As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Qin hurried over, nodding in agreement, "Yes, Village Chief, Widow Wang is right. Look at the situation, the number of people is increasing. If we delay any longer, what will we do if the porridge is gone by the time it's our turn?"
As Aunt Qin spoke, she stood on tiptoe and looked towards the end of the line, as if she was afraid that the porridge would be divided up in the next moment.
The village chief looked up and saw that all the villagers were looking eagerly at the direction of the porridge stall, with an impatient look on their faces.
The children kept pulling at the adults' clothes, muttering "I'm hungry". They looked so pitiful.
The village chief thought to himself that everyone had suffered a lot along the way, and now that they had the opportunity to fill their stomachs, they really shouldn't miss it.
So, he waved his hand and said, "Okay, then everyone, hurry up and line up."
When the villagers heard what the village chief said, they immediately became excited and started to make arrangements.
Several strong young men stepped forward and said confidently, "Don't worry, just line up. We'll take care of the luggage and livestock. We'll make sure they're well looked after."
Afterwards, the villagers safely placed their luggage and livestock, repeatedly instructed the guards, and hurried towards the porridge stalls where there was a long queue, fearing that they would miss out on the hot porridge if they were a step late.
The village chief, along with Su Wenjun and several village elders, slowly walked towards the city gate.
Although everyone's steps seemed a little tired, their eyes were full of curiosity and anticipation for this unfamiliar county.
Arriving at the city gate, the village chief first politely bowed to the guards, with a kind smile on his face, and said, "Greetings, gentlemen, we have come all the way from Da'an County."
The village chief pointed to the crowd of people waiting in line for porridge not far away and continued, "We saw people waiting in line over there, so we thought we'd come and ask the adults about the situation."
Su Wenjun also hurried forward, bowed slightly, and asked politely, "Yes, gentlemen, we just want to ask, will anyone here really provide porridge later? We've been all the way here and our food is almost gone. If we could have a sip of hot porridge, it would really give us a sigh of relief."
Seeing how polite and courteous they were, the guards were very friendly.
One of the guards smiled and nodded, clearing his throat. "That's right," he said. "Our county magistrate is well-known for loving his people like his own children. He saw you refugees traveling so hard, and he couldn't bear to let you continue on your journey with empty stomachs, so he specifically instructed the young lady to arrange for the porridge to be distributed. Every day at dusk, the porridge will be distributed here on time."
Another guard chimed in, "That's right. Our county magistrate has always been concerned about everyone's difficulties. This porridge distribution hasn't been a one-off thing; it's been going on for quite some time. If you want some porridge, hurry up and line up. If you're late, you'll have to wait a long time."
"Thank you very much for telling me, sir. Thank you so much!" The village chief's face was full of gratitude, and he bowed deeply to the guards.
Su Wenjun and several others who were traveling with him also hurriedly followed the village chief in saluting, constantly expressing their gratitude.
There was a hint of surprise and relief in everyone's eyes. After all, only they themselves knew the hardships they had experienced along the way. It was really rare to find a place that was willing to provide porridge and help.
After the ceremony, the village chief stood up, nodded friendly to the guards, and then prepared to take everyone away to the porridge stall outside the city to queue up for porridge.
As he turned to leave, the village chief couldn't help but look back at the guards.
The guards still had smiles on their faces and were kind and friendly. They did not show any neglect towards them just because they were foreign refugees.
Looking at the bustling porridge stall outside the city, although the long line is a bit messy, everyone's face has more or less a hint of anticipation, and the hot porridge pot is gurgling, as if telling people about the upcoming feeling of fullness.
Seeing this scene, the village chief couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.
He thought to himself that this journey had been truly difficult.
Wherever I went, I was mostly met with indifference and expulsion.
In some places, they were not even allowed to approach the city gates and were forced to leave quickly, as if they were afraid that they would bring disaster to the local area.
But only in Ping'an County, not only were the guards at the city gate so kind, but someone also set up a porridge stall outside the city to provide porridge to these refugees.
This county magistrate is such a good person for caring so much about the people!
As he thought about it, the village chief's eyes became slightly moist. He quickened his pace and led everyone towards the porridge stall full of hope, his heart full of gratitude and expectation for this safe county.
Just as everyone was lining up with great anticipation, waiting for the filling hot porridge, the sound of crisp horse hooves came from far away.
Everyone looked up and saw an exquisite carriage slowly approaching from the road outside the city.
The carriage looked quite gorgeous, the body of the carriage was polished to a shine, and it had a soft luster under the sunlight.
The reins tied to the shaft of the cart swayed gently with the horse's pace. The horse pulling the cart had bright fur and a strong body. It walked towards this side step by step with steady steps.
After a while, the carriage arrived not far from the soup distribution team.
Suddenly, a corner of the car curtain was gently lifted, and then a stunning face was revealed.
She was a young woman, her eyebrows were as bright as stars, and her eyes were bright and clear, as if hiding a clear spring. Just one glance could make people fall in love with her.
She stared quietly at the long queue of people waiting for soup kitchen service, pursed her lips slightly, and a smile appeared on her gentle face.
Then she called softly, "Magpie." The voice was clear and pleasant, just like the singing of a mountain oriole, which made people feel happy.
"I'm here, miss." Then a maid's voice sounded.
A clever little maidservant popped her head out from behind the young lady. She had two cute buns on her hair and round eyes, which revealed a cleverness.
The young lady frowned slightly and said in a gentle but unquestionable tone, "Magpie, there are too many refugees today. Go back and tell the housekeeper to cook more porridge."
"Yes, miss." Magpie responded crisply and then retreated back into the carriage.
The young lady continued to quietly look at the soup kitchen team across the carriage, with ambiguous emotions flashing in her eyes.
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