Chapter 310 – Three Years in Langya (10)
The raucous sounds outside distracted Han Yu from his studies, while Lü Zheng, on the other hand, was blissfully devouring food.
Noticing Han Yu’s furrowed brow, Lü Zheng’s eyes flickered, and he casually interrupted Han Yu’s thoughts with a question.
“Where’s Zixiao? Haven’t seen him around since early morning, not even for morning reading…”
Han Yu snapped back to reality and retorted, “Didn’t you see him either?”
Lü Zheng finished off a plate of white cakes before slurping down a big bowl of hot tea, effectively evaporating away the chill in his bones.
“Haven’t seen him… This plate of white cakes is supposed to be his breakfast. If he doesn’t eat it while it’s warm, it’ll go to waste, so I cooked it up for myself,” Lü Zheng patted his chest, satisfied with himself, and gulped another bowl of hot tea that warmed him up, almost lulling him to sleep.
Han Yu’s lips twitched, envisioning Wei Ci coming back to find that all the food had vanished.
But where was Wei Ci, the subject of their chatter?
Dressed in a simple scholar’s robe and a barely warm cloak, he had taken two servants and a cart to the disaster-stricken slums affected by the snowstorm.
Countless dilapidated shanties had collapsed, making the already treacherous roads nearly impassable. With no porridge kitchens nearby, many families were struggling to make ends meet, and frail old folks and children were left to starve or freeze to death in the bitter cold.
“Here comes Wei Young Master—”
As he reached the alley, a seven- or eight-year-old girl gleefully ran towards him.
Before long, around twenty weak old women and children came out holding bowls. Wei Ci instructed his servants to halt the cart and lifted the heavy blankets covering it, revealing four large barrels, from which sweet, warm steam wafted even with the lids on.
“Don’t worry, everyone gets a share.”
Though Wei Ci’s expression remained mild, his good looks were a sort of privilege; the common people were touched by his daily efforts to distribute food and had long since lowered their guard, feeling rather affectionate towards this Young Master who looked like a celestial being.
In no time, the three large barrels of buns were completely emptied, and the thick porridge barrel was scraped clean.
At that moment, Wei Ci noticed someone tugging at his clothing. Lowering his gaze, he saw the girl with a dirty face looking up at him with bright eyes full of admiration, and through those eyes, he seemed to see another child, making his heart soften.
He crouched down to meet her gaze and asked, “Have you completed the tasks I assigned you the other day?”
The girl nodded vigorously, a faint blush rising on her pale face as she happily replied, “Yes, everything’s done!”
The shanties had collapsed, likely burying many innocent people in their sleep. The obstructed roads had isolated the residents from the outside world.
Wei Ci had hired able-bodied young men from the shanties, providing them with three meals a day and extra wages to clear away rocks and snow from the roads. Without this, the cart behind him wouldn’t have been able to make it through, and more houses would have suffered under the pressure of the snow.
This girl had lost her mother in the disaster, and her father had broken his leg under the fallen beams, leaving him unable to work.
The loss of their only source of income made life painfully clear for the two of them.
Wei Ci smiled and gave her a task to keep track of those clearing the snow and rocks, promising daily wages and warm clothing.
The girl took her responsibility seriously and worked diligently.
“You did a great job,” he praised her.
The child beamed, revealing a toothless grin, but quickly clamped her mouth shut, feeling bashful about it.
Wei Ci had his servant tally up yesterday’s wages and asked them to unload a few bags of grain from the cart, leaving some for each household.
“In two days, I won’t be coming back. There’s still some food and silver left; you all keep it for use.”
Though Wei Ci’s family fortunes had declined, he was still better off than most. The Wei family had left him plenty of wealth before their move, enough to secure a lifetime of comfort, yet he hadn’t anticipated encountering such difficulties when following Mr. Yuanjing to the capital, so he hadn’t brought much.
“Thank you… thank you, Noble’s kindness…”
The crowd expressed their gratitude, with some elderly folks even attempting to kneel, all of which were stopped by Wei Ci.
As he left the slums, a heavy sigh of worry escaped him.
The strength of a single person is often woefully inadequate; even if he scattered all his wealth, what could he truly change?
Wei Ci’s inn was not close to the Second Prince’s residence, but he had to pass by to return.
The further he moved away from the slums, the more neatly and lavishly the houses appeared, the road beneath his feet transforming from muddy paths to neatly laid stone.
It was hard to imagine that such shanties and the opulent residences could exist in the same area.
Spotting a magnificent procession opening the way ahead, he signaled his servants to pull the cart aside, giving them room to pass.
“Young Master, that street ahead is the Second Prince’s residence. Should we take a detour?”
The servant nervously spoke up, pushing the cart.
Banquets stretched across the entire street, with common people not even allowed to approach, and their servants couldn’t enter either.
“Let’s take a detour; we wouldn’t want to disturb the nobles and cause unnecessary trouble.”
Wei Ci lowered his gaze, tightening his cloak around him, his brows furrowing with the lines of worry.
The Second Prince’s residence had once belonged to a high-ranking official in the capital, but after a fall from grace, it was confiscated. The Emperor had allocated this area to the Second Prince, who refurbished and expanded the estate, essentially encompassing the entire street, so taking a detour would cost them a good amount of time.
From afar, Wei Ci could see the corner gate of the Second Prince’s residence swing open, buckets of leftover food being carted off.
It took a long while before the buckets were finally moved, and the vermilion gate quietly shut.
From a distance, Wei Ci could hear the servants trucking the leftovers whispering to each other.
“Ugh, this isn’t leftover food; it’s practically buckets of silver… I noticed those vegetables were all neatly arranged—some barely touched, while others untouched—just thrown into the slop buckets like trash… Meanwhile, out here, who knows how many common folks are starving to death… Just tossing these leftovers to them would save so many lives…”
Another cook chimed in, “Don’t be reckless, what are you saying? If the nobles hear you, you could lose your job, or worse, your life! Who do those commoners think they are, eating what the nobles have had? They’re born with a silver spoon, while we’re nothing but mud-covered peasants…”
“You should take a look at yourself; you’re no better at keeping your mouth shut…”
The two cooks bickered for a bit before sighing and quietly driving away from the back door of the estate.
Wei Ci listened, feeling as though he had stepped into an ice cellar, cold shock shooting through to his brain.
Before his eyes, the mocking gaze of the world seemed to flash by, tightening his heart.
“Your Majesty… you were right…”
He murmured quietly, warmth washing over him as he nearly shed tears.
