Adoption brings disaster

As the saying goes, while the rich feast on the streets, there are people freezing to death. In this extravagant and glamorous capital, the rich and powerful have endless amounts of chicken, duck, fish and meat to eat and enjoy endless wealth and splendor.

Their eyes and hearts have been blinded by fame, wealth and power, and they don't care how the skinny and half-naked refugees are doing.

For example, the day after I agreed to Liu Shui, a porridge stall near the city gate was demolished. These wealthy and powerful people who were obsessed with money and luxury were unwilling to give even the thin porridge that kept them alive to the refugees.

But when you think there is no way out, you will find another village. Although the place where porridge was originally distributed was demolished, a small hill made of steamed buns appeared in its original place the next day.

The small hill of steamed buns would be fine if it were just there. The aroma of steamed buns was still rising from behind the hill. On each side of the hill there was a person sitting at a table writing something. From a distance, I saw what they were writing and it seemed like they were recruiting workers.

Nowadays, both the dignitaries and the common people in the capital city avoid these refugees as much as possible, and no one would hire them to work.

This recruitment scene was naturally extremely tense under the current circumstances, and soon spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital. However, the dignitaries did not care about this trivial matter. After all, they were not using their own steamed buns or spending their own money.

If there is trouble in the future, this matter can be treated as a joke, and the people behind it can use it as a topic of conversation. Why not do it?

The nobles don't care, but the refugees do.

These refugees have been living on only porridge for more than a month, and there is no oil or water left in their stomachs.

Seeing the snow-white steamed buns, everyone naturally stared at them with their eyes wide open, sniffed the fragrance of the steamed buns with their noses, and gurgled their saliva, as if thousands of stones were falling into the water at the same time.

It is said that these refugees are now so greedy that their saliva is almost dripping into a river, but they dare not take it and can only watch from afar.

It’s not that they all have the noble character of not drinking from stolen springs, but because in front of the Mantou Hill, there are more than a dozen big men holding steel knives, scanning everyone with sharp eyes, as if anyone who dares to move will be sent to see the King of Hell immediately.

Even though these refugees couldn't eat the steamed buns, they were unwilling to leave. It was good to be able to smell the fragrance. The group of refugees slowly moved towards the steamed bun hill, and soon a lot of people gathered in front of the steamed bun hill.

The refugees kept pushing forward, and they didn't notice that the group of big men were just holding steel knives and staring at everyone with sharp eyes, and did not stop their pushing and shoving behavior.

When the refugees were not far from the steamed bun hill, a man came out from behind the hill, picked up a cold steamed bun, and said to the crowd, "This steamed bun is only delicious when it's hot. It's cold and no longer tasty. Whoever wants this bun, I'll give it to him."

Who among these refugees didn't want to eat steamed buns? After hearing this, they swallowed even louder, but they still didn't dare to say anything. They just stared at the steamed buns. Only one child raised his hand and was about to walk out to take the steamed bun.

When his mother saw this, she screamed in fear and immediately pulled the child back, fearing that her child would be dismembered on the spot by these men because of his greed.

"I want to eat steamed buns, I want to eat steamed buns, I'm hungry, I'm hungry." The child cried and wanted to run to get the steamed buns. The mother didn't know whether she had no strength left or was attracted by the aroma of the steamed buns, and she actually let go of the child and let the child run out.

The child now only had steamed buns in his eyes. He ran with all his might until he reached the steamed bun hill. The big men did not do anything to the child, but continued to look at everyone with sharp eyes.

When the leader saw the child approaching, he casually gave the steamed bun in his hand to the child, and asked for a bowl of porridge that was almost as clear as water from the side, saying: "You have to eat the steamed bun with the porridge so that you won't choke."

As the child devoured the whole steamed bun like a starving ghost, the refugees were about to go crazy. The man saw that it was almost over and said, "My employer is hiring two thousand workers. Regardless of whether you are hired or not, everyone can get a steamed bun."

The thought of eating steamed buns occupied the refugees' minds. They all shouted "I, I, I" madly and could not say another word.

