At the beginning of the famine, I became famous all over the world with my useless system

They both turned around and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a girl in tattered clothes and disheveled hair running towards them from afar, staggering and crying pitifully.

Behind her was a group of beggars holding various weapons, chasing and cursing.

"Little hoof, if you don't have money to eat, sell yourself!"

"You're courting death by trying to steal our food!"

"..."

Gu Sihe, who was standing in front of the fruit stall, suddenly called out, "Sister Zhao'er, here, here!"

Lin Qing narrowed his eyes and looked carefully, and it turned out to be a trick!

Without caring about the stunned Zhang Maoen, he ran over like a gust of wind and put his hands to protect her behind him.

Zhao'er was sobbing and shaking all over. Seeing Lin Qing grabbing the corner of her clothes like a lifeline, she choked out, "Husband, Madam, help me!"

Lin Qing saw Zhao'er crying breathlessly, with her clothes torn and her whole body shaking, and thought that she had been bullied in some way. She was so angry that she almost wanted to eat someone.

The beggar leader raised his arm, and the people behind him stopped instantly, staring at Lin Qing fiercely.

As the two sides confronted each other, the impulse in Lin Qing's heart gradually dissipated, but the fear became more real, and he felt a little scared.

She knew that the more destitute a person was, the stronger their fighting spirit would be. How could she escape unscathed?

Zhang Maoen, who was left behind, was deeply touched when he saw the lady rushing forward to rescue people without hesitation.

He was not a cold-blooded, indifferent bystander. Moreover, after a brief conversation with his wife, he felt that he had benefited a lot and really wanted to chat with her for a while longer, so he naturally wanted to help her.

I am just a weak scholar, how can I help my wife...

Turning around, he happened to see the officials chatting at the city gate. He instantly had an idea, put away his folding fan and trotted towards the city gate.

Lin Qing, who was in danger, thought quickly and found a way to escape.

He patted Zhao'er's hand gently and whispered, "Don't be afraid, Zhao'er. Do you know where the county government office or Songyang Academy is?"

Zhao'er had calmed down considerably since he saw Lin Qing, and his heartbeat, which had been beating like a drum, gradually returned to a steady state. When he heard her question, he sniffed and nodded, "I know."

Lin Qing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, then when I count to three, two, one, you grab me and run. It doesn't matter where you go to these two. Even if they catch up to us, they won't dare to attack us there."

Zhao'er was so excited that she almost cried.

She knew that running to the fruit stall was the right choice. As long as she saw the lady, she would be saved!

Sure enough!

When Lin Qing counted to two, he suddenly heard a commotion at the city gate again.

The two officers drew their swords and shouted fiercely:

"What?! These blind, lowly creatures actually dared to offend Master Zhang!"

"You guys, right? Stand still and follow me back to see County Magistrate He. Don't even think about running away without getting fifty lashes today!"

This group of beggars were very good at escaping at the first sign of trouble. With a wave of their leader's hand, they scattered like birds and beasts in an instant, disappearing without a trace.

The breath Lin Qing had held suddenly dissipated, and it took a moment for him to find his voice again.

Just when I was about to comfort Zhao'er, I heard her scream and burst into tears.

Lin Qing held her in his arms, letting her cry and patting her back to comfort her. "It's okay, Zhao'er, it's okay, we're saved!"

Looking up at Zhang Maoen slowly walking towards the city gate, Lin Qing knew that he had helped her and reminded her, "Zhao'er, please calm down quickly. We have to thank the officials and Mr. Zhang for their righteous actions."

Zhao'er raised his head somewhat embarrassedly, wiped his face and straightened his hair, followed Lin Qing, and hurriedly bowed to several people to express his gratitude.

The two officers didn't even hear their thanks; they were filled with excitement that they could actually help the young master of the provincial government.

I wanted to strike up a conversation, no matter if I could get in touch with him or not, at least it would be good to get to know him. But seeing that Mr. Zhang looked indifferent, I could only find an excuse to slip away.

At this time, Gu Ermiao and Gu Sihe also walked up to Lin Qing, their faces full of grievance.

Seeing that the clothes of the two were torn, Lin Qing naturally knew that the two children must have wanted to come over just now, but were held down by Boss Tu, so they did this while struggling.

He comforted the two with his eyes and told them to talk about it later, and then once again solemnly thanked Zhang Maoen for his help.

No matter what his opinion of him was just now, after this incident, Lin Qing could see that he was a good kid with a kind nature.

"Luckily, Master Zhang came to our rescue today. If I had followed my original plan, we would have had to put in a lot of effort. Your method is truly much more effective and labor-saving than mine."

When Zhang Maoen heard that Lin Qing had come up with a solution in a moment, he couldn't help but ask her curiously about her original plan, and then he couldn't help laughing.

"Madam, you're truly amazing for coming up with such a method in such a desperate situation. Indeed, these two places are the town's safe havens. The county magistrate has issued a strict ban, not only for beggars, but even small vendors are forbidden from operating nearby."

Then he turned to look at Zhao'er and asked in confusion:

"I know the beggars in Anping Town are scoundrels and violent, but they've never been so ruthless towards a girl. I wonder how you've offended them?"

Zhao'er was also puzzled and stammered for a long time before he spoke.

"After I said goodbye to my wife, I wanted to see where I could find a job, but I asked many shops, and they all said they were not hiring.

"I was feeling a bit hungry when I walked near the City God Temple. I saw someone giving out porridge, so I went in and asked for a bowl. I wanted to take it out and find a place to slowly drink it, but I didn't expect..."

Zhao'er wiped her tears and continued, "I didn't expect that as soon as I walked out of the City God Temple, I was squeezed by beggars sitting on the roadside. They couldn't get into the porridge stall, so when they saw someone coming out, they came up and grabbed the food..."

Zhang Maoen had been in the ivory tower-like academy for a long time and had very little contact with children from poor families, so he was very puzzled by Zhao'er's words.

Isn’t the soup kitchen set up for beggars? Why not let them in?

It was unbelievable that they would fight for food and chase each other for such a long distance.

Lin listened to Zhao'er's words and frowned slightly.

"I'm afraid the reason isn't that simple. You must have violated their taboo. But no matter what the reason is, you can't stay in this town."

Zhao'er nodded silently, tears streaming down her face.

Yes, she had thought that at worst she could become a beggar and live on the streets, but somehow she had offended them terribly, and she absolutely could not stay there any longer.

If the Madam and Master Zhang had not rescued her today, she might have been beaten to death by them.

If she couldn't stay in town, where could she go...

Zhao'er suddenly felt that his future was bleak, and he even had a vague sense of regret.

If I had known this would happen, I would have followed my father to the Jia Mansion.

But this thought only lasted for a moment before she pushed it out of her mind.

She had suffered for so many years, why did she end up dying in misery in the Jia Mansion?!

Lin Qing's next words were like a sharp knife that cut through the tangled mess in her mind, leaving her stunned on the spot, forgetting even to cry.

"So, Zhao'er, do you want to go home with me?"