Farm Girl's Manor-Chapter 245 Moldy Grain Buries Hidden Dangers, Nightmare Comes to Warn (4)_1

Xin Er nodded, showing curiosity, "Yes, Grandfather Li, how did you know?"

Mo Yan noticed his expression was off and a thought flashed through her mind: wasn’t her son-in-law surnamed Zhang and didn’t he also own a rice shop?

"Grandfather Li, don’t tell me that Zhang Ji’s rice shop is yours..."

Lizhong nodded with a face full of grief and indignation, grinding his teeth he said, "Exactly, it’s that Zhang Family that ruined my daughter’s life!"

Mo Yan frowned, thinking that if it was that Zhang Family, it wasn’t surprising that they could do something as despicable as selling moldy rice to cheat people.

"Grandfather Li, don’t be angry. If this moldy rice matter is confirmed by the Government, the Zhang Family will definitely not get off lightly."

However, Lizhong shook his head and said, "I indeed wish their family bad luck, but this matter isn’t as simple as you think."

Mo Yan was taken aback, "Why? Can you tell me, Grandfather Li?"

Lizhong nodded and spoke seriously, "At this time of year, moldy rice appearing in the market usually means new crops are being stored, and the moldy grain is cleared out. But how could ordinary people have so much grain that it goes moldy? Apart from wealthy households, it’s only the Government storehouses. Seeing how confident the Zhang Family looks, they’re probably selling moldy rice from the Government storehouses."

Mo Yan pondered, and seeing that Lizhong had paused, she quickly asked, "Eating moldy rice is harmful. If the authorities release moldy rice to be sold to the common people, aren’t they afraid of causing problems?"

Ancient people might not be aware of the dangers of moldy rice, but there are many modern accounts about its hazards. Among these, the aflatoxin contained in moldy rice is tens of times more toxic than arsenic, and an overdose can be life-threatening.

Seeing her interest, Lizhong continued, "The Court does have laws stating that the sale of moldy grain is prohibited. However, no one knows how much moldy grain is cleared out from the Government storehouses each year, and those in charge of the granaries secretly find rice shops to sell this moldy grain at low prices, which the rice shops in turn sell to the general public. Over the years, this has apparently not caused any serious consequences, and surely, many people involved in this kind of quick-profit scheme must be significant figures, perhaps even ensnaring some high-ranking officials."

His former employer ran several rice shops, and some had approached them offering to sell moldy grain at low prices. The old employer was conservative and not so driven by greed. After discussing with several Managers, most opposed the idea, so the old employer declined the deal. At the time, he was one of those Managers, so he was very clear about this matter.

"This tacit approval of the private sale of moldy grain means that even if the person who went to the Government to complain today has solid evidence, the Government will downplay it, not causing too much fuss. At most, they’ll have the Zhang Family pay some silver, and the matter will be considered resolved."

Mo Yan’s brow furrowed. It seemed she had been too simplistic in her thinking. Since the Government storehouse’s moldy grain was being secretly sold by the authorities themselves, as long as no major incidents occurred, those higher up would naturally turn a blind eye.

But there are always exceptions. How could these people so recklessly gamble with the lives of ordinary citizens, not fearing that things could go terribly wrong? If something did happen, with so much moldy grain, the death toll would certainly not be limited to just one or two.

The more Mo Yan thought about it, the more she felt those blinded by greed were despicable to the extreme, and her previously good mood was thoroughly ruined. On the way home, she was distracted, her mind occupied with the issue of the moldy grain, and she absentmindedly agreed even to Zhenzhen’s suggestion to have the Yun Zhao Siblings come over to their house.

Zhenzhen thought she had agreed and was overjoyed, planning to share this great news with Yun Zhao, her good friend, next time she went into town.

Perhaps it was because what occupies the mind during the day often manifests in dreams at night. That very evening, Mo Yan had a nightmare.

In the room, a family of seven or eight sat around a table in harmony, chatting and laughing, appearing very warm and cozy. On the table were several simple dishes and a large bowl of white rice, which they ate with relish. A young woman placed her two or three-year-old child on her lap, feeding the child tenderly, but suddenly the child started bleeding from all orifices and died in the woman’s arms.