Getting up earlier than the rooster and going to bed later than the dog, I wonder how you feel right now?
"You've had to do all the work at the venue yourself lately, haven't you? Ha, serves you right."
These words seemed to strike a nerve with Butcher Zhou, who gritted his teeth and said, "You're fucking stabbing me in the heart, you're talking nonsense."
If Liu Rengui hadn't been holding them back, they would have almost gotten into a fight.
Old Zhou looked at the Chen family with a blank expression, and the dumplings in his bowl suddenly lost their appeal.
"They're gone..."
At that moment, the straightened spine seemed to have hunched over due to the swine fever in the pig farm and the salt being rubbed into the wounds by everyone...
Someone craned their neck to look at Chen's stall: "Hmm, what kind of food is this? It's not cold noodles, and it's not meat, it's stewed chicken?"
The Chen family members began to explain, and then started assembling and preparing the dishes.
Green vegetables, tomatoes, and sliced meat.
"Hamburger? What a strange name! How much does one cost?"
"Ten coins?"
The people were slightly taken aback when they saw the golden-brown surface of the grilled meat.
Even a man who looked somewhat familiar squeezed out from the crowd.
He tentatively asked Chen Xian, "Mr. Chen, was your stall the one that sold cold noodles at the city gate back then?"
Chen Xian: "Who are you?"
The man laughed and said, "Give me one. Is that your eldest son standing over there?"
Looking at a slightly older boy.
The man thought to himself, "He looks quite shrewd, how could he have been tricked out of his prescription by a scoundrel? You really can't judge a book by its cover."
Dazhu looked at him with some confusion: "Dad, second brother, what is he saying? Is he saying he's a sand sculpture?"
Erzhuzi and Chen Xian suddenly looked at him somewhat guiltily, shaking their heads and saying, "Who knows? Maybe he's a lunatic?"
Big Pillar scratched his head, "This is utterly baffling!"
Chen Xian and the second brother exchanged a glance, then acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to attract customers and wipe tables.
It was as if I hadn't heard anything.
Chen's burgers are neither particularly popular nor unpopular.
It doesn't seem to have the same amazing brilliance as the braised pork at the beginning.
...
Another ten days or so passed.
The number of displaced people near Yingzhou Prefecture is increasing.
Zhu Sheng squinted as he stood outside the city wall, looking out.
Master Lü looked outside with a solemn expression.
There seem to be more and more people.
Zhu Sheng's fat face seemed to tremble and shake. "What do you think, Master?"
Master Lü: "Sir, didn't the higher-ups instruct us to provide relief to the disaster victims as appropriate?"
Zhu Sheng said helplessly, "Each disaster victim needs at least half a catty of thin porridge a day. A hundred people can still afford it, but what about a thousand?"
Nothing can withstand the wear and tear of years!
And what they're eating is all grain stored in our granaries, all my own grain."
Master Lü pondered for a moment and said, "Sir, why don't we ask the merchants below to contribute some charity? These merchants usually like to take advantage of disasters to maliciously inflate prices!"
"That's a good idea!"
Zhu Sheng: "And let's keep the soup kitchens outside the city. Who knows what might happen if we let these refugees in?"
"yes!"
Zhu Sheng looked at the long line of people below and frantically pounded on the city gate. Despite being unarmed civilians, his eyes were filled with coldness and indifference.
I felt increasingly uneasy about it.
"Master, go down and post notices saying that the city is short of food, and spread the word among the people that there are no refugees in the surrounding counties..."
Master Lü was slightly taken aback; what a vicious thought.
Zhu Sheng smiled and said, "If I don't do this, believe it or not, once more and more people gather around, these refugees, with a leader, might actually break down the city gate."
The staff below announced, "Sir, Zhou Xun is here."
"he?"
Zhou Xun calmly cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, there are refugees gathering outside. According to the information I received from above, I am hereby instructed to assist you in opening the city gates and providing disaster relief."
Zhu Sheng smiled and explained, "Brother Zhou, don't be in such a hurry. In the current situation, the imperial court is not allocating any grain. Relying on our meager reserves is like fishing; there's always bait. It's just telling them that we have plenty of grain."
Once people gather, it's hard to guarantee they won't take the opportunity to cause trouble.
Telling them now that our food supplies are limited will naturally divert pressure from our surrounding areas.
Zhou Xun pondered for a moment. The old man's words were correct; though cold, they were rational.
Suddenly, I felt a chill creeping up my body.
In this way, the displaced people from the lower areas will definitely migrate to the surrounding counties.
My older brother is still in Lushang County.
What if the city falls?
Zhou Xun cupped his hands and calmly said, "Please issue a letter, sir, to notify the other counties to prepare to close the city gates. If possible, I would like to personally deliver the message to the magistrate of Lushang County."
Zhu Sheng spoke in a lukewarm tone, seemingly somewhat unwilling.
Damn it, this old man isn't deliberately notifying those counties, is he? Once those people have had their fill of sucking blood, they naturally won't come to Yingzhou Prefecture.
Zhu Sheng said calmly, "That's not necessarily true. There are more and more refugees coming from over there. It's not just Yingzhou Prefecture; there are many in other prefectures as well. Maybe the number of refugees will decrease in a couple of days."
"I hope so."
They didn't leave.
Zhu Sheng was reluctant to give him the handwritten letter.
He summoned more than twenty subordinates dressed in leather armor and carrying bows and crossbows, and headed straight for Lushang County.
Riding his swift horse, Zhou Xun looked at the indifferent eyes of those people and felt a chill run down his spine; trouble was brewing.
The subordinates, standing in unison and carrying gleaming broadswords, shouted, "Official business is underway, get out of the way!"
The crowd, who had been eager to make a move, suddenly dispersed.
From above, it looks like black insects breaking through yellow, withered leaves.
Small, but resilient.
Before long, they managed to break through the blockade of yellow, withered leaves.
Zhu Sheng looked at the person below and shook his head slightly, "What a pity!"
Soon, the gaps in the yellow, withered leaves that had been pushed open closed up again.
The refugees stared blankly at the tall and majestic city walls with numb pupils.
He shouted weakly, "Open the door! Open the door!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com