Just as the refugees were clamoring and shouting "me, me, me", the big man pulled out a steel knife and swung it forward. The refugees who were originally trying to push forward were frightened and retreated back one by one.

Many people were trampled, and the cries and curses resounded throughout the city gate, attracting those refugees who had not gathered together.

The leader saw everyone retreat and vacated the middle seat, saying, "Everyone, please be patient and line up slowly. Those with skills line up on the right, and those without skills line up on the left. Line up neatly and don't cut in line. If you do, our boss won't accept you, no matter what your conditions are."

The world is bustling with people seeking profit, and the world is bustling with people seeking profit. The reason why things cannot be done well is mostly because there is not enough profit.

Just like now, if it were under normal circumstances, getting these refugees to line up would be harder than climbing to the sky, but now it only took a cup of tea for two straight lines to be formed.

Seeing that everyone had lined up, two big men came out from behind the mountain of steamed buns, carrying steamed buns and distributing them to the people in the queue. Now everyone lined up better. Even after a big man angrily yelled at someone for being too noisy, the queue immediately became quiet.

Seeing that the team was lined up and very quiet, the leader nodded with satisfaction and signaled the clerks on both sides to start recruiting workers.

The clerk asked, "Have you ever read a book?"

The refugee replied timidly, "I've read a little and can recognize a few words."

The clerk asked again, "Do you have any relatives?"

The refugee answered in a daze: "No, they all died on the road." After saying that, his eyes became a little clearer and turbid tears flowed down.

Seeing this, the clerk handed over a handkerchief. After the refugee wiped his tears, he asked, "Have you ever been involved in a lawsuit?"

"No, my ancestors for three generations have all been scholars and would never do anything illegal or disorderly."

………………

After the clerk finished asking questions, he gave the refugee a sign and asked him to line up over there with the sign, and then started asking the next person.

"Have you read a book?"

"No, no."

"Do you have any relatives?"

"No." The dull man said this guiltily, but when he saw that the clerk didn't notice, he felt relieved.

After a while, the dull man suddenly burst into tears and said, "Yes, my wife and son are about to starve to death."

The clerk waited until he finished crying, then asked, "Have you ever been involved in a lawsuit?"

"No." The man cried even harder after answering. "On the way to escape the famine, my little daughter wanted to eat some fruit, so I stole a few, but I didn't get into trouble."

After asking, the clerk handed the man a sign and two freshly steamed meat buns, saying, "This is for you. Give it to your wife and children. After you eat, gather over there quickly. All of you, the whole family, should come."

After hearing this, the man was stunned for a moment, then he knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, living Bodhisattva, thank you, living Bodhisattva."

………………

The recruitment process on both sides was proceeding in an orderly manner. These refugees gradually discovered that if someone brought a wife and children with them, they would be accepted even if they were not very good. If someone was found to be lying, no matter how capable they were, they would not be hired.

Some people understood this rule and quietly slipped out of the team. When they came back, they either brought a pale and skinny woman or a stunted child.

These people kept introducing their wives and sons to the people around them.

But looking at their distant appearance, they don't look like a family at all. But what is strange is that the recruitment officer who used to be very observant now seems to have noticed nothing. Anyone who brought his wife and children was given a badge, regardless of whether they were really a family or not.

Seeing this, those who were originally afraid of being discovered also hurriedly went to look for their so-called wives and children. After all, not many women and children could survive the famine years of that era.

The recruitment work here was proceeding in an orderly manner, but three people standing on the city wall over there were staring at this side.

"Guang'er De'er, you have been watching for so long, do you have anything to say?" asked the man in the middle.

The taller man on the right had a burning look in his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I feel that although this method can solve the urgent problem temporarily, it is definitely not a long-term solution."

"Oh?" The man in the middle smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to leave home. When the disaster situation gets better, these people will eventually go back. This boss is just trying to get something for nothing."

After saying this, he pointed to the mountain of steamed buns and the flour shipped in from afar and said, "Prices are extremely high right now. Just the steamed buns that were distributed in half a day alone must have cost at least several hundred taels. How much work must these people do to earn back these several hundred taels for the boss?"

