Chapter 40: The Robust Man and the Maiden
The bustle of Chenghuang Temple really exceeded Su Tiancheng's expectations.
He had seen bustling scenes before, in his past life, he didn't know how many large-scale events he had attended, crowded with people, but all of them had the mark of organization. However, the scene in front of him was completely different. Before crossing over, he had also participated in temple fairs in Beijing, which were lively enough, and sometimes so crowded that people couldn't move. Unfortunately, at that time, the commercial atmosphere was too strong, and many places even charged admission fees.
The surrounding area of the Chenghuang Temple has no tall buildings, but many temporary stalls have been set up, forming several streets. Before the crowds arrive, the loud noