Chapter 194: Daily Life of Refugees
A second batch of food would soon be sent to Anzhou, as the Lunar New Year was approaching. For the refugees, a good meal during the Lunar New Year was a bit of a luxury, and Lu Chenyang didn't have enough money to buy them meat. But he hoped to send another batch of food to Anzhou before the Lunar New Year, telling the refugees not to fear, that with food, everyone could survive.
Lu Chenyang couldn't give them meat to eat, but he gave them hope to survive.
Along with the food, Lu Chenyang also sent students from various schools. They would go to various places with the disaster relief team.
They would wait until the disaster relief work was over before returning. Although they were away from home during the Chinese New Year, no one complained, and everyone was happy to be able to help Lu Chenyang.
A refugee camp in a county town in Anzhou has taken in more than 3,000 refugees, which is considered to be a relatively large number of refugees.
When the grain transport team slowly entered the city, the refugees all ran out to watch, their eyes eagerly looking at the carts of grain. They knew that these were for them, and as long as they worked hard, they could exchange them for these grains.
There was more spirit in the originally numb eyes.
Even though working in winter is cold and tiring, they are not afraid. Their job now is to build houses, and these houses will be allocated to them to live in in the future.
Building a house for themselves and giving them food—how could such a good thing be possible? They dared not even think about it.
These were all given to them by Lu Chenyang.
Zheng Sanniang looked at the food with a wave of eagerness. She was one of the refugees, having fled with her husband, her parents-in-law, and their daughter. But now, of the family of five, only she, her mother-in-law, and her daughter remained. Her husband and father-in-law had been killed on the way while trying to protect them.
Now she is the pillar of the family. If it weren't for her mother-in-law and daughter, she would have given up long ago. She even thought about committing suicide with her mother-in-law and daughter if she couldn't live anymore, which would be better than staying in this world and suffering.
Knowing that she had seen the announcement issued by the government office, Anzhou took in refugees, Lord Lu raised a batch of food for the refugees, hoping to allow them to survive.
Seeing hope, she brought her mother-in-law and daughter here.
The students Lu Chenyang sent to provide disaster relief were very organized and gave everyone work that they could do.
She was a woman, but she worked hard, doing men's work to support her daughter and mother-in-law. No one stopped her because it was fair. Food should be earned according to one's labor, and hunger and death would treat everyone equally, regardless of gender.
She felt very lucky to have met a good official like Lu Chenyang, and she dared not pray for more mercy from the world.
But now I can see the hope of survival, and I am willing to show some kindness to the people around me.
So when she was doing some heavy work, the other workers would more or less help her, which made Zheng Sanniang feel very grateful.
People are like this. In extreme situations, in order to survive, they will develop a lot of malice. They lose their rationality and may kill and plunder, but if they are replaced in a stable environment and their survival is no longer threatened, they will also release some kindness.
Zheng Sanniang watched bags of grain being delivered to the warehouse, her eyes filled with joy.
Someone boldly asked, "Is this sent by Lord Lu again?"
The students in the academy were all fans of Lu Chenyang, so they naturally responded with a smile: "Yes, the adults had it prepared urgently, saying that it should be delivered before the Spring Festival so that everyone can work with peace of mind."
Someone else laughed and scolded, "Your question is unnecessary. Apart from Lord Lu, who else would deliver food to us? Hurry up and get back to work. If anyone slacks off, how can we be worthy of Lord Lu?"
Everyone thought this made sense and quickly turned around to get back to work.
Zheng Sanniang also went and worked extremely hard.
A worker nearby said, "If you ask me, you shouldn't leave. Anzhou is quite nice. I heard that after the houses are built, the land will be distributed next year. I've heard from the students here that when spring comes next year, any wasteland we reclaim will be distributed to us. By then, Lord Lu will write a letter to reduce taxes for us, so we can settle down here. Why bother making the long journey to Lingnan?"
They were now building a house for those who stayed to live in. But Zheng Sanniang had already revealed that she didn't want to stay, and would take her mother-in-law and daughter to Yanquan County when the weather got warmer.
Yanquan County is a paradise in many people's minds, and many people want to go to Yanquan County. However, it is too far away, and there are still wars everywhere. Now that Anzhou is willing to take them in and build houses for them, they think this is also good, and they can survive.
But there are still a small number of people who are determined to go to Yanquan County.
Zheng Sanniang shook her head and said, "It's different for me. I only have one daughter, and I have a mother-in-law. My daughter won't survive if she stays here." As she spoke, a glint in her eyes: "I heard that there are female workers in Yanquan County, and girls can also go to school. Sister Ling is intelligent, and I dare not ask for anything else. I just hope that she can have a skill so that she can have a foothold in the future."
All the schools Lu Chenyang supported accepted women as students. This was especially true in Yanquan County, where, thanks to Lu Chenyang's influence, women held a high status. Zheng Sanniang's family consisted of women, so going to Yanquan County would indeed offer them better opportunities.
The man thought it made sense and said enviously, "It's a pity that my father is ill and can't travel far. Otherwise, I would definitely go to Yanquan County to take a look. If I were lucky enough to meet Lord Lu, that would be even better."
Zheng Sanniang smiled and said, "There will be a chance. Our Lord Lu may come to Anzhou in the future. You will see him then."
The worker grinned. Seeing Zheng Sanniang working so hard and not slacking off at all, he couldn't help but whisper, "You better take good care of yourself. I heard you've saved some food, and now there's disaster relief food. Even if you don't work, you can still get a bowl of porridge. Why work so hard?"
Zheng Sanniang shook her head and said, "I can work on my own, so why should I ask for your help? It's not easy for you, sir. I heard that Lord Lu went everywhere to ask for help to raise this food. He just wanted to save more people. You have done me a great favor, and I have no way to repay you. I just hope to live up to his kindness."
The worker didn't say anything else, but felt a little ashamed.
Yes, Lu Chenyang is the benefactor of all of them. He gave them a way to survive, and they may never be able to repay him in their entire lives.
All they can do is live well and not become a burden to Lu Chenyang, so as to relieve his pressure.
It was really, really hard for Lu Chenyang to support them.
If Lu Chenyang knew what they were thinking, he would definitely be deeply moved.
Unfortunately, Lu Chenyang didn't see him. All he saw were the former "troublemakers" of Yanquan County. Alas, it made him sad just thinking about it.
In the study, Lu Chenyang was handling official business. He had been sent back from various places to report on the situation before the New Year.
Lu Chenyang first read the letters from Lingnan and Shu, because his experience told him that these two places would only bring good news. Lingnan, in particular, was the most adorable, obedient, and well-behaved child in Lu Chenyang's eyes.
As a native of Lingnan, Chen Songyuan once proudly said, "Lingnan is, after all, our 'eldest son', so it naturally has the responsibilities of an 'eldest son'."
Lu Chenyang agreed with this.
As expected, Lingnan brought nothing but good news. This year's herbal medicine workshop expanded, and herbal cultivation has spread throughout Lingnan. They're no longer just growing common medicinal herbs, but also precious herbs like ginseng and ganoderma. This year, Lingnan has seen an increase in oxen, reaching a rate of one ox for every two households. Farming will be much easier for the people next year.
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