raknovel Chapter 596: Afraid the Coal Will Be Stuck in Their Hands
Chapter 596: Afraid the Coal Will Be Stuck in Their Hands
"Shopkeeper, something’s wrong! Jufu Supermarket is selling coal," the clerk rushed into the shop, shouting at the shopkeeper.
"Jufu Supermarket is selling coal?"
"Yes, thirty-five wen per load."
"Impossible?"
"Really, shopkeeper, if you don’t believe it, you can go out and ask everyone."
The shopkeeper sneered, thinking the youngster couldn’t handle things.
How much coal could Widow Tong possibly have to sell?
It’s known that most of the coal on the market has been hoarded by the Young Master.
In the end, doesn’t everyone still have to come to the Zheng Family to buy coal?
The shopkeeper cursed Tong Huaqiong inwardly, thinking she was stupid for not seizing the opportunity to make money, selling coal at thirty-five wen per load; her mind must be muddled to act like this.
Just because Tong Huaqiong’s coal price exceeded the shopkeeper’s expectations, it gave him the illusion that Tong Huaqiong must have very little coal to dare to sell at such a price.
Otherwise, he really couldn’t understand Tong Huaqiong’s actions.
Soon, the rumor of Jufu Supermarket selling coal at thirty-five wen per load reached the ears of all the shopkeepers and clerks in Zheng’s shop, even the Zheng family father and son knew about it.
But everyone disregarded it.
Firstly, they didn’t believe Tong Huaqiong had hoarded a large amount of coal, and secondly, even if Tong Huaqiong had enough coal, they didn’t believe the price could remain the same.
Old Master Zheng ordered all the Zheng Family’s shops not to lower coal prices, waiting to see how many families Tong Huaqiong’s coal can supply.
Widow Tong dreaming of stepping on the Zheng Family to gain support was just wishful thinking.
Three days later, under the intervention of Tong Huaqiong and County Magistrate Liu, every household basically bought coal.
County Magistrate Liu published a notice throughout the city, first debunking rumors of extreme cold weather lasting until May of the following year, and punishing rumormongers severely; secondly, calling on everyone to join forces to get through this tough time, ensuring coal supply before spring.
This measure stabilized public sentiment.
Fear throughout the city gradually dissipated.
Tong Huaqiong gained fame, County Magistrate Liu gained prestige.
Soon, Tong Huaqiong received news from Jingzhe in the provincial city that the Lu Family and Tong Huaqiong both began selling coal on the same day, alleviating the provincial city’s fear of coal shortages.
Busy for three days, Tong Huaqiong hardly closed her eyes, looking at the smiling faces of people buying coal in the cold weather, she thought she had finally done a good deed for this era.
She didn’t know how many people froze to death in the extreme cold, but her intervention would at least save some who would have perished for lack of coal.
The Zheng Family’s coal hadn’t sold a single pound during these three days, causing panic among various shops.
Old Master Zheng and Zheng’s second son initially remained calm, thinking Tong Huaqiong was just stirring things up; upon learning Tong Huaqiong had hoarded two hundred thousand pounds of coal, they were shocked and almost collapsed.
The Zheng Family’s total coal couldn’t even compare to what Tong Huaqiong had hoarded.
Zheng’s second son felt a nagging doubt, wondering when Tong Huaqiong had hoarded the coal, and who had provided the information?
He began to suspect that Gu Ruinian had sold information to both parties, or that Gu Ruinian had teamed up with Tong Huaqiong against the Zheng Family.
"Father, Widow Tong’s two hundred thousand pounds of coal just about suffices for Pingchuan’s needs for one winter; we still have the provincial city to consider," Zheng’s second son said.
Just after he finished speaking, news arrived from the provincial city, saying that the Lu Family had begun selling coal three days ago.
Of course, the provincial city isn’t the same as Pingchuan, the Lu Family set the price slightly higher, at forty-five wen per load.
What made the Zheng Family panic is, as Ning City’s top business, no one knew how much coal the Lu Family had.
They just knew Mr. Lu assured Magistrate Yao that he wouldn’t let the provincial city’s citizens freeze this winter.
