Thinking that the family members who were blocked outside the tavern were starving, Lorraine suddenly relaxed his will. He couldn't help but pick up a piece of bread and put it into his mouth and took a bite. When he realized that no one was watching him, he quickly took the bread away.
Tuck it into your clothes and hide it.
After doing this action, Lorraine's heartbeat increased rapidly. He was ashamed of his actions, but he couldn't help but wanted to hide another piece of bread, "Dad, mom, brother, sister, let me get it again."
Take one piece, take another piece."
When Lorraine hid the fourth piece of bread, a man of average height came over and said something to his displeasure, "Hey... kid, this is not good. You put all the bread away"
They’ve all been taken away, what will others eat?”
Lorraine's face was red with embarrassment and her skin was hot. After a moment of hesitation, she took out the pancake hidden in her clothes and said ashamedly: "I'm sorry, sir. I just want to bring some food to my family. They have been hungry for two days."
Oh..., the man who came to question looked at the other person hiding the food, "What about you? Do you have family members who are hungry?"
"Yes, yes, my family is sick, and I must get them some food." The other person hiding the food nodded quickly.
The man who asked the question sneered coldly.
"No one is allowed to take away food. This is a rule. If you violate the rules, get out. Do you understand? If you are full, leave. People who lie are not welcome here."
Lorraine was about to say, 'I didn't lie', but the questioning man started asking other questions, asking him where he was from, his family situation, and what he had studied. After asking, he didn't say much, turned around and left.
.
This is so baffling.
The other person hiding the food breathed a sigh of relief, but did not listen to the warning just now. Instead, he said to Lorraine: "Don't be afraid, they can't do anything to us. We should take it anyway."
Stupid..., still take it?
Lorraine's mind became active. As he ate, he stared at the person he had just talked to, and found that the person didn't care about the sumptuous food and drink on the table. Instead, he kept wandering around, looking for someone to talk to.
This must be some kind of test. There must be a deep meaning behind this unexplained meal.
Lorraine was not sure, and his mind was spinning rapidly. He was thinking about whether his response just now was appropriate, and regretting why he had to hide food. This would definitely give people a very bad impression.
But does anyone really care about their reaction to food? Lorraine is even less sure.
When he was eating slowly and was almost full, another person came over and shouted: "Okay, if you are full, please give up your seat. There are people who want to come in for dinner later."
Lorraine stood up and reluctantly left the table. He had never felt stomach bloating and pain like today. This pain was a kind of happiness. When he turned around, the man driving away suddenly said: "Child, leave without taking any food."
?”
ah......?
Lorraine was extremely surprised. He had already made up his mind not to take away any food. But now this man allowed him to take away food. Is this another test? This must be a test.
"I heard that you have family members who are hungry. Why don't you bring some food to them? That's your family. Free food is so rare. Bring some to them."
The man driving us away had a kind attitude and pointed nonchalantly at the food and drink on the table. Lorraine hesitated again, fighting fiercely in her mind - did the other party really allow me to take away the food or was he pretending to test me?
This is too difficult to make a choice. Who knows what the other party means by setting this kind of test?
Thinking of his family hanging hungry outside the tavern and being blown by the cold wind, Lorraine really couldn't resist the suggestion of taking away food. He returned to the table and picked up a piece of bread, ignoring the other party, gritting his teeth and taking a few more.
, and get a piece of bacon.
The man who drove them away didn't say anything from beginning to end, he just smiled. After Lorraine had collected enough food for a family of five, he asked again: "I just picked up a purse with gold coins and a silver brooch. Who's there?"
Did you drop something?"
Next to Lorraine, there were several other people who came to eat. When they heard the word 'gold coins', someone immediately shouted: "I..., I dropped my money bag."
Lorraine was relieved. It turned out that the test was here. Was it to test the greed of human nature? However, he didn't know what happened next. He took a few noodles and walked out of the tavern. It was already dark.
The cold wind blew against her face, but Lorraine's heart was burning.
Many people gathered outside the tavern, waiting to go in and eat and drink. When they saw Lorraine coming out with a lot of food, they all cheered. They all felt that they could also eat and drink, and have a great time.
Only his father was left in the Lorraine family waiting outside. When he saw the bread and bacon in the child's hands, the old father burst into tears.
"Dad, I think I might have an opportunity." Lorraine couldn't hold back the joy in her heart and lowered her voice to tell her father, eager to share it with her family.
The old man didn't know why, but he nodded repeatedly, took Lorraine's hand and said, "Go back to the hotel first. Your mother and younger brothers and sisters can't stand the cold wind outside, but they are all still hungry."
It was already dark, and only the intersections of the streets in the city were lit with torches. The soldiers in charge of the curfew would interrogate everyone they met to prevent people from walking around randomly. This was an effective means of maintaining urban security in a backward society.
The father and son had to hand over half of the food to bribe the curfew soldiers and hurried back to a cheap hotel. The family lived in a basement, which was so dark that walking in was like entering a cave.
Lorraine's younger brothers and sisters were so hungry that they could not speak. Only when they heard Lorraine's shout did they open their eyes slightly and smell the faint fragrance of pancakes.
Lorraine's parents stopped their child from eating immediately. They first asked the hotel owner for some hot water, soaked the pancakes until soft, and then slowly swallowed them. The family ate in silence in the dark, laughing with satisfaction from time to time.
There were tears and cries.
After waiting for his younger siblings to eat and go to bed, Lorraine had time to talk about his experience tonight. His parents were both honest and poor people. They didn't understand what they heard, but they both lamented that their children had good luck, at least they gave their family a lot of money.
Bring food.
"I don't know who organized this free meal, but he must have an agenda. I feel that my performance today is pretty good and I should be appreciated. No matter what you ask me to do, I am willing to do it."
The Lorraine family has no choice. They have seen countless people starve to death and freeze to death, and are in poverty. People in the hotel are driven out to the street every day because they cannot pay a few copper coins. Tonight is the last night for their family.
tomorrow......
"Maybe I should wait in front of the hotel, or even in front of the tavern. If they want to find me, they can't miss it." Lorraine left the tavern and only focused on delivering food to her family, without thinking much about anything else.
Thinking that his future and even the lives of his whole family might be lost, Lorraine couldn't sit still. He left the basement, rushed out of the hotel, evaded the interrogation of the curfew soldiers in the dark, and stumbled towards the pub.
It was already late at night, and a large group of people gathered outside the tavern. All the three religions in the city heard the news - there was a rich man in the tavern who was entertaining guests. They didn't care whether they had received the invitation or not, they all crowded in, but they couldn't get in.
Lorraine was so short that he couldn't even see the door of the tavern behind the crowd. All his expectations were based on speculation. At this moment, he was inevitably worried about gains and losses and was in an impetuous mood.
After thinking about it, Lorraine decided to go around to the back door of the tavern and try to find a way to meet the two people who had tested him - the back door was indeed deserted, with only a torch lighting up the door.
A black cat squatted on the trash can at the back door of the pub, meowing.