The food distributed was all corn, yellow and clear. A total of twenty-seven people came from several houses, each with two liters, packed together into a sack, which made people happy to see it.
But when it comes to eating it, it's nothing. One person can't even eat a pound.
But it’s better than nothing, and it’s worth being happy about.
Those who worked hard today ate more, and everyone else also got a small bowl of rice porridge to drink. Not to mention fullness, they felt warm in their stomachs, and they felt comfortable all over.
After the meal, the women put away the pots and dishes, and it was completely dark.
Everyone settled into their thatched huts and began to rest.
Old man Zheng and old man Deng, together with Zheng Dalang and Zhang Sanlang, were responsible for keeping vigil at night. There were so many refugees at the gate of the city, a mix of good and bad. They had women and children, and they needed to be safe. They had received dozens of kilograms of food today, and they also needed to guard it carefully.
Xu Dajun was nestled under the thatch, but he was not worried because he had already heard many refugees whispering. Many people were eyeing the food that their group had brought back, but seeing so many people together
, after all, he was a little afraid and didn't dare to take action rashly.
At least they won't come tonight, so he can sleep peacefully.
After sleeping until dawn, Xu Dajun got up and murmured to Old Man Xu. Then, Old Man Xu only asked Xu Chunhe and others to take Zhang Dalang and Shi Dalang to line up at the city gate. As for Uncle Zhang and others, they will stay here today.
Come on, stop working.
Uncle Zhang and others were puzzled, but they all listened to what Mr. Xu said.
Not long after, people were selected at the city gate, and the city gate was closed again, and Xu Chunhe and others were also selected.
Not long after, there was movement in the pile of refugees nestled under the city wall. A group of refugees started to move and slowly moved towards the woods opposite.
Old man Xu had received a report from Xu Dajun a long time ago. He knew that some refugees would take advantage of the lack of strong labor force in the city to steal their food, so he stopped them today and only allowed a dozen people to work.
Go to work.
There are only a dozen strong laborers left, plus Zhang Dalang and other boys, as well as these old guys, there are dozens of people in total.
Seeing a group of refugees approaching here, Old Man Xu immediately got excited and asked the guys to get something. Anyone who dares to come over will be beaten!
The men were ready, and the women were not far behind. They all found something handy and held it in their hands.
The group of refugees who approached also did not expect that so many of their group had been selected to work in the city, and that there were still so many people left behind.
But it’s too late to move back, so it’s not okay to just go back.
Therefore, a fight is about to break out.
The men were fighting together, and many women behind them came over and ran directly to the cart in the middle, hoping to grab the food while the men were fighting.
Women from several houses immediately rose up to resist and got into fights with these women.
When men fight, they only fight with their heads. When women fight, they choke and curse at the same time. They curse and curse at the same time.
Zhang Xiulan followed the two sisters-in-law, pinching her hair until it was scattered into chicken coops, and almost tearing off her cotton-padded jacket. She was getting angry, and she opened her mouth to curse.
Little girls like Xu Yinyin protected the children and hid behind the cart. Looking at the chaotic battle, they were all frightened.
Xu Yinyin had been paying attention to her mother. There were many people there with her father and brother, so neither of them suffered much.
On the other hand, there were many women rushing over to her mother's place.
Women's strength is limited, so if they can't fight, they start to argue. Zhang Xiulan inserted her waist, using her ancient strength, and cursed her, making the person back away.
Xu Yinyin was behind, and she could clearly see the woman who was pointed and scolded by her mother suddenly slipped when her feet slipped, and she jumped on her.
She didn't pay much attention to the first one, but then, the second one, the three...
As long as the woman was pointed and scolded by her mother, one after another, inexplicably, she either lost her footing and fell, or was knocked aside by her companion and received a slap. In short, they were all unlucky.
Xu Yinyin narrowed her eyes slightly and remembered this strange coincidence in her heart.
This wave of fighting lasted for nearly two quarters of an hour and ended with the group of refugees being beaten back.
Several family members may have been slightly injured, but their stubborn and life-threatening resistance finally frightened those people with evil intentions. After this incident, those refugees who were still ready to make a move temporarily stopped. If they wanted to come over again, they all
You have to weigh it first.
The women tied up their hair, straightened their clothes, and were busy checking the men's injuries. They wiped them with myrrh and bandaged the bleeding ones, but they could only carry them away.
Xu Dajun is fine, Xu Chunshan received a fist and was bruised a lot on the face, and the skin on his palm was also broken, but everything is fine.
Xu Yinyin watched her mother rub her father's face, then stepped back and said, "Mom, are you going to scold me?"
Zhang Xiulan glared at her, "Well, why should I scold you?"
"Then you scold Xu Dajun." Xu Yinyin said.
Xu Dajun:......
"Are you out of your mind?" He was simply shocked. How could he be so shy as to beg for scolding? He couldn't ask for it, so he had to be scolded?
Zhang Xiulan stretched out her hand to touch her daughter's forehead. Doesn't she have a fever?
Xu Yinyin didn't know what to say, and she wasn't sure either, so she had to give it up for now and think about confirming it later.
…
Xu Chunhe and others left the city in the evening. Today there were half as many people and half as much food. But compared to the many refugees who were not selected at the gate of the city, they were quite lucky.
Old Man Xu arranged for the women to use about five liters of corn, add more water, and cook three full pots of porridge. The workers were given more, while the others shared half or half a bowl.
have eaten.
After the meal, the watchers kept watch, and everyone else took a rest.
Those who went to work today were tired, and those who stayed in the camp were also tired. First they had a fight, and then they had to go several miles away to fetch water.
Everyone was tired and fell asleep when they closed their eyes.
When it was about to dawn, Old Man Xu was worried that someone would come to snatch food today, so he still did not dare to let all the strong laborers go to work in the city, so he only went and left half.
Today, Uncle Zhang and others are going. The early morning is shrouded in a bit of coolness, and everyone is crowded at the city gate, waiting for the city gate to open.
Not long after, the city gate opened, and the clerk came out with people to select people. It didn't take a while, and the people were picked and brought in. The city gate was closed again, and it was no different from before.
In the cool breeze, a man looked at the closed city gate and sighed, "I haven't been chosen again. I've been waiting for several days. I haven't been there yet. If I don't earn some food, my family will lose money."
Starved to death outside Huayang County."
As soon as this man's words came out, he was able to arouse the sympathy of many refugees outside the city gate.
"Since the county magistrate is determined to provide disaster relief, why don't you just give out porridge? He has to choose people to do the work before distributing food. I'm not saying that he can't do the work, but he always doesn't choose me. People can't earn this food even if they want to.
, This is really not a way for people to survive!"
"That's right! This county magistrate wants to do good things, but he does this. He is really making fun of us!"
"There is plenty of food in this city, so they won't open the city gate to let us in!"
"..."
Among all the chatter, a middle-aged man stood up and said: "In that case, in my opinion, we might as well rush into the city and grab food to fight for a way to survive!"