103 Disaster

◎Provoked this group of jackals◎

The willow trees on both sides of the moat hung low, with dew condensed on them. As time passed, the dew turned into frost flowers, and the green willow leaves faded to yellow.

It was November.

A chilly white mist spread through the city. The soldiers guarding the city exhaled warm white air and rubbed their palms constantly. The winter nights were cold and long. They had just gotten into bed when they came out to change shifts.

Everyone was half-drowsy and careless for a moment, allowing a few tattered pieces of clothing that flashed by the wall to blend in with the crowd entering the city.

Although the drought in Zhongzhou has been resolved, the affected victims have nowhere to settle down. They used to be able to wait outside the city for disaster relief from the court, but the temperature has dropped sharply in recent days. Most of them are ragged and can barely cover their bodies. How can they survive the cold weather?

Many refugees froze to death overnight.

The old man who was buying pancakes at Sifang Bridge had just set up the stove to bake the pancakes that had been steamed in advance when all the pancakes were snatched away.

A woman who was shopping with a basket on her shoulder had her basket snatched away as soon as she left the house.

The wealthy businessman, who was dressed in luxurious clothes, had a fine white marble ring and pendant on his waist, and a wallet and bag made of Shu embroidery, but they were all robbed before he could walk a few steps.

There was no peace in the city. The government ordered that refugees be prohibited from entering the city, and even beat and killed those who sneaked into the city in public.

But for the refugees, there was nothing outside the city, but there were a wide variety of goods inside the city. Although there was a risk of death, there was still a glimmer of hope. Therefore, the refugees sneaked into the city despite repeated bans.

Someone also wrote a letter, "Refugees are also our people. As the ancient saying goes, 'People are the foundation of the state; a solid foundation brings peace to the state.' Today, the people are displaced and have left their homes to come to the capital simply to save their lives. If we also kill them, how can we protect the people's hearts?"

Others disagreed. The national treasury was in deficit and the military and national affairs in the north were more important. It would be a pity to make the people suffer. If they disobeyed the emperor's will and entered the city without permission, it would be treason. Those who plotted rebellion should be killed without any regret.

The interests of all parties are difficult to resolve and no good solution can be found for the time being.

The streets and alleys are in chaos. The former prosperity has been frozen in the past under the ravages of the cold winter.

There were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street, and many small shops closed their doors. The big shops hired burly men to act as stone lions in front of their doors.

Inside Juxing Tower, Shopkeeper Zhang was walking slowly through the second-floor lobby. A few days ago, it was packed, but now there were only a few people. He pulled out a chair dejectedly and sighed, "Ah, business finally picked up, and now this has happened... How can I explain this?"

Song Jinyi looked calm and focused on the task at hand. Zhang Yao then asked, "Master, business is so bad in the store, why aren't you worried at all?"

Song Jinyi also picked up the teacup. She had just worked up a light sweat from cooking at the stove, and the slightly bitter herbal tea made her feel refreshed. "I'm anxious, but what's the point of being anxious? We're cooks, and we're fulfilling our duties by making the food well prepared and ensuring the diners' satisfaction."

"Other things are not our concern. Instead of worrying about the present, it is better to relax and wait for the future."

After hearing this, Zhang Yao felt that Song Jinyi's words made sense, and she felt relieved.

After seeing off the last guest, Song Jinyi washed her hands with a clean handkerchief and wondered why Li He hadn't come back yet.

She patted Zhang Yao and asked her to persuade Manager Zhang. She then went downstairs to look for Li He.

The streets, which were originally crowded with vendors, have become sparsely populated. Upon closer inspection, they are all tall and strong peddlers carrying shoulder poles.

I think it would be difficult for those skinny refugees to rob these people.

After walking along the road for about an incense stick of time, she saw a burnt orange figure in the distance, holding a basket in his hand - the same one Li He wore when she went out today.

Song Jinyi rushed forward and was about to call her, but she saw that something was wrong and the word "Li He" was stuck in her throat.

