Chapter 215 A Group of Poor Kids
The man avoided eye contact, unsure of what to say, and the surrounding noise abruptly ceased.
What exactly happened is now clear: once the food arrived, most people chose to quickly fill their stomachs, except for a small number who shared the saved food with their surviving family members.
Those who were able to save food for their families were invariably the men who helped repair the city walls.
The daily sustenance of cornbread and soup was barely enough to keep people alive. If they wanted more food, they could only help the soldiers build city walls or clean up debris in the city.
"Hey Liu, you're not one of the people we've been working with lately. Where did you get this hut from?"
"Is there even a question? They were definitely robbing those children!"
"No wonder they didn't rob anyone else, but specifically targeted you. You deserve it!"
Lin Changning waved his hand: "Take the person away and punish him with hard labor."
After speaking, Lin Changning's sharp gaze swept over the people around him.
"Anyone who steals food from others will be punished by being forced into hard labor."
After speaking, Lin Changning looked at the boys behind him, and his brows furrowed again.
The young people are in a better position, but in the current situation, without anyone to protect them, it will be very difficult for these children to survive in Datong City.
The older children were alright, but the five- or six-year-olds behind them, who looked like little beggars, would probably be easy prey for anyone to steal from them if they were left in a refugee camp.
Lin Changning pondered for a moment, thinking that there should still be a lot of odd jobs that needed to be done in the military camp, and pointed to the leading boy: "How many people are there here?"
The boy looked at Lin Changning warily, pursing his lips and unwilling to speak. The little girl behind him peeked out from beside him and whispered, "There are 18 of us in total."
After saying that, she hurriedly hid behind the boy.
Old Han looked at Lin Changning: "Brother Lin, are you going to take care of these kids?"
Lin Changning nodded: "We can't ignore them. These kids are still young. If we leave them here to fend for themselves, any adult man could easily trample on them. The older ones are alright, but if the younger ones are robbed a few more times, they might all starve to death here."
Old Han hesitated: "But these kids won't be able to do anything if we take them there, will they?"
Lin Changning thought for a moment and said, "Hey, would you like to bring some people with you? Go do some work and exchange it for food. No one in my area will dare to steal your food."
The boy paused, his wary gaze faltering, and looked at Lin Changning with disbelief. He had thought that this soldier leader was also going to take them away to do hard labor.
Unexpectedly, they were willing to let them work. In fact, a few days ago, they went to apply for the job of building the city wall, but the soldiers who had registered them at the time disliked them because they were too thin and refused to let them work.
The other boys' eyes lit up, and they all looked at the boy in the lead.
"Chunsheng, say yes!"
The boy named Chunsheng looked at Lin Changning and asked, "Will there be steamed buns to eat every day? How much food will you give us? Our little sister is too young to do heavy work, will she also be given food?"
Lin Changning nodded: "As long as you're willing to work, you'll get paid."
Several teenagers looked at Lin Changning with shining eyes, and Chunsheng replied, "Let's go!"
Lin Changning nodded, then turned and mounted his horse with Lao Han: "How many people do you bring? I'll wait for you here for a moment."
As soon as the group of boys left, a number of men surrounded them: "Sir, do you need any more help? We can all do the work."
Lin Changning shook his head: "We don't need any. If you can work, you can go to the registration office. We are still short of manpower."
Upon hearing this, many people fell silent, because they all knew that the city was short of hard labor for construction, but since this young general was taking these children away, the work would certainly not be as strenuous as that for adults.
So they all gathered around, asking if he needed anyone, but Lin Changning's original intention was simply to have these teenagers help the children survive.
Unlike these adults, some adults, if they have any energy, can support themselves by doing manual labor in the city. If they are frugal, supporting a family is not a problem.
Although they were not getting enough to eat, the family's lives were not in danger.
Before long, a dozen or so teenagers and children ran out of the alleys in the city.
A group of dusty, dirty children, some carrying unknown objects and others leading smaller ones, and some teenagers even carrying toddlers under two or three years old, stood in front of Lin Changning's horse.
Let's go.
After saying that, Lin Changning slowly rode his horse forward, while Old Han looked at the group of sallow-faced and emaciated children behind him.
He muttered to himself, "There are only a bunch of babies like this. Even if you take them back, there's not much work for them to do. Brother Lin, I know you're kind-hearted, but the army's daily rations are rationed. The soldiers are barely getting enough to eat. And you're taking a whole bunch back..."
Lin Changning sighed, his gaze towards Lao Han filled with seriousness: "You can exchange my ration for grain and share it with them. My ration is quite large, enough for them to eat."
Old Han tugged at the reins in his hand: "Tsk, you, never mind, never mind, don't give them all your rations, I'll share half of mine, we won't starve to death."
Hearing what Lao Han said, Lin Changning smiled and said, "Then thank you, Brother Han."
Chunsheng, who was holding his younger brother in his arms, could hear the conversation between the two men on horseback clearly.
She pursed her lips and didn't speak, her dusty little face revealing no expression.
He lowered his head slightly, though he had been somewhat arrogant just moments before. He understood that this lord wanted to save them. Food was always scarce, and this lord was willing to give up his own rations to them; he was a good person.
After following the group to the entrance of the military camp, Lin Changning suddenly thought of asking the boy in the lead what his name was: "Um, what's your name again?"
Chunsheng, holding his younger brother, looked up at Lin Changning. A hint of surprise flashed in his amber eyes. Perhaps he hadn't expected Lin Changning to ask him, a nobody, what his name was. He answered seriously, "My name is Chunsheng, Gongshu Chunsheng."
Lin Changning blinked. It was rare to see a compound surname. Then he said, "Every day from 5 a.m., take out the bedding from the general's camp, wash and air it. The camp's hygiene will be your responsibility. When it's time to eat, just go find the cook to eat. Eat whenever the army eats. You can rest at 7 p.m. I will find someone to help you set up a tent, and you will live in the camp. Apart from your own tent, don't go into other people's places."
After Lin Changning finished speaking, Gongshu Chunsheng nodded hurriedly: "Understood, sir."
Lin Changning was still a little worried. After all, it was a military camp, and these kids were outsiders. He decided to have someone explain things to them. Lin Changning waved to the door and called over someone, saying, "Take them to familiarize themselves with the camp. Point out our tents to them and don't let them enter or leave without permission. As for the rest, point out their tents and have them take responsibility for washing clothes and bedding every day. We'll start today. Set up a tent for them to live in at night."
The soldier bowed and accepted the order, glancing at the young men before leading them inside.
Lin Changning and Lao Han walked towards their own tents. Not far from them was the tent of the Prince of Qin, who was leaning against the door, observing the scene at the entrance with great interest.
"This Commander Lin is quite interesting."
Inside the tent, Shi Lin rubbed his arm and exclaimed.
"Your Highness, that brat doesn't know his own strength; you'd better avoid provoking him..."
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