Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife - Chapter 1463

Chapter 1463: Surprise After Surprise ( 5 )
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Pan Chiyan nodded eagerly and said, “Thank you, Brother Chenmo.”

“As you said, we are family now. Helping each other is only right,” Li Chenmo replied meaningfully.

At those words, Houzi and Li Lingyun glanced at him but said nothing, continuing to eat cookies and sip their milk.

They sat for another half hour before leaving. Li Chenmo walked them out and locked the door. When he returned to the bedroom, he saw his wife waiting for him.

Lu Jueyu stared at her husband and asked, “Husband, since when did you have so many friends?”

Meeting his wife’s gaze, Li Chenmo chuckled as he walked to the bed. He sat down beside her and said, “Wife, I know you want to help, but we need a cover to ensure our safety. Since Pan Chiyan already promised to keep my friends’ identities a secret, it will be easier for us to act.”

“Husband, you mean you never planned to introduce your so-called friends to Pan Chiyan at all?” Lu Jueyu asked.

“Well, I already said it would be hard to persuade my friends. If I do manage to persuade them, I can tell Pan Chiyan that they are unwilling to disclose their identities and asked me to act as the middleman. Even if he wants to investigate, he won’t find anything,” Li Chenmo replied with a smile.

After hearing her husband’s explanation, Lu Jueyu finally understood why he had lied to Pan Chiyan. Clinging to his arm, she praised him, “Husband, you are so smart!”

Li Chenmo leaned down and asked, “Since I did a good job, won’t you give me a reward?”

Grinning, Lu Jueyu gave him a loud smack on the lips before asking, “Husband, how much grain do you plan to sell them?”

Instead of answering, Li Chenmo asked her back, “Wife, how much do you want to sell?”

Lu Jueyu thought for a moment, then said, “Husband, I don’t have any limit. At this moment, my space has lots of grains and other stuff. But, do you think the government has the ability to buy our grain?”

“With the country’s current situation, it will be hard for them to get the funds,” Li Chenmo replied.

“Husband, what if we donate the grain?” she asked.

Li Chenmo knew his wife was generous and kind. After thinking for a while, he said, “Wife, if we donate everything, it will raise suspicion. Given the circumstances, no one would believe someone would give food away for free.”

“Then what should we do?” Lu Jueyu asked again.

Pulling his wife into his embrace, Li Chenmo replied, “If you are worried the government can’t afford to buy enough, we can lower the price. That way, we are still helping, but we also get something in return to protect ourselves.”

“Besides lowering the price, we could let them pay for two-thirds and donate one-third. But then we would have to explain why some are donating and others are charging.”

Lu Jueyu nodded and said thoughtfully, “In that case, it’s better to just lower the price.”

“We will match the price at the state-owned grain and supplies store,” Li Chenmo agreed.

“Husband, I heard from Aunt Su that grain prices at the store have already reached 1 yuan and 10 cents per kilogram. Should we sell at that price too?” Lu Jueyu asked.

Sensing her hesitation, Li Chenmo rested his chin on her shoulder. After taking a deep breath, he asked, “Wife, do you think that price is too high?”

Feeling ticklish from his breath, Lu Jueyu squirmed and said, “Since the whole nation is facing a food shortage, the amount needed to stabilize the situation must be huge. Based on data from our previous life, the population was roughly 800 to 900 million in 1974.”

“For a healthy diet, one person needs about 4 to 5 kilograms of rice per month on average. Just from that, the country needs at least 4.5 million tons of rice per month.”

Li Chenmo sighed and said, “Wife, even if you want to help everyone, it’s impossible for us to do it alone. What’s more, we couldn’t use the number provided in our previous life as the standard. 5 kilograms of rice per month was calculated based on the living style of the 21st century. It didn’t fit the situation during this era.”

“I know,” Lu Jueyu replied softly, also sighing.

After a moment of silence, Li Chenmo kissed her cheek and said, “Alright. Don’t worry about it anymore. Your husband will find a way to help as many people as we can.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jueyu unconsciously rubbed her belly and said, “Thank you, Husband.”

“It’s late. Time to sleep,” Li Chenmo said, gently pulling his wife down with him.

After covering her with a thin blanket, he wrapped his arms around her and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Li Chenmo and his son woke up before dawn. As usual, the two of them boiled water and prepared breakfast before heading to the pig pen.

When they arrived, Li Chenze, Li Lingyun, and the Chen brothers were already there. Seeing them coming, Li Lingyun asked, “Third Brother, have you thought about what to do regarding my eldest brother-in-law’s request?”

Li Chenze turned to him and asked, “What request?”

“My wife’s eldest brother was tasked by his leaders to buy more grain to help solve the food shortage problem. But the black market has limited stock, so he is planning to buy surplus grain from the villagers,” Li Lingyun explained.

Upon hearing this, Li Chenze frowned and said, “It’s impossible for the villagers to sell their surplus. Not to mention that the state-owned grain and supplies store is only offering 80 cents per kilogram, who would be willing to sell their food when there is a shortage everywhere?”

Li Chenmo smiled and replied, “Eldest Brother, I didn’t promise Brother Chiyan that I could help. I only told him I would try to see if I could help.”