The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 219 - 208: Refugees

Chapter 219: Chapter 208: Refugees

Zhou Erlang gave it a moment’s thought before responding, "Alright, I’ll accompany you when the time comes, and Sixth can watch the stall."

Zhou Liulang’s eyes widened as he protested, "I don’t want to!"

Manbao was also displeased, "Having Sixth Brother with me is enough. We also have Datou and Daya. Why do you need to swap with Sixth Brother, Second Brother?"

Zhou Erlang looked at her, "So you despise Second Brother that much, huh?"

"That’s not it..." Manbao fingered her hands, yet she just didn’t want Second Brother accompanying her. Could this be the ’generation gap’ Keke talked about?

Zhou Erlang, pushing the board cart, joined the queue and whispered, "There are many people in the city now. You all have to listen to me. If you don’t, we’ll go back home right now."

At these words, everyone hung their heads and obediently followed orders.

Though the queue was long, it moved swiftly. Zhou Liulang was already well acquainted with the soldiers guarding the city gate. They barely glanced at them and, without much inspection, allowed them through.

Of course, there was still a boarding fee to be paid.

Haven’t been to Luojiang County in a while, Manbao felt that the city had greatly changed from before.

There were more people in the city than before, but she didn’t sense any liveliness. People on the streets were all in a hurry, faces marked with sorrow or caution, or wore numb, expressionless faces as they rushed back and forth.

Sitting on the board cart, Manbao’s cheerfulness couldn’t help but subside as she curiously watched the passersby.

Zhou Erlang quickened his pace, pushing the cart swiftly into the street specially designated for selling farm products, finding a spot in a corner to set up their stall.

He unloaded the goods, inverted a bamboo basket to place a fine sieve on top, and carefully arranged the tofu. Wiping his hands, he was about to ask Sixth to stay and watch the stall while he took Manbao to the back of the County Governmental Office when he saw a group of people walking down the street, tapping and rummaging through every stall’s goods.

He paused, pulling all four kids behind him and positioning them properly before whispering to the neighboring stall owner, "Brother, who are they?"

Luojiang County was only so big, and those who came to this street to sell goods were mostly familiar faces. Zhou Erlang had frequented this place before the past few months and the previous year, so the stall owner recognized him.

The stall owner glanced around and lowered his voice, "They’re from the gambling alley. They call him Xiao Dalang. Since the influx of refugees into the city, instances of theft and robbery have been occurring from time to time. Xiao Dalang has taken control of the three streets around us, demanding a protection fee every day. If there are refugees who steal or cause trouble, they’ll handle it."

Zhou Erlang felt he might only be here for the day and wasn’t keen on paying the protection fee, so he inquired, "What if we don’t pay?"

"Not pay?" The stall owner looked around and lowered his voice, "If you don’t pay, before the refugees steal your stuff, they’ll drive you out and confiscate everything from your stall. That would truly be a loss."

Shocked, Zhou Erlang asked, "And the local authorities don’t care?"

"Do they have the time? Recently, there were heavy rains, some families’ homes have collapsed, even crushing people to death. Many villages along the Luojiang river were flooded. It’s said that quite a few people were swept away by the water, dead or alive is unknown. The local authorities have sent all their officers out; only the soldiers patrol the city, they can’t attend to these trivial matters."

Zhou Erlang weighed his options, glanced at the approaching group, and then swept his gaze over his siblings, nephew, and niece standing behind him. Not daring to take a risk, he whispered to the stall owner, "How much do you pay?"

The stall owner answered, "My goods aren’t worth much and the location is bad too. I pay six wen a day."

Zhou Erlang was distressed, six wen could buy four large meat buns.

Zhou Liulang settled back into his place at the stall. The group quickly approached; the neighboring stall owner had already taken out the money, waiting. As soon as they arrived, he promptly handed it over.

The group leader flipped the coin and tossed it to a lackey behind him, smiling as he asked, "Business has been good these past two days, huh?"

The stall owner forced a smile, "Can’t really say it’s been good. Although there are more people in the city, selling goods gets harder day by day."

The leader clicked his tongue and said, "They’re all refugees fleeing disaster, what money could they have? Because of them, even those with money are too afraid to venture out. But you guys are still better off than the country bumpkins out there. At least you earn something every day; right now, they can only cry over their flooded fields."

As he spoke, he reached Zhou Erlang, and it was clear he had a good memory. He glanced at Zhou Erlang and smiled, "New here?"

Zhou Erlang nodded vigorously and offered up the money he clutched in his palm, carefully explaining, "The weather just cleared up, and we have some produce at home, so I brought it to try our luck in the city. It was in a rush, and I didn’t know this street was managed by Dalang, so I didn’t prepare the right offering."

Xiao Dalang, finding his manner of speaking to his liking, rarely showed a smile. He glanced at the goods on Zhou Erlang’s stall, which were common bamboo wares and tofu in the sieve.

He had no use for bamboo craft, but tofu...

He asked curiously, "Does your family still make tofu?"

"Yes, yes. My sister-in-law does. It’s average, but why doesn’t Dalang have a taste? If you like it, I can bring more next time."

With that, he eagerly went to pick up some tofu. However, everyone who came to buy vegetables brought their own basket or bowl, and Xiao Dalang, empty-handed...

After a moment’s thought, Zhou Erlang selected a small bamboo basket from his nieces’ and used it to line up some leaves before placing tofu into it.

He picked several pieces, filling up the small bamboo basket before presenting it to Xiao Dalang.

It wasn’t much, just four pieces of tofu, but the small basket made it look plentiful.

Zhou Erlang was quite content, thinking the bamboo basket was really well-made.

Xiao Dalang was also pleased. He took the basket from Zhou Erlang and asked with a smile, "How much?"

"No charge, no charge. It’s just homemade stuff, not worth much. As long as Dalang likes it, that’s good enough."

Xiao Dalang grunted in acknowledgment, holding the basket as he said, "Alright, then. If you run into any trouble in the county town, come find me. I have this street under my protection. Since I’ve taken your money, I will of course ensure your safety."

Zhou Erlang was naturally full of thanks, his relief manifesting in a deep breath once they had been seen off.

The neighboring stall owner approached after the group had departed, stating, "Tell you what, Zhou Er, you’re quite generous. That basket of tofu, along with the basket itself, is worth more than six wen, right?"

Zhou Erlang felt his pocket; he’d only brought fifteen wen with him that day. Factoring in the boarding fee, it was like he hadn’t earned a single wen today and had nearly spent all his money.

He gave a wry smile and said, "I’d rather give him a gift than actual cash."

The stall owner cautioned, "You shouldn’t though, money isn’t worth much nowadays."

Zhou Erlang’s brow furrowed as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"You wouldn’t know since you’ve just entered the city. The price of grain in the stores has skyrocketed." He continued, "A dou of rice has gone up to thirty wen now."

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