After our homes were confiscated and we were exiled, the women in my clan and I raised a million sol

Zhang Liang shook his head gently, his eyes filled with helplessness and sympathy. He slowly placed his hand on the middle-aged man's shoulder, trying to pull him away, and then said, "Brother, let me give you some more money! I really can't keep your daughter!"

However, the man seemed to have made up his mind, and no matter what Zhang Liang said, he could not change his decision.

He shook his head again, his eyes gleaming with stubbornness, and he still insisted: "My lord! I don't want money, I only ask you to accept my daughter!"

Seeing this, Zhong Tian on the side couldn't help but sigh.

He stepped forward, his tone filled with confusion and consolation: "Brother, why do you insist on selling your daughter? Logically speaking, giving you some silver should be enough to support you for a while. Wouldn't it be better if you could find something to do during this time?"

"Are you really so cruel as to sell your own daughter?"

The man sighed, then raised his hand to wipe away his tears and said in a sobbing voice, "If it weren't for this world, I wouldn't sell my daughter!"

"Even if you give me money and food, it's useless. Ning Gucheng is almost eating his own children! If I sell my daughter to you now, at least she might have a chance to survive."

After hearing his words, Zhang Liang and the others widened their eyes in shock.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief and deep worry.

This news was so shocking that they found it difficult to accept it for a while.

"Exchange children for food..."

Zhong Tian muttered to himself, with a hint of trembling in his voice.

He knew what it meant—it was a desperate social phenomenon that could only occur in situations of extreme hunger and hardship.

He couldn't imagine that such a tragic situation had already occurred in the land where they lived.

Zhang Liang also felt a chill, and he realized that the seriousness of the problem far exceeded their expectations.

Originally thought to be just a plight of a few families, now it seems that the entire Ninggu City is in an unprecedented crisis.

Zhang Liang came to his senses, his heart filled with doubts and worries.

He took a deep breath and then asked, "Big Brother, what exactly happened in Ning Gucheng? Why did you say that cannibalism was about to occur?"

Hearing Zhang Liang's words, the man wiped away his tears again, his eyes revealing endless pain and despair.

He choked, his voice became hoarser, and he cried even louder.

He tried to calm himself and said slowly, "The imperial court's taxes are getting higher and higher. The grain we worked so hard to grow, after paying the taxes, is barely enough for us to live on."

"But even so, those plagued barbarians wouldn't let us go, and they would come and plunder our village from time to time. They took away all the little food we had left."

"I want to buy food, but even if we sell all the food, we still can't buy a single grain of rice! This is the best solution I can think of."

At this point, the man's emotions completely broke down, and tears rolled down like beads from a broken string.

When Zhong Shu heard the man's words, she was instantly filled with indignation and confusion. She immediately asked, "What about the government? Didn't they send anyone to suppress the bandits? Even if they didn't, they should at least open their granaries and release grain to help the victims!"

However, the man just shook his head helplessly, with anger and disappointment flashing in his eyes.

He said in a vicious tone, "Stop mentioning the government. None of those people are good people! They even talk about opening the granaries and releasing grain. It's a good thing they don't join those barbarians in robbing us."

Hearing his words, Zhang Liang frowned, his heart filled with doubts and worries.

He turned to look at Zhong Tian, ​​and the two looked at each other, and could see the same doubt and confusion in each other's eyes.

"Don't you plan to report this matter?"

Zhang Liang spoke again, "I remember the governor here was a good official! How could he just stand by and watch this happen?"

The man sneered, his laughter filled with endless irony and despair. Then he slowly said, "Oh, report it? Why haven't we tried it?"

"But before we even got far from Ninggu City, we were either beaten to a pulp or killed. Over time, everyone gave up."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang, Zhong Shu and others all gasped, with expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces.

They originally thought that the local government was just inactive and at most corrupt, but they didn't expect it to be so bad that they would directly use violence against the people who reported the incident and even take their lives to block the news.

"This...how is this possible..."

Zhao Ruoruo's voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were full of anger and grief.

Zhang Liang frowned, feeling mixed emotions.

He turned to look at the man kneeling on the ground, only to see that the man's eyes were full of pleading and despair, as if they were his last straw.

"Sir, please accept my daughter as your son because we are so pitiful!"

The man continued to plead, his voice choking with sobs.

Zhang Liang sighed, his eyes revealing a hint of determination and sympathy. He slowly said, "How about this! You and your daughter will stay with us for the time being, and we'll find a way to solve your problem later."

Hearing Zhang Liang's words, a hint of joy flashed across the man's face, and the despair in his eyes was instantly replaced by hope.

Originally, he just wanted to sell his daughter to a good family as a maid, so that at least she wouldn't starve to death. Unexpectedly, the master was not only willing to take his daughter in, but also wanted to take him with him, which meant that he would not have to be separated from his daughter.

Thinking of this, the man immediately said to Zhang Liang with gratitude, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! My daughter and I will work like slaves to repay your kindness."

After saying that, he pulled the girl next to him and signaled her to quickly express her gratitude to Zhang Liang and the others.

The girl named Xinxin glanced at Zhang Liang timidly, then mustered up her courage and said to him in a childish voice, "Thank you, sir! Xinxin, I will definitely work hard and will never be lazy."

When Qin Youlan and several other women saw Xia Xinxin's well-behaved and cute appearance, their hearts softened immediately.

Qin Youlan walked forward with a smile, rubbed her head, and asked gently, "Little sister, what's your name?"

Hearing this, Xia Xinxin raised her head, showed a sweet smile, and replied: "Beautiful sister, my name is Xia Xinxin, and my father is Xia Zhong."

Zhong Xueqing smiled and nodded after hearing the name, praisingly saying, "Oh, Xia Xinxin, what a nice name. You should stay with us from now on!"

Xia Xinxin nodded obediently.

Then Zhang Liang turned to Zeng Guodong and said, "Guodong, bring us some dry food and water! I think they've been hungry for a long time."

Zeng Guodong took action immediately after hearing this. He took out some dry food and a few bottles of water from the package and handed them to Xia Zhong and Xia Xinxin.

After the father and daughter took these things, they began to eat them voraciously. It was obvious that they had not had a decent meal for a long time.

Seeing this, the people around them looked at them silently, with mixed feelings in their hearts.

At this time, Huang Xu and his party finally arrived at Ninggu City after a long journey.

Outside the city, a team of officials had been waiting for a long time. They were dressed in court robes, and their expressions were solemn yet a little expectant.

When the carriage that Huang Xu was riding in slowly came into sight, the officials immediately became active and came forward to greet him.

The middle-aged official in the lead walked up to the carriage with a broad smile on his face, bowed and said, "Mr. Huang, you've come all this way and thank you for the hard work! We have already arranged accommodations for you. Please follow me."

Huang Xu lifted a corner of the curtain, glanced at the officials, then nodded and said lightly: "Lead the way."

After saying this, he signaled his entourage to follow the official.

However, as he followed the officials into the city, Huang Xu inadvertently glanced back at the closed city gates, thinking to himself, "Zhang Liang, oh Zhang Liang, when will you get here? I can't wait any longer!"