When he handled this matter, they saw his ability, and people naturally flocked to him. Conversely, if he were an incompetent fool, then it wouldn't matter to them whether he was Song Jingning's successor or even the emperor's son.
"I will compile the regulations for refugee management tonight, and you can all just follow the orders."
They turned around and saw that the boy had put the woman aside and was now standing in the porridge distribution line.
He had composed himself by this point, but it was clear he was still deeply grieving.
No one spoke; everyone silently lined up in their own queue. This tent was set up by the government specifically to take care of refugees who had just arrived in Shangjun.
The people here were the most miserable. Some swayed and stood unsteadily while queuing, while others cut in line or tried to take advantage of the chaos. Without exception, they were all discovered by the yamen runners and were either scolded or whipped.
After seeing this, others dared not do it again.
The boy took a bowl of porridge and a steamed bun and carefully returned to the woman's side, then fed the porridge to the already dead woman.
She kept saying, "Mom, look, we have food. Eat up..."
As he spoke, he scraped the rice porridge that had overflowed from the woman's mouth back into her mouth with his hand.
Some people couldn't stand seeing him like this and tried to persuade him.
"The person is already dead, why are you doing this?"
"Let your mother rest in peace!"
...
The boy ignored what the others were saying and focused only on feeding the woman rice porridge.
Qi Nuan kicked herself down. "Brother, Auntie is very tired. She's not hungry anymore and wants to sleep. Please let her sleep!"
"sleep……"
The boy muttered to himself, his empty eyes glancing at Qi Nuan before looking at the person in his arms.
"Yes, Mother, you must be tired and need to rest."
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Jiang Yu knew that the boy had regained consciousness, so he summoned two constables and asked them to help the boy bury the woman.
Jiang Yu led Qi Nuan slowly, leaving two rows of footprints, one large and one small, in the snow.
With a soft thud, Qi Nuan's scalding tears fell onto the snow, melting the snowflakes.
Jiang Yu bent down and wiped away Qi Nuan's tears. Looking at her red eyes, Jiang Yu gently comforted her, "Life and death are predestined. Perhaps living is the hardest thing."
Qi Nuan shook her head. "I'm fine. I just got some sand in my eyes. It'll be fine after a while."
Jiang Yu didn't expose her, but patted her head and said, "Silly child, the ground is covered in snow, where did the sand come from?"
Jiang Yu told them to do their own thing, and just watched them work from the sidelines with Qi Nuan. If they had any questions, they could ask the yamen runners or the refugees.
After a round of searching, Jiang Yu had almost figured out the situation here.
He then took Qi Nuan back to the city and went to the Jiang residence.
Watching Jiang Yu leave, someone asked, "Old Fan, what do you think of this young master?"
Old Master Fan smiled but did not answer. "I can't see it either. What do you all think?"
Everyone cursed under their breath, "Old fox."
However, they were unwilling to speak up easily.
Whether he has the ability or not is another matter, but he is calm and composed. He is not impatient when he first comes up, and he doesn't act impulsively when he is in front of others.
Only by being patient can you see the problems.
Old Fan nodded inwardly. They were much better than his own children. Otherwise, why would he, in his old age, have to suffer in this wind and snow?
He glanced at his grandson behind him and said, "I'm going back first. You stay here and watch over things. Don't try to be a hero if anything happens. The government will take care of things if anything goes wrong."
The young man nodded. "Grandfather, I understand."
Old Fan nodded and left in his carriage.
Jiang Yu and the others arrived at Jiangzai. Jiang Yu first went to pay his respects to the two men with the big beard.
"How are the refugees doing now?" the bearded man asked.
Thinking of the scene just now, with the number of refugees constantly rising and more and more people dying, Jiang Yu said, "The situation is not good, but with the wealthy people of Shangjun taking action, there is no need to worry."
The bearded man nodded. "You should do your best."
After Jiang Yu took his leave, Jie Xuzi said, "This child is becoming more and more composed, knowing when to advance and when to retreat. It is evident that Song Jingning's teaching is effective."
The bearded man nodded. Song Jingning was indeed a good official and a good person. He had a broad perspective, but people who were too kind and soft-hearted were often not so happy. He wondered if Song Jingning had ever resented his own broad perspective.
Qi Nuan applied the fragrant scar-removing cream, experiencing a slight stinging sensation, but the reaction quickly subsided.
She looked up and saw Jiang Yu walking towards the pharmacy.
Somewhat surprised, "Ah Yu, what brings you here?"
He touched her face, and it felt wonderful.
"It's nothing, I just came to see how you were feeling."
"It hurts a little, the medicine must be working."
Her scar has faded considerably; it's barely noticeable unless you look closely. She thinks it will disappear once she's a little older, but she is deeply touched by their concern.
"Do you want to stay here or come back to the manor with me?"
“I’ll go with you.” Qi Nuan thought that A Yu would definitely discuss the refugee issue with Zhang Liao tonight. Although she didn’t know much about these things, she had read a few miscellaneous books and might be able to offer them some suggestions.
Upon returning to the prefectural government, Jiang Yu sent for Zhang Liao.
The two were discussing the refugee issue on the side.
Qi Nuan sat to the side without saying a word.
There are many refugees but few houses. Building houses is a must, but the shortage of manpower is a big problem, and the continuous depletion of food is also a problem.
"Payment in lieu of work".
Zhang Liao and Jiang Yu said in unison.
Jiang Yu said, "If everything is done by the government and the prominent families in the city, the refugees will undoubtedly become more lazy, and the conflict between the refugees and the rescuers will also increase."
Since the houses are being built for refugees, then the refugees should contribute their own labor.
Zhang Liao thought for a moment and said, "Those who come to Shangjun on the first day will have their food provided by Shangjun for free. However, if they want food in the future, the refugees will have to provide it themselves."
Jiang Yu nodded. Besides, spring planting was just around the corner, and if they didn't plant more crops, next year would be even more miserable.
The information of the refugees was all registered. Those who were physically strong were sent to cut down trees and dig mud to build houses. In this era, the houses of the poor were built of mud and wood, while only the residences of the rich and powerful were built of stone and wood.
Qi Nuan thought of modern cement, but she didn't have time to study it right now.
Qi Nuan planned to discuss it with Jiang Yu in detail when he had time.
Turning the soil, building city walls, digging river bends, tailoring clothes, and so on—everything was in need of development. Since there were readily available manpower, they should be put to use. Jiang Yu glanced at Qi Nuan; they had to prepare for famine and war as soon as possible.
He then looked at Zhang Liao and said, "The refugees can help the others in Shangjun with spring plowing, and will be paid with three meals a day and three copper coins."
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