Ajiu knew what this was about without even thinking. She turned to Tuoba Yan.
"Can you not leave right now?" Ajiu was afraid that if things went wrong, there would be trouble. At least Tuoba Yan's clothes could help her scare people.
"Sister Ajiu, I've asked for leave. I'm not leaving."
Only then did Ajiu put down the wooden bar and open the wooden door.
"Miss Ajiu, you keep your word, right?"
"Yes, you keep your word. Everyone is counting on you."
A clamor arose.
"Stop all this one after another." The village elder, Grandpa Lizheng, raised his voice higher than ever before, immediately silencing them. He stepped in with a smile.
"Ninth Sister, you've seen it too. We're truly at our wit's end. Girl, tell us, what method do you have to get seeds? So that everyone can be at ease."
"Grandpa Lizheng, please sit." Ajiu first placed a stool in the middle of the yard.
"My friend is on duty in the city. I bought these from the officials in the city." Ajiu couldn't possibly say she traded them for spirit fruits.
"Oh? You... can buy grain from the officials?" Lizheng's pupils widened.
"I am Sister Ajiu's very, very best friend." Tuoba Yan patted his chest.
Seeing him in military uniform, everyone immediately believed him. "Ninth Sister girl is so fortunate to have a friend who is a patrol soldier."
"Indeed, now there is hope."
"That's great." Lizheng stood up, his old face flushed with excitement. He turned to the villagers and said,
"Then let's discuss how many seeds each household needs and how much money it will cost."
For the latter half of the sentence, Lizheng looked at Ajiu, implying how much she would sell them for per catty.
Hearing this, Ajiu was taken aback. She hadn't really thought about selling them at first; it was just an excuse.
Now, if she were to sell them, her mother happened to love money very much, so wouldn't this be an accidental huge profit? It would be equivalent to her fruits being exchanged for money.
"Then... five copper coins per catty." Ajiu couldn't be like those bosses in the city and ask for an exorbitant price.
"Five copper coins per catty. Villagers, go back home and calculate. Then we'll come back to Miss Ajiu for seeds."
Lizheng spoke and then turned to Ajiu, gripping her hand tightly.
"Thank you, girl. Thank you so much."
Ajiu felt embarrassed to be held so tightly. "Grandpa Lizheng has also helped me. Times are hard for everyone now, so let's just help each other."
"Good, good, good." Lizheng finished speaking and strode out of the yard with the villagers, holding his collar. "Hurry back, everyone go back and calculate."
Ajiu could see that after the price was announced, the expressions on the faces of these villagers varied.
Perhaps some families were struggling, some were penniless, and some were frowning, calculating their wealth.
Not even half an hour after the crowd dispersed,
Someone came back again.
"Miss Ajiu, I only have ten copper coins here. Can you see if you can give me two catties?"
"Miss Ajiu, to be honest, I only have three copper coins at home, but I have an ancestral jade pendant. Can you be lenient and exchange it for five catties for me?"
Ajiu was surrounded by three or five people. Some of them were holding a bag of white rice.
"My wife is about to give birth. Yesterday, I went to the city to buy some white rice, and all my savings are gone. Can one catty of white rice be exchanged for six catties of seeds?"
Ajiu panicked. At first, she had thought of money, but now, with bartering, she didn't know how to manage it.
"Alright." Ajiu scratched her head. After all, the price of rice in the city was outrageously high.
"I'll weigh it." Tuoba Yan was eager to please.
He took the cloth bags from several people, carried out a sack of grain, and scooped it out with his hands.
"Little Yan Yan, we don't have a scale either." Ajiu frowned. If the weights weren't exact, how would they divide it?
"This gentleman, exactly two catties. Not one bit less." Tuoba Yan scooped it out as if playing with sand, his aim always accurate.
Ajiu looked at Tuoba Yan in disbelief. "You can scoop it so accurately?"
"Don't worry, Sister Ajiu. I can tell just by looking." Tuoba Yan said, then called out, "Six catties, for this older brother."