A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

The days passed one by one, and Gui'er still went to school with Song Xichen every day.

The more Gui'er came into contact with the world, the more she felt that she was quite lucky. Through newspapers, she learned that there were wars in many places outside. Some of the families sleeping on the streets were refugees fleeing the war, and some were farmers who were forced to wander because of natural disasters and reduced food production.

With so many people wandering the streets, many security incidents are inevitable. For example, a civilian family in the suburbs was robbed and the male owner was killed when he stood up to resist. The number of such incidents gradually increased, and Song Xichen became increasingly busy. After catching the murderer, he would report to the mayor for verification and then take him directly to the dock or Caishikou to be shot. Although this had a certain deterrent effect, it was only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.

As a local wealthy man, Master Song Shichang joined forces with other prominent families to open a porridge factory to provide porridge. Although the vagrants had no place to live, they could drink a mouthful or two of porridge every day, so they would not starve to death. Gradually, fewer people caused trouble.

That day, Gui'er returned to the Song Mansion after school. As soon as she entered the door, the doorman called her and said, "Miss Gui'er, here is a letter and a package for you."

Gui'er felt very strange because there was no one in this world who would write to her.

First, take a look at the big bag of things. It was packed in a sack with some dirt on it. It looked like agricultural products. When you opened the bag, you saw that it was sweet potatoes.

Guier quickly picked up the letter and saw that it was from Wu Dahua.

It read: "My sister Gui'er, to whom I asked the gentleman at the village entrance to write this letter. Last time, I took the dollar you gave me and bought 20 kilograms of millet on my way home. It was these 20 kilograms of millet that supported our family until the harvest. Father said that food should be taken care of first, so we planted sweet potatoes on our two mu of land. Now the harvest is good, and we don't have to go hungry anymore. My family is very grateful for the generosity of the Song family. I specially picked out a sack of good ones and asked someone to bring it to you. Please have the masters of the Song family taste it. If you are here in the future and have fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, I will definitely bring you some more. Sincerely, my foolish brother Dahua."

Gui'er was deeply moved. When they had nothing to eat or drink at home, they were able to sell their youngest daughter to a brothel. Now that they had food to eat, they knew how to repay their gratitude. The saying "When you have enough food and clothing, you will know honor and disgrace" may really be true.

But wealthy families like the Song family, who wear silk and satin and eat delicacies from land and sea, simply look down on these sweet potatoes. Gui'er racked her brains to think about how to process these sweet potatoes to maximize their use.

At this time, the master Song Shichang came back from outside, and the servants around him hurriedly saluted and some avoided him.

Gui'er suddenly had an idea. She walked forward, bowed, and called out, "Master."

Seeing that it was Gui'er, Song Shichang nodded and said casually, "Guier, is school over?"

Gui'er quickly said, "Yes."

Then he took out the letter from home and said to the master, "My family sent a letter saying that thanks to you, we have enough food at home and the sweet potatoes we planted have a good harvest. I am grateful for your kindness and sent a bag of sweet potatoes for you to try."

Song Shichang had almost walked over when he heard Gui'er say this. He turned back and said with a smile, "Is that so?"

Gui Er quickly handed the letter to Song Shichang. Song Shichang took a look at it and was very happy. He said, "Your family is very polite."

Gui Er said embarrassedly, "It's just that my family are all from the countryside and have never seen the world. I don't know that the master doesn't eat these."

At this time, Wu Ma appeared out of nowhere and said sarcastically, "You know that if you don't eat these things, the master and his wife won't eat them. Even we servants don't like to eat them."

The master smiled and said, "Although we don't eat these, it's rare that your family has such a thoughtful attitude."

Gui Er took the opportunity to say, "I heard that the master and his wife are opening a porridge factory to help the homeless refugees. These sweet potatoes I grow at home may not suit everyone's taste, but they are very filling. We can use them to make porridge for the disaster victims, which will also be a good deed."

The master nodded approvingly and said, "It's rare that you're so kind. Tell the kitchen to take it."

Guier happily called Aunt Zhang to ask someone to come and move the things to the kitchen.

As soon as the master left, Wu Ma said sarcastically, "I can't believe you're so fawning at your young age."

Gui Er angrily retorted, "Madam Wu, you call others flattering when they're grateful for their kindness, but you're not flattering at all. You've been in the Song Mansion for quite a while now, and you've received so much care from them. Why haven't you ever brought anything to the master?"

Wu Ma's face turned blue and red after being confronted, and she was speechless.

The next day was Sunday, a school holiday. Song Xichen woke Gui'er up early in the morning and said, "I heard your family brought some sweet potatoes over. Today they're making porridge to give out. Since you provided the ingredients, why don't you come along?"

Gui'er was quite happy to hear that, and went happily.

When they arrived at the porridge factory, they found it was just a temporary venue with a few tables with porridge and multi-grain cakes on them. People waiting for relief lined up in the front. Gui'er was standing there handing out cakes, while Dagang was handing out porridge next to her. The three Song wives were all there, and the wives of other wealthy families stood at the back, watching their servants work.

Guier discovered that there were actually two types of refugees. Those who were dressed relatively decently were those who had fled from war zones. Although their lives were difficult, at least the clothes on their bodies were good. Most of those who had fled from natural disaster zones were in rags. Guier saw a little girl who was a few years older than herself with a big hole in her pants, just a little above her knees.

I quickly whispered to her, "Sister, your pants are torn."

The girl showed embarrassment on her face, smiled bitterly and walked away. Dagang said to Guier, "Just distribute the things and don't ask too much about other things."

Gui'er was puzzled: "Her clothes are torn, and the local security is not good now. I'm worried that she might get into trouble."

Dagang said calmly, "With so many people around, can you take care of them all? And do you know why she didn't change her pants? Because these were her last pair of pants. She'd already eaten everything edible, even her clothes."

Gui'er was silent. For the first time, she was shocked and powerless.

After distributing the porridge, Gui'er took Song Xichen's car back to the Song Mansion. Only then did she realize that Taohua and the young lady had also come, but they had been standing in the corner. Seeing that she and Taohua had endless things to talk about, Song Xichen simply asked Song Tingting to take his car back.

After returning to the Song Mansion and getting off the car, the young master and the young lady went to the front hall to talk first.

Taohua said, "I really envy you. Your family members are all back now and can live their lives again. I wonder how my family is doing now."

Gui'er quickly comforted her and said, "Don't worry. How about I write a letter and ask my brother to come to your house to check on you?"

Taohua smiled bitterly and said, "Even if they find it, what can we do? We are tenants and don't have our own land. We can just find someone else to be our tenants. What's the difference? My house was already in ruins when I left. I don't think they will come back."