As for fodder, easy to procure, when the time comes, even if the nation doesn’t take care of it, she could still have someone fetch it as long as she had money on hand.
But grain isn’t so easy to come by, sometimes even with money, it might not be possible to buy food, since here people rely on the heavens for sustenance, and years of famine are particularly frequent.
It was precisely for this reason that An Jing thought of storing grain, to be prepared for emergencies.
If she bought a lot of grain all at once to keep in storage and a war never broke out, what would she do if the grain went moldy and spoiled by the time a conflict arose?
Yet if she bought a little each year and stored it, it would be of little use if a war suddenly broke out.
Therefore, the best strategy was to have plenty of grain on hand but also to keep refreshing the stock with new grain every year, selling off the old. This wouldn’t just prevent the problem of grain molding from long storage, but it would also ensure she always had a considerable amount of grain at her disposal.
To achieve such an effect, the solution was to open rice shops, many, many rice shops, selling the old grain and stocking the new, a cycle that would repeat year after year until war finally came.
This way, she’d ensure there was always grain in her hands and no panic in her heart.
Thinking this way, An Jing opened her eyes and excitedly yet softly called out, "Husband?"
She was afraid her husband might have already fallen asleep.
But without hearing his steady, sleeping breaths, how could Xiao Changyi be asleep?
Hearing An Jing call him, he responded, "Hmm?"
An Jing immediately said, "Let’s open a rice shop. Once we have more money, we’ll open even more rice shops. I want to store grain. At least two hundred thousand dan."
Of course, opening one rice shop wouldn’t be enough to store that much grain, but when many shops were opened, by then it might be achievable. So, An Jing’s current goal was to make money to open many, many rice shops.
How could Xiao Changyi not know why An Jing wanted to store grain, especially since they had just discussed the possibility of him going to the battlefield before going to sleep? Surely, his wife was worried about the major issue of grain and fodder.
Back when he fought in wars, it was always the Crown Prince who personally led the transport of grain and fodder, ensuring there were no mishaps.
If it were anyone else, that wouldn’t necessarily be the case.
Once there were problems with the grain and fodder, the consequences could be unimaginable, so it was normal for his wife to be worried.
Therefore, Xiao Changyi didn’t say much, only nodded and agreed, "Hmm."
"You’re just going along with me like that?" In the darkness, even though Xiao Changyi couldn’t see, An Jing still raised one eyebrow, her tone very light, indicating her good mood.
Xiao Changyi kissed her on the forehead and said in a low voice, "I know why you want this."
"Good that you know." An Jing enjoyed the feeling of being in harmony with her husband. "I call this being prepared for any eventuality!"
"Of course," An Jing added, "it would be best if there’s no war. But if there is, we won’t fear any corrupt officials meddling with our supplies."
"The New Year is just over a month away, can’t manage it this year; let’s deal with the rice shop matter after spring next year."
"Then we’ll find a trustworthy Shopkeeper to manage the rice shop for us while we continue to work on our own fields at home." Compared to engaging in business, she preferred this kind of life – ordinary, simple and secure.
"Hmm." He, too, liked living this kind of life with her.
"If there’s no war, when we grow old, we’ll distribute the stored grain among the impoverished common folk."
The night deepened, An Jing chattered on without stopping, and Xiao Changyi periodically nodded and hummed in response, showing not a trace of impatience.