The refugees outside were suppressed by force, and now they are using a "beat with a stick, then offer a sweet date" approach. The people from the Five Great Families have opened food distribution points outside, giving each refugee a fist-sized coarse grain bun in an attempt to pacify their resentment.
However, this method won't last long. A solution must be found.
Otherwise, it will be difficult.
Meanwhile, the number of people within the city continues to grow, becoming increasingly crowded, and prices are beginning to skyrocket.
Fortunately.
Xiao Xiao and her husband have the ability to earn money, and they can currently maintain everyone's livelihood.
The chaos outside has little to do with them; they are all diligently earning money.
After all, in any era.
Money and goods are hard currency, so having money and goods is better than anything.
Who has time to worry about this and that? They can still earn enough money!
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao will also seize opportunities, stocking up on materials in the processing workshop as much as possible, moving all sorts of grains there, and also stocking a large portion in their own home. This way, there won't be too many problems with the processing workshop's operation.
Moreover, if prices rise, they will also raise the prices of their pastries.
So, they are not losing money.
Although some customers with less disposable income will be unable to afford pastries, other wealthy customers are still buying as usual and do not reduce their purchases due to price increases. Therefore, the overall impact is not significant, and business remains good.
Several of the Five Great Families also order large quantities of pastries daily.
There is no need to worry about business.
When the refugees outside finally calmed down, Li Datou and others wanted to go out to forage and collect resources. However, due to the increasing number of people in the city and the risks involved, the young couple did not allow everyone to leave the city.
Moreover, there were also many refugees outside, and the city was not as stable.
Su Miaomiao said to Cheng Hao, "The refugees pouring in from outside are increasing, and so are the wealthy fleeing households entering the city. Those who can last until the later stages are either truly rich or ruthless individuals. This has led to outsiders frantically squeezing the limited resources, and the Five Great Families are too greedy..."
Although they knew the families wanted to attract a large number of people to help build the city, the scale already exceeded imagination.
The refugees outside are running out of work. The great city wall, which was initially built, has seen its construction speed soar due to the subsequent influx of refugees. It is now largely completed and very tall.
So, if they lose their means of earning a living by building the city, the lives of the refugees outside will become even more difficult. Will there really not be a day when everyone goes mad and launches an attack on the city?
Cheng Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Since this is the case, it's not advisable for us to stay here for long. Let's seize the time to earn the last bit of money and leave."
Su Miaomiao felt the same way. Although Que Province is large, it has become chaotic later on. "Old Cao's printing tools are almost ready. We'll go see them next time, and if they're suitable, we can start printing."
Once they sell these herbal manuals and earn the money, they can consider leaving. With the printing tools ready, they can also start modifying their carriages, as expanding and reinforcing the carriage body is essential.
The wheels also need to be made larger, and the carriage chassis needs to be raised to be suitable for long-distance travel.
They also need to build more carriage bodies for the people of Shana Village.
Having lived outside for so long, they have bought many miscellaneous items, so the carriage body naturally needs to be made larger to accommodate more.
It also needs to be able to install mechanisms.