mesbooks Chapter 213 Are You Afraid of the Heat?
Chapter 213 Are You Afraid of the Heat?
Zhou Zhi was a little impatient and didn't say anything, but he knew in his heart that many of his subordinates had complained to their colleagues, and the group of people who arrived the day before had said something implicit before they set off:
"We have been waiting in the inn for a day. Can we hurry up on the road? We also want to settle down as soon as possible."
There was another family with a stronger background. This family was a relative of a third-rank official in Kyoto. The master of that family did not show up, but the housekeeper directed orders to the two of them:
"Why are there still people pushing carts? Anyone can get into the Red Card team now? We have to accommodate them along the way. What's the point of buying a carriage?"
On the contrary, some families who came with Shenjiacun yesterday were thinking, don’t judge people by their appearance, maybe they have complicated backgrounds.
We stopped for a while at noon to allow everyone to go to the bathroom and take a short rest.
The housekeeper came over again and yelled at the two team leaders, "I don't know what's wrong with you. You should just get going after you've had your rest. Why do you have to rest and waste time?"
The other team leader smiled and nodded, saying that it was almost time to set off immediately.
Zhou Zhi was thinking that if he asked the team to stop for a while, it would give Shen Zhiqiu and the other cart pushers a break.
But judging from the attitudes of my companions and the attitudes of the few families who had come to the inn earlier, it might be difficult to deal with it in the future!
However, the gentleman got off the ox cart during the break, holding a bundle in his hand, which contained freshly boiled eggs.
The eggs were also bought at the inn before departure. Old Lady Meng pulled Old Lady Hua and said, "Don't make excuses to us again. You refused to let the child get on the ox cart. If you don't accept the eggs, it means you really don't consider us as your own family."
Mr. Meng also said to Mr. Shen: "Uncle, I call you uncle. We will have more time to interact with each other in the future. Please don't refuse. Let the kids eat it. It is also a token of our appreciation."
Afterwards, the grandfather told everyone: "If you see someone in trouble on the road, we have many people and we can help. We are all fellow villagers, and we are still fellow villagers wherever we go."
Everyone was quite happy, saying in unison: "Yes, don't worry, Grandpa, we don't have anything else but we have a lot of strength."
"I understand, Grandpa. It's fate that we can travel together. Don't worry!"
Shen Zhiqiu looked at these optimistic and down-to-earth people, and thought, hey! He still wanted to lend a hand to them!
It is estimated that except for a few individual companies, the remaining 90 percent of people are dissatisfied with them.
Shen Youyou also whispered in Li Jingshu's ear: "Mom, just wait and see, sooner or later we will have to help each other."
Li Jingshu nodded but said nothing. Mainly because there was nothing that could be done about it?
If we can't keep up with their speed, we can just split up. We really can't afford such expensive animals.
Although they still had some money, they had spent so much money on livestock and would probably starve before they even reached their destination.
What's more, there will be places where you can settle down and use money.
Besides, with so many people, how many animals would they need to buy?
Even the cheapest old cows are fifty taels each. Even if they squeeze as much as they can, they have to buy thirty or forty of them, right?
That's almost two thousand taels. I didn't spend any of that money when I spent it at the city gate. It's not worth spending it on this.
After walking another ten miles, I finally saw the city gate of the next county town.
Team leader Zhou even came over to remind Shen Zhiqiu: "There is a porridge shed built by a rich person in front. Although it is called a porridge shed, it does not only have porridge.
So when you get there, eat more and drink more. If you have extra steamed buns after eating, take them with you to eat on the way.
The price of food has risen sharply here. Food is very expensive in all the inns and post stations along the official road.
There are also some wealthy families who will give out some clothes, so you should pick out some thicker clothes to wear, especially for the little ones, so that they can wear warm clothes. Don’t be so shameless as to beg for them, or you will suffer on the road.”
Shen Zhiqiu, Shen Youyou, Li Jingshu, and everyone in Shenjia Village, including the little kids with short arms and legs.
At this moment, I had only one thought: "Sir, you really think too much. We are not like those families who use ox carts and horse carriages. We are not in a situation where we are too embarrassed to ask for money."
But it must be said that their team was the most disciplined among all the fleeing teams. No one rushed in and made noises, and they certainly wouldn't just start fighting for food and drink.
No matter how rich or powerful they were, seeing so many people suffering from the disaster, they responded to the court's call and built soup kitchens, showing their kindness of helping each other in times of trouble, which also made others think they were a great kind person.
There are still some people with kind hearts, such as those who believe in something, and believe in doing good deeds every day. They also want to personally help these refugees who are fleeing famine, and they just want peace of mind.
For them, it is all a favor. You can't just come up and say, "We are in trouble and you should help us. If you don't help, you are unkind."
You must not follow them as if they were your own home, grabbing and robbing people, and scaring the rich people.
As for why Team Leader Zhou only told Shen Zhiqiu and his team, and didn't tell other families too much, it was mainly because he had seen too much.
When these wealthy people were fleeing famine, they could do whatever they wanted to the refugees, but when they faced those who were originally in the same status as them, they couldn't let go and couldn't save face.
Sure enough, a woman said to her husband, "Oh, you said we have entered the city, and we can buy anything with money, but the tour guide took us to walk a little further and detour here.
Besides, we have food and drink now, so why would we ask for money? We have money.”
The man looked up and motioned to his wife, "Look over there, don't you have the nerve to ask for it?"
That’s right, the ones who feel comfortable with this are Shen Zhiqiu and his group. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Anyone who doesn’t want it for free is a fool.
In fact, the thoughts of this woman are exactly what most people in the red card team are thinking. Don’t you see that even the gentleman wouldn’t be embarrassed to get off the car and beg for food at the soup kitchen?
Even the family whose son-in-law came to pick them up personally was not considered a refugee, as the team's rule was that refugees were not allowed to enter the city.
But it's not that this son-in-law can't enter the city either.
I told my parents-in-law directly: "I'll go to the city to buy some hot food. Just tell me what you want to eat."
This guy is very friendly and he also asked several families around to see if they needed anything so he could help buy it.
Therefore, to mobilize the enthusiasm of these nobles in the soup kitchen, it still depends on the support of Shen Zhiqiu and his group of more than 200 people.
And it's very supportive, which can fully stimulate the emotions of the nobles.
When they were getting the porridge, everything was in good order. But once they held the food in their hands, the way they ate gave everything away.
The women drank porridge bowl after bowl and ate big, white, soft steamed buns. They could eat one-third of a bun in one bite, filling their mouths full.
She did not forget to pull her child over, took a few deep breaths, and fed the child porridge.
The kind-hearted maid next to her couldn't help but remind her: "The porridge is too hot. Little kid, you'd better wait until the porridge is warm before drinking it."
The women's mouths were swollen, so they asked their children: Are you afraid of the heat?
The little kids held the bowl with both hands, blowing on it while drinking, and they couldn't even lift their heads up. Their actions alone could prove everything.