Chapter 237 Those people just now did it on purpose
The sticks hit the door panel roughly with a dull thud, and the frightened crowd burst into uncontrollable screams.
In the chaos, Sang Zhixia was protected by Xue Liu and quickly retreated.
After keeping some distance, Sang Zhixia looked at the group of people who suddenly rioted and crashed into the restaurant door in disbelief, her eyes trembling violently.
There were shouts and pleas from the rushing crowd.
The first person to smash the door to the restaurant yelled at the top of his lungs, "There's food inside! Everyone who came this morning was given bean rice, so why shouldn't we get any for those who came later? Do we deserve to starve to death just because we were a step late?!"
"that is!"
"Why should we be the ones to starve to death? I don't want to die!"
"It's no use begging anyone if you want to survive. Just rush in and you'll survive!"
The people who took the initiative to cause trouble were loud and powerful, and neither their voices nor the strength they used to bang on the door sounded like those who had been hungry for days.
But there are many people around who are really hungry.
The already tense atmosphere was fanned by someone with ulterior motives. Chaos erupted in front of the restaurant's gate, where it was impossible to get a foothold. Amidst the chaos, someone shouted, "If you rush in and grab something to eat, you can survive!"
"A coward who dares not charge or rob will starve to death if he can't get charity!"
"If you don't want to die, come with me!"
"To survive, charge!"
"Master, be careful."
Song Liu stepped forward and blocked Sang Zhixia behind him tightly.
Xue Liu had unknowingly drawn out the scimitar he carried with him, and held Sang Zhixia's wrist with one hand.
The scene was in complete chaos.
The crowd, incited to the point of losing their minds, rushed towards the closed door of the restaurant with red eyes like crazy, grabbed stones and sticks and hit the doors and windows hard, and their shouts became as sharp as needles and extremely piercing.
Song Liu, who had gone to change cars, arrived at the sound of rolling wheels, pulled the reins tightly, and said urgently, "Boss, get in the car quickly!"
"Boss, this place is already in chaos, it's important for us to leave first."
Sang Zhixia had never experienced such a riot. She got into the carriage and sat down without opening the window. She heard the sharp roars and shouts outside, but silently clutched the hem of her clothes, her brows furrowed.
"It's only been a few days, and the county town has already become so chaotic?"
"The government and the county government don't care at all?"
Xue Liu lowered his head and sighed, "It's not that I don't care, it's that I can't."
"Boss, do you know how much the price of rice in the county has risen in just a few days?"
"How many?"
Xue Liu raised a finger: "Half a penny."
Sang Zhixia stared in disbelief: "Five hundred coins?!"
"More than five hundred."
Xue Liu used his fingers to push open the car window a little, peeked out, and said solemnly, "A bag of ten kilograms of rice might not be available even for twenty taels of silver right now. The price is still rising over time, and no one can predict how high it will eventually reach."
"There are too many people without food to eat, so many that it's probably affecting eight out of ten people in the northwest. This kind of looting and vandalism like today's smashing of the restaurant is not the first time."
With so many people and so many thoughts, the crisis of starvation is imminent, and with people with ulterior motives inciting chaos and unrest, riots will be the inevitable product of the accumulation of contradictions.
Sang Zhixia tightened the heater in her hand and frowned, saying, "Those few people just now did it on purpose."
Deliberately inciting beggars to cause trouble is to muddy the waters and make things worse.
Xue Liu nodded, and Sang Zhixia said to herself, "These people may have chosen their targets in advance, and they are not just blindly smashing things up."
If someone had completely lost their mind and was willing to risk their life to rob people everywhere, they would have robbed everyone they saw and not let anyone go.
But just now, they were waiting on the side of the road for Song Liu to change cars. During this time, many people looked at them, but as if they had agreed beforehand, they all chose to ignore them, as if they didn't see them, and they were targeting this restaurant.
Sang Zhixia lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject: "How's the situation at our granary?"
"We've arranged for someone to keep an eye on the granary, so nothing will go wrong for now."
"What about the other granaries?"
Xue Liu hesitated for a moment and then froze.
Sang Zhixia snorted and said subtly, "Our granary has secretly arranged for people to watch over it. Other granaries, big or small, may not have such a preemptive move."
"If places like restaurants and hotels are looted and smashed, there's no way that food stores, which have more food, will be safe and sound, unless..."
"Unless someone wants to save these places for last, forcing even more people who are more capable than the poor to struggle, thus accumulating deeper resentment and ultimately being dragged into this catastrophe."
The poor are a large base, while the rich are only a minority.
But rich people always have various connections and channels, and always have various favors and connections.
Seeing countless bones of dead poor people on the road may not cause much shock, but what if the sparks burn more and more people?
The wealthy and powerful came and went as merchants.
The more people like this are involved, these people who are different from the poor people will always find ways to spread what is happening here, and even gather forces from other places to suppress it. The more terrible the famine disaster in the northwest will become.
If the building collapses, no one can remain immune.
Sang Zhixia closed her eyes with mixed feelings, leaned her head against the car wall and said sullenly, "What did my second aunt say at the embroidery shop?"
They were going to the Northwest Camp, so they sent word in advance to prepare a two-horse carriage, and the single-horse carriage from the village was temporarily left at the embroidery shop.
Sang Zhixia also asked Song Liu to convey a message to Aunt Xu.
Song Liu, who was outside the car, replied calmly, "When I arrived at the embroidery shop, the Second Madam had already packed up most of her things with the people in the shop. Before I could say anything, she said she would be returning to the village today and that the shop would be closed for the time being."
Aunt Xu had been through a lot, and after the first incident of smashing and looting businesses in the county town, she had something in mind and was prepared for it.
All the valuable things that could be taken away were taken away at once, and the several embroiderers hired by the embroidery shop were all given an extra three months' salary and sent back home.
Even if Sang Zhixia didn't send anyone to pass on the message, Aunt Xu didn't plan to stay in the county town.
At this time, the county town was a powder keg with countless hidden dangers, and no one knew when it would explode.
In comparison, the village is of course safer and more secure.
There is no news yet about Uncle Xu who has come out of confinement.
Xu Minghui sent a message home, saying that he would set off immediately to meet up with Xu Yu.
As for Second Uncle Xu...
Sang Zhixia looked a little strange, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Anyone can see that the county town is not a good place to stay at this time. Those who are not starving to death and can hide will think of hiding.
Second Uncle Xu did the opposite and just said that he would stay in the county town to help Third Uncle Xu look after the tavern which had long run out of wine and food, and he insisted that he would never return to the village.
It was as if going home would cost him his life. I don’t know what he was thinking.
Sang Zhixia didn't bother to meddle in other people's business, so she asked casually, "Did Second Uncle make any arrangements before Xu Minghui left?"
Xue Liu paused with a complicated expression, then shook his head and said, "Second Young Master said there's no need to bother arranging things. Since he doesn't want to return to the village, let's just follow Second Young Master's wishes and let him stay with the two guys in the tavern."
To put it more simply, what Xu Minghui meant was: There is no need to care about Uncle Xu's life or death.
If someone is really determined to commit suicide, there is no need to stop him.
Sang Zhixia chuckled subtly, turned the token in her hand, and said calmly, "No need to rest on the way. Get to the Northwest Camp as fast as possible. If we're late..."
"I'm worried something might go wrong in the village."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
