Xu Que saw the bitter expression on the servant's face, stepped forward and patted the other man's shoulder, then led the donkey and continued forward.
When they came to the river beach, the refugees saw Xu Que's team delivering food. Like hungry wolves seeing their prey, they rushed up to beg for food.
Hearing the commotion and begging around him, Xu Que immediately asked his servants to stop the refugees. He was not afraid that these people would snatch food, but that there would be a stampede.
"Fellow folks, please be quiet!" the servant from before shouted loudly.
As his voice fell, those who rushed up immediately stopped making any sound.
Xu Que looked at the skinny refugees and felt a little sour in his heart. The feeling was particularly uncomfortable.
"Today, our Xu Mansion will distribute relief food to everyone in advance. Please line up and wait for the food distribution."
Seeing the scattered crowd gradually forming a line, Xu Que was quite surprised. This was the first time he saw refugees lining up consciously.
The servant saw Xu Que's curiosity and quickly whispered: "This is what I taught these refugees before. If you don't line up, you won't be able to get food."
After hearing the explanation, Xu Que secretly praised his father.
As the grain was slowly distributed, Xu Que no longer cared about the affairs here. He left the grain distribution area and walked towards the dilapidated shanties.
Xu Que thought he had seen a lot, but when he saw it with his own eyes, he was shocked by the shabby scene.
When you look at it from a distance, you are touched by the environment here, but when you look at it up close, you realize the suffering of these people...
Just when Xu Que walked to a pit, a foul smell of decay came from the place.
Holding his mouth and nose, Xu Que looked in the direction of the rotten and smelly place. It didn't matter, it almost made him spit out the gall...
Xu Que bent over and made a sound of "vomiting"...
"Sir!" The servant who had been protecting Xu Que from a distance rushed over.
"I...it's okay!" Xu Que bent down and waved his hand. He couldn't believe that such a scene actually existed here.
"These people died after drinking 'Meng Po Porridge'." The servant said with a bitter look on his face.
"Meng Po porridge?" Xu Que looked at the servant curiously.
"Meng Po porridge is what the locals call it. After drinking Meng Po porridge, you will not be hungry again...it is actually a slow way to die." The servant explained.
"What's in this porridge?" Xu Que asked.
Xu Que felt that there must be something wrong here, especially the appearance of those people's deaths. It was not just a problem with their big bellies, but also a problem with the blisters on those people's skin.
"There are mostly purple scented seeds, and there are also sedge grass around them. As long as they can eat it, they will eat it..."
Xu Que's scalp felt numb after hearing this, and he asked why these people died so strangely... Those seeds were extremely hard, and they would swell once they entered the abdomen, and they would become allergic if they ate too much.
"Let's go." Xu Que looked a little unhappy and walked back around the pit.
He now understood why his father asked him to come here, and also understood the suffering of these refugees.
Xu Que returned to the grain field and watched as the grain was gradually distributed to the refugees. He did not speak and just watched silently.
At this moment, he doesn't have any grand ambitions, and he doesn't have so many flexible ideas.
Just when Xu Que was stunned, the servant came to Xu Que and said, "Young Master, the rice has been put away. Should we go back now?"
Xu Que asked puzzledly: "Is there anything else to do?"
"It's not an important matter. Every time after distribution, the master will say a few words and then go to a few homeless people to ask." The servant replied softly.
"No need, let's go!" Xu Que stood up and said.
He doesn't have so much chicken soup for the soul, nor is he as bodhisattva-hearted as his father.
And just when Xu Que stood up to leave, his eyes looked at Zisuihuai, and suddenly he seemed to have thought of something.
Yes, others can't do it, but he can, and why should he use grain to make wine? Isn’t this ground full of brewing stuff?
Xu Que quickly walked towards a pile of weeds, picked them up hard, and put them in his mouth.
That’s right, sesame grass is Polygonum vulgaris!
"Young Master, you can't eat that grass..." The servant quickly ran behind Xu Que to persuade him.
"I'm not eating, I'm thinking about something!" Xu Que threw away the Polygonum and walked towards the little donkey with a smile on his face: "Let's go back home!"
