Chapter 43 The contempt of the visitor

After Madam Liu and her companions had provided food for the people who had come from afar, it was time for lunch at the nearby school.

Children usually eat a little earlier than adults. Only after the children finish eating can the adults eat without any worries.

Jun Ye and Hu Mazi's relatives were eating here. When they saw Madam Liu and others carrying two large wooden basins of dumplings to the next door, some people stood up to watch out of curiosity.

Through the windows and the open door, I could see the children in the school sitting neatly together. Although their clothes were old and many of them were patched, they were all very clean.

At this time, the master had already given them bowls and chopsticks, and Madam Liu and the others carefully helped the children put the dumplings into their bowls.

While making dumplings, he said something with a friendly smile on his face.

The youngest of the children was just over two years old, and the oldest was thirteen or fourteen years old. They all had smiles on their faces. The children only started to eat after everyone's meal was served.

They heard Madam Liu's last words.

"Children, eat slowly. Don't be in a hurry. There's still half a bowl of food here. If you don't have enough, let the teacher help you get more!"

But they clearly saw that there were quite a few dumplings in the children's bowls. The amount was enough to fill an adult.

Are all these children so happy?

Even though the clothes on her body were so worn out and the fabric looked poor, she could still eat dumplings with such plump meat filling.

And the dumpling wrappers are all made of white flour.

Even without filling, just eating the dumpling skin is enough to satisfy you.

Some people have doubts in their hearts.

Maybe this is the food rations saved here for a year, just to keep them here.

If that were the case, it would be terrible.

Could it be that they will have to live a hard life in the future, just as their father said before?

Just wait and see, they won’t believe it if you really eat like this every day.

Xu Rulan watched the children eating with relish. It looked as if they hadn't eaten delicious food for a long time.

I also felt contempt in my heart.

She herself had forgotten that she had been eating just now just as slowly as the children.

Although the younger children were a little envious of so many children sitting together to go to school, when they looked at the earthen walls and thatched roofs, they still missed the private schools in the capital.

They simply cannot be compared.

After everyone had eaten, Gu Xiyue asked Wei Lin and Meixiang to lead them to their own rooms. The three houses of the three military masters happened to be next to each other, so they went back together.

Hu Mazi's house was right next to Gu Xiyue's, so his family followed Gu Xiyue and Xiao Heng westward.

After separating from the wives and children of the three generals, Hu Mazi's wife Li Sanniang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing her expression suddenly relax, Gu Xiyue smiled without saying anything.

Li Sannian felt relaxed and saw that there were not many people on the road. Occasionally there would be someone at home on the roadside, either a pregnant woman with a big belly, an elderly person, or a child around one year old.

I couldn't help but wonder, "Madam Gu, why is there no one here?"

It's no wonder that Li Sanniang asked this. The houses at the foot of the mountain on the inner side are separated from the beach on the outer side by a wall several hundred meters wide. There are not only tall thatch, but also big trees. These plants form a natural screen, separating the beach from the foot of the mountain.

Gu Xiyue smiled and said, "Everyone is working at the beach. It's almost time for dinner. They will all be back for dinner soon. Wait for you to rest for two days and let Brother Hu show you around."

Li Sanniang said "oh" twice. Her husband had been telling her all the way here how powerful Madam Gu and Xiao Heng were, and didn't tell her in detail about the situation here.

When I heard that it could still work, I became even more curious.

"Women are going too?"

Seeing her curious face, Gu Xiyue said a few more words, briefly explaining how the men dried and transported salt, and how the women collected salt and dried seafood.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Li Sanniang became even more curious.

The two daughters beside her were seven or eight years old, and the other about five years old. The eldest, Hu Xiaojuan, saw that Gu Xiyue was easy to talk to, so she mustered up the courage to ask in a timid voice, "Aunt Gu, can we go to school?"

Just now when they were eating, they all saw that it must be fun to see so many children together in the school. She was envious when she thought of a group of friends eating and playing together.

I didn't pay any attention to their conditions or how they were dressed.

Gu Xiyue reached out and touched her head, smiled and nodded, and said sweetly: "Of course, when you have rested well, you can go to school."

When Hu Xiaojuan heard this, her eyes lit up with joy and her nervous mood immediately relaxed.

When the younger Hu Xiaohe heard that her sister could go to school, she immediately became anxious, fearing that she could not go. She said anxiously, "I, I want to go too!"

Gu Xiyue also reached out and touched her head, "You go with your sister, there's no rush!"

Now, the two sisters felt relieved. They held hands and looked at each other, and they were so happy.

Children are so easily satisfied.

Seeing the two children looking so happy, Madam Li also breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at her man, only to find that he was walking beside Xiao Heng with a respectful look on his face, whispering something to him.

