"I never expected that not only would there be porridge to drink, but also a place to stay! The princess is truly a kind person!"
"The princess is a great philanthropist, a living bodhisattva!"
Some people took the lead in kneeling down and kowtowing, and many more followed suit.
The officers and soldiers quickly waved their hands: "Alright, alright, the princess isn't here, why are you bowing? If you want to bow, you can do it when you see her later."
The refugees agreed and stood up one after another. Except for Qin Datou and his few "confidants", they were all very happy.
Qin Datou and his group used to live here. Although it wasn't as warm as the greenhouse, they ate what others provided for them and never went hungry. Sometimes, the food was even quite good, better than porridge.
Since they can eat and drink for free without doing anything and even boss others around, why would they be willing to put in the effort to work in exchange for porridge?
In contrast, those who were used to being ordered around by them were genuinely happy, because they would no longer have to be used by them just to get a warmer place to live.
Everyone happily asked where the porridge distribution point was and prepared to leave, but before they could turn around, they were stopped by the soldiers, who pointed to the filth on the ground and said, "You clean this up for me! No one can have porridge if you don't clean it up! You make a mess of yourselves while you eat, drink, and relieve yourselves, do you expect others to wipe your butts for you?"
After saying this, he left two of his men to keep watch, and then left with the rest of the others.
The refugees dared not refuse and readily agreed, quickly burying the filth on the spot. Only after making sure it was clean did they go to the soup kitchen and line up to receive soup.
...
"Distribute porridge?"
Liancheng raised an eyebrow slightly, but because of the scars on his face and his hair, no one could see this subtle expression.
The servant nodded and said, "It's in the south of the city, not far from here, young master. Shall we go?"
Liancheng was silent for a moment before nodding: "Of course I'll go."
They are now refugees themselves, so it would be strange if they didn't go when they heard about the porridge distribution.
To avoid arousing suspicion, they went one after the other at different times.
Liancheng was deaf and mute, so it was impossible for him to know the news immediately. Therefore, he arrived late and missed the first porridge distribution. By then, it was just in time for the midday porridge.
The once orderly line was now somewhat disordered, with several refugees causing trouble at the front.
"Isn't it said that the elderly, women, children, the sick, and the disabled can all come and get porridge? Why can't I?"
The person speaking clutched their stomach as they spoke: "My stomach really hurts, it's been hurting for days, I don't have the strength to work at all, why won't you give me some porridge?"
"Yes, everyone says the princess has the heart of a bodhisattva, but I don't think so!"
The group of people were arguing and shouting, but the soldiers responsible for maintaining order seemed not to see them and ignored their nonsense.
Liancheng stood at the very end of the line with his head down, but he was actually listening intently to the sounds ahead. He frowned slightly and glanced ahead a little.
Behind the porridge stall was a screen, where Yao Youqing was sitting, presumably listening at that moment.
This won't do...
Liancheng thought to himself.
Distributing porridge is certainly a good thing, but it can be troublesome to encounter unreasonable people like this. If it's not dealt with promptly, everyone will follow suit, and things will get chaotic.
As he was thinking, he saw a carriage slowly approaching from a distance.
As the carriage approached, the person behind the screen emerged.
Yao Youqing walked to the front of the car and personally helped the people out of the car. She took one of their arms and walked back with him, while the other old man followed beside her, chatting and laughing with her.
The couple who came were Li Tai and his wife. After Yao Youqing led them to the porridge stall, she said to the group of people, "Lord Li and Madam Li are famous doctors in the city. They have served the Prince for many years. You can ask around on the street and you will find out."
"Since you say you are sick, let them check whether you are sick or not. If you are, you don't need to work and can directly get porridge. If you are not sick but are causing trouble here, then you will be punished by having to do two jobs for the first half month in exchange for a bowl of porridge, as a warning to others."
As soon as he finished speaking, the group of people were speechless, stammering and unable to utter a word.
