"How should I address you, young master?"
Xiaoqi enthusiastically asked the other person questions while already leading the way.
He was always smiling, very lively, and appeared very outgoing.
"This is the first batch of relief houses built by the Poet Immortal. Many homeless people have moved in here. Although the environment is relatively simple, it is a very good place for us. Everyone no longer has to suffer from hunger and has a place to shelter from the wind and rain."
"Who are the people living in these rescue houses?" Wu Lanshan didn't answer the previous question, but instead asked a follow-up question.
Xiao Qi turned around and smiled, with a hint of embarrassment, "To be honest, the first people to move into the house were all beggars. If it weren't for the help of the Poet Immortal, a third of them might have frozen to death this winter."
This has been the case every year; many of the beggars in the southern district will freeze to death or starve to death.
Many people are forced to resort to petty theft to survive.
Even if some people discover such a thing, they will feel sorry for the person, give them a few words of reprimand, and then let them go.
Some people might get so angry that they would lead a group to teach the other a lesson.
And once injured, the consequences in winter are unimaginable.
Last year, Xiaoqi watched helplessly as another old beggar died in front of her. During his final moments, the beggar struggled painfully and it became a nightmare for Xiaoqi.
Wu Lanshan carefully examined Xiao Qi for a while.
The boy was much younger than me. Although his clothes were not expensive, they looked quite clean, and he didn't look like a beggar at all.
Xiao Qi was scrutinized and scratched her head slightly embarrassedly. "Actually, our lives were quite miserable before. It was the Poet Immortal who gave us houses to live in, food to eat, and even clothes to wear."
As she spoke, Xiao Qi pointed to the words and patterns on her chest, "These are actually a batch of clothes made by the Poet Immortal in collaboration with Wanfuji. They were given to us for free. Some people say that this is a marketing tactic by the Poet Immortal and Wanfuji. I don't understand, but the clothes are very well made and very warm to wear."
Upon closer inspection, Wu Lanshan indeed discovered several inconspicuous characters sewn onto the chest area of the garment.
"Fenjiu?"
"Yes, the business that Wan Fuji is doing in cooperation with you, sir, has been operating in the capital for some time now. It is said that the business is doing very well and is very popular. Young Master Wan is already preparing to go to Qihuai County to transport another batch of Fenjiu to the capital."
As they spoke, Xiao Qi led Wu Lanshan into the courtyard of the rescue house.
Apart from the side with the main gate, the other three sides are all houses.
At this moment, through the crack in the open window, one could see a large number of figures inside.
"There are six houses in this courtyard, and each house can accommodate eight people, so nearly fifty people live here together."
"How many similar courtyards are there?" Wu Lanshan asked.
Xiao Qi thought for a moment, "If I remember correctly, there should be five, but this is only the first batch of rescue houses. It's not good to start construction now that it's winter. Young Master Wan and Tang Liu both said that construction will continue when spring comes, and the entire southern district will be changed from top to bottom at that time."
Are all the people living in the relief housing beggars?
Xiaoqi nodded, "Most of them are, but there are also some poor people who are not doing well in life."
Are there really that many beggars in the South District?
"more than."
Wu Lanshan was taken aback, not expecting this to be the case.
Xiao Qi smiled and said, "There are many beggars in the South District. They are either homeless, disabled, or elderly, weak, women and children. Even if they want to find work, they can't find any. The relief houses actually house more than just those people. Most of them are crammed together."
Xiao Qi said without any hesitation, "Moreover, all the rescue houses have charcoal and firewood sent by the Poet Immortal, so that everyone can squeeze together and it will be much warmer. Otherwise, they would easily freeze to death outside."
"Doesn't Tang Huan ask for anything in return?" Wu Lanshan asked doubtfully. "He built so many relief houses, but only let beggars live there..."
"Of course, it wasn't just beggars, but when the first batch of houses were being built, it was all idle beggars working together. After the houses were completed, the adults stipulated that the workers would be given priority to move in."
Xiao Qi gave a brief introduction and led Wu Lanshan to the door of a house deep in the courtyard. As he pushed open the door, he greeted him warmly, "I'm back!"
"Xiao Qi is back."
"Did you go inquire about the Poet Immortal again today?"
"In the dead of winter, they're restless all day long, never saying they'd rather stay indoors where it's warm."
People seemed to know Xiaoqi well, and many responded as soon as she spoke.
Wu Lanshan followed Xiao Qi into the house.
A faint, unpleasant odor was immediately noticeable.
In fact, compared to the living conditions these beggars used to have, things are already much better now.
However, even the slightest scent cannot escape Wu Lanshan's nose.
Xiao Qi noticed that Wu Lanshan touched his nose, smiled apologetically, and explained, "Sorry, there are too many people living in the house, so the smell of sweat is a bit strong. Although everyone has been changing their clothes quite frequently, the bedding can't be washed often in the middle of winter, otherwise it will be hard to dry."
Xiao Qi took a small stool from under the lower bunk of a bunk bed and handed it to Wu Lanshan, "Let's warm ourselves up by the fire first, and then we can go out, okay?"
Wu Lanshan noticed Xiao Qi's flushed face and nodded in agreement.
After Wu Lanshan sat down, Xiao Qi also sat down next to him.
"The adults said that a sewer system will be installed in the south district after spring, which will make it much more convenient for everyone to get water. They also said they plan to improve the heating system, which will make it more convenient for everyone to use hot water."
After Xiaoqi finished speaking, an elderly man sighed and said, "The Poet Immortal is truly a good person. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid my poor health wouldn't have lasted much longer."
"Who can argue with that? The great poet even personally brought me steamed buns to eat back then."
"He's not just a good person, he's also Daqing's savior. The competition in the square a few days ago was all the rage..."
Once the conversation started, everyone began talking about Tang Huan.
Wu Lanshan listened with curiosity. His understanding of Tang Huan was limited to the servants in the mansion, his own father, and what he knew from chatting with the Empress in the Imperial Study that afternoon.
Listening to these people who had been helped by Tang Huan talk about it now, they realized even more what kind of person he was.
However, the more Wu Lanshan listened to these people, the more profound one of his ideas became.
"It seems that Tang Huan is now an undeniable figure in the capital; everyone knows this great poet..."
Wu Lanshan looked at the people who were excited about talking about Tang Huan. Watching them argue about Tang Huan based on different viewpoints, Tang Huan's image seemed to become more three-dimensional in front of him.
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