Yan Qingqing sighed. They were all pitiful children. Now that she was a mother herself, she couldn't bear to see these children helpless and alone.
Yan Qingqing helped up the seven or eight little beggars who were kowtowing around her and asked, "Are there only a few of you here? I'll have A'da go buy you some food."
One of the beggars said, “We used to have more than forty people here, but because we had just arrived and couldn’t compete with others, several of us died. Now there are only thirty or so left.”
We were young and rarely got any food; even if we did, it was always snatched away by others. We were so hungry we could barely move, so our older brother told us to stay put and that they would share some of what they got back with us.
But the food his older brother and his companions begged for was very limited; sometimes they wouldn't get anything at all after a whole day. Amao's younger sister was so hungry that she ignored her brother's warnings and went out alone.
Yan Qingqing sensed something unusual about these children; they were probably not locals. However, now was not the time to discuss this. Yan Qingqing turned to A-Da and said, "A-Da, go and buy some food, buy a lot."
Looking at the shabby surroundings and the several hungry little beggars, Ah Da said worriedly, "Madam, what will you do if I leave? Why don't you come with me?"
Yan Qingqing shook her head and said, "No need, I'll wait for you here. Just go and come back quickly, don't worry about me."
Seeing that Yan Qingqing insisted, Ah Da had no choice but to take the money Yan Qingqing gave him and buy food.
When the little beggars saw that Yan Qingqing had actually asked someone to buy them food, their eyes lit up with hope. As long as they had food, they could survive.
Yan Qingqing then took a closer look at her surroundings. There were only a few thin quilts covered with patches, probably discarded by others. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dry grass. Although Amao's sister was sleeping on the ground, she did not catch a cold. It seemed that these children were taking good care of her. However, given the circumstances, there was not much they could do.
Just as Yan Qingqing was wondering how to start the conversation, A Mao's younger sister choked on her food because she was eating too fast and almost passed out.
Yan Qingqing didn't mind that the little girl was dirty. She reached out and smoothed the little girl's chest, saying, "Eat slowly, there will be more later. I've already sent someone to buy some."
The little girl had probably not seen anyone treat her so gently in a long time, and with tears in her eyes, she called out, "Mother."
The little girl had barely finished speaking when Amao covered her mouth and apologized to Yan Qingqing, "Madam, I'm sorry. My sister probably missed her mother too much and couldn't help herself when she saw how kind you were to her."
As A Mao spoke, his voice gradually choked up. The eyes of the other children around him were also red. Yan Qingqing looked at their pitiful appearance and said that she would not blame them.
Yan Qingqing didn't mind sitting on the hay with them and started chatting: "You're probably not from Chengyang County, right? Would you like to tell me about your background? Maybe I can help you."
Perhaps because these children are still young and their ability to express themselves is not strong enough, after a period of silence, the children started talking all at once about their stories.
It turns out they were all from Fengcheng Prefecture. Their hometown was hit by floods before the Lunar New Year, and they fled with their parents and families. Some of their family members were swept away by the floods before they even left Fengcheng Prefecture, while others starved or froze to death on the way.
These children had all lost their parents and families while fleeing the war. They were often bullied by others. It was their eldest brother, a man named Mu Xi, who gathered them together to fight against those who bullied them, and that's how they barely survived.
Although Mu Xi was a few years older than them, she was still just a teenager. Even after they found a place for her to stay, several of her friends died of hunger and cold.
One of the children cried and said, "My brother was beaten to death because he couldn't beg for food. After that, my brother forbade us from stealing."
Yan Qingqing felt great sympathy for the children's plight, but all she could do was sympathize; in the face of natural disasters and man-made calamities, human power seemed insignificant.
Yan Qingqing was more curious about the eldest brother they were talking about; he must be a meticulous and capable young man.
Soon, Ah Da returned with a lot of things. There were steamed buns and mantou (steamed bread), and to make sure they were easy to carry, Ah Da even bought two large baskets, which were filled to the brim.
After putting down his basket, A-Da looked at Yan Qingqing and said, "Madam, I originally wanted to buy more steamed buns, but they only had two baskets left. However, their steamed bread just came out of the steamer, so I bought two more baskets. Let them make do with what they have."
The little beggars' mouths watered at the smell of the steamed buns and mantou, but they didn't dare to snatch them unless Yan Qingqing gave the order.
Yan Qingqing had originally intended for them to wash their hands before eating, but seeing the environment, she thought it best not to be fussy and said, "You guys eat, just be careful not to burn your hands..."
Before Yan Qingqing could finish speaking, the children had already started working on it, and no one cared whether it was hot or not.
Just as the children were enjoying their meal, four or five older beggars suddenly entered. They were a bit taller than the children, around eleven or twelve years old, but otherwise in no better condition.
One of the leaders, upon seeing Yan Qingqing, asked warily, "Who are you people, and why are you on our turf?"
While wolfing down his food, Amao stuffed a steamed bun into his hand and muttered, "Big brother, eat up. She's our great benefactor. She bought all these steamed buns and mantou for us."
It turned out that this person was Mu Xi, the elder brother the group of beggars had been talking about. Mu Xi glanced at the bun in his hand, swallowed hard, and then looked away, saying, "There must be something you want from someone who is being so kind."
Yan Qingqing was amused by his words, realizing he was a knowledgeable person. She retorted, "Then tell me, what could I possibly want from you? Is it your dilapidated house, your shelter from the elements, or perhaps I'd rather beg with you?"
Mu Xi was speechless after Yan Qingqing's question, then muttered to herself, "What Madam said is true, there's really nothing to gain. Even if we sold ourselves into slavery, no one would want us." She then gave a mocking laugh, took a big bite of the bun in her hand, and found it quite delicious.
Amao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him start eating the steamed buns, and then quietly told him why Yan Qingqing had come here.
Mu Xi quickly finished the bun in her mouth, then knelt down and kowtowed to Yan Qingqing, saying, "Thank you for your help today, Madam. May I ask if you could leave your name? If there is a future, we will definitely repay you."
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