Chapter 136 Rice and Cloth from the Lucky General Store
The porridge distribution outside the city was always limited in quantity; those who arrived early received a share. They would leave once the porridge was distributed.
His small, thin figure naturally couldn't compete with those adults.
The government officials only cared about distributing porridge; they didn't care whether every starving person actually got to eat.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Ling also came out.
The child was even thinner and more emaciated than when I last saw him; his face was dirty, his lips were chapped, and his clothes were even more tattered.
Her heart softened, but then she thought of the harsh reality.
If I were to give him food out of pity, he might go back and tell the other refugees, even if it was just an unintentional slip of the tongue. Soon, countless hungry people would flock to this small grocery store, and the situation would become unmanageable.
Jiang Ling squatted down, trying to soften her tone, "Then why didn't you join the main group of refugees? If you had followed them, at least you would have known where to find food."
Since learning that there was porridge distribution outside the city, there have been very few scattered refugees seen near the village.
The young refugee felt slightly more at ease when he saw Jiang Ling than when he was with Xiao Ran. He lowered his head and spoke in a voice barely audible.
“I walk slowly, and they didn’t want to wait for me. They’ve already gotten separated from me… There’s no point in following them. If I find any food, they’ll just snatch it away…”
Even outside the city, it's impossible to get porridge; wandering alone offers a glimmer of hope.
"Where are your parents?" Jiang Ling asked again.
The child's body trembled violently, his head drooped even lower, and his voice choked and broken: "...My parents starved to death, and my younger brother is dead too. My grandparents... they're long gone... I haven't eaten for three days..."
Jiang Ling then took a closer look and saw that there was a purplish bruise on the back of his hand and one side of his cheek was swollen, which was obviously a recent injury.
After careful questioning, it was learned that three days ago he was extremely hungry and secretly climbed into someone's vegetable garden to dig up some vegetable roots to eat, but he was discovered and severely beaten on the spot.
She was even weaker than when I last saw her, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
Do you have any other relatives? Or acquaintances from your hometown?
The child shook his head vigorously, "No more... Everyone in our village has scattered... I'm the only one left..."
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with immense fear, and pleaded:
"Please, please don't send me away... and don't let anyone know I'm alone... if the other refugees find out, they... they'll capture me... and eat me!"
His voice was trembling as he finished speaking.
In some areas of the north, cases of cannibalism involving exchanging children have already emerged. This is especially true for children like him, who are helpless, without relatives or friends.
To those starving people who had completely lost their minds, he was probably no different from a piece of moving meat.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling felt a chill rise from the bottom of her heart, and her nose stung with tears.
In the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She stood up and said to Xiaoran, "Go get half a bowl of rice, pour some meat gravy over it, and add a few shredded vegetables."
It's not that we're unwilling to give him a bowl, but he's currently in a state of extreme hunger, and eating too much would cause problems.
Xiao Ran paused for a moment, then nodded and went into the house.
Soon, he came out carrying a rough porcelain bowl. The rice in the bowl was steaming hot, topped with two spoonfuls of Dongpo pork broth and a few bits of minced meat, along with some shredded green vegetables, making the aroma even stronger.
The child's eyes widened instantly, staring intently at the bowl of rice.
Jiang Ling took the bowl, handed it to him, and said in a low voice:
“I can’t take you in. After you finish eating, head east. There’s a dilapidated temple there, and sometimes kind people will bring you some food. Don’t stay here, lest you be seen by other refugees.”
She herself was an outsider, so how could she dare to take in another unknown migrant? The risks and unknowns were too great.
The child seemed not to be listening to what she was saying. He took the bowl with both hands, ignoring the heat, and wolfed down the rice.
In no time, he finished half a bowl of rice, not even wasting the rice that fell on the ground, and even licked the meat juice at the bottom of the bowl clean.
After he finished eating, he realized that it was actually pure white rice!
My goodness, he has hardly ever eaten rice since he was born, and this bowl of rice is covered with meat gravy, it smells so good!
The sun was still shining brightly, but the food on the table didn't seem to smell as good.
Jiang Ling looked outside, silently hoping that the child could find a safe place to stay and get through the winter.
————
After bidding farewell to Jiang Ling, Lu Qian rode back to his residence in Ping'an County with mixed feelings.
The sound of hooves had just stopped at the door when the servants who were waiting there rushed forward to take the horse.
"Your Highness, the Prince has been waiting for you in the main hall for quite some time," a servant reported in a low voice.
Lu Qian nodded and strode inside.
As soon as I stepped into the main hall, I saw Lu Yu sitting upright in the main seat, dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, his hair and beard neatly combed, and his eyes sharp as an eagle.
The butler, Ah Fu, who was standing next to him, was holding a dark cloth bag. When he saw him come in, he quickly bowed and greeted him.
"Royal Uncle." Lu Qian stepped forward and bowed.
Lu Yu waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite, and went straight to the point:
"You must have heard the rumors circulating in the court. In this war in the northern frontier, His Majesty will definitely send a prince to the front lines to supervise the troops and boost morale. Among the princes, you are the most suitable candidate in terms of age and military experience."
Lu Qian understood that he would have to shoulder the burden of this war, which was not well-funded.
Lu Yu observed his expression and gestured to Afu behind him.
Afu immediately and respectfully presented an ordinary cloth package, placed it on the table in front of Lu Qian, and then carefully opened it.
Inside lay a piece of dark blue cloth and a small bag of plump, polished rice.
Lu Qian glanced around and immediately recognized it: "This is the general store in Jishui Village, where Miss Jiang sells cloth and rice to the villagers for one coin?"
“Exactly.” Lu Yu nodded, his finger lightly tapping the cloth and rice bag.
“I had someone buy this from the villagers of Jishui Village at a high price. Take a close look and see if there’s anything different about this cloth.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Qian and Li Hong both moved closer to examine the object carefully.
Lu Qian rubbed the fabric between his fingers, then looked at the rice grains, and made a preliminary judgment:
"It looks like ordinary cotton and linen fabric, with a decent texture; the rice is also refined rice, but this type of refined rice is not uncommon in the market. The color and feel don't seem to have anything particularly special about it?"
Li Hong nodded in agreement, but he didn't see anything wrong with it either.
Lu Yu shook his head, a shrewd glint in his eyes.
He then took out another small cloth bag from the side and poured out a few grains of rice onto the table:
"No. Look again. This cloth in the general store is tough to the touch, with a tight weave, yet it's neither common cotton nor coarse linen; it has a delicate feel. It's unlike any type of cotton or linen commonly found in our country. And this rice,"
He pointed to the rice flowing from Jiang Ling's shop, then pointed to another small bag of top-quality rice he had brought.
“You can compare them. The rice from the general store is almost uniform in size, plump and round, with a bright and translucent white color, far exceeding the quality of any tribute rice I have ever seen.”
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