Perhaps realizing that his previous words were somewhat inappropriate, the grocery shopkeeper immediately changed his tune. "The roots of our ancestors are all here. If we don't stay and guard them, what else can we do?
"As for why there are so few goods, like you mentioned, sir, there is a reason for that.
"There are fewer traveling merchants coming from the north and south, and we don't dare to sneak out on our own. With no source of supplies, wouldn't the goods naturally become scarcer and scarcer?
"With only this little bit of inventory left, my family doesn't even want me keeping watch here every day. If you had come a few days later, I might not have had anything left to sell."
Gu Wenheng knew the situation here would be severe, but he hadn't expected it to reach this point.