Seeing the young master's face changing rapidly, the servant was a little confused. What happened just now?
All the servants were confused by Xu Que. He was still looking sad before, but then he took a grass... and became better again?
At this moment, Xu Que's heart was filled with turmoil. He felt that there was no end to the road!
People in this world can't do anything with these seeds, but that doesn't mean Xu Que can't do anything either.
Now that we have found the koji, the next step of fermentation is to use these seeds!
The little donkey was not very fast, but Xu Que rode it like lightning.
When he returned to the Xu Mansion, Xu Que didn't say hello to his parents. He even ignored the little girl saying hello to him.
Seeing her brother locking herself in the room, Xin'er was a little stunned while holding the big bowl.
"Is this chicken drumstick a gift to me?" The little girl was a little confused, but looking at the oily drumstick, she ran decisively towards the kitchen with a big bowl in hand.
Xu Que thought a lot on the way back and had a full plan. As long as Liao Qing invites his senior brother, his plan will be 50% successful!
…
Zheyang County Government
A middle-aged man wearing a seventh-grade official uniform was in the first place, and he was the county lord Mo Dongsheng. Four county officials were sitting on his left and right below.
"Xu Maocai is back. Although he has retired and returned to his hometown, he is still a county magistrate after all. Tell me, how should this matter be handled?" Mo Dongsheng asked the four of them.
"My lord, I think I should ignore Xu Maocai's matter." The chief clerk, Qi Shizhong, bowed and said.
"Why?"
"Xu Maocai was demoted and lost his military position. Furthermore, he heard some rumors from his humble position that Mr. He seems to have entered Nanfeng Prefecture." Qi Shizhong said.
Mo Dongsheng nodded slightly. In fact, he had the same view as him, but if he didn't go to Xu Mansion, it would be inconsistent with official etiquette, so he called everyone together to ask.
"My lord, in the opinion of my subordinates, you should ask the county governor. With his relationship, you will definitely be able to find out some other information." Zhang Hu, the clerk, stood up and said.
"I have received news from the county governor. Mr. He has arrived at the state capital and will be arriving at the county governor's house soon," Mo Dongsheng said.
"Since Mr. He is already here, there is no need for you to go to Xu Mansion. If Mr. He knows that you have been to Xu Mansion, it will not be good for your official status." Qi Shizhong suggested.
"Yes, everyone in the capital now knows that the Xu family is destined to fall, so why do you need to go?" Chen Yanhe, the third elder, stood up and agreed.
Just when the three of them felt that the Xu family was about to fall, Cao Wei, the county magistrate, stood up and said, "Sir, I think it would be better for you to go to the Xu Mansion."
"Oh? Why?" Mo Dongsheng was a little curious and didn't know what Cao Wei meant by this.
"Cao Wei, do you want me to lose my official position?" Zhang Hu looked at Cao Wei with a little anger.
Cao Wei ignored Zhang Hu, but said more respectfully: "Although the big tree in the Xu family has fallen, does the county magistrate know that another big tree in the Xu family is taking root?"
Everyone was a little confused. How could there be another big tree in the Xu family?
"Cao Wei, I think you are stupid?" Zhang Hu said again: "Old Duke Xu is dead, and Xu Maofeng, the most powerful second generation of the Xu family, has been demoted to participate. Where is the big tree you mentioned? Are you talking about Xu Long in Three Generations?"
Cao Wei glanced at Zhang Hu and showed a disdainful expression: "You may have little information and don't know what's going on in the capital. The big tree of the Xu family I'm talking about is Xu Maocai's youngest son!"
"Xu Que? That dandy loser?"
Qi Shizhong, Zhang Hu, and Chen Yanhe burst into laughter. They thought Cao Wei must be crazy. How could a waste become a big tree?
County Lord Mo Dongsheng did not smile. He kept looking at Cao Wei. He was a cautious official and would not offend anyone, no matter his superiors or subordinates.
"A bunch of ignorant people. Xu Que may have been a playboy before, but now he is a famous poet and scribe in the capital!" Cao Wei looked at the three clowns angrily.
