Liu Sanwa didn't understand why he had to shout this before the meal. Although this made him know that he would be a "Qinghe person" in the future and his benefactor was the Qinghe County Magistrate, he didn't think he could do anything to help a county magistrate. However, Qin Laosan said that if he didn't shout loudly, he would have no food to eat. Well, then shout loudly. After shouting a few times, he can get breakfast. There is no better deal in the world than this.
Porridge, pickles, and whole-grain steamed buns—no limit on quantity—but anyone who left any food uneaten would be whipped. This rule was like heavenly music to Liu Sanwa's heart. He saw his belly swell up, so much so that it even frightened him, though he felt he could still eat half a steamed bun. As for anyone who took something and didn't finish it, Liu Sanwa wanted to whip them himself. Anyone who wasted food didn't deserve to eat!
It was Qin Lao San who stopped him with just one sentence: "You still have to eat at noon, and there are vegetables to eat. Don't cry if you can't eat by then."
The entire morning was filled with cultural classes, held in a drafty schoolhouse, attended by the same people who had entered the refugee camp with him. Liu Sanwa had no idea what cultural classes were, but he thought the teacher's explanation made sense. His family had a good harvest every year, so why couldn't they have enough to eat? The Great Chen Dynasty imposed taxes... and there were at least four grain levies a year...
At noon, when Qin Laosan saw Liu Sanwa, he found that he was writing and drawing on the table while eating. Qin Laosan said to him, "Don't worry. Although you need to learn to write your name, hometown and age within fourteen days, you are literate, so you don't have to worry about this."
Liu Sanwa looked up and smiled. "I'm not writing, but my teacher reminded me today. I just wanted to calculate. The grain we harvested from our fields is enough to feed several families, yet I still became a refugee. My situation is quite special, so why did my fellow villagers also become refugees one after another? How much grain did the government collect?"
Qin Lao San said: "Anyway, they collected a lot. I don't know how much they collected. Every time I come, I don't have an accurate number. They just start moving things as soon as they enter the house. But you don't have to calculate this. In the future, when you go to Qinghe, you don't have to pay various additional taxes. You only need to pay the regular tax..."
At the evening sharing session two days later, Liu Sanwa once again shared his story in front of the campfire... This time his eyes were no longer dull, but red, and he waved his clenched fists and shouted. This was the first time in his life that he spoke so forcefully and loudly.
Two days later, during a cultural class, Liu Sanwa raised his hand and asked the teacher, "Since everyone in Qinghe County can have enough to eat and doesn't have to pay excessive taxes, why don't we allow more people to live like this?"
On the ninth day, Liu Sanwa arrived at the entrance of the refugee camp, where refugees who had just passed the initial screening and registration process were assigned to dormitories. He straightened his pockets and uniform. Having eaten well for several days straight, he looked healthy. He smiled as he approached a few refugees huddled together with their heads bowed. "Hello, I'm your dorm leader," he said.
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