Next to Li He stood a hunched figure. The man was skinny and had messy hair. It was hard to tell whether he was a man or a woman. It was unknown what the two of them were talking about. The man reached out and pulled Li He.

Song Jinyi's heart skipped a beat as she recalled the numerous evil deeds committed by the refugees in the city today. Without giving it any thought, she quickly rushed over, pushed the man away, and asked sternly, "What are you going to do?"

The person was almost skin and bones. Song Jinyi hardly exerted any strength, but she staggered and fell to the ground, holding something like a package in one hand.

Song Jinyi looked down and realized that the black bundle actually contained a baby, with dark blue skin, purple lips, and tightly closed eyes...

Song Jinyi was stunned for a moment, her sleeves grasped by the woman's black nails. She sobbed, "Please, give me something to eat. I haven't eaten much in half a month, and my child is almost starving to death..."

Song Jinyi was speechless for a moment, and Li He said first: "You, I just told you in a nice way that I only brought one lunch with me when I went out today, and I distributed it to everyone in front.

"You can only wait until I go back to get food for you."

Song Jinyi suddenly turned her head and looked at Li He, wanting to stop him, but it was too late.

The refugees huddled nearby heard this and swarmed over like locusts. "Is there anything to eat?" "Can you give us some food, too?"

Song Jinyi's heart trembled, and he thought to himself, "Not good!"

These people seemed to be in a low position and begged desperately, but if they refused to agree, the consequences would be unpredictable. She grabbed Li He's hand and shouted, "Run."

Li He reacted very quickly, threw the empty basket in his hand backwards, and ran away with Song Jinyi.

******

The dry leaves drifting down the long street were crushed by their rapid footsteps, making a crunching sound. They arrived near the Juxing Tower, panting, and felt a slight relief.

Suddenly, a voice came from the alley on the left: "Madam Song? Is it really you? You've come to Shengjing too?"

Song Jinyi caught a glimpse of the refugee's shadow behind her, which made her neck cold. She didn't have time to identify it, and she just shouted at her: "Run!"

When the other party saw Song Jinyi's panicked expression, as if she was being chased by some ferocious beast, she was confused, but still trotted after Song Jinyi and entered the Juxing Tower.

The moment the door bolt fell, Song Jinyi and Li He finally relaxed. Song Jinyi found a chair and sat down casually. After calming down, he turned around and met the man.

The man was wearing a light blue long gown and looked handsome. Song Jinyi couldn't remember how long she had known this man. She only heard him say, "Odd things change, but even things remain the same..."

"It's you?!" The person who came was Shen Lingyuan, another time traveler that Song Jinyi had met in Yunzhou before. She asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"I came to Shengjing for something. As for you, I persuaded you to open a store in Shengjing before, but you refused. Why did you change your mind now?" Shen Lingyuan told her that she had found a job in the Imperial College and recently she often heard the students there talking about delicacies such as hot and sour noodles and stinky tofu.

"I guessed it was you at the time, but unfortunately I couldn't get away these days. Today I was free, so I came right away."

Before they could exchange a few words of greeting, they heard the sound of footsteps at the door. From the sound, it seemed that quite a few people had arrived.

At first, they gathered at the door, whispering, "How many people are inside? Will it be dangerous if we go in?" "This is a restaurant, there must be food. There are so many of us, we just want some food..."

Because they are weak, they can rationalize what they do.

Someone else shouted, "Didn't that woman just say she wanted to give us food?"

After hearing this, Li He subconsciously wanted to refute. She didn't tell everyone, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Song Jinyi quickly covered her mouth.

Business on the first floor has been slow these past two days, so some merchants come in for half a day and rest for half a day. Now only Zhang the butcher who comes to buy braised meat and Zhu the lady who comes to buy drinks are left. Zhang Yao's employee on the second floor also heard the noise and came downstairs.

Song Jinyi made a gesture, asking them to keep quiet, and quietly asked the waiter to go out from the back and report to the police.

