Chapter 33 Group Buying Turns into Forced Buying? Reflections Sparked by a Pot of Lifesaving Porridge...
An elderly woman, who appeared to be the leader of the refugees, was chosen by the crowd to lean on a tree branch and shakily walk to the fence. She pleaded in a hoarse voice:
“Kind people…we escaped from Blackrock City…our home…was destroyed by those damned Red Scorpion Army! They burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of atrocities! We couldn’t survive here any longer…that’s why we fled…”
"I heard...I heard there's a kind Lord Lin here...who can give us something to eat...Please...save us poor souls! There are...there are many more people behind...they're almost at their limit too..."
After listening to the old woman's tearful account, Lin Yue had already made his judgment.
“I can provide you with food and water, but not now, and not for everyone.” His words were cold and realistic, extinguishing the glimmer of hope that had just ignited in the hearts of the refugees.
Seeing their eyes darken again, Lin Yue continued, "First, order. I need you to maintain order yourselves. Only the weakest elderly, children, and the wounded should receive priority assistance. If you can't even give way to your own people, why should I trust you?"
"Second, distance. You must camp fifty meters away from the fence and are not allowed to come close. I will send someone to deliver food to you. This is the basis of our trust."
"Third, the future. The help we can offer is very limited. I can give you a bowl of porridge to save your life, but starting tomorrow, you will have to work to earn food. I don't support idlers here."
After saying that, he ignored everyone's reactions.
“Old Bard, Mia, prepare the porridge. Use our biggest stone pot. Gray, Amu, prepare the bows and arrows, and be on guard.”
The order startled everyone. Old Bard asked worriedly, "Sir, are we really going to save them?"
Lin Yue looked at the group of refugees outside who, though disappointed, hadn't dispersed. Instead, they were trying to appease the women and children under the old woman's guidance. He said in a deep voice, "Save them, but not in a way that will only bring trouble upon ourselves. A pot of porridge can't buy people's hearts, but it can help us filter out those who are wolves who only want to take and those who still know gratitude and rules. This is our only chance to establish our rules."
As soon as Lin Yue gave the order, the Lin Family Restaurant sprang into action, operating as efficiently as a sophisticated machine under immense external pressure.
Without further hesitation, Old Bad and Mia rushed to the storeroom and carried out bags of potatoes and wild vegetables. They lit the largest stove by the fence, placed a stone pot on it, and began boiling water. Their busy figures were clearly seen by the refugees outside, causing a small commotion.
Meanwhile, Gray and Amu, each on one side, drew their bows. The cold arrowheads gleamed in the firelight, silently warning anyone who dared to make a move. Uncle Stone Fist, meanwhile, shouldered his iron axe and stood like an iron tower behind the gate, his eyes blazing as he stared intently at the commotion outside.
Inside the Lin Family Restaurant, the atmosphere was tense yet orderly.
Lin Yue personally took charge of the cooking, directing Old Bud and Mia to add ingredients to the pot. A large amount of potato chunks were thrown into the boiling water and quickly cooked until soft. He added a considerable amount of chopped wild vegetables, mainly to increase volume and incidentally to supplement vitamins. Finally, he gritted his teeth, chopped up a small piece of his treasured dried meat into minced meat, and sprinkled it in as well, better than nothing.
Of course, the most crucial seasoning, salt, is also indispensable. Although the amount is small, it's enough to add a life-saving touch of saltiness to this bland porridge!
Soon, an irresistible aroma, a blend of potato starch, wild vegetable fragrance, and a hint of meat, began to permeate the air. It drifted over the wooden fence, like an invisible hook precisely seducing the taste buds and survival instincts of every refugee.
The long-awaited aroma of food, like a devil's temptation, instantly ignited the pent-up hunger and despair within the crowd.
"It's food! I can smell it! It's real food!"
"Give it to us now! We're starving!"
The crowd, which had been relatively calm under the old woman's restraint, instantly erupted into agitation again. They instinctively pushed forward, their eyes burning with a frenzied desire, surging towards the fence like a tidal wave. The wooden stakes creaked under the strain, and the entire outpost's defenses were on the verge of collapse.
Lin Yue's heart tightened. He had expected this to happen, but he hadn't anticipated that the temptation of the food would be so terrifying.
At this critical moment, a roar as loud as thunder suddenly resounded throughout the entire venue!
"Quiet down, all of you! If you take another step forward, this pot of porridge will be poured out and fed to the dogs."
It was Stonefist. This dwarf boss had somehow appeared on a high rock, his hair and beard bristling, his eyes wide with rage. He had switched to his usual iron axe, looking like an angry door god. His powerful roar miraculously brought the scene under control once again.
The refugees who were pushing and crying were startled by the sudden roar and fell silent involuntarily, staring in horror at the short but imposing dwarf.
Lin Yue was also taken aback for a moment, then mentally gave Uncle Shi Quan a thumbs up: "At crucial moments, you really have that kind of authority! With that voice, it's a shame you're not a square dance leader!"
Taking advantage of the brief silence, Lin Yue quickly seized the opportunity and shouted with all his might, "I'll say it again, back up! Everyone must remain calm! Follow instructions! Keep order, and the elderly and children should stand at the front. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules and causes chaos will have their family never receive food again."
