Chapter 509 A Dream of Youth 41
After Madam Chen finished instructing the child, the scholar who had spoken earlier stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, Madam. Is this young lady your child? At such a young age, she has already read the Analects?"
Madam Chen gave a slight curtsy and smiled, "I only heard her father mention it a few times."
"Even so, it's still amazing." It's just a pity... that she's a girl.
It was clear that Ms. Chen didn't want to talk to him much, after all, there was a difference between men and women. The man smiled and politely took his leave.
Xie Ning turned her gaze away from the man's back, then took a few steps forward and spotted the little beggar on the street corner.
It was a rare place to take shelter from the rain, so many people in tattered clothes were squatting there.
Some beggars' eyes lit up when they saw Deng Da return with two steamed buns, but they shrank back when they saw the sharpened stick in the hand of the female beggar next to Deng Da.
They had robbed them before, but these three beggars acted like they had no regard for their lives. No matter how fierce they were, they were afraid of these reckless madmen.
“Mother, I brought back three steamed buns, they’re still warm. You and my little sister can eat them.” Deng Da’s torn lips brought tears to the eyes of the equally ragged woman.
"Sister Bai... Dalang, you eat too. Mother isn't hungry, you all eat." The woman paused, almost letting slip what she was about to say.
"mother."
Deng lowered his voice, and the woman no longer hesitated, taking a bite of the somewhat dirty bun. If they didn't eat it now, it would be snatched away.
Xie Ning was somewhat stunned, and then looked over to several other corners, where he saw many more beggars.
The streets were as bustling as ever, but there were also some discordant scenes compared to usual.
Despite the economic boom, there are still beggars on the streets, but in recent days there have been many more beggars huddled in street corners than before.
Most of them were disheveled, but Xie Ning noticed that some of the beggars were wearing clothes made of decent material, even though they were tattered and dirty.
“Mother, that child’s clothes look just like mine.”
Xie Ning pointed to a little girl in the distance who was two or three years older than her; it was the little girl that Deng Da was protecting.
Although the child was dirty and her clothes were torn, the material and style were very similar to what she was wearing, unlike the linen clothes that Deng Da was wearing.
She had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to ask directly, so she wanted to find out the whole story from Chen.
Chen saw it too, and at first she didn't think anything of it, but after Xie Ning reminded her, she also felt that something was wrong, so she took Xie Ning and walked towards the stall to ask people.
"Auntie, a pound of plum and yam cake, please. By the way, I feel like there are more beggars on the street today?"
These vendors have been selling groceries and other food items here for years, so they're more well-informed.
The somewhat short stall owner glanced at the person huddled in the corner in the distance. She had also seen Chen's act of saving the little beggar, and felt quite fond of her. She whispered, "That's right, madam, you shouldn't go outside the city these days. There are even more dangers out there."
At least there were soldiers guarding the city, making it difficult for refugees to enter.
She used to go to the outer city every two days to collect a batch of ingredients, but recently she's had the farmers deliver them to her instead, since things are chaotic outside.
The stall owner next to them overheard their conversation and couldn't help but chime in, "I heard they are refugees who fled from Yuan'an County. This spring, there was a major flood, and the dikes there broke, flooding Yuan'an and several surrounding counties."
With their fields and houses gone, people who can no longer make a living will inevitably bring their families to more prosperous cities in search of survival.
......
"Not just Yuan'an County."
Xie Wangzhi picked up a meatball and handed it to Xie Ning, his face also showing a hint of worry. "It's because of the flooding in Jinjiang. Yuan'an and the surrounding counties and towns have all been affected."
The government will take good care of things, so we don't need to worry. If my stepmother really can't bear to see it, she and my sister-in-law can take some rice and grain to distribute porridge outside the city.
In such circumstances, officials and wealthy families in the city would often set up soup kitchens, partly to pray for blessings and partly to promote their own reputation for good deeds.
The Huo family never neglected these matters, which is why Chen Family Restaurant has always had a good reputation.
Ms. Chen nodded. She naturally wanted to go. Shangquan Town had also suffered from floods, so she understood the hardships of the victims and wanted to lend a helping hand.
"Mother, I want to go too." Xie Ning wanted to see what was going on outside.
Madam Chen's face darkened. "Bao'er, don't get involved in this kind of thing. If something unexpected happens, how will your parents feel? Be careful that those swindlers don't take advantage of you."
A silence fell over the table. After scolding the child, Chen felt a little embarrassed. After all, the child didn't understand, so she would just have to be patient.
Xie Qi coughed lightly, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Mother, the prefectural school has prepared an event. We students will go to the county government office to help register and distribute disaster relief supplies. There will be yamen runners to maintain order, so it should be... quite safe."
This is to plead for Xie Ning. If they all go, Xie Ning will be left alone at home, how lonely he will be!
"Let her go. This time, the porridge distribution will be carried out outside the city, and there will be soldiers to maintain order. It won't be as chaotic as before."
Xie Wangzhi patted Xie Ning's head. This child is intelligent and precocious. It's good to let her see more of the world.
Ms. Chen was somewhat helpless, but in the end she agreed.
“Then Bao’er must not run around, and must stay close to her mother and aunt.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
