Chapter 126 Madam Song Comes to Buy Goods
Old Qian seemed to sense her thoughts and quickly lowered his voice, speaking seriously to dissuade her.
“Miss Jiang! You mustn’t! You mustn’t show any mercy! Look at this situation! If you take out any food or money now, everyone will immediately target you! They will swarm around us like a tide, and then it won’t be charity, it will be robbery!”
"So many people have been robbed of their money or even lost their lives because of a moment of weakness! When people are starving, all they see is food, and they're capable of anything! If Miss Jiang can't bear to see this, just lower the curtain and pretend you didn't see anything. I'll hurry, it'll be over soon."
Xiao Ran nodded vigorously beside her, her little face full of tension and lingering fear, and echoed:
“Sister Jiang, Uncle Qian is right! A few days ago, Grandpa Zheng from our village gathered everyone together and told us not to help these refugees privately, saying that they are being taken care of by the government and wealthy families in the city. Our village's own food supply is just enough to last until next spring. If we get into trouble, the whole village will suffer!”
Seeing that Xiao Ran understood the situation, Lao Qian continued:
“Brother Xiaoran is right. Miss Jiang, please rest assured, the government and wealthy families will naturally step in to help refugees. Just like our boss, Mr. Fang, he has long been planning ahead and has purchased a large amount of grain. He is already preparing to set up soup kitchens at the city gate to distribute soup.”
"This is the safe and long-term solution. You are alone and your strength is limited. Acting rashly will only bring trouble upon yourself. As a young woman, you must listen to my advice, don't meddle in other people's business, and make sure you get home safely."
As Jiang Ling listened to Lao Qian and Xiao Ran's advice, and looked out the window at the people struggling to survive in the cold wind, she felt a mix of emotions.
She understood that they were stating a harsh reality in order to protect her.
An individual's good intentions may indeed be insignificant in the face of a surging will to survive and chaos, and may even bring disaster upon themselves.
She finally withdrew her hand, nodded silently, and said in a low voice:
"I understand, thank you for reminding me, Uncle Qian. Let's... go."
Old Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief, cracked his whip, and the carriage slowly started moving, carefully avoiding the crowd, and headed towards Jishui Village.
The carriage drove further and further away, leaving the tragic scene at the city gate behind.
The carriage approached the entrance to Jishui Village.
From afar, Jiang Ling saw a rather familiar, ornate carriage parked in front of the general store, with a servant sitting on the carriage shaft dozing off out of boredom.
"This is... the Song family's carriage?" Because I had ridden in it before, I was very familiar with this carriage.
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, the servant in the carriage woke up.
He jumped out of the car and ran to the back to warn the people behind him.
"Miss Jiang is back! Miss Jiang is back!"
Jiang Ling, supported by Xiao Ran, stepped down from the carriage and thanked Old Qian:
"Thank you, Uncle Qian, for bringing us back."
Old Qian returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Miss Jiang, you're too kind. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
After seeing Lao Qian off, several people came out from around the corner.
Walking in front were Zhao Yin's wife and Madam Song.
Following behind were Zhao Yin and Xiao Qi, as well as the Song family's servants.
When Madam Song saw Jiang Ling and Xiao Ran, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked over.
"Oh, my dear Jiang sister! You're finally back! I've been waiting for you for so long."
Today, Madam Song was dressed in a crimson satin dress embroidered with gold butterflies and flowers. Her hair was neatly styled, but there was a hint of anxiety in her eyes.
Zhao Yin's wife quickly explained, "Madam Song came over in the afternoon. When she saw that the shop was not open, she went to my house to ask. I told her that you had gone to town to buy a carriage, and she has been waiting for you at my house until now."
It turns out that Madam Song had come quite often during the time Jiang Ling hadn't opened the door.
She already knew that Xiao Ran was a shop assistant, and every time she came and found the shop closed, she would go to Xiao Ran to ask what was going on.
Over time, he became acquainted with Zhao Yin's wife.
Jiang Ling said apologetically, "Madam Song, please forgive me. I didn't know you would be coming today. I went to town to buy a carriage, which delayed me a bit. Please come inside and have a seat."
As she spoke, she opened the door of the grocery store.
On the other side, Zhao Yin and Xiao Qi's attention was firmly drawn to the new carriage.
Horse-drawn carriages are rare in Jishui Village, and even rarer are such beautiful ones.
They couldn't help but take a few more glances.
The oxcart of their family was tied to the back; they used to treasure it like the most precious thing, but now they don't even glance at it.
Xiao Qi exclaimed enviously, "Brother, is this the carriage from Sister Jiang's shop? It's so beautiful!"
Zhao Yin then called out to Xiao Ran, "Xiao Ran, you'd better learn how to drive a carriage quickly!"
Xiao Qi then noticed the books and writing implements in the car and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, are these books? There are so many!"
Xiao Ran said, "Those were all bought for me by Sister Jiang for my studies."
Zhao Yin and his wife heard about it at noon: Miss Jiang had exchanged a treasure for Xiao Ran's opportunity to study and learn to read.
Xiao Qi was a little disappointed; "Brother, Sister Jiang is so good to you. You're going to become a scholar in the future. I can't even write my own name properly."
He really envied his older brother Xiaoran, who would be able to read and write and travel in such a beautiful carriage.
He has such a respectable job at such a young age.
Xiao Ran smiled and patted his shoulder, "How could that be? Once I've learned well, I'll go back and teach you. I'll make you a scholar too."
"Really?"
Zhao Yin and his wife stood aside, their hearts filled with gratitude.
They had considered sending Xiao Ran back to school, but they didn't have the money. Now, Miss Jiang was actually paying for Xiao Ran's schooling out of her own pocket.
How fortunate their family was to have met such a kind-hearted person as Miss Jiang.
As soon as Madam Song entered the shop, she couldn't help but speak.
"Sister, I'm in a real crisis! All the goods you gave me last time have already sold out! My shop has been empty for days. If I don't get new stock soon, all the customers will leave, and I'll really have to close down!"
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, she also heard that Jiang Ling had been robbed and injured.
She was already worried, so she came in person the next day, but the grocery store was closed all day.
Considering that Jiang Ling was frightened and needed to rest for a few more days, she began to limit the supply of goods that very day.
In addition, she had been stockpiling goods, which is why her shop has barely managed to stay afloat until now.
Jiang Ling then understood why Madam Song was in such a hurry, and couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"Madam Song, just let me know what you need, and I'll get it for you right away."
She still remembered the kindness the Song family had shown her last time.
After Mrs. Song calmed down a bit, she quickly made up the list.
Since the Song family ingratiated themselves with a high-ranking official in the capital some time ago, their business has grown bigger and bigger, and they are no longer just selling cloth.
In addition to the goods from Jiangling, high-ranking officials in the capital also introduced them to caravans from the Western Regions.
They were supplied with all sorts of rare and exotic items.
Nowadays, the Song family is quite well-known in the capital.
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