The next day, Chen Yuan decided to go into the city to find out the news, he was Buyi's identity, and only when he saw Kuang Yu, a genuine Qincha, could he make plans. Out of the village, Chen Yuan and the others found that there were many beggars on both sides of the official road, and some dragged their families with their mouths, as if they were fleeing the famine.

Fan Zhong explained: "In the autumn, there was a locust plague, and the crops were eaten up by the locusts. ”

Walking further, you can already see starving people on the road, and those who fled the famine to ask for food are all yellow and thin, and their breath is dying.

Officers and men on patrol rode through on horseback, and occasionally heard news of hungry people being hacked to death in the street by patrol officers and soldiers for stealing food.

Those who sell their sons and daughters have a straw mark on their hair and their clothes are ragged.

I used to see in the movie that the common people in the old society couldn't survive anymore, selling their sons and daughters, but now I really see the real thing, Chen Yuan's eyes are also red, and the green tendons on his wrists are bursting up. This kind of dog official, if he doesn't kill it, how can he calm down the people's anger.

Entering the city, a little girl lying on the side of the street attracted Chen Yuan's attention, this little girl was about twelve years old, with a yellow face and thin muscles, tattered clothes, fluffy and dirty hair, and a straw mark on it, lying on the side of the street without moving.

The officers and soldiers on patrol walked by and kicked her to see if she was dead, and then she moved with difficulty.

There were two middle-aged men and women lying next to the little girl, and from the strange posture in which they were lying, Chen Yuan could conclude that the two middle-aged men and women were probably dead.

At this time, a person in a sedan chair came to the street, and suddenly a white puppy came out, with red brocade on the puppy and a golden bell around its neck.

"Ouch, my Jiaojiao." The man in the sedan exclaimed.

Immediately, a few slaves went up and grabbed it, but the dog was in pain because of the catch, and kept struggling.

An eighteen-year-old woman came out, but she had a bit of a posture, that is, the foundation on her face, applied layer after layer.

"Bastard, you've hurt my Jiaojiao." The woman slapped the slave in the face, and took the puppy in distress, like coaxing her own son. The slave blushed half of his face and bowed his head and smiled, completely failing to grasp the credit of "Jiaojiao".

The woman got into the sedan chair and walked away.

"Phew, isn't it Wu Yingde's thirteenth concubine? He can be your grandfather anymore. Fan Zhong took two sips.

The thirteenth concubine? Chen Yuan knew that Wu Yingde was almost seventy years old, could he still do it? Looking at the back of the sedan chair, Chen Yuan fell into deep thought.

Look at the girl who sold herself, think about the puppy just now, Chen Yuan was in a heavy mood, in ancient times, what others saw was a talented and beautiful woman, the handsomeness of the prince and prince, who would know the struggle of the people at the bottom on the edge of survival.

People are not as good as dogs!

Chen Yuan came to the little girl's side, grabbed her hand and shook it, it was a hot day, but he felt her hand cold. The little girl opened her eyes with difficulty and looked at him, and then fell asleep again.

Chen Yuan didn't care about the dirtiness on the little girl's body, hugged the weak little girl in his arms, as light as nothing, quickly stepped into a restaurant, whispered a few words in Fan Zhong's ear, and asked him to stare at the woman who was in the sedan chair just now.

When he arrived at the room, Chen Yuan gave the shopkeeper a piece of silver, told him to quickly bring a quilt, and then called a cook in the kitchen of the restaurant, and asked her to take off the little girl's ragged coat and change her clothes. At the same time, he instructed the shopkeeper to boil porridge for the little girl.

Seeing that Chen Yuan was generous, those in charge did not dare to slack off, and did so one by one.

After eating, the little girl was a little refreshed and slowly woke up.

The little girl fell asleep for a while, woke up, said she was thirsty, and Chen Yuan ordered him to drink a small bowl of rice soup.

After a while, the little girl's eyes slowly became bright, and she said in a weak voice: "Thank you, Engong—where is my father?" ”

Chen Yuan said apologetically: "It's no longer there." ”

The little girl cried bitterly.

Chen Yuan let her cry for a while, and comforted her softly: "Don't cry, people can't be resurrected after death, it's important to take care of your own body now." Do you have any other relatives to turn to? ”

The little girl cried and said, "No, they all fled, thank you for saving your life, Chunhua is grateful." ”

"Spring flowers? Your name is Chunhua? Chen Yuan asked.

The little girl nodded.

Chen Yuan thought to himself, why did he take such a name, but it's no wonder, the countryside is uneducated, and it's a girl, just take a flower and grass casually. Chunhua, heh, it sounds much better than Ergou.

Without relatives to take refuge, how can she, a twelve-year-old little girl, survive?

Chunhua sobbed and said slowly: "This year, there is a locust plague, not a single grain of grain has been confiscated, Fangyuan has been plagued for hundreds of miles, everything that can be eaten has been eaten, even the bark and grass roots have been eaten almost, and some villages still eat people." My father and mother took me into the city to ask for something to eat, but the big men in the city drove us everywhere, and my father and mother wanted to sell me for some food, but they disliked me for being small, and there was no big man for three days, and my father and mother were alive and ......."

Chen Yuan panicked in his heart, worried about her livelihood, since he had saved her life, he had important things to do, and he had no time to care about her, so he took out a silver ingot from his arms and said: "You have recovered now, this bit of silver is for you, there are still some dishes and rice on the table, I will ask the shopkeeper to prepare some dry food for you, after all, your relatives are still there, you go to them." ”

Chunhua knelt down with a bang, kowtowed to Chen Yuan and said, "Engong, please accept me as a maid, I can endure hardship." I can do anything, my father and mother are dead, my relatives have fled, I can't find them, sooner or later I will starve to death when I go back, please, save me, take me as a maid, I don't want silver, just give me food. Please. With that, he wept and kowtowed on the ground.

Chen Yuan knew that what she said was the truth, she was a twelve-year-old child, how could she have the ability to protect herself, even if she had money, she was robbed on the road.

Helped her up and said: "I'm not a master, I'm also a farmer, and I don't need a maid." ”

Chunhua was heartbroken when she heard this.

Chen Yuan sighed: "You get up first, I still have something to do, I have to go to do something, it's inconvenient to take you with me, you just stay in the restaurant, and when things are done, I will arrange for you." ”

"Thank you, thank you."

The little girl was still very weak, so Chen Yuan asked her to sleep, and then went to another room to wait for news.

It wasn't until midnight, when Chen Yuan had fallen asleep twice, that Fan Zhong came back.

"How?"

Fan Zhong blushed at first, and then said angrily: "Childe guessed well, that girl was arranged in the south of the city, and someone really went to see her quietly at night, hey, guess who it is, it is Wu Yingde's master Liu Lin." ”

This little concubine is only eighteen years old, and the old man Wu is seventy years old, so it's no wonder if he doesn't cheat. The yamen is heavily guarded, and he is worried that he can't find a reason to see Lord Kuang, Huohua can see it before, it was arranged by Wu Santian, Chen Yuan can be sure, Lord Kuang is now under house arrest by Wu Yingde, he doesn't have a great seal, and he can't move Wu Qianhu.

Famine, starvation, and the rudeness of the yamen could ignite the fire of the riot at any time.