Chapter 96
As soon as Lin Shuge arrived at the lobby, several women knelt down as soon as they saw him, "What's going on? Do you have any difficulties?"
A woman had a sad look in her eyes and cried, "Thanks to your help, we were able to escape from the devil's den. Although you gave us money to go home, I found out after I got home that my parents died at the hands of robbers, and my brother wanted to sell me to a wealthy man in a neighboring county as a concubine. I found out that the wealthy man had a cruel personality, and my wife died of depression because of his constant beatings and scolding. I really don't want to... Please show me a way out."
Someone nearby also said, "I was taken back by my aunt, but my uncle is a beast in human clothing. He always treats me badly. He calls me a fallen woman because I fell into the hands of bandits. Why can't I touch her? My aunt didn't have a good life at home, and she was scolded by my mother-in-law and uncle for protecting me. I really couldn't bear to see my aunt suffer, so I asked the adults for help. I can do any work."
The other women also told their stories of their difficulties. They were able to come to Lin Shuge for help because when they were rescued, the county government officials asked them if they had nowhere to go, and the county government could temporarily take them in. Some of them chose to go home because there were still people at home, but they did not expect that life was not going as they wished after returning home. There was really no other way, so they discussed asking the county government for help.
Of course, there were also cases where, after returning home, their families loved and pampered their daughters even more because of their suffering. Fortunately, there was no concept of chastity in that era, and these women did not have to suffer from rumors.
After listening to their words, Lin Shuge sighed and said, "If you really have nowhere to go, there is a place where you can stay temporarily, but..."
"Sir, we are not afraid of hardship. As long as we can survive, we can endure any hardship."
Lin Shuge said, "Let's go. I'll take you there. Ah Chuan, is Madam Wen's place open today?"
Lu Yuechuan, who had been silent the whole time, said, "They are diligent and open every day."
Madam Wen? Several women looked at each other. Wasn’t Madam Wen the one who was most determined to stay in the county government office that day? They all had questions in their minds, but they didn't say anything.
In a courtyard deep in Crescent Alley, a woman was filtering the residue. Next to her was a small stone mill used for grinding pulp. She used gauze to filter out the ground soy milk, removed the dregs, and got a small bowl of soy milk.
She brought the soy milk in and happened to see another woman coming out, "Ah Zhen, come and give me a hand, it's so heavy."
The two worked together to move the soy milk into the kitchen. Ah Zhen still looked a little childish as she smiled and said, "Sister Chen, the soy milk has been selling well these days. Sister Wen should be back soon."
Chen Yao smiled and said, "That's perfect. Let's make something delicious for lunch. Everyone has been working hard recently."
Ah Zhen was still young and a little greedy. He happily pulled Chen Yao and talked non-stop.
Suddenly, there was a sound outside the door, and the two of them looked pale. Although they had escaped from Huya Mountain, some things would always cause psychological trauma. For example, when they heard a sound outside, they would subconsciously become nervous.
Chen Yao patted Ah Zhen's hand and said, "Don't be afraid. Ah Wen and the others should be back."
She patted her chest, walked out of the kitchen and stood in the yard and asked, "Who is it?"
Several other women said excitedly: "It's Sister Chen, Sister Chen, it's us."
Chen Yao recognized the voices of several people and hurriedly opened the door, "Come in, why are you here?"
The few of them looked back, and Chen Yao then saw Lin Shuge and Lu Yuechuan standing in the distance, "Sir, what are you doing?"
Seeing them standing in the distance, he immediately realized that Lin Shuge and the others were afraid of their men, which made them feel uneasy. Chen Yao secretly sighed at the attentiveness of Lin Shuge and the others, and said, "Sir, please come in quickly. It's okay."
Lin Shuge glanced at Lu Yuechuan, and the two followed him in. That day, Lin Shuge saw that many people in the county were planting soybeans, which reminded him of the various soy products in later generations. In fact, tofu already existed in this era, but there were fewer ways to make it. I don't know why Qingquan County did not promote it.
It just so happened that these women in the county government were lonely and helpless, with nowhere to go, so Lin Shuge taught them how to make tofu. They were strong-willed and used the money given by the county government to rent a yard together. They set up stalls to sell tofu and soy milk every day. Although it was hard work, they were able to support themselves.
Before he could say anything after entering the door, he saw Madam Wen and a woman pushing a cart in. "My lords, why are you here? You two lords, please take a seat first. Ah Yao, serve the tea quickly."
Lin Shuge stepped forward to help her, and Wen Yuan said anxiously: "How can we let the adults do it? I will do it, I will do it."
Lin Shuge smiled, and helped her unload the things, then explained his purpose.
Wen Yuan smiled and said, "I thought it was a big deal. We all rely on adults to survive. Ah Hong and the others thought they would have a good life when they returned home, but they still had nowhere to go. So come on, anyway, we relied on each other to survive in the past. Now we have a skill and can earn money every day. It's great. But I have to make a deal first, because this yard was bought by several of us together, Ah Hong and you probably don't have any money now, so you can work for half a month to pay for your food and accommodation, and we will calculate the dividends after half a month."
Ah Hong and the others nodded and said, "It should be so. If Sister Wen hadn't mentioned it, we would have had to bring it up. How can we eat and live for free?"
Lin Shuge knew that Wen Yuan wanted to see if these people could endure the hardship. Moreover, after they left home, even though it didn't matter whether their family members were there or not, it would be difficult to resolve if they caused trouble. He had to observe the situation for half a month before seeing the outcome.
