Did you see which way he went?
He Jiuniang pressed for details, and the soldiers guarding the city said they had entered the city two days ago, but this person said he had seen him just yesterday, which meant that the person was still inside the city.
As long as we're still inside the city, things will be much easier.
"It seems they went to those alleys to the west. Those alleys are inhabited by refugees from outside. They were given an entry fee but had little money left, so the government forced them to move to the alleys to the west."
The western part of the city was a poor area, and there weren't many people who could afford the three taels of silver for the city entrance fee. If they wanted to leave the city, they could go; if they didn't want to leave and didn't have money to stay in an inn, they would be sent to the western district and left to fend for themselves.
Thank you!
He Jiuniang was overjoyed upon receiving the information and headed west of the city, hoping to find Lu Guilan's family.
The refugee slum in the west of the city wasn't easy to find. He Jiuniang searched through several alleys, but found none of them. However, she did see many refugees. Their situation wasn't much better than outside. It was just that because they were in the city, they were under the control of the yamen runners, so they didn't dare to openly rob people or exchange children for food like they did outside.
The main thing is that the prefect of the city still has some conscience. He called on several wealthy families to cook a bowl of thin porridge for the refugees every morning, so that these people who spent three taels of silver to enter the city would not starve to death.
"Give me back my steamed bun! It was from my mother's dowry! Aaaaah, I'll fight you to the death, sob sob sob..."
As He Jiuniang was passing through an alley, she suddenly heard a child's voice. He Jiuniang felt that it was somewhat familiar. She took a few steps forward and saw a group of children fighting in the alley. They grabbed steamed buns and stuffed them into their mouths like crazy, as if they were afraid that someone would snatch them away at any moment.
Among them, the most pitiful was the little boy who had been beaten down and was lying on the ground crying loudly. He Jiu Niang picked up the troublesome child and went inside to take a look. Sure enough, it was Lu Guilan's eldest son, Hu Zi.
Tiger was only four years old, so he was no match for these older children. His nose was bleeding, and blood was flowing all over his face.
"A whole group of you just bullying a child like this?"
Upon seeing this, He Jiuniang was furious. How could she not steal things and then beat someone until their nose bled?
When the older children saw someone coming, they turned and ran away, completely ignoring whether Tiger on the ground was alive or dead.
"Auntie! Waaaaah, is that you, Auntie? Waaaaah... They stole my steamed bun, waaaaah..."
When Xiao Huzi saw He Jiuniang, he thought he was seeing things, but even so, he struggled to get up and bumped into her arms.
He Jiuniang: ...
Well... it smells pretty strong~
But no matter what, he was still a child. The chubby little boy had become so thin that he looked pitiful, so He Jiuniang still took the child into her arms.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, your aunt is here, no one will dare to bully you anymore."
As He Jiuniang spoke, she took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the child, and then took out the bamboo tube she carried with her to give him some water.
Tiger knew that water was precious these days. He only wanted to take a sip to moisten his throat, but after taking a sip, he found it was sweet and couldn't resist taking another sip before returning it to He Jiuniang.
Seeing how sensible the child was, He Jiuniang felt even more sorry for him: "It's alright, drink more, your aunt has more."
Then she took out a steaming hot meat bun from her spatial storage and handed it to him: "I just bought this on the way, eat it quickly."
Tiger looked at the fragrant meat bun in his hand and swallowed hard, but he still resisted eating it, wanting to take it back for his father and sister.
"Just eat what's given to you. Your aunt bought a lot; there's enough for your parents too, don't worry!"
Tiger couldn't resist and started eating the meat buns in big bites.
The soft and fragrant meat buns were so delicious that Tiger cried.
As he ate, he said, "Auntie, please help Daddy and my sister! Daddy is injured, and my sister is sick, sob sob sob..."
She started crying again, and the meat bun in her mouth almost fell out. The little guy quickly reached out and covered his mouth.
That sight left He Jiuniang both amused and exasperated.
But she knew the child was too excited and would have a hard time calming down, so she didn't try to stop him from crying. Instead, she let him lead the way.
Lu Guilan's husband's surname is Zhang, and his name is Zhang Song. The family used to live in town and sell pork. They lived a good life, which is why they were able to raise their son, Xiaohuzi, to be so healthy and chubby.
Now that they've risked their lives and spent a fortune to get into the city, and after hearing Xiaohuzi's description, it seems they're not having an easy time.
The slum truly lived up to its name; the alley was packed with people, all in the open air. With so many people, the smell was overwhelming, and flies and mosquitoes were buzzing around.
He Jiuniang held her breath and walked inside, finally finding Zhang Song and his two-year-old daughter Xiuya in the innermost corner of the alley.
Both of them were unconscious. Two-year-old Xiuya nestled in Zhang Song's arms. She was tiny, and like Huzi, she was extremely thin.
A man who looked about 50% like Zhang Song was awake, but he was injured and his face was very pale. If I'm not mistaken, this is Zhang Song's younger brother, Zhang Yong. He was also holding a sleeping little boy in his arms.
"Uncle, uncle, my aunt is here! We're saved!"
Having just eaten a meat bun, Little Tiger felt full of energy. His shout woke everyone around him. They opened their eyes and looked at He Jiu Niang, but seeing that she was just a woman and couldn't do anything, they changed their position and continued to sleep.
Yeah, I won't be hungry once I fall asleep. Someone will be handing out porridge again first thing tomorrow morning.
He Jiuniang looked at Zhang Yong, called him "Uncle Zhang," and then gave him the water that Xiao Huzi had just drunk. She then went to check on the unconscious Zhang Song and Xiuya.
Upon examination, it was discovered that both of them had high fevers and were burning hot.
"Auntie, please save my father and sister... Waaah..."
Little Tiger was about to cry again when He Jiu Niang felt a headache coming on and hurriedly interrupted him: "Didn't you say that your mother and aunt went to collect night soil for someone? Go find the person first, and then take them to the clinic together."
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
Little Tiger ran away as fast as he could, and He Jiuniang then took out fever-reducing medicine from her bag and fed it to the father and daughter.
Zhang Yong stared wide-eyed as she fed him the medicine, and asked cautiously, "This is...?"
"This medicine was obtained by chance and it works very well. I heard from Xiaohuzi that you were also injured, so take one too."
As he spoke, he poured out a pill for Zhang Yong. This medicine was effective in reducing fever and inflammation, and it was suitable for Zhang Yong to take.
Zhang Yong didn't hesitate and ate. He also had a fever, but it wasn't as serious as his older brother's. Besides, there were two children with them, and if he fell asleep, the two children would be in danger.
Thank you.
After taking his medicine, Zhang Yong woke up his son and fed him water. The little guy hugged the bamboo tube and drank non-stop.
"Daddy, I'm so hungry."
The little guy drank the sugar water and felt a bit stronger, but then he suddenly felt hungry again.
He Jiuniang lowered her voice: "I have food here, but there are too many people around to look at right now, so I'll give it to you when we get out."
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