His words, combined with Stonefist's menacing presence and Gray's chilling action of drawing his bow high above, finally calmed the restless crowd. Resentful yet fearful, they slowly retreated, managing to form a crooked line under the shouts and curses of the old woman and several men.
Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that order had been initially established. Simple kindness cannot bring order; a combination of kindness and strictness is necessary.
Finally, the first pot of Lin's Lifesaving and Calming Porridge was ready.
The refugees watched longingly from a distance, swallowing hard.
Lin Yue didn't open the door. Instead, he had Gray and Amu tie a long rope to a wooden bucket, fill it with boiling porridge, and carefully hoist it over the fence.
He called out to the old woman, "Grandma, you're in charge of distributing it. Make sure every child and the weakest person gets some."
The old woman was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly directed several men who were still strong to carefully distribute the porridge to everyone using broken bowls, large leaves, and any other usable containers. She took the last bowl herself, and the steaming, enticingly fragrant porridge made her hands tremble as she sipped it slowly.
"It's so delicious...so delicious...I haven't had such fragrant porridge in so long..." She drank it while tears streamed down her face.
For a moment, the sounds of slurping porridge and satisfied sighs filled the air, both inside and outside the fence. Watching everyone wolf down their porridge, their faces gradually regaining some color, Lin Yue felt a slight sense of relief.
However, this was only a temporary measure. A bowl of porridge could only solve the immediate crisis. With so many people, the daily consumption was astronomical. The Lin Family Restaurant's meager resources simply couldn't last more than a few days.
After most of the refugees had drunk their porridge and their emotions had completely stabilized, Lin Yue stood on the platform again and called the old woman who had led the way, as well as several men who looked quite prestigious, to the fence.
Gray and Stone Fist stood on either side of Lin Yue, their faces stern, acting as his protectors. Their powerful aura kept the people outside the fence from making any move. Xiao Fen lay at Lin Yue's feet, occasionally raising her head to scout the strangers, letting out a low, wary growl.
"Everyone," Lin Yue said bluntly, "I have a general understanding of your situation. Lin's Restaurant is willing to provide you with temporary shelter and necessary food and water during this difficult time."
Upon hearing this, the refugee representatives showed expressions of gratitude and joy, and they all expressed their thanks.
“However,” Lin Yue raised his hand to interrupt them, his tone becoming extremely serious, “our resources here are also very limited, and it is impossible to support so many people indefinitely. Therefore, I have a few conditions that I hope everyone can understand and abide by.”
"First of all, everyone who receives our aid must unconditionally obey our management and arrangements. You must be stationed fifty meters away from the fence, and you are not allowed to act on your own, steal, rob, or cause trouble. If you are found guilty, you will be severely punished. At best, you will be expelled; at worst... Hmph!" He didn't say what the worst would be, but combined with Gray and Stonefist's cold eyes, it was extremely intimidating.
"Secondly, to obtain food and shelter here, you must participate in labor. Starting tomorrow, men will be responsible for physical labor, such as clearing land, cutting timber, and building your temporary shelters; women will be responsible for processing food, mending clothes, and caring for the elderly and infirm; everyone must contribute to this group. The conditions will certainly be very basic, and we hope everyone can overcome this. At the same time, please pay attention to personal and public hygiene. We will designate areas for addressing physiological needs and will also provide basic clean water."
"Furthermore, we will distribute food and supplies based on everyone's work performance. The more you work, the more you earn."
"Finally, and most importantly!" Lin Yue looked at them and said, word by word, "The help we can provide is limited. This is just a temporary shelter, not your final home. We hope that everyone can recover their strength as soon as possible, and then... find a way to support themselves! Or... find a safer and more stable place to go."
His words were very blunt, even somewhat heartless. But Lin Yue knew he had to lay it all out beforehand. Otherwise, if these refugees developed a dependency and refused to leave, their small outpost would eventually be dragged down.
The refugee representatives fell silent after hearing Lin Yue's words. The joy on their faces gradually faded, replaced by solemnity and a barely perceptible hint of disappointment. Clearly, they had thought they had found a savior they could rely on, but they hadn't expected him to impose such harsh conditions.
But they also understood that Lin Yue was telling the truth. In this cruel world, no one is obligated to help others without expecting anything in return. Giving them food and temporary shelter is already an immense favor.
Finally, the old woman spoke first: "Sir...we understand what you're saying...and we're willing to abide by it...we'll do anything as long as we can live..." Her voice was filled with deep weariness and helplessness.
“Okay!” Lin Yue nodded. “Since everyone has no objections, then it’s settled. Starting tomorrow, I’ll arrange the specific tasks. As for tonight’s food…” He thought for a moment, then moved the menu board from the doorway to the fence and temporarily added a line of text using charcoal:
[Special Item: One serving of relief porridge (to be received upon presentation of proof of willingness to work; one bowl per person).]
Although it was still porridge, at least it made everyone understand that food doesn't come for free.
A sudden influx of refugees completely disrupted the rhythm of Lin's Restaurant. But it also made Lin Yue, for the first time, truly begin to think about how to manage a larger community, how to establish order amidst chaos and crisis, and how to find a difficult balance between humanitarian concern and the pressure of his own survival.
This is destined to be a challenging road.
That pot of steaming, simply fragrant relief porridge was not only a comforting balm for the soul, but also the beginning of countless difficult choices to come.
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