「Five days passed in the blink of an eye.」
The weather in Shu State turned from sunny to overcast.
Gray clouds rolled like ocean waves, stretching for thousands of miles. A great sun, ringed by a pale halo, was faintly visible.
The lack of wind left the city feeling a bit muggy and stifling.
Much like the common folk coming and going in the East and West Markets, every face was tinged with a measure of sorrow.
"The price of grain has gone up again."
"Five days ago, a *dan* of fine grain cost one-and-a-half taels of silver. Three days ago, it rose to two taels of silver. And today, that Lin's Grain Store opened with its listed price having soared to two and seven-tenths taels of silver."
"The way I see it, tomorrow it'll probably hit three taels of silver for a *dan* of grain."
"Damn it, these crooked merchants!"
"When the price of grain drops, they're all slower than the last. But when it goes up, they're all trying to outpace each other!"