"It all comes down to money," sighed an old man at the back.

"That's not all. I just did a rough calculation. In just a short while, he's hired several hundred people. Add in the children who can't work and the women with poor working abilities, and the number of workers is approaching a thousand. Food and lodging for these people are huge expenses. I calculated that just these thousand people, based on the current grain price, would cost two thousand taels a month."

"De'er is right. What do you think, Guang'er?" the man in the middle said to the man on the left.

"My royal brother's arithmetic is among the best in the court, so he will certainly not make a mistake. But there is one point that I cannot agree with." The man on the left said with a smile.

"Oh? Where?" the man on the right asked humbly.

Judging from the way they talk, they really seem to be a happy family with brothers who are friendly and respectful to each other.

"My Royal Brother is talking about the current price of grain, but we don't have to buy this grain now. If we bought it half a year ago, we could have bought it for only 30% at most."

The man on the right nodded after hearing this and said, "Chongguang is right, but if we sell this grain now, the money we get back will be real money."

"Not every Beishang citizen wants to profit from this national disaster. We also have people in Beishang who plan ahead and serve the country and its people," said the man on the left. "Take Liushui Qing for example. He's been frugal for so many years, saving what little money he had, and he's used it all for disaster relief. If it weren't for his special status as a Qing, I'd ask my father to confer him an official title on him."

The people in front of him were none other than the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Seventh Prince. They had quarreled in the court all day yesterday, and the two princes had found excuses to avoid the court. The Emperor was so angry that he couldn't sleep all night, and he dragged the two of them out early in the morning, only to see this scene.

After hearing what Chongguang Zhongde said, the emperor looked at a eunuch next to him and asked, "Old man, what do you think?"

The eunuch behind the emperor listened and said cheerfully, "I am not as smart and knowledgeable as your two highnesses. I don't know about the state affairs, but I have seen this."

The eunuch pointed to several places in a row, all referring to the children.

The old eunuch pointed and said, "I don't know about the other servants, but just by looking at these children, I can tell that this owner must be a very kind person, otherwise he wouldn't have specially recruited people to take care of children."

The emperor nodded and said, "These children are so skinny that I'm afraid they can't do anything. I can only waste money to raise them."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. It seems that this owner has no intention of recovering their investment. I believe that the recruitment is just an excuse to allow these refugees to accept relief with dignity. After all, there are still many scholars among them, and these scholars all believe in the principle that those who are honest will not accept charity."

"Governing a country with passion and dedication is useless; wisdom and strategy are still needed," the Crown Prince snorted. "When it comes to passion and dedication, no one can surpass Liu Shuiqing. Liu Shuiqing can do nothing but curse in Qianqiu Pavilion."

Chongguang naturally disagreed after hearing this. He sneered and said, "Do those people who profited from the national disaster have any use?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"What does His Royal Highness mean?"

The emperor was also very annoyed when he saw the two of them were about to quarrel again. He scolded: "Okay, stop arguing. I don't know what there is to argue about. This kind of people are naturally good, but what the prince said is also right. You can't govern the country with passion. You still need to plan before you act."

Seeing that the emperor had made his decision, Chongguang and Chongde could say nothing more and could only say in unison, "Father is right."

"Old man, go check who did this. People like this who are willing to contribute to the country and the welfare of the people should be given important positions," His Majesty said. "You can handle the rest of the matter."

The eunuch behind him responded, and immediately a man left quietly in the shadows.

This group of refugees was also lucky. This incident happened to be seen by the emperor, and the emperor did some things, which made my plan move forward quickly. It's a pity that I didn't know about this, otherwise the subsequent arrangements would have to be changed.

The emperor was in a very good mood. What he saw today was the happiest thing he had seen in the past few months. After returning to the palace, the emperor happily ate an extra bowl of rice.

Seeing that the emperor was so happy, all the ministers tried their best to find out more. Later, everyone learned about what happened today, and began to plan whether they should follow suit and get the emperor's attention. But I didn't know any of this and was still planning things for the next day.

Predict what will happen in the future, and listen to the next decomposition.