Several princes and princesses, hearing that Tian Yu had taken in a group of refugees, sent many supplies to express their support, but also reminded Tian Yu to be careful. On the third day after taking in the refugees, at noon, as Tian Yu and everyone had finished lunch and were preparing to start farming, a large, dark mass of refugees appeared from afar, flooding into Tian Yu's farm like a torrent, trampling fences and crushing crops. Tian Yu tried to stop them, but no one listened to her shouts. Ji Feng was about to draw his sword, but Tian Yu stopped him, telling him not to hurt anyone. Tian Yu ran to the front of the crowd and shouted, "Stop! Stop!"
Before Tian Yu could even speak, the crowd surged forward. Seeing so many refugees up close, their hungry eyes terrifyingly empty, Tian Yu froze. She had never seen anything like it before. In her daze, she was knocked to the ground by the crowd, her hand being stepped on. She struggled to get up, but there were too many people. They trampled over her, and the scene became chaotic. Green Willow and Autumn Chrysanthemum were also separated by the crowd, shouting "Madam!" Tian Yu felt a heavy stomp on her back and lay on the ground for a long time, unable to get up.
The refugees swarmed in and looted everything from Tian Yu's thatched hut. Luckily, the rice seeds weren't there, only some of their usual food supplies. As Tian Yu painfully tried to get up, someone protected her from behind. Surprised, she looked up and saw Zhao Moyan. Their eyes met, and Tian Yu was momentarily stunned, her eyes reddening. Zhao Moyan looked at her expressionlessly. Sensing the coldness in his eyes, Tian Yu suppressed her emotions and smiled at him, saying, "Thank you, Lord Marquis!"
By this time, the soldiers had taken control of the refugees. Zhao Moyan picked up Tian Yu without saying a word, and Tian Yu whispered, "I can walk by myself."
Zhao Moyan ignored Tian Yu's words completely, carried her into the thatched hut, and placed her on a stool. Before Tian Yu could even sit down properly, she stood up again and asked nervously, "Where's my brother!?"
“Madam and Uncle are alright!” Qiuju said, then looked at Zhao Moyan and realized she might have said something wrong, so she changed her words and said, “I meant Doctor Li is alright.”
Zhao Moyan coldly watched everyone. The soldiers told the refugees to put their things down, but some of them, having grabbed some snacks, refused to let go, stuffing them into their mouths. Tian Yu shook her head and said, "Forget it! Let them eat!" Only then did the soldiers drive them all away. Watching this group of pitiful people being driven away by the soldiers, Tian Yu's heart softened, and she asked, "Where will they be taken?"
"Madam! Hmm!? Mr. Tian has set up a special refugee resettlement center in the city." The leading soldier had just called out "Madam" when he looked at Zhao Moyan, then changed his address.
"That's good!"
"Tian Yu, are you alright?" Li Xingyun asked as he opened the door.
"Brother! I'm fine, are you hurt?"
“I’m fine. Xiao Wu and the others closed the door; they didn’t break in,” Li Xingyun said.
Tian Yu then realized that it was the patients from Qian Village who had risked their lives to protect Li Xingyun, and she was very grateful.
"My lord, thank you for saving us. Otherwise, Tian Yu and I would have been in trouble today," Li Xingyun said to Zhao Moyan.
Standing to the side, Zhao Moyan remained silent, looking elsewhere as he listened to their conversation. He felt a deep unease, thinking that he couldn't even protect himself, yet they cared so much about others. When would they ever care about him? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, but his expression grew colder. When Li Xingyun asked him a question, he coldly replied, "It's my duty. I just happened to run into them. No need to be polite!"
"There are a few injured people outside, brother, go and check on them quickly," Tian Yu said, seeing the elderly man who had been knocked down in the chaos outside.
"You should worry about yourself first!" Zhao Moyan suddenly grabbed Tian Yu's swollen hand and said angrily.
Despite the pain, Tian Yu smiled and said, not understanding why he was suddenly so angry, "I can handle this little injury myself."
The refugees outside quieted down under the soldiers' suppression. They retreated to the outside of the courtyard and refused to leave, no matter how the soldiers shouted at them. Tian Yu asked Qiu Ju to help her stand up, but Zhao Moyan reached out to stop her. Tian Yu smiled and said, "I'm fine. I'll just stand in front of the door and take a look."
After Tian Yu finished speaking, she gently grasped the arm that was blocking her way. Zhao Moyan looked at Tian Yu, remained silent for a while, and finally let go of the arm and followed Tian Yu to the courtyard gate.
When the refugees outside saw Tian Yu come out, they all knelt down and begged, "Please, Madam, give us some food."
Looking at the refugees, their clothes tattered, most barefoot, some so small and emaciated they were unrecognizable, Tian Yu couldn't help but tear up. She had never seen such a scene before, only on television. She had no idea someone could starve to such an extent. Though she was an orphan, at least she had food to eat. Seeing the children, about the size of dumplings, so thin and pale, their large eyes fixed on her, Tian Yu couldn't help but turn away, not wanting anyone to see her pathetic tears—it was too shameful! But when she turned back, she was met with Zhao Moyan. Seeing the tears in her eyes as she turned away, Zhao Moyan was momentarily at a loss. He resisted the urge to reach out, thinking, "She's still so compassionate, yet why is she so cruel to me?" Tian Yu smiled at him, quickly wiping away her tears, composing herself before turning back, crouching down, and beckoning the three children in front of her to come over. The soldiers stopped them, but Zhao Moyan nodded before letting them pass. Tian Yu asked, "How old are you?"
"I'm six years old, and this is my little brother who's four," the little girl said, holding her brother's hand.
“I’m eight years old this year,” said the older boy.
Where are your parents?
"She...they...they're all gone." The little girl cried as she spoke, and her four-year-old brother cried along with his sister.
“My parents are gone too,” the older boy said sadly.
"Sweetie! Don't cry, Auntie will give you candy, okay?" Tian Yu looked at the little girl and remembered that Xiao Tian had also fled like this before, and only settled down after meeting Zhao Moyan.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