Li Tai and Song Shi checked the pulses of the group. They were all eating the offerings from others and covered with blankets that were warmer than others', so they were naturally fine. Therefore, they were all punished by having to do some work before receiving porridge, otherwise they would not have any porridge to drink today.
After dismissing these people, Yao Youqing addressed the other refugees in line, saying, "To prevent such a thing from happening again, I will send a doctor here every day to provide consultations. Even if it's not Lord Li and Madam Li, it will definitely be a doctor with truly excellent medical skills."
"If anyone feels unwell, they can consult with them. They can also come and collect their porridge during their illness. I will cover the consultation fee and medicine cost. However, if anyone causes trouble without being sick, like those people just now, they will be punished. I hope everyone remembers this."
The displaced people in line were overjoyed to hear that there were doctors available for consultations and even free herbal medicine, praising the princess for her kindness.
Liancheng kept his head down, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.
He should have realized it sooner. This girl was able to escape from Zhao Wu on her own back then, so she wasn't a brainless person. How could she not handle a few hooligans?
He wrapped the blanket around himself even tighter, and only when he touched the rough, worn fabric did he realize that this was not the one she had given him yesterday.
He loosened his grip on the blanket and looked ahead, where he saw a familiar figure limping toward Li Tai and his wife.
That was his subordinate, the one who had been following him around recently.
Liancheng's heart tightened, worried that he might do something foolish without his permission, when he saw him sit down, stretch out his hand on the table, and say two words to Li Tai: "Stomach ache."
Liancheng: "..."
What a disgrace!
Chapter 93 Entering the Mansion
With the troublemakers gone, the displaced people lined up to receive their porridge one by one. After finishing their porridge, they went back to work, continuing to build the greenhouses that had already begun that morning. The elderly, women, and children who couldn't carry timber or nail wooden stakes helped by serving tea, water, and other items. Everything was orderly, and no further trouble arose.
The number of people in front of Liancheng dwindled, and soon it was his turn to get his porridge.
He didn't come in the morning, and his name wasn't on the register. The person in charge of registration asked, "What's your name?"
After asking but receiving no answer, the man subconsciously looked up and, upon closer inspection, discovered that the man's face was covered in horrifying scars. Startled, he flinched back, then realized his mistake, coughed lightly, sat up straight, and stopped staring at the man's face, asking again, "What's your name?"
But there was still no answer. The scarred man seemed not to hear, still holding up his hands to wait for the porridge, ignoring everything else.
“Sir, this man is deaf and mute. He can’t hear what you’re saying, and even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to answer.”
Someone who knew the "mute" explained from behind.
The clerk was taken aback, glancing at Liancheng and then at the register in his hand.
"How do I register?"
“We all call him Ah Chou. Sir, you can just use that name. These days, we're lucky to have a bowl of porridge. Why bother with all that?”
The clerk had no other choice, so after thinking for a moment, he put the name on the list. He then took a new number plate from the side and handed it to Liancheng, gesturing and explaining to him that he should bring the number plate to collect the porridge next time.
Yao Youqing was originally talking to Song Shi on the other side when the long-unmoved procession and the actions of the clerks caught her attention. She exclaimed "Ah!" after seeing Liancheng's profile.
"Isn't this the same person from yesterday?"
Following her gaze, Madam Song asked, "Ning'er, do you recognize him?"
"I wouldn't say I knew him, but I happened to see him yesterday when I was seeing the prince out of the city and gave him some food."
Then he said to Qiongyu, who was standing to the side, "Go and see what's going on?"
Qiongyu agreed and was about to go over when Yao Youqing stopped her again.
"By the way, where did the blanket I gave him yesterday go? Why hasn't he used it? He's wrapped himself in this tattered blanket again."
Qiongyu nodded and ran over, but soon came back with a slight frown. She said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this person is not only mute, but also deaf. That's why our people had to spend some time explaining to him that he should bring his number to collect the porridge next time."
