The refugees, who had been working for most of the day, were starving and their eyes were practically glowing with hunger. Upon hearing this, they immediately turned all their attention to Liu Yang. In their view, Lu Tu had given orders to provide food, so Liu Yang must have pocketed it.
Liu Yang lowered his voice and said, "Brother, we're running out of food."
Lu Tu frowned and asked, "How much is left?"
“There are still about a hundred catties of millet left. Even if we give them all the two liang you mentioned each day, it won’t be enough. The brothers will go hungry. So I dare not make a decision on my own.”
Although the refugees didn't hear what Liu Yang said, they could guess what he meant from his expression.
Tears of grievance welled up in the eyes of the refugees. One woman sobbed, "We've come all the way from Dragon City, and so many people have tried to deceive us using this method. We thought you were different from them..."
Although the others dared not show their dissatisfaction in front of Lü Tu, their aggrieved expressions were like a needle piercing Lü Tu's heart.
He may not have cared about the lives of the refugees before, but just because he doesn't care about other people's lives doesn't mean he can go back on his word.
A person cannot stand without integrity.
He knew that if he failed to keep even one promise, it would severely damage his reputation and cause him to lose credibility.
Lu Tu's tone turned stern. He gave Liu Yang a deep look and demanded, "I put you in charge of the grain. Why didn't you go to Wuchuan to buy more beforehand? Do you check the inventory every day?"
Liu Yang was startled and quickly clasped his hands in apology: "Brother, it was my oversight. I... I really forgot to check the grain reserves. Please punish me, brother."
"Punishment is necessary, of course! But not now. Go and fetch all the stored grain from the granary immediately, and have them cook!"
"Yes, sir!" Liu Yang didn't dare to delay and quickly ran off with Liu Hu and the others.
He then looked at the more than 800 refugees present and said loudly, "I, Lü Tu, always keep my word. As long as you work, I will never go back on my word about how much food I will give you!"
After this incident, the refugees had clearly lost faith in Lü Tu's words, and very few people expressed their opinions; many had already made up their minds.
I'll stay in this wooden shack for the night and head to Wuchuan early tomorrow morning. Maybe I can get a meal there. Today's work will have been for nothing.
Lu Tu saw all of this, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't angry. He clearly had enough gold and silver to buy enough food, but Liu Yang dared to be so negligent.
Perhaps it was because he had accumulated a lot of money recently and rewarded them generously that they became complacent and forgot the days when they relied on the kindness of others for food.
Before long, Liu Yang, Liu Hu, and the others brought over the hundred-odd kilograms of grain, along with more than ten kilograms of mutton.
He placed the meat in front of Lü Tu and said with a heavy nasal voice, "Brother, this mutton is for our share. I did something wrong, so I'm willing to hand over this meat to pay for some grain. Let them eat their fill first, and I'll go to the city to buy more grain tomorrow."
As they said this, the eyes of Liu Yang and his brother were red and their faces were full of guilt. It was clear that they had just been crying.
Seeing this, Lu Tu's anger subsided considerably, but he still said to the two of them seriously, "Distribute the grain to the refugees first. As for the soldiers and brothers' meal, you go and explain it to them yourself. After you've done all that, come find me."
"Understood!" The two Liu brothers were so ashamed that they didn't dare to look up at Lü Tu. They lowered their heads and organized the people to start a fire and cook.
When the refugees saw that Lü Tu had actually sent someone to bring them millet, many of them burst into tears.
In their view, officials are all talk and no action; even if they are blatantly cheating them, they will not pay any price. That is why they felt aggrieved rather than angry when they learned that there was not enough food.
But to everyone's surprise, this young official turned out to be a man of his word, a man of his word!
Not only did he reprimand his negligent subordinates and have them bring millet to fulfill their promise, but he also brought mutton!
God!
They had all forgotten how long it had been since they had tasted meat. The hardships they had endured along the way meant that both villages and cities avoided them like the plague.
Where else would they find such sincerity? When they saw Liu Yang and Liu Hu, who were subordinates of Lü Tu and wielded considerable power, taking the initiative to dig a stove and start a fire, everyone realized what was happening and rushed to help.
"Lord Liu, let me help you." The refugees stepped forward one after another, and their hopes were rekindled, regardless of gender.
Lu Tu saw everything and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This is the true nature of the Chinese people."
As long as there is food to eat and hope to survive, everyone will be optimistic. Seeing the aroma of meat rising from the stoves everywhere, Lu Tu slowly walked home.
At this moment, Liu Yang felt extremely frustrated. The refugees had been dealt with, but he still had to explain things to the military slaves and other soldiers. He really didn't know how to bring it up.
Liu Hu noticed his concerns and suggested, "Brother, why don't I explain to everyone later? I'm young, they won't blame me."
Liu Hu stubbornly shook his head, looked at Lü Tu's departing figure, and said in a deep voice, "What kind of person do you take your brother for? Do you think I'm such a coward? This is my mistake, and I have to apologize. I can only let the brothers go hungry for two meals. I will use my own money to buy food and make it up to them tomorrow."
Liu Hu didn't say much after hearing this. The two of them had depended on each other since childhood, and he knew Liu Yang's personality better than anyone.
Half an hour later, Liu Yang and his brother arrived at Lü Tu's house, but stood at the door, not daring to go in.
Song Yuxi waved to them and smiled, "What are you standing there for? Have you eaten yet?"
The two glanced at Lü Tu inside the room, then shook their heads sheepishly: "We won't eat."
Song Yuxi glanced at Lü Tu, who had been chatting and laughing just moments before but had suddenly become stern-faced. She seemed to understand something, so she remained silent, nodded, and went back inside to sit down and eat.
Lu Tu finished the last mouthful of porridge in the bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, "Come in."
Only then did the two dare to enter. Despite having killed rebellious refugees with knives during the day, they stood before Lü Tu with a timid and submissive demeanor, like children who had made a mistake.
Liu Yang knelt down with a thud, tears welling up in his eyes: "Big brother, I was wrong."
Lu Tu looked at him: "Tell me what you did wrong?"
"My mistake was abandoning my post and failing to complete the task you assigned me."
Lu Tu slammed his hand on the table with a stern expression: "No! Your mistake was not telling me about such a big thing right away, and you wanted to continue to hide it! Perhaps I have been too lenient with you, and you think that you have become too powerful after becoming a squad leader, and that you can disobey me!"
"No, brother, I wouldn't dare disobey you."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yang burst into tears. In his heart, Lü Tu was the person he admired most, the one who led him out of his suffering, and the one who freed him and his brother from having to beg for food from house to house.
Anyone can insult him, but when Lü Tu insults him, the shame in his heart is enough to overwhelm him!
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