The provincial city wasn’t the Zheng Family’s main base of operations; now with the Lu Family’s involvement, the Zheng Family’s coal probably wouldn’t sell even at reduced prices.
Old Master Zheng’s expression turned gloomy.
Zheng’s second son panicked and asked, "Father, what do we do? Should we lower the price?"
Old Master Zheng angrily replied, "Ridiculous! Lower the price? You think we can lower it to thirty-five wen per load or to forty-five wen per load?"
Zheng’s second son turned pale.
The Zheng Family hoarded their coal after the first snow this winter, by then coal prices had already risen considerably.
What they didn’t know was Tong Huaqiong had already stocked up during summer at very low prices, Lu Family and Huang Family had hoarded Ning City’s coal in late autumn.
By the time Zheng Family started hoarding coal, most coal merchants had none left, and to cater to Zheng Family’s business, they had to transport coal from out of town, which increased costs.
Thus, Zheng Family’s coal had a cost of eighty wen to ninety wen per load.
This is why Old Master Zheng said no matter how Zheng Family lowered the prices, it couldn’t match the prices of Tong Huaqiong and Lu Family.
Zheng’s second son feared that the coal he had stocked by draining family funds might end up being worthless.
Thinking of this, cold sweat drenched Zheng’s second son.
Where should he get the promised one hundred thousand taels of silver for the Fifth Prince’s mother’s family?
Zheng’s second son hated Gu Ruinian for tricking him, hated Tong Huaqiong and Lu Family for cutting off the Zheng Family’s options, he was at a complete loss.
Old Master Zheng slumped into his chair, looking defeated.
Running into Widow Tong never brought good fortune.
He really wanted to slap his youngest son; with this one incident, they might lose everything.
Considering his oldest son was already dead, and he only had one son remaining, he redirected the raised hand to slap the shopkeeper who had first raised the coal price to ten taels of silver per load.
"Idiot, who told you to set the coal price so high?"
The shopkeeper looked at Old Master Zheng in disbelief.
How did he become the scapegoat?
Obviously, he acted according to the boss’s expressions and intentions; without the boss’s approval, he wouldn’t dare to raise the coal price to ten taels per load.
When he informed the boss of Jufu Supermarket selling coal, the boss said a widow was no threat, Zheng Family scorned competing with a widow, Zheng Family’s coal prices would absolutely not be lowered.
The other shopkeepers looked sympathetically at the shopkeeper who got slapped, all pondering how to escape.
"Well, I actually lost to a widow," Old Master Zheng gritted his teeth.
The Zheng family father and son directed all their anger at Tong Huaqiong at home, unaware that most of the coal they hoarded came from Lu Zhaozhao.
Back then, when Lu Family intervened, all the coal across the city flowed into Lu Family.
Zheng’s second son learned from Gu Ruinian that this winter would be extremely cold, but by then Lu Family had mostly hoarded the coal available on the market.
News of Zheng Family hoarding coal couldn’t be hidden from Lu Family.
Lu Zhaozhao learned of the Zheng Family’s nefarious acts from Gu Taohua, and witnessing Zheng’s second son bullying Jingzhe while visiting Wanliu Academy, Lu Zhaozhao furiously avenged Jingzhe, setting a trap for Zheng Family.
Lu Zhaozhao calculated that Lu Family’s shops had hoarded five hundred thousand pounds of coal, she instructed the clerk to sell off two hundred thousand pounds to Zheng Family.
She was certain that Zheng Family would raise coal prices to absurd levels, exploiting customers, and Tong Huaqiong’s two hundred thousand pounds of coal would break Zheng Family’s greed.
When Zheng Family’s coal became unsellable, she would then partner with Tong Huaqiong to buy coal at very low prices from Lu Family, using it for charity in Pingchuan.
Tong Huaqiong only found out about Lu Zhaozhao’s maneuver in Zheng Family’s coal business after receiving Lu Zhaozhao’s letter.
She held the letter, feeling proud; no wonder she chose Lu Zhaozhao as her daughter-in-law.