He saw light in the eyes of several people, which was totally different from their haggard appearance at that time, and he felt a little comforted. The world had made them suffer a lot, but they were still tenacious and would always find a way to survive.
The women who followed said excitedly: "Thank you, Sister Wen, thank you, sir."
Seeing that they had been pulled to learn how to make tofu, Lin Shuge said to Wen Yuan, "Come to the county government office when you have time. I have a kind of seed. You can try to grow it. The seeds you grow can be used as seasoning. Now that there are more people, you can open a store and make money in the future."
"Sir, I... I really don't know how to thank you. If it weren't for you, we would have..." Wen Yuan's eyes were full of gratitude, and he spoke incoherently.
If Lin Shuge hadn't saved her from Meng Qing that day, she might have been beaten to death.
Lin Shuge said: "It's just my duty."
He stood up and said goodbye to everyone, but unexpectedly a person jumped out in front of him. It was Ah Zhen. She was still a little timid, and her hands were trembling. "Sir, this is for you, thank you..." After that, she stuffed it into Lin Shuge's arms and ran away.
Lin Shuge and Lu Yuechuan looked at the tofu wrapped tightly in their arms and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Wen Yuan led the group in laughing. Ah Zhen was young and had experienced something like that, so she was very afraid of men. Seeing her behavior just now, she finally calmed down a little.
Lin Shuge walked in the alley, holding tofu in his hand, "Achuan, do you want to come to my place tonight? I'll show you my skills."
Lu Yuechuan was very tempted, but when he thought about what he had to do tonight, he could only say, "Sir, let's do it next time. I just found a house these few days and plan to move in today. There are still many chores waiting for me."
"Huh? When did you move? Why didn't you ask me for help?"
"Your Excellency is very busy, I don't want to disturb you. It just so happens that Yang Yan doesn't have a place to live either, so he and I found one together. We are still neighbors now, and he can help two people with moving. Your Excellency, please come over and visit us when you are free." Lu Yuechuan said.
Oh, I see. You two have a pretty good relationship.
"Why do you look at me like that, sir? Not everyone feels the same as you and Captain Wei Sui." Lu Yuechuan said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Lin Shuge looked at him coldly, without smiling or saying a word.
"My lord, I was wrong." Lu Yuechuan immediately slid to his knees, but my lord, when will you get better from this awkward situation? Otherwise, you won't dare to mention Captain Wei Sui. What did Captain Wei Sui do to make even someone like you who loves his brother as much as his life get angry?
He glanced at Lin Shuge secretly, but didn't dare to speak out his thoughts.
The two parted ways at the intersection. Lin Shuge walked towards the county government office carrying the tofu. He suddenly remembered the birthday gift Xie Chen had sent him. His birthday was indeed approaching. There would be nothing to do these few days, so he could have a good time.
He looked at the tofu in his hand and thought he could make a few delicious dishes today. He had been busy every day since he came to Qingquan and had no time to have a good meal with Ayuan and Axuan.
Lin Shuge returned to the inner residence of the county government office. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Lin Qingyuan acting sneakily, with a leisurely little white cat following behind him.
"Ayuan, what are you doing?" Lin Shuge asked while standing at the door.
When Xiaobai heard his voice, he ran over happily. Lin Shuge put the tofu down and picked up Xiaobai. Xiaobai hadn't been close to him for a long time, so he licked and rubbed him, and meowed for food.
"I'll feed you later." Lin Shuge put Xiaobai down. It had grown into a big cat, and his arms were sore from holding it for so long.
Seeing that he was in a good mood, Lin Qingyuan came over and took the initiative to ask: "Brother, did you have a fight with Erlang? Did he make you angry?"
"Children should stop asking questions about adults' affairs." Lin Shuge took the tofu to the kitchen and prepared to make Mapo Tofu. The county government actually had a dining hall, but today Lin Shuge planned to make it himself since he had just got some tofu.
When Lin Xuan came back, Lin Shuge had already started to set the table, "Xuan, wash your hands and come over to eat."
"Brother, why is the food so sumptuous today?" Lin Xuan said with a smile.
"Brother got something new today, let's have a try." Lin Shuge asked the twins to sit down, "Is Xuan out today?"
Lin Xuan nodded, "I'll go out for a walk." She picked up a piece of Mapo Tofu and put it in her mouth. The soup was rich and fragrant, and the tofu was extremely smooth and tender. "Brother, this is delicious."
Lin Qingyuan ate several mouthfuls of food, praised loudly, and then coughed a few times. Lin Xuan understood and said, "It's a pity that Erlang is not here. Brother, you don't know that when you were captured and taken to Huya Mountain, Erlang was almost crazy. If Mr. Lu and others hadn't stopped him, Erlang would have gone straight to you. Later, Mr. Lu and others said that you were outwitting them, and Erlang was afraid that it would affect your plan, so he stayed at the foot of the mountain. No one could persuade him."
Lin Qingyuan continued, "Yes, I saw that he had no appetite and was almost floating. I thought he would starve to death if you didn't come back, big brother."
Lin Xuan glared at him. How could it be so exaggerated?
Lin Qingyuan replied with his eyes: If I don’t exaggerate a little, how can I forgive Erlang?
Lin Shuge chuckled, "Is the food not delicious?"
The two of them immediately lowered their heads to eat, and expressed their thoughts through eye contact: It's over, Erlang, we tried our best, you just wish me good luck.
Lin Shuge watched the two people's sneaky movements and continued to eat. Why would he not eat such a delicious meal and think about that person?
He took a few bites and stared at the food on the table in a daze.
Then someone sneezed in the cold wind and touched his nose. Could it be that my brother was thinking about me?
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