Chapter 305 Tragic Situation
Shen Qing originally thought that Pinggu, her mother and daughter were already considered thin, but when he saw this group of people, he finally understood what it meant to be frighteningly thin.
There was nothing to eat, thin clothes to wear, and not even much firewood. They didn't dare to build a big fire, so the whole family huddled together to keep warm. The thick smoke from the firewood wouldn't dissipate, and it choked people, making them cough until tears came out.
Even so, their eyes still sparkled with joy when they saw the food in the broken iron pot.
Shen Qing just felt that this was a group of people who worked hard and loved life. Even though the conditions were so difficult, they were still trying hard to survive. As long as life had a little sweetness, they would be very satisfied.
Even though this little bit of sweetness may be insignificant or even despised by others, it is extremely precious to them.
The moment the woman raised her eyes while stirring the food, she saw Shen Qing and the others stunned.
In the freezing cold weather, each of them wore a thick cotton coat, a leather cloak on the outside, a thick and fluffy snow hat and a collar, and they looked like wealthy people.
What are they doing here?
In the past, servants from wealthy families were reluctant to set foot on their land when recruiting workers, as they disliked the mess, dirtiness and poor atmosphere.
She stood up suddenly, wondering if it was the New Year and there was a lot of work to do at home, so she needed someone to help?
She quickly shouted towards the inside of the hut, "Boss, boss, wake up! Someone is here to recruit workers!"
No one hired women to work, and only strong men could barely find work. If a job finally came their way, they couldn't let it go.
Hearing the recruitment, Xu Lin suddenly woke up and got up quickly.
He had been running around for a whole day and night the day before yesterday. When he got home yesterday, he was cold and hungry. There was not enough food, so he naturally couldn't eat enough. He drank a large bowl of watery porridge to barely fill his stomach, and then lay down to sleep - when there was no work to do, they lay down, so they consumed less and got hungry slower, and they could also save some food.
He rushed out in a hurry, but stopped when he saw a few people. The blood drained from his face, turning it pale.
He remembered them. The day before yesterday in the mountains, although it was dark, they lit torches at the back and he saw their faces clearly.
The woman behind him couldn't see him, so she just whispered, "Boss, why did you stop? Ask something quickly."
You have to recommend yourself because you are in good health and can do the work, otherwise why would the noble person choose you?
Xu Lin thought of his wife and children behind him, trembling as he stepped forward and whispered, "I did something wrong, it has nothing to do with my family. I, I, if you want to report me to the police, can you please just arrest me?"
They found this place in just one day, and since only these few people came, there must be other people somewhere else or they have already gone to call the police.
He could turn around and run, but what would happen to his wife and children if he ran away? If they ran together, without a house to protect them from the cold wind and food to eat, they would die too!
Forget it, he was the one who did something wrong, so what is there to resist?
Shen Qing didn't expect that the seemingly strong man would accept it without any resistance or explanation. No wonder they cried when she mentioned her family before.
This litter looks like rabbits.
She didn't beat around the bush and directly stated her purpose: "How about you follow me?
I provide you with food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and you sell yourselves to me and use them for my own benefit."
Xu Lin opened his mouth, speechless in shock.
Except for Huo Bing, the other men here also looked slightly surprised.
Is Auntie planning to buy people? And she picked out such a group of skinny and pale people?
It took Xu Lin a while to react, and he automatically said to the men who were going with him, "You understand them." He shook his head firmly and said, "No, I still have a wife and children. If I sell myself, they won't be able to survive."
There were opportunities in the past. Those wealthy families only wanted to buy him, saying that raising his wife and children would be a waste of food. Now that food is precious, who would be willing to raise them?
But when he is here, he can earn some money for food and bring it back to eat together. When he is not here, how will they, the women and children, survive?
Shen Qing was even more satisfied.
She wants to take care of the family, regardless of gender!
Having family ties is their weakness and also their armor, and such people feel at ease.
She didn't wait for Xu Lin to continue misunderstanding and said bluntly: "It's not just you, but your whole family."
Xu Lin stood there blankly, feeling that his brain was not enough and his ears were a little dizzy.
What is she talking about?
Did she see what was happening with his family?
Apart from anything else, he and his wife are the only two who can be considered as laborers, and the rest are half-grown children who are not capable of heavy physical work, but their appetite is no less than that of adults, and sometimes they even eat more than him.
There are some girls who are willing to buy them, but no family is willing to buy them from the half-grown boys!
He stammered, "I, I have three boys and three girls. Let me make it clear first, I can't just sell the girls!"
He was not completely ignorant. Many people had tried to persuade parents to sell their daughters under the pretext of offering them a way out, but was that really a way out? It would be worse than death!
Every day after that was like living in purgatory, and the money from selling his daughter could allow his family to survive, but he didn't want his daughter to live like that.
"Of course, I'm going to buy everyone in your family, from the oldest to the youngest, without missing a single one." Shen Qing said affirmatively.
Xu Lin reacted this time!
He's just old. His father fell ill on the road and spent all his savings and didn't survive. Now he's the only one left at home.
But it is not easy to feed these six little ones, not to mention whether to sell them or not.
Fearing that Shen Qing would regret it, he excitedly said, "No need to spend money to buy it, just give it to the stutterer to feed us!"
He doesn't ask for anything else now, just that his family can have enough to eat. No, he would be satisfied if he could just drink corn and vegetable porridge until he is 70% to 80% full!
Shen Qing smiled and said, "Of course everyone needs to eat enough, otherwise how can they work?
Let’s make it clear in advance, I don’t keep idle people, everyone has to work!”
When Xu Lin heard that he had to work, he relaxed. He was not afraid of working now, but he was afraid of having no work to do!
God knows how desperate he has been looking for work in the past few months, but he can't find much, let alone his mother and six children.
He is more than happy to have a job now.
He assured her as a matter of course, "Don't worry, we are not lazy. It's not our laziness that has brought us to this point!"
He didn't know what was going on. He was obviously hardworking and had always tried to farm the land without spending any money, but his mother was reluctant to even buy him a flower. After saving so much money for a disaster, his family still almost starved to death.
"I know. Go home and talk to your family and other people and ask them if anyone is willing. If they are willing, pack up your belongings and go with us." Shen Qing said gently.
Xu Lin nodded vigorously, "Okay!"
As he turned around, he saw the men who had huddled together for warmth surrounding him, hoes in their hands and looks of stern vigilance on their faces.
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