Hearing the noise outside, Mo Chuan knew the Cui family had arrived.
The best proof was the village chief's panicked expression. He quickly grabbed the young man's hand and stood up, then strove to walk towards the kitchen.
Mo Chuan didn't stop him but called over Wang Hu, who had been guarding the door.
"Brother Hu, go call Lianshan Rang. I want to know the grain prices of the Southeast Alliance and some information about the Cui family within three minutes."
Wang Hu nodded upon hearing this. Knowing Mo Chuan was likely up to something, he immediately went to work. Mo Chuan walked to the front yard and saw Luo Ni protecting the pot, while Wang Lang and Wang Bao were confronting several people who looked like patrol officers. The village chief was also there, trying to stop the confrontation, but it was clearly not working.
"What's going on? Where are you from? Who let you distribute food?"
"We didn't distribute it, we sold it. What's wrong with selling this mixed grain to them for some extra cash?"
"What's wrong?" The leading patrol officer chuckled and said, "This is illegal trading, and you'll be detained! Guards! Handcuff them!"
"What law did we break..." Wang Bao was about to retort when a hand stopped him. He looked back and saw Mo Chuan shake his head at him, then walk towards the leader of the patrol officers.
"Greetings, officer." Mo Chuan put on a fawning expression. "We are grain merchants from outside. We have inadvertently offended you upon arriving in this treasure land. Please be merciful." As he spoke, he secretly slipped a pack of cigarettes and a wad of bills to the patrol officer.
Feeling the thickness of the bills in his hand, the patrol officer raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. "Well, since you put it that way, I won't pursue it. You're new here and don't understand the rules, so this is just this once. If I catch you again next time, you'll have to come with me!" Saying that, he led his men out. "Let's go, let's check the grain."
Just as the patrol officers walked out of the yard, Wang Hu stepped forward and quickly relayed the grain prices and intelligence to Mo Chuan. Mo Chuan nodded and said to the village chief, "Village Chief, I don't need the money for the porridge anymore. Please arrange for the villagers to go back quickly. I have something to attend to and I must leave."
With that, Mo Chuan, accompanied by Wang Hu and Luo Ni, went out to catch up with the patrol officers.
A short while later, Mo Chuan saw the patrol officer leader squatting by a courtyard entrance, counting bills. Mo Chuan immediately called out, "Officer! Officer!"
The patrol officer leader looked up, saw Mo Chuan and his group, and frowned. He immediately pocketed the bills and said, "Didn't I tell you to leave? Why are you still here?"
"Officer, it's like this." Mo Chuan smiled and handed the patrol officer leader a cigarette. "We came to ask if you know how to find the Cui family."
"The Cui family?" The patrol officer leader immediately became alert. He looked at Mo Chuan and said, "Why are you asking about this?"
"Aren't we grain merchants? We're short on goods recently, so we wanted to take a look around. We heard that the largest grain merchant in the area is a Cui family business, so we want to pay our respects and discuss business."
The patrol officer leader didn't suspect anything. After all, Mo Chuan's overtly calculating and mercenary demeanor made him subconsciously believe Mo Chuan was a peddler. He took the cigarette, tucked it behind his ear, and said, "Wait here, I'll ask around."
...
Cui Family, Main Courtyard.
Cui's third son hurriedly entered the courtyard and found the Cui family patriarch sunbathing. He said, "Big Brother! Someone from the Southeast Alliance has arrived!"
"Oh?" The Cui family patriarch seemed surprised. He knew the Southeast Alliance would eventually cast an eye over the eastern part of Jingzhou, but he didn't expect them to come so soon.
"How are you so sure?"
"It's a group of people, and the leader has a Qingzhou accent. They are definitely from the Southeast Alliance," the third son said. "Moreover, they proposed buying grain very discreetly, repeatedly emphasizing they were just here to look around and pay their respects, hardly mentioning their urgent need to buy grain."
"Where were they found?"
"Qu Family Village to the north."
It seems they came from Qingzhou, took the Jiangdong Road, then transferred to the Jingzhou waterways, so their first stop before entering the city was Qu Family Village.
The Cui family patriarch nodded and said, "I didn't expect Yao Shun to hold out so quickly. It seems their grain consumption and logistical pressure are even more severe than we imagined. This is great. Summon them over and we'll fleece them heavily!"
"Yes!"
...
Nightfall, Cui Residence.
Wang Hu looked at the Cui family's mountain villa in surprise and said, "Brother Chuan, you're truly a god. You infiltrated the enemy's ranks in just a few words?"
"The best way to find evidence is to participate in the crime," Mo Chuan said. "During the negotiation later, Brother Hu and Ah Lang, act a bit fierce. I must maintain my persona, so it all depends on you to hold the fort."
"Okay!" *2
A moment later, Mo Chuan and the other two were led into the Cui family's living room by a servant. The Cui family patriarch walked up to Mo Chuan, took his hand, and said, "Several esteemed merchants have traveled a long way and must be weary from the journey. As the patriarch of the Cui family, I should fulfill my duty as a host, so I took the liberty of arranging a banquet to have a few drinks with you, as a welcoming reception."
"Please don't bother, please don't bother..." Mo Chuan acted surprised and quickly waved his hands, saying, "We just wanted to look at the grain prices and types in Yueyang City. After all, Yueyang is a land of fish and rice, and we are merely passing through. Your reception is truly overwhelming for us."
"Hahahahahaha..." Seeing the other party cower like a quail upon hearing about grain, the Cui family patriarch was delighted. He thought Yao Shun was too foolish to send such a coward to inquire about grain prices, fearing he wouldn't make it back.
"Come, come, I feel an instant connection with you esteemed merchants. I'll toast you."
Upon hearing this, Mo Chuan hastily returned the toast, showering the Cui family patriarch with flattery that elevated him to the heavens.
After several rounds of toasting and feasting, both sides gained something.
Cui Family Patriarch: These three have drunk quite a bit, and their accents carry the flavor of the central and northern regions of Qingzhou. They are likely from Jibei, and considering the battle at the Yellow River Bridge earlier, they are likely coming south. However, their spending is extremely lavish, unlike refugees. Therefore, they must have been sent by Yao Shun to investigate grain prices here. I must take this opportunity to extort a fortune from them, or play a long game to catch a bigger fish...
Mo Chuan: Listening to the Cui family patriarch's words, it seems he has a large amount of grain accumulated that he desperately needs to offload. This batch of grain is likely relief supplies. It seems my guess is spot on. Now I just need to wait for him to reveal his weakness.
So Mo Chuan made his move:
"Cui... *hic*... Brother Cui, we grain merchants believe in seeing is believing. You've been talking for a while, but I haven't even seen a single physical item. It's difficult for me to report back."
The Cui family patriarch also became vigilant: "What? Brother Mo doesn't believe me?"
"Oh, Brother, where did that come from?" Mo Chuan poured the Cui family patriarch another cup of wine and said, "Before, I bought a batch of goods, and because I didn't inspect the physical items carefully, I was almost killed by that damned fellow from Xiangxi who mixed in bran..."
Although Mo Chuan was casually exaggerating, the Cui family patriarch's heart became even more certain of the identity of Mo Chuan and his group – they were definitely sent by the Southeast Alliance!
"Brother Mo!" The Cui family patriarch raised his wine glass and said, "I'm not someone who lets his brothers suffer a loss! Drink this cup, and I'll take you to inspect the goods!"