Cui Yuanzhao was also greatly encouraged and prepared to join the porridge distribution team, but Tang Huan, who was far away in the southern district, was unaware of this.
All he knew was that the situation in the South District was worse than he had imagined.
They started distributing porridge at eight o'clock in the morning and continued until nearly noon, with people still coming to collect it. Even if you exclude the few who collected it repeatedly, you can imagine how many people in the South District are struggling to make ends meet.
This situation left Wan Xin, a wealthy young man, quite emotional.
"I never imagined the South District had fallen to this state. I knew their lives would be difficult, but I never imagined so many people couldn't even maintain a normal standard of living..."
Tang Huan sighed, "If only I could have thousands of mansions to shelter all the poor scholars of the world, making them smile with joy, and standing firm as a mountain against wind and rain."
A few lines of poetry inspired by her made Wan Xin and Uncle Li turn their heads to look at Tang Huan.
The profound emotions contained in those few scattered lines of poetry deeply moved Wan Xin. He was not only a poetic genius, but also a good official who loved the people like his own children.
"Sir, the porridge we prepared has all been distributed, but we still have plenty of grain left. Please distribute it to everyone."
In addition to the grains needed to make porridge, Wan Xin prepared a lot more so that he could distribute them so that those people could have a few days without going hungry.
Can giving each person a few kilograms of grain change the current situation?
Can't.
But if this food can feed them enough, they might have enough energy to find a job doing hard labor, and perhaps their lives will take a turn for the better.
A person who is hungry, cold, and physically weak cannot be selected and will end up wandering the streets day after day, searching for rotten vegetable scraps that others have left over.
Over time, this becomes a vicious cycle.
Let's do it this way.
Just as Wan Xin was about to take action, he heard Tang Huan say, "Before distributing the grain, mix some mud and sand into it."
Mix in mud and sand? Wouldn't that make it dirty?
Wan Xin couldn't understand, but since the adults had given the order, he had no intention of disobeying and was prepared to do as they said.
Behind him, Uncle Li silently followed.
As the two began preparing to distribute the grain, Uncle Li casually asked, "Young master, do you know why the lord mixes mud and sand into the grain?"
"I don't know." Wan Xin only knew that when she was at home, she would not eat food if it was even slightly dirty, let alone if something was mixed in with it.
Is it really okay to eat it according to what the adults say?
Uncle Li had experienced a difficult period of wandering, and his distance from the poor was not as great as Wan Xin's, so he easily understood Tang Huan's intentions.
"Do you think the beggars in the southern district would mind if there was some sand in their food?"
Won't!
Wan Xin immediately came to the conclusion: the beggars were already starving and might starve to death within days without food.
At this point, as long as there is food in front of them, they won't mind if it's a little dirty.
After all, they could take back leftovers from the ditches and eat them for several meals, so grain mixed with sand was a rare treat for them.
"But if we don't do that, wouldn't the beggars be able to eat better food?"
Uncle Li shook his head. "The adults aren't doing this to keep out beggars, because they don't care about the quality of the food. They're doing it to prevent some people from mixing in with the beggars to get food."
In an instant, Wan Xin suddenly realized.
In the morning, only beggars and people living in extreme poverty would come to receive the porridge.
But when the grain is distributed, some people who are still doing alright, or even those who are moderately wealthy, may come to receive it.
After all, no one will refuse something when it's free.
Sure enough, when Wan Xin started distributing food with his servants, they soon encountered a man who was trying to pass himself off as a beggar.
He was a man in his thirties, dressed in a gray long coat. He did not appear wealthy, but he was worlds apart from the beggars around him.
The man saw the small bag of grain that Wan Xin handed him and immediately accepted it with a beaming smile.
He immediately opened the bag and looked down, then frowned.
"How can the grain be so dirty? How can we eat this?"
Upon hearing this complaint, Wan Xin snatched the food from the man's hand without saying a word, saying, "If you don't want to eat, you don't have to."
The man immediately smiled apologetically and said, "It's alright, it's alright. If we can't eat it all, we can feed it to the chickens and dogs, right?"
As they were talking, the other party tried to take the grain back.
Wan Xin was furious after hearing this and shoved the other person in the chest.
Caught off guard, the man staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground.
He quickly got up, looking furious, and couldn't help but want to fight back.
With a quick glance, he noticed that the Wan family members were taking notice of the scene and were slowly gathering around. The man retreated somewhat angrily and did not continue to cause trouble.
Not far away, Tang Huan did not participate in the distribution of grain.
He sat side by side with Xiaoqi on the roadside steps once again, silently watching everything.
Li Daikui sat casually to the side, but Qin Yu couldn't stand this behavior and remained standing.
"Poet Immortal, you are a good person."
Xiao Qi spoke earnestly.
"You've said it so many times today."
Xiao Qi nodded, "Because you really are a good person."
"You should thank not only me, but also Young Master Wan, who also contributed a considerable amount of money to help you."
"I will remember this, and I will repay you later."
Tang Huan smiled, not paying any attention to what Xiao Qi said.
He did all this not to report back, but simply to help these helpless people.
As they were talking, two or three beggars suddenly approached Tang Huan, timidly moving closer.
Upon seeing this, Li Daikui immediately glared at him and shouted, "Stop!"
The three of them immediately stopped in their tracks.
"Are you here to thank me too?" Tang Huan asked the three of them.
These three people were also poorly dressed, but they were better off than some others; at least their clothes weren't tattered and they could still keep out the wind and rain.
"Poet Immortal, thank you for providing us with food. This is not only for us, but also on behalf of all the brothers in the Beggars' Sect."
"The Beggars' Sect?" Tang Huan asked in surprise.
The man continued, "Yes, it means help. He told us we must thank you."
"I never imagined there would be a Beggars' Sect in the capital. I must go and see for myself." After saying that, Tang Huan asked Xiao Qi, "Do you know about this Beggars' Sect?"
“I know. There are many beggars and even more homeless people in the South District. They have spontaneously gathered together to form several gangs, supporting and helping each other, which makes it easier for them to survive than if they were alone.”
There was more than one.
However, because Xiao Qi was young and in poor health, she was not well-liked and was never accepted by any gang.
Tang Huan stood up and said to the three people in front of him, "Take me to see the gang leader now. I have some things I want to talk to him about."
The three of them were immediately overjoyed.
The Poet Immortal is going to see the gang leader, something they've been eagerly anticipating.
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