining. "It would indeed be inappropriate for me to get involved."

This was definitely not something she could agree to on a whim.

Disappointment washed over Pan Ying’s face, and his shoulders slumped.

In truth, he knew it was wishful thinking. Ye Chutang and her brothers had nothing to do with this. How could he expect them to just fork over the money to buy the grain for no reason?

He looked apologetic and stood up. "Second Miss Ye, my deepest apologies! I was just too anxious and spoke foolishly. Please don’t take it to heart!"

Ye Chutang smiled. "It’s alright."

Seeing that she genuinely didn’t seem to mind, Pan Ying breathed a small sigh of relief.

"I’ve been too forward today. I hope you all can forgive me. Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way—"

"What will you do if they never show up?"

Ye Chutang interrupted, asking the question.

Pan Ying’s expression was tinged with helplessness. He gave a bitter laugh. "What else can we do? We either find someone else to sell it to at a low price, or... we just keep hoarding it."

Either way, the farmers would end up taking a loss.

After accounting for the costs of sowing, irrigation, weeding, harvesting, and labor, the final profit from one *mu* of land was already razor-thin. If they sold at a lower price, they might not even break even after a whole year of hard work.

And if they continued to store it at home, not only would they be unable to exchange it for Silver Coins, but next year it would be old rice, which wouldn’t fetch any price at all.

A single farming family couldn’t eat that much in a year. They could only watch as the rice rotted away.

Ye Chutang considered for a moment, then said, "They might have been delayed by what happened to my second uncle. You should wait a while longer and see if they still come."

Pan Ying privately believed they wouldn’t come back, but at this point, there truly was no other choice.

Ye Chutang added, "Also, the weather has been humid recently. If the rice isn’t stored properly, it will likely spoil easily. I can teach you a method. Have them go back and dig a few more grain cellars. Dry the cellar walls with fire, then line them with layers of plant ash and wooden planks. This will prevent moisture and pests, allowing the grain to be stored for much longer."

Pan Ying was stunned into silence as he listened.

"It’s a bit troublesome, but the good thing is it only requires manpower, not much money."

For these farmers, manpower was the one thing they didn’t lack. This way, they could achieve the minimum loss for the minimum cost.

It was definitely a worthwhile trade-off for them.

Sure enough, after Pan Ying heard this, his eyes lit up. He said repeatedly, "Excellent! Excellent! I’ll go back and tell them right away! On their behalf, let me thank you first, Second Miss Ye!"

Ye Chutang shook her head. "I haven’t done much to help. There’s no need for thanks."

But Pan Ying still bowed deeply, thanking her several more times before he left.

No matter what, this was far better than the worst-case scenario he had envisioned!

At the very least, he could now go back and give everyone an answer!

After Pan Ying departed, Ye Chutang lowered her gaze, countless thoughts flashing through her mind.

Noticing the excessive silence around her, Ye Chutang looked up to see Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng both staring at her.

Ye Chutang couldn’t help but laugh. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"

Ye Jingyan paused, then said, "It’s nothing. I was just thinking that Big Sis is incredibly knowledgeable and truly knows a great deal."

"Yeah!" Ye Yunfeng’s eyes were filled with a mix of admiration and awe. "Big Sis has never farmed a day in her life, yet she even knows the best way to store grain!"

A muscle in Ye Chutang’s brow twitched.

’I was so focused on why Ye Heng would do such a thing that I spoke too much without thinking.’

Logically, as a pampered young lady who had never had to lift a finger, she shouldn’t know about such things.

After a brief pause, Ye Chutang said, "It’s nothing. I just read a wide variety of books and happened to come across someone who mentioned this method."

’She really did read a lot. Besides, over the past few years, they had encountered all sorts of situations, and Big Sis had resolved every single one. A little ’trick’ like this really wasn’t a big deal.’

The two brothers didn’t press the topic, instead turning their attention back to the matter of Ye Heng hoarding grain.

"But speaking of which, what do you think about all this, Big Sis?" Ye Yunfeng crossed his arms, thoughtfully stroking his chin. "I think that so-called grain merchant must be one of Ye Heng’s men! He’s definitely involved in this!"

Ye Jingyan nodded. "If they weren’t deeply tied to him, they wouldn’t have had such a drastic change of plans just because Ye Heng’s assets were seized and he was exiled."

"But what does he need so much grain for?" This was what Ye Yunfeng couldn’t figure out.

Ye Jingyan looked like he wanted to say something but held back, subconsciously glancing at Ye Chutang.

’He had a few theories, but...’

Ye Chutang collected herself and gave a faint smile. "Forget it. In the end, this is Ye Heng’s business. He isn’t here now. We could guess a thousand or ten thousand times and still not arrive at the truth."

Ye Yunfeng raised an eyebrow. "Don’t tell me we’re supposed to run all the way to Tongbei to ask him for an explanation?"

Ye Chutang gave a noncommittal response.

’It’s not even certain if Ye Heng will make it to Tongbei alive...’

Ye Chutang gazed outside.

The sky was still gloomy. It looked like it would rain again by evening.

"Let’s just wait for now."

’Actions always leave a trail. She refused to believe he hadn’t left a single clue behind.’

’But now she was truly starting to realize that her second uncle was far more complex than she had ever imagined...’

...

「Shiluan City.」

Shen Yanchuan and his group had chosen an inn, planning to wait for the rain to stop before continuing their journey.

That night, the rain pattered softly.

Shen Yanchuan lay on the bed, his eyes lightly closed as if he were already asleep.

Suddenly!

A dark figure silently rolled out from under the bed! A gleaming, sharp dagger shot toward Shen Yanchuan on the bed!

It all happened too fast!

Just as the sharp dagger was about to pierce his chest, Shen Yanchuan, who should have been fast asleep, suddenly snapped his eyes open!

His movements were even faster!

He flung the thin quilt up, obscuring his opponent’s vision, while simultaneously pushing himself up with one hand and kicking out with a long leg!

The man was caught off guard. A numbing pain shot through his wrist, and he subconsciously let go of the dagger.

However, the expected sound of the dagger clattering to the floor never came.

The next second, he felt a cold sensation on his neck.

The young man leaned over slightly, looking down on him. The thin blade in his hand was just an inch from taking his life!

BOOM—!

Lightning flashed and thunder roared!

The window lit up for an instant, illuminating the man’s cold, handsome face, which seemed like that of a fallen immortal.

But his eyes were utterly cold, like a god of slaughter walking out of hell!

He said in a leisurely tone:

"Does Xu Jie look down on me this much?"