Then he kowtowed to the floor repeatedly, even when his head was bleeding, as if he didn't feel any pain, just begging Shen Jia to let him go.
It seems that he is truly repentant. In fact, the bean dregs in the wooden trough are really not worth much. However, if someone dares to keep stealing them, it would be an insult to their Shen's workshop. It is necessary to make an example of him to scare the monkeys.
Looking at the blood on the ground, Shen Jia frowned, feeling unhappy. He said reluctantly, "Stop. Since you are sincerely repentant, I will let you three go this time. If you dare to do it again, it won't be so easy."
Upon hearing this, the three men's bodies immediately collapsed. Knowing that they were spared this time, their tense nerves immediately relaxed.
After a night of cold wind and low temperatures, coupled with the threats from Shen Jia and the others, the three of them were now truly unable to withstand it. They leaned on each other and gasped in the corner.
Looking at the three people's disheveled appearance and their crude stealing methods, it was obvious that they were not veterans in this line of work. A closer look would reveal that they were not just lazy thieves from the streets, but more like a group of freshly minted petty thieves.
Seeing that the three were willing to go back and see their families before being executed, Shen Jia couldn't help but feel sympathy for them and asked again, "How did you know there were leftover bean dregs in the mule stables in our workshop? And how did you find this place?"
It was the man standing in front of the two men who spoke. "We all fled here to survive the war in the north. We found your workshop by chance. We saw it open the day we arrived in town."
We had no money left after fleeing all the way, and we women usually ate little and had poor physical strength, so we were left behind as soon as we left the city. In addition, it was freezing cold, so we had to head south to survive.
I heard from others that you are in the food business, so there must be a lot of leftovers. In addition, everyone else in the family has fallen ill due to the cold weather, so we have no choice but to set our sights on your workshop.
Every day, we steal some bean dregs and cook them in the dilapidated temple to survive. We know this is wrong. We can only lie to everyone and say that we are doing odd jobs here, and we only eat and take some bean dregs back every day.
I know this is all our fault, thank you for your magnanimity!"
After saying that, he kowtowed to the three of them.
Only then did Shen Jia and the other two take a closer look at the three slovenly figures across from them. They couldn't tell they were actually three girls. Their bodies were completely stunted, and they looked like little more than ten-year-old boys. Probably because of their poor living conditions, they didn't have any of the outward characteristics of girls.
Of course, it is also possible that in order to survive, they deliberately dressed themselves up as boys on the way to escape. In troubled times, women suffer the most.
And from the tone of her voice, it was clear that there were far more than three people in their group. There must be more women struggling to survive in the dilapidated temple. They were struggling in the war just for the simplest goal - to stay alive.
This reminded Shen Jia of what he had seen when he and Shen Hao had gone to the next county together. Women were being sold like animals on the street by their husbands/fathers. They had pale faces and indifferent expressions. They listened to their relatives selling their bodies without any fluctuation in their eyes.
The numbness from the body to the spirit, coupled with what she heard from the three thieves today, made Shen Jia, who had already anticipated the life of women at the bottom of society in ancient times, still feel painful at this moment.
My identity as a time traveler was relatively good, and other people were not wary of me, so my plans were able to proceed smoothly.
But what about the others?
Especially other women like you?
I had the same basic conditions as them, and I might have been killed by the sword by now. The only reason I was able to survive until now was because of the experience I gained in my previous life.
If, if they had the same opportunity to choose as I do, would they still be at the mercy of others like they are now?
Shen Jia had never felt so selfish as she did at this moment. She had once been a person without choice, but the help given by the country to the public gave her the opportunity to choose her life again.
Now when she stands in the ancient times, an era with strict restrictions on women, shouldn't she make efforts for herself and for people like herself?
Questioning his soul, Shen Jia only felt how whimsical he had been in the past. Now he just hadn't developed much. When he reached the point where he could threaten the status of other men, would he still be able to move forward smoothly like he did now?
After all, in this era, being born a woman is a sin, and you can never imagine what those despicable and shameless people will use to stop your progress.
Looking at Shen Jia who remained motionless after listening to the three sisters' explanation, Fuqiu sympathized with their situation, but Shen Jia's expression was too wrong. His face was pale and he was completely lost in his own thoughts, with no reaction to the outside world.
She quickly grabbed Shen Jia's arm and asked with concern: "Jia Niang, what's wrong with you?"
Shen Jia immediately woke up from her imagination. Looking at Fuqiu, who was concerned about her, she patted her hand and said soothingly, "It's nothing. I was just lost in thought. Since these three are first-time offenders and their circumstances are extenuating, take them to the women's dormitory first and give them some medicine. We can deal with the rest later."
In fact, when she saw Shen Jia being so unkind just now, Fuqiu thought that the young lady was really angry. Now she sees that she was just being tough. Now that she sees that the other party is pitiful, she immediately softens her heart.
Looking at the three shivering children, Fuqiu said softly, "Did you all hear what our leader said? Follow me to your room and tidy up. You don't look like you can go out like this."
After saying that, he took the three people away. Now only Shen Jia and Shen Ci were left here. In fact, Shen Ci, a scholar with feudal education, was inclined to believe that legal principles were nothing more than human feelings. He was relieved to see that Shen Jia was willing to let the three poor people go.
Watching Fuqiu and the other three walking away, he couldn't help but ask, "Jia Niang, aren't you worried that if you let them off easily this time, what if someone does it again next time?"
In Shen Ci's mind, it was okay to let them go, but it was a bit too much to take care of the three people, and it was still unknown whether there was anyone in the dilapidated temple.
Looking at Shen Ci who was worried about the follow-up of the workshop, Shen Jia asked like a madman: "Brother, if they were not abandoned by their father in the capital, where would they be now? What kind of life would they be living?
When people like their fathers are faced with having to sell their sons and daughters to survive, will they choose sons or daughters? "
Chen Ci, who heard this, did not reply. Perhaps this result was the best among all the bad ones for the three girls, but was this the best outcome for a person's life?
Chen Ci was also constantly questioning his own heart.
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