Chapter 239: Heartfelt Wishes Are Granted (Part One)
ong"Xu Huaiyi's voice trembled, "Daughter-in-law, in the car, that Brussels sprouts, it, it has grown up, it's doing very well…"Gu Huanxi realized what he meant and quickly pulled him into the RV. Upo...Everyone thinks about it, hey, isn't that quite reasonable The Buddha is a god from the heavens, how noble! How could he be summoned and dismissed at will
To see a Buddha's face, one must endure countless difficulties and wait for an immeasurable amount of time. This is befitting the status of the Buddha.
Everyone was convinced by Xu Huaiyi's sophistry and then curiously inquired, "I wonder if the Buddha will be free tonight and come"
Xu Huaiyi spread his hands, "Then I don't know, let's see tonight."
What do you think Master Huixian is at Baoling Temple.
"That's right, if we go, once the city gates close at night, there's no coming back."
"And since all the refugees are gathering at the foot of the mountain, with so many people there, it's not safe either."
"That's right, who knows if those refugees might loot things I heard they're so hungry that they've lost their humanity. If we go, wouldn't we just be walking targets"
Everyone was talking excitedly, one after another, because the plight of the disaster victims gave them a secret sense of superiority.
It is said that there are hundreds of thousands of refugees at the city gate. Every day, people starve to death. They don't even have a bed or mat, they are just dragged to the mass grave and thrown away.
It wasn't just starvation; people were also beaten to death. The blood at the city gate had dyed the ground red, and it took the magistrate's officers half a day of washing with water to barely get rid of the stench.
"That's really scary..."
"Is this scary The scariest part is yet to come. They say on the road of fleeing famine, you could see corpses every few steps. It's not far from fields littered with the dead and rampant bandits."
"The most terrifying thing is that there are already people so desperate for food that they resort to cannibalism, eating their own children. This isn't just a made-up story."
"Oh, how pitiful..."
Xu Huaiyi listened with a blank expression.
Zhao Sanyou spat angrily, "He just talks nonsense and knows nothing. What good is this talk If you really care about the victims, bring some grain and cook a few bowls of porridge at the city gate to show your kindness. That's better than pretending to be righteous here."
Li Yunting suddenly asked, "Why didn't your family go to distribute porridge"
Zhao Sanshou mocked himself, "My father said that we can't stick our necks out. Our family is at most a small landowner with only a few measly coins. Compared to the Su family, we wouldn't even be qualified to tie their shoes, let alone those wealthy families. They remain indifferent, so what would it matter if our family comes forward"
Wang Qiusheng followed with a wry smile, "San You is right. With our status, it's fine to follow others, but if we were to lead the way, where would we get the qualifications and ability"
Li Yun Ting didn't say anything more.
Meng Ping cautiously asked, "Huai Yi, is the current situation really as serious as those people say Are there corpses everywhere, bandits running rampant, and people resorting to cannibalism"
Everyone else looked at Xu Huaiyi.
Xu Huaiyi swallowed the food in his mouth and said faintly, "It might be even worse."
"What"
"When people are starving to death, diseases run rampant. Bandits roam free, leading to uprisings and chaos. It’s even come to the point where parents have resorted to cannibalism… Losing one’s humanity means they become devils with no bottom line. Who knows what kind of terrible things these devils might do Don’t think they are far away from us because this affects everyone. No one can escape the consequences."
Meng Ping instantly turned pale. "My home is in the village, and most villagers are unarmed. If these refugees storm in, the consequences..."
Unthinkable.
Xu Huaiyi said, "Our village has organized a patrol team, with people on duty day and night. We have also set up barriers at the entrance to the village to prevent anyone from breaking in and causing trouble."
When he heard this, Meng Ping couldn't sit still.
Zhao San's eyes lit up. "Your village is quite discerning, knowing the importance of unity and mutual aid. That's good. With a patrol team, you can at least hold things back."
Xu Huaiyi laughed, "This was all driven by necessity. During the escape from famine, we had to do this or else we wouldn't dare sleep at night. At first, the villagers were honest and even with a knife in hand, they didn't dare draw blood. But later, with bandits and wolves lurking everywhere, if we hadn't been ruthless, we would have died long ago."
Zhao SanYOU sighed, "That's why they say fleeing famine is a perilous journey, it's indeed not easy. You guys are truly blessed, all of you made it through safe and sound."
Xu Huaiyi casually said, "We left early."
Li Yunting turned his head and glanced at him. While it's true that he left early, that wasn't the main reason. The most important factor was that Xu Jiacun had Xu Huaiyi there.
Meng Ping asked anxiously, "Is there any other way"
Xu Huaiyi shook his head, "Unless the imperial court steps in to provide relief."
Zhao San whispered, "Don't even think about it. It is said that the treasury is empty, and there isn't even enough to raise grain for the northwest. Those officials are always crying poor in court, and some even say that the drought was a punishment from heaven, urging the emperor to issue an imperial edict of self-reproach. The emperor was so angry that he dismissed court."
Xu Huaiyi curiously asked, "Which adult is so powerful"
Zhao Sanshou gave him a meaningful smile. “Left Division Minister of Imperial Censorship, Zeng DaRen, you have some connection with him.”
What does that have to do with me
"Mr. Zeng was the father-in-law of Sun Yu's master, do you think there is a connection"
..."
Well, this relationship is quite complicated. And to be honest, they're pretty close. In the future, he'll have to call Ms. Zeng's daughter his mistress and treat her like his own mother, showing filial piety. He'll also have to treat Mr. Zeng as an elder and respect him deeply.
Okay, taking on a master means gaining a whole bunch of relatives.
Zhao Sanyou said again, "That's why everyone envies you. You are a truly worthy master. By taking on a master, you instantly gain connections with most of the court officials."
Xu Huaiyi chuckled, "Why don't you say you should take on a master and gain even more responsibilities"
Zhao San was not stupid, he quickly reacted, "That's right, in this world, there is no such thing as getting all the benefits without paying any price. There are advantages and disadvantages to everything."
Meng Ping didn't want to hear this. He steered the conversation back, "If the court can't provide relief, what about others Isn't there a way to get those wealthy families involved"
Wang Qiusheng sighed, "It's hard!"
In a wealthy household, no one is foolish. Right now, the court is practically empty; if they were all to become excessively rich and powerful, wouldn't that be poking the emperor in the eye
Even if you have food, pretend to be poor.
Li Yun Ting suddenly said, “It’s good to have someone leading the way.”
Zhao San said, "Why isn't the Su family taking the lead As the richest merchant in the imperial court, the Su family certainly doesn't lack food or silver. If they stood up now, after the famine passed, wouldn't everyone remember their kindness The Su family's reputation would surely reach new heights. This would be a great benefit to the second prince. Why are they just sitting still..."
Wang Qiu Sheng pondered, "Could it be waiting for the opportune moment"
Zhao San'you snorted, "What better time could there be Do you think the situation isn't bad enough now If we wait any longer, everyone will be dead, who will there be to aid"
The atmosphere became thick with tension.
A moment later, Wang Qiusheng wryly smiled and said, "Forget it, these matters are none of our concern. We should just focus on training hard for the monthly exam."
Xu Huaiyi nodded, "Wang Ge is right, but tonight, I have to take a leave."
What are you on leave for
"Go to Bao Ling Temple and listen to the master chanting scriptures, sincerity is key, what if there are miracles again", probably out of fear of Master Sun.""Is the Sun family so high in status""Well, that's not entirely true. Powerful families like theirs are vast and intricate, with numerous branches. Those aristocr...