That day, Granny Qian reported to Qin Xiaozhou on the purchasing situation in the embroidery workshop. At the end, she said, "These past two days, some orphaned girls have come to the textile factory. We should have taken them in for a few days and given them a few meals, but there are too many people coming, and the kitchen expenses have far exceeded the advance. I noticed that many of these girls are not orphans, but people with families. They only come to the soup kitchen to save a few days' worth of food."
Granny Qian sighed, "The shelter next to the textile factory is not enough either. Last night, several girls had to squeeze into a corner of the room to spend the night. Blankets and clothes are limited. Manager, there are only so many people we can save."
In the freezing cold, many people die of cold or starvation every year. The textile factory set up a soup kitchen where any orphaned girl could go to the factory to drink soup and rest for five days before making any plans.
Qin Xiaozhou rubbed her temples. The porridge was limited. If it was consumed by those who wanted to take advantage, then those who truly needed it would go hungry. Besides, doing charity work like this was very expensive. She couldn't afford to exceed her budget every day. The weather wouldn't warm up until February of next year, which was a full three months away. If this continued, she would be eaten out of house and home.
"From now on, when people drink porridge, you should take out indenture agreements and have them sign them. Only those who sell themselves into slavery will be taken in by the textile factory."
Granny Qian nodded. "I am of lowly status, and my life and death are not in my own hands. No one would sell me unless they had no other choice."
Li Shaoming pulled a wooden cart from the east of the city to the side gate of the textile factory, where a porridge shed was set up. There was a simple stove with a thatched roof. Even on a snowy day, an old woman was working hard to cook porridge, and three or five thinly dressed women huddled around the stove, warming themselves by the fire inside.
In recent days, there have been more homeless people. At first, some people fainted from hunger at their doorsteps, and Zhang Qingzhu would give them a bowl of hot rice porridge. Later, as more and more people came to beg for food every few days, Zhang Qingzhu hardened her heart and decided never to open the door again.
Li Shaoming lamented the kindness of the Lu family and Qin Xiaozhou, as well as the hardships of the world. His wife was also kind-hearted, but she also had children at home. If they were to take care of outsiders, the children would go hungry before spring arrived.
"Granny, I've brought the vegetables."
An old woman walked by and asked, "Why is there so little?"
Li Shaoming sighed, "The snow was too heavy, and many vegetables died. The newly planted ones didn't survive. The ones planted in the fall didn't grow for two months because of the cold weather. These were planted around the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'm afraid there won't be any radishes left in a few days."
The old woman said helplessly, "Only some radishes and cabbages can survive in winter. Other vegetables are hard to grow. You wait here, I'll go and call Manager Qian to settle your vegetable bill for last month."
Granny Qian handed over the account book and silver to Li Shaoyang to settle accounts, and whispered, "There are many homeless people these days, so you should keep them safe and not let anyone see them outside. We don't know when the snow will stop, so you should also keep some vegetables at home. Although they are not staple foods, they can still fill your stomach and save your life if something unexpected happens."
Li Shaoyang also noticed something was wrong from the number of homeless people in the past few days. He thanked Granny Qian before going home.
Tian Xiaohua carried her younger brother Tian Xiaoshu at the very end of the group. Her face was covered in dirt and her eyes were unfocused. She and her brother had come all the way from Shangzhou, and they had exhausted their last bit of strength to get here.
The weather was strange this year. It snowed a few days after the Mid-Autumn Festival. The snow was heavy and sudden, and it collapsed many wooden houses. There were twelve people in the Tian family. They were all buried under the collapsed thatched hut in the middle of the night. Some died and some were injured. Tian Xiaohua and Tian Xiaoshu were unharmed because their mother shielded them with her body. Their mother was crushed to death on the spot.
In such cold weather, with no medicine or food for the injured, and to make matters worse, an epidemic broke out in the village. Unable to survive, they had no choice but to flee. Of the five members of the Tian family who set off, only the brother and sister remain.
Tian Xiaohua saw stars, and despite the heavy snow, she was sweating profusely. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground. The person in front of her heard the commotion, turned around, and then walked away numbly. Finally, he turned back and stayed by the siblings' side.
Like a wolf guarding its food, it intimidates anyone who comes near.
Tian Xiaohua lay on her back in the snow, forced a smile, her voice hoarse and her lips cracked, "Thank you, Uncle. Could you give me something to eat? My brother hasn't eaten for four days."
The emaciated homeless man shook his head, then reached out and touched Tian Xiaoshu's neck, saying, "You're dying soon. After your brother dies, give him your bones. I can leave him some bones and build him a tombstone..."
"No!" Tian Xiaohua exclaimed in terror, "You...you want to eat my brother?"
He pulled Tian Xiaoshu into his arms, grabbed some snowflakes and threw them at her, saying, "Get away from me, go away."
The snow was soft and fluffy, lacking any strength or lethality.
The homeless man grabbed Tian Xiaohua's hand and tried to drag her into the nearby woods. A hand grabbed his wrist, and with a pull and twist, the homeless man screamed in agony as his wrist was broken.
Officer Li helped the siblings up, saying, "Hang in there a little longer. The border of Fenggu County is just ahead. The magistrate has already set up soup kitchens there, and there will be food soon."
"Porridge?" Tian Xiaohua got up, pulled her younger brother's hands over the back of his hands, and couldn't help but lick her lips. After a long period of hunger and cold, her senses had become numb and her reactions were sluggish. "Brother, there's porridge to drink, there's porridge to drink, get up quickly."
Tian Xiaohua's legs trembled as she struggled forward, about to fall again. Officer Li swiftly grabbed the little boy and tucked him under his arm. "Go, keep going."
Tian Xiaohua looked around, but there was no soup kitchen in sight. "Where's the soup kitchen?"
"About half a mile ahead."
"Why...is it so far?"
"Because this is not Fenggu County's territory, it is half a mile away. Only when we enter Fenggu County can our county magistrate have the right to govern."
"So, the government does care, but we've traveled so far and no one has helped us along the way."
Constable Li sighed, "This year's snow was heavy, and the northern regions suffered severe disasters. The imperial court has decreed that people from the north can freely flee south to escape the famine without needing travel permits. They just need to confirm their destination by March of next year and report it to the county government. People are always in demand everywhere, but each place has a limited number of people it can accommodate. The quotas are first-come, first-served. The places that haven't taken you in are because their quotas are already full. Our Fenggu County can only accommodate five thousand people. Once it's full, no one else can settle in Fenggu County. You're very lucky; the quota will be filled today."
Five thousand people may not seem like much, but Fenggu County only has a population of over ninety thousand. The fact that they were able to accommodate fifty thousand was only because the county magistrate had given an order in advance not to allow grain to flow out of the county.
Fifteen minutes later, Tian Xiaohua finally saw the porridge stall. Seven constables dressed as yamen runners, holding swords, were guarding the porridge. There was a long queue in front of them. She followed along and took pictures. Finally, it was her turn. The person getting the porridge recognized Constable Li. "Brother Li, you can have a bowl too. I've only eaten one steamed bun since I came out this morning."
Officer Li, holding Tian Xiaoshu in one arm, said, "Two bowls, please." He then gestured with his arm, "And here's one more, for her brother."
After being fed the porridge, their internal organs seemed to warm up. The procession moved slowly, with someone at the front registering names. Only those whose names were registered were considered residents of Fenggu County. Tian Xiaohua, holding her younger brother, squatted under the makeshift thatched shed set up by the government, waiting for the government to gather two hundred people to take them to their resettlement place.
Suddenly, a homeless man rushed towards the soup kitchen, shouting, "One bowl of soup per person? You think you can beg for food?"
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