"As for the blanket you gave him... I couldn't find out."
How can a deaf and mute person ask questions?
I gestured for ages, but the person seemed not to understand, holding the bowl motionless, making communication impossible.
Upon hearing this, Madam Song shook her head and sighed softly.
"There's no need to ask anymore. I think that blanket was probably stolen."
Qiongyu's eyes widened: "That was given to him by the Princess, how dare those people..."
"Why wouldn't you dare?"
Mother Zhou continued, "This person is deaf and mute, how could he possibly come to the Princess to complain?"
Qiongyu stomped her foot angrily and puffed out her cheeks.
Yao Youqing also frowned and said, "I was too inconsiderate. I should have realized that he couldn't keep those things given his circumstances."
"Then let's find the person who stole his things and punish them severely!"
Qiongyu Road.
Yao Youqing shook her head: "Many of these refugees were forced to come here because their families suddenly suffered disasters. Before today, they may have done some inappropriate things in order to survive. If it is something that has killed people, I will investigate. But to make such a fuss over a blanket, I'm afraid everyone will feel insecure."
“Now that they’ve finally settled down, it wouldn’t be good to cause trouble over something like this again. Besides… even if I stand up for him now, I can’t keep an eye on him all the time. If this makes others jealous of him, it will be even more disadvantageous for him.”
Qiongyu suddenly realized, and although she felt somewhat indignant, she still nodded.
“But I’m not entirely comfortable leaving him here like this,” Yao Youqing said. “Go and tell the manager here to keep an eye on him so that he doesn’t have too many inconveniences in his life because he’s deaf and mute.”
Qiongyu exclaimed "Eh!" and then turned and ran away, only returning after finishing the task.
Half an hour later, seeing that everything was going smoothly and there was nothing serious, Yao Youqing and Madam Song went to the Li residence, where they had dinner before returning home.
Li Tai spent half a day seeing patients at the soup kitchen, then the next day he was replaced by Song, and the day after that he was replaced by another doctor.
Some officials and wealthy merchants in the city had long wanted to befriend Yao Youqing, but had never had the opportunity. This time, seeing her personally distributing porridge, they all followed suit, contributing money and effort. The porridge stall did not cause Yao Youqing any trouble and was run better and better.
The doctors in the city all knew that she had said in front of everyone that she would invite truly skilled doctors to practice medicine. Anyone who could go at least proved that their medical skills were recognized by her and Li Tai.
Yao Youqing's approval and Song's approval meant nothing to them, but Li Tai's approval was the highest praise. So, any doctor who could walk and sit still was eager to help with the consultations, and they didn't even charge consultation fees.
In the end, Li Tai personally selected a few people to take turns seeing patients. Each person was not tired after a day, and they also gained a good reputation, so everyone was happy.
A few days later, the simple greenhouse was mostly completed. Although it still needed some improvements, it was already habitable.
The refugees happily moved in and settled down. The beggars on the streets and alleys of Cangcheng disappeared for a time, and the city seemed even more peaceful than before.
Yao Youqing would go to the area near the porridge stall every day to check on things, even if she didn't stay for long, just to show her face so that everyone would know she was still there and to reassure the people.
That day, she came here as usual. As she passed by the greenhouse, she inadvertently discovered that the refugee she had previously instructed the stewards to take good care of was not inside the greenhouse, but was curled up outside the greenhouse, sleeping wrapped in his tattered blanket.
Yao Youqing frowned, walked over, and had Qiongyu wake him up, asking, "Why don't you go inside and stay here?"
He pointed to the greenhouse and then to this spot.
Liancheng was dozing off when he suddenly sensed someone approaching. But to show that he was deaf and mute, he didn't make a sound until the person gently nudged him. Only then did he groggily open his eyes and sit up in fright.
Seeing that he was curled up in a ball and not speaking, Yao Youqing had someone call the steward over to ask him why.