The refugees began to push the door violently, and the door panel was buzzing. Song Jinyi knew that she could not escape this disaster by pretending to be deaf and dumb. She glanced around and found that only Zhang the Butcher was left in the store.

She asked Zhang the butcher to scold them a few times first, and the rest of the people went to lift the tables and chairs to hold them against the door.

When the other party realized that Butcher Zhang was bluffing, they became angry and attacked even harder, and the door bolt cracked. The crowd tried their best to hold on behind the door.

Every time the door was slammed, everyone's heart trembled.

After a while, the door of the shop was knocked open a crack, which made those people even more crazy. Just when they were about to break out, a majestic shout came from a distance.

The refugees at the door immediately scattered.

When everyone saw the soldiers passing by through the crack in the door, they all breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground.

Mrs. Zhu was an honest and decent person, usually just buying some drinks. How could she have seen such a scene? Although the storm had passed, she was still frightened. Her face was pale and her breathing was trembling. Song Jinyi hurriedly asked Zhang Yao to make some sugar water for everyone to drink.

Li He looked at the mess inside the house and said with a sense of self-blame, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have shared my food with them. I provoked this group of jackals."

After half an incense stick of time, everyone recovered from the shock. Butcher Zhang and Madam Zhu went home together through the back door.

Seeing this, Shen Lingyuan wanted to leave, but Song Jinyi kindly kept her.

First, Shen Lingyuan came from the outer city, whether as an ordinary diner or a friend, she didn't want the other party to return empty-handed.

Second, Shen Lingyuan works in the Imperial College and should be aware of the disaster situation. Now it is not only affecting business, but is almost affecting life safety.

The remaining few people went to the second floor, and Song Jinyi started cooking and made a bowl of hot and sour noodles for Shen Lingyuan.

Song Jinyi didn't ask about the disaster right away. After the other party had almost finished eating, she said, "Winter is coming soon. What will the scene outside be like when the first snowstorm arrives?"

Shen Lingyuan has always been cheerful, and it was rare for her to remain silent at this moment. She sighed, "The chief priest also used to worry about this matter. Winter is coming, and there is no food to eat. There are starving people everywhere. There is no clothes to cover the body, and hunger and cold are everywhere.

"I wonder how many more souls will die this winter?"

"Is there no one in the court who cares about this?"

"I can manage it, but I can't. The national treasury has no money..." Shen Lingyuan didn't know what she was thinking about. She paused for a while before saying, "Anyway, now we have thrown this mess to the prince."

Shen Lingyuan changed the subject and talked about the hot and sour noodles made by Song Jinyi. "It's really delicious, but it's a pity that it's a bit far from where I live. It would be great if they had takeout."

This time, when Song Jinyi heard Shen Lingyuan mention "takeout", she did not refuse immediately, but pondered for a moment with an indecipherable expression.

******

evening.

Song Jinyi walked alone in the Zhang family courtyard with her hands behind her back. In the moonlight, she circled around the pond several times.

There was a small waterwheel in the pond, which was used to irrigate the flowerbed next to it. Song Jinyi was tired from walking, so she stopped beside it and watched the waterwheel watering the flowers.

Zhang Yao, noticing she hadn't returned for a long time, went to the courtyard to look for her. Seeing her gazing intently at the drum wheel, she asked in confusion, "What's so interesting about this drum wheel?"

"I am simply impressed by the wisdom of the ancients, who were able to transform irrigation, which was once laborious and time-consuming, into a method that saves time and effort. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and a river is formed only by the accumulation of small streams.

"Although the current problem is difficult, if we break it down and solve it step by step, there may be a solution..."

Zhang Yao exclaimed "Ah", not understanding what Song Jinyi meant.

Song Jinyi said nothing more, but nodded and said, "Tomorrow I'll ask you to ask the study to draft a visiting card for me."

"Who is the master going to see?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince—"

【Author’s words】

Shen Lingyuan is the heroine of the column "Student Poor Forced to Bound to the Imperial Examination System". If you are interested, you can click to collect it. [Spreading hands]