He took a quick look and then looked away, continuing to chat with Gu Xiyue happily.

After arriving at his own yard, Gu Xiyue did not go in. Hu Mazi went in by himself with his wife and children.

Gu Xiyue and Xiao Heng returned to their house.

Conditions are limited, so everyone's houses are similar and the furniture inside is the same, but with these, basic living needs can be met.

Li Sanniang walked around the house. Although it was simple, it was enough to shelter from the wind and rain. The house was clean and tidy, which made people feel comfortable.

Hu Mazi put down his things, took the hands of the two children and went to the west room.

"Look, you two will sleep in this room from now on. Do you like it?"

Hu Xiaojuan nodded happily and pulled her confused sister, "From now on, my sister and I will sleep in this room, and my parents will sleep in the other room. We will be so happy to be with them in the future."

Hu Mazi was startled. He turned to look at Li Sanniang and saw that her eyes were red. He reached out and pulled his wife over, whispering to her comfortingly, "We will always be together from now on. We will never be apart again."

Compared with the loving and warm Hu Mazi family, the same may not be true for other families.

After Meixiang came back, she complained to Gu Xiyue.

"Young Madam, you don't know. The Xu family's wives and their children are so infuriating! I haven't seen Mr. Xu for several years. When we met, instead of asking how he was doing, they complained about this and that. They complained that Mr. Xu didn't listen to his superiors and that the conditions here were poor. After seeing the room they prepared for them, they still complained that it was too small and lacked wooden floors and a large yard... Especially that Xu Rulan. She pinched her nose and looked down on everything. She really thinks she's a rich lady..."

After a lot of complaints, Gu Xiyue basically knew that among the people who came, except for Hu Mazi's family, everyone else was dissatisfied in some way.

Logically speaking, the three generals must have written to their families. It is understandable that their families are not used to the new environment, but if the situation persists after a few days, then there would be something wrong.

"It's okay, let's wait a few days and let them get used to it first."

When Meixiang heard her mistress say this, her anger immediately subsided.

After all, when their young lady first came, she was not much better than them.

I even tried to commit suicide, but I didn't succeed.

Yes, they need time to adapt.

Besides, the Southern Wilderness is much better now than before.

Today, as soon as they arrived, they had dumplings to eat. It was different from the time when they came, when they had never seen dumplings or even meat flowers, let alone dumplings.

If they can’t adapt to the current conditions, it will be their problem.

Living in the capital is so good. Your own family members are about to die, and their lives may not be saved either, yet you are still so ungrateful.

Gu Xiyue could see what was going on in Meixiang's little head, but he just smiled and didn't take it to heart.

Some things take time. If it still doesn't work when the time comes, then we'll talk about it another way.

On the other side, after the relatives of the three generals entered their own houses, although they were very dissatisfied with their fate, they waited for Meixiang and Wei Lin to help them take their bags back, and then they drove away in the carriage.

The three families were chatting as they packed up. Since there were many children in the family, the three military masters had someone build a wing room on the west side. Although it was not big, it would definitely be enough for sleeping.

After not seeing each other for a few years, Aunt Li still felt sorry for her man. After talking to the child for a few words, she went into the east room with her man and told him everything she could and could not say in the letter before.

On Uncle Wang Jun's side, Aunt Wang was always a little lukewarm. She packed her things with a cold face, complaining about this and that. In the end, it was only when Uncle Wang Jun spoke up and said a few words to her that she stopped.

Aunt Wang immediately wiped away her tears in grievance.

When the children saw their mother being scolded, they didn't dare to say anything, but just hated this place even more.

Aunt Xu was even more so. From the moment she entered the door, she kept looking at her eldest daughter Xu Rulan with disdain.

Mr. Xu was so upset by what he said that he just threw down a few words and prepared to go east to take care of his own business.

"You guys clean up first, I have something to do in the east."

"What are you doing in the east?" Aunt Xu was merciless, and her voice was full of disgust when she spoke to her man.

She felt that if it weren't for her man, they wouldn't have come to such a bad place.

Even though they had dumplings to eat just now, maybe this was the only meal they had. Who knows what they usually eat for three meals a day.

"The shop that Madam Gu asked us to open is still missing a few things. I want to go take a look."

Xu Rulan, who was standing next to her, felt a little jealous when she heard her father mention Madam Gu, the wife of the man who caught her eye at first sight.

"Dad, why did Madam Gu let you open the shop? Didn't you open it yourself?"

Uncle Xu shook his head. He hadn't been with his family for several years, and now he felt overwhelmed after spending some time with them.

"Yes, Madam Gu is our savior and the backbone of our Southern Wasteland. You will gradually understand. Remember, when you see Madam Gu and Mr. Xiao, you must be respectful. If it weren't for them, all of us would be finished."

Xu Rulan stuck out her tongue and said in disbelief, "Dad, I'm not a three-year-old child. I don't believe you. How capable can a woman be?"

Mr. Xu Jun was too lazy to talk nonsense with them and turned around and walked out.

Although some things cannot be said in the letter, when Xiao Heng sent people to rescue them, he told them about the situation here on the way. It seems that his wife and children did not listen.

It's really worrying.

They didn't bring much stuff to begin with, so after the three families packed up and took a short rest, they couldn't sit still anymore. They felt uncomfortable sitting in the room for any longer.

Only the younger children were curious about this place. They gathered together and ran and played, as if they didn't know how to get tired.

The three families had become familiar with each other along the way. After packing up, the women from the three families gathered together, followed by their older children.

They all brought their nannies with them, and they stayed inside to look after the younger children.

Hearing that other people in the village were coming back for dinner, the three families became curious and wanted to see how hard life was for the people living there.

Although someone cooks for them every day, they still have to work together. It seems that they have to work day and night. Just thinking about it is painful.

As they walked, they came to the big square in the middle of the village. There were benches there, and a few people found a tree and sat under it to enjoy the cool air. Across the street was the dining hall, which seemed neither too far nor too near, just right.

When the men and women who work on the beach come in groups to eat, the scene is quite spectacular.

People lined up to get their meals consciously, with smiles on everyone's faces. Someone in the crowd said something, and both men and women started laughing. Everyone looked at each other with open eyes.

I didn't see anyone looking dejected.

I didn't see anyone being treated differently.

When getting their meals, the men would even let the women get their meals first. Their politeness surprised the people sitting there watching the fun.

How is this possible?

Moreover, with so many people coming to eat, some people were dazzled. Some came earlier, some later. In total, it took half an hour just to eat. And until the end, Madam Liu and the others who served the food were all hot.

Everyone’s bowl was filled with dumplings, without any discrimination.

Everyone didn't eat voraciously. They looked as if they often ate delicious food and were not very surprised by today's pork dumplings.

You know, they can only eat dumplings during the Chinese New Year.

There isn't that much meat in the dumpling filling.

They are commonplace.

Moreover, these people, apart from their not very white skin, all look very motivated.

Including women.

Seems to be equal to men.

This scenario seemed unlikely to Xu Rulan.

Inadvertently, she turned her head and saw some rules posted on the wall of the shed next to her. She curiously leaned over to take a look, but after just a few glances, she was stunned.

In the distance, Aunt Song and Aunt Fang had just finished eating and drinking and came out of the cafeteria when they saw some people watching over the rules set by Madam Gu in the big field. These people looked a little unfamiliar.

When I thought that they must be the families of the three generals, I immediately became excited.

The three generals had helped them a lot in the past and were also part of the Southern Wilderness. Now that their families were here, they had to get familiar with the place quickly, and Madam Gu’s ten rules had to be memorized.

Isn’t this life?

The two of them had just received praise from Madam Gu, so how could they let go of someone who had just arrived in the Southern Wilderness?

They must be put in place as soon as possible.

So, the two of them discussed it and walked towards this side with great enthusiasm.

Xu Rulan was about to call others to look at the rules when she turned around and saw two women rushing towards her.

With a smile on his face, he greeted them from a distance.

"Hello, my dear wives of the military officer!"

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"Is it hot?"

It was so enthusiastic that all kinds of greetings arrived before the person arrived.

Aunt Xu turned her head away with disdain, not wanting to talk to them.

She felt that they were all sinners. She and her man were employed by the government, so how could they go along with them?

Aunt Li was more cautious after all, so she stood up and greeted them.

Aunt Wang also smiled. Although she didn't say anything, her smile was genuine.

Aunt Fang and Aunt Song split up into two groups, one went to Xu Rulan and the other went to talk to Aunt Li.

When Aunt Song arrived at Aunt Li's side, she looked her up and down and said with a smile, "You must have worked hard all the way here. Why don't you rest at home?"

"I've packed up and thought I'd go out and take a look at how everyone lives here."

Aunt Li responded politely.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Song clapped her hands and smiled, "Sister-in-law, you've made the right decision to come here. Let me tell you, a month ago, this place was completely different from now. You know, back then, we didn't dare to eat big meals in order to survive. We only had one meal a day, and we were starving every day. We would lie down instead of standing, just to save energy to fight hunger."

When Aunt Li saw her start to talk about the situation here, she also wanted to know, so she asked her to sit down.

Others followed suit, including Aunt Xu. When she heard that life here was miserable, her sense of superiority immediately came out. She turned her head and listened, wanting to hear just how miserable it was.

Seeing that everyone was listening to her quietly, Aunt Song suddenly became a little excited. You know, when she was promoting the ten rules a few days ago, she received the most cold stares and indifference. It was rare for someone to listen to her seriously. Looking carefully, there were several people.

Her little heart was pounding.

He spoke without waiting for them to ask.

"You don't know, each of us has more than three mu of land, all sloping fields. The crops that grow on that land are less than the grass. The grain we harvest in a year is only enough for one meal a day. By the end of the year, we can only have two meals during the two days of the New Year. Don't even think about meat. We only have one pound of oil and one pound of salt in a year. You don't know, we live so hard that our mouths are tasteless."

Everyone was stunned when they heard that they only had one meal a day, one pound of oil for a year, and one pound of salt for a year. If you think about it carefully, they definitely couldn't survive such a life.

However, the current situation seems to be completely different from what Aunt Song said.

Suddenly, my curiosity grew stronger.

“Why do you only eat one pound of salt a year?”

Aunt Li couldn't help but open her mouth to ask.

This question hit the mark for Aunt Xu and Aunt Wang, as they were just about to ask this question.

Aunt Fang next to her was originally explaining the ten rules to Xu Rulan. When Xu Rulan heard that the one here was more exciting, she immediately turned around and sat down to listen together.

When Aunt Fang saw that she had no room to perform, she came over and sat next to Aunt Song. As she spoke, she nodded in affirmation and made expressions to cooperate with her.

"My dear sister-in-law, it's not that we don't want to buy salt, it's that we can't afford it. To make things difficult for us, the higher-ups charge fifty coins for a pound of salt. We don't even have enough food to eat all year round, and we have to scrape together a little grain to sell to buy a pound of salt. We must eat sparingly."

When several people heard this, they couldn't help but smack their lips. They could tolerate the food without oil, but without salt, it would be simply impossible to swallow.

I don't know how they endured it.

"Moreover, not only do we not have enough food to eat, but we also have to endure mosquito bites every day. You don't know how long a mosquito's legs are. One bite can make you feel uncomfortable for a long time. Adults can still endure it, but children are so pitiful. They are bitten so badly that there is not a single piece of healthy skin on their bodies."

Speaking of that tragic situation, everyone can imagine it.

Seeing that everyone was almost hyped up, Aunt Song slapped her thigh and changed the subject, saying, "All these changes are thanks to Madam Gu!"

It’s Madam Gu again!

Xu Rulan felt a little dissatisfied. Madam Gu didn't look much older than her and was prettier than her, but her clothes were not nice and she didn't know how to dress herself.

She moved closer to Aunt Song, wanting to hear how Madam Gu had changed this place.

So, Aunt Song described what Gu Xiyue had done, adding more details to the story, even including the fact that the three soldiers were almost burned to death.

Everyone who heard it was horrified, and subtle changes occurred in their hearts.

Finally, Aunt Fang took advantage of Aunt Song drinking water to make a summary speech, "That's how Madam Gu discovered the mosquito repellent grass and used her own money to buy all the food. She saved our lives when we encountered the natural disaster. We didn't plan to live and were ready to starve to death. It was Madam Gu who took out all the food so that we could have enough to eat. She also held a meeting for us and rekindled our hope of living. She assigned us work so that we could earn money, and she went out to find sales channels. Finally, she reached a cooperation with the prefect of Ganzhou and asked Mr. Xiao to find a way to rescue you and bring you here. That's how we were saved."

"We now have three meals a day, meat every two days, and we often have sea fish. Every month we have work to do and money to earn. Let me tell you, when we got paid a while ago, I received 680 coins, and my husband received 1 tael and 5 coins. The two of us together made more than 2 taels of silver. In the past, let alone 2 taels of silver a month, we couldn't earn that much in a year."

Several people were a little surprised when they heard this.

Two taels of silver, let alone here, even in the capital, it is not easy to earn two taels of silver a month, not to mention there is no food provided, and you have to work from morning to night every day.

"Madam Gu, aren't you afraid that the higher-ups will find out by doing this?"

After Xu Rulan said this, she felt a little regretful, because not only Aunt Song and Aunt Fang glared at her, but even her mother and Aunt Li and Aunt Wang looked at her coldly.

After Aunt Song said this, everyone knew that once the higher-ups knew that there were still people alive here, and living well, then everyone here would be doomed.

Including themselves.

Being uncomfortable with this place is one thing, and it's also true that they dislike it, but Aunt Li and the others are well aware that they are playing with their lives.

Otherwise, I wouldn't come here obediently.

Seeing that he had said a lot of things but hadn't gotten to the point yet, Aunt Song slapped her thigh in anger.