Chapter 387 Entering the City
The village chief led the villagers to settle the refugees on a piece of wasteland near the village.
The wasteland was once covered with weeds half a man's height, but now, due to the drought, only withered and yellowed grass roots remained, making a rustling sound when stepped on. This saved the trouble of weeding.
The strong laborers in the village carried axes and saws into the mountains, cut down a lot of bamboo and dead branches, and everyone worked together to build huts.
The frame was made of bamboo, the walls were woven of dead branches, and covered with some thatch. It wasn't very good, but at least it could block the scorching sun. It was much better than sleeping on the ground when they were wandering around.
Although refugees are allowed to live in the village, the village chief has set strict limits on their activities.
You can only move around your residence, the village chief's house, and where you work.
He specifically called the refugees together and warned them, "Anyone who dares to trespass into other people's yards, or approach the school or the cellar, will be kicked out immediately, without mercy!"
Doctor Lin later came to see the refugee who was suspected to be dead.
The man was not dead at all, but his body was too weak and he entered a state of suspended animation, so the village chief could not feel his pulse.
Doctor Lin had the man fed some warm water and rice soup. That evening, the man slowly opened his eyes. Although he was still weak, at least he was still alive.
Because of this incident, the refugees who were originally wary of Taohua Village let down their guard, looked at the villagers with gratitude, and worked extra hard.
After settling the refugees, Gu Jiayue took Hua Chao and Hu Zi to the county town.
The road from Taohua Village to the county seat used to be flanked by mountains and water. But when spring arrives, unknown wildflowers blanket the roadside, and fruit trees are adorned with blossoms. The breeze is filled with fragrance, and all sorts of birds hop and chirp on the branches.
I used to find the chattering very annoying, but now I miss it a little.
But now there are only sparse dead branches on the roadside, the bark of the trees has been gnawed into pits by hungry livestock, and even the traces of the mountain springs have turned into dry gullies.
When we arrived at the gate of the county town, we saw it was packed with people.
These people were dressed in rags, their hair was tangled like grass, and their lips were cracked and peeling. They were queuing in a crooked line to receive the porridge provided by the county government.
"Who's giving out porridge?" Hua Chao curiously lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. "He's willing to give out porridge at this time. He's really a kind person."
When the refugees saw the exquisite carriage, with copper trim on the wood, fine cotton curtains, and a body of fine golden nanmu wood, they knew at a glance that it must belong to a wealthy family and quickly surrounded it.
"Please, kind-hearted people, give us something to eat and drink. We haven't had any water for three days!" A man who was so thin that he was just skin and bones lay beside the wheel, his voice hoarse.
"Girl who is as good as a Bodhisattva, please take my baby away. She eats little and can work!" A woman holding a pale and skinny child walked towards the car.
"Girl, save me, I'm starving..."
Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, Hua Chao became a little scared and subconsciously shrank back into the carriage.
But then I thought, the lady is still in the car. What if these people scare her?
He mustered up the courage to lift the curtain, then with a stern face, shouted, "Go, go, go away! Everyone, get out of here! If you come around again, I won't be polite!"
Hua Chao now manages hundreds of students and has some authority, but in the eyes of these refugees who are almost starving to death, this authority is not worth mentioning at all.
What can a little girl do no matter how capable she is?
"Little girl, we are really hungry. Please give us something to eat." Someone moved forward.
"Yes, if you do good deeds every day, you will be rewarded, otherwise you will be punished by God!" Someone cursed in a sarcastic tone.
"You..." Hua Chao's face turned red with anger and he couldn't speak.
Gu Jiayue hadn't intended to say anything, but these refugees were really going too far, cursing people.
"Hu Zi!" she said in a deep voice.
Hu Zi was driving the cart in front. Seeing his large build and fierce eyes, the refugees gave way to him and gathered around the window to make a noise. But after observing him secretly for a while, seeing that the driver remained silent, they grew bolder and spoke without restraint.
"Yes!" Hu Zi jumped off the carriage and swung the whip in his hand. The man who had just cursed was hit hard on the back by the whip.
"Ah!" The man fell to the ground and howled in pain. The refugees watching were frightened and scattered instantly, taking several steps back.
"If you dare to come any closer, I'll whip you!" Hu Zi stood beside the carriage, his brow furrowed. He hadn't taken action earlier because he thought the young lady might take these people in like she had taken in Wang Chun and the others. But these people were getting more and more outrageous, and even if the young lady didn't order him to do so, he couldn't bear it anymore.
The commotion here alarmed the soldiers guarding the city. One of the soldiers had previously accompanied Chen Ada to Taohua Village to deliver the good news to Gu Yuchuan. He recognized Hu Zi and hurried over with a few brothers.
Without asking why, he whipped a few refugees who were still trying to move forward and shouted, "Get out of here! Have you forgotten what the county magistrate said? Anyone causing trouble will be expelled from Annan County!"
The refugees who were originally somewhat unwilling to accept it suddenly became dispirited.
During the escape, no county was willing to provide porridge or water, except Annan County.
If they were driven away, death would be the only thing waiting for them.
If I stay here, at least I have a bowl of porridge and half a bowl of water every day, which can keep me alive.
Seeing the refugees retreat, the soldier did not kill them all.
The county magistrate had said these people were still useful. He turned to the carriage and asked with a smile, "Is that Miss Gu inside?"
Hu Zi bowed and said, "Thank you, big brother, the yamen runner. It's my young lady inside."
Gu Jiayue lifted the curtain of the carriage and smiled at the soldier. "Thank you, big brother. Can we go into the city?"
The soldier nodded. "Of course, it's easy for the villagers in our county to come in and out."
Gu Jiayue thanked him again, and the carriage slowly drove into the city gate.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Qinghe was waiting inside the city gate. He was wearing a green official uniform and had a slightly frown on his face. When he saw the carriage stop, he walked over quickly.
"It's so dangerous outside now. Why don't you stay in Taohua Village? Why did you run out?" He saw the whole scene on the city wall just now.
When the refugees surrounded him, his heart was in his throat. He was about to send someone to help, but he saw Hu Zi calm the situation with a few whips, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Jiayue smiled a little embarrassedly.
She had anticipated this situation, so she took Hu Zi with her on purpose.
Fortunately, Hu Zi was brought with her, otherwise, with her and Hua Chao being two girls, the refugees would have been even more unruly.
She changed the subject and pointed to the porridge stall outside the city and asked, "Who is giving out porridge outside the city? They are kind-hearted."
Zheng Qinghe sneered: "Rich people? We should be thankful that they don't take advantage of the situation to rob people. Why would they give out porridge?"
The yamen runner beside him quickly explained: "Miss, the porridge stall outside the city was arranged by our county magistrate."
Oh? It's Zheng Qinghe.
But this is also reasonable and something Zheng Qinghe can do.
"Does the county government have enough food?" she asked. "I see quite a few refugees outside the city, and I'm afraid they'll keep coming."
Zheng Qinghe nodded, then frowned again. "Yeah, if refugees from other places heard that there's porridge here, they'd definitely flock here."
He paused, his tone heavy, "But don't worry. Young Master Jiang reminded me before, and I had people store more food. We can hold out for the time being. It's just that the water...is not enough."
When Jiang Luli first brought the news, Zheng Qinghe did not perfunctorily respond like other county magistrates. He not only dug a reservoir as instructed, but also bought a lot of grain in advance to store.
He also called on county residents to dig reservoirs, but some people disobeyed and either did not dig or just dug a small hole to pass the inspection.
He had a lot of things to do and the county government was short-staffed, so he was not very careful during the inspection.
As a result, when the drought came, all the wells in the county town dried up, and those residents who did not dig reservoirs suddenly panicked.
He had no choice but to open the county government's reservoir to supply water in limited quantities.
It was originally only for county residents, and it was enough even if they were tight-fisted.
But with so many refugees coming, he couldn't drive them away like other county magistrates did. He could only gather them outside the city and give them a bowl of porridge and half a bowl of water every day.
But even so, the poor and small Annan County can hardly sustain it.
What is most lacking nowadays is water.
There wasn't enough food, and as the son of the Grand Tutor, he had the guts to use the granary first and report it later. But he couldn't conjure water out of thin air.
Gu Jiayue listened quietly, admiring Zheng Qinghe's responsibility and wondering if she could help.
She muttered to herself, "System, how much is the drinking water in the mall?"
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