Chapter 245: Industrial City Abito (7)
Peter, a farmer living in a rural village in the Ahiternach Baronage, came to sell woolen and cotton fabrics to a merchant in the nearby town, just like he had done last year.
The merchant, arrogantly clicking his abacus, calculated the figures and said:
"Let’s see, 400 pieces of cotton fabric and 100 pieces of woolen fabric. If we calculate at today’s prices, I can offer you about 90 gold coins."
90 gold coins is not a small sum. With that amount, 90 serf families could live for a year, or, with some savings, even 120 families.
However, the problem was that Peter’s village had a population of just over 600 people.
90 gold coins wouldn’t even last until the harvest in the early summer when barley is reaped, let alone until the fall when wheat is harvested.
‘At this rate, we’ll all starve to death.’
Of course, if it came to that, Peter would sell his daughter to save his family, but...
Even though he was a poor serf, selling his own child to the debt collectors was the absolute last resort.
Therefore, Peter, representing the entire village, protested.
"But last year, the price was 180 gold coins, wasn’t it? What on earth happened to make the price of fabric drop so much?"
The merchant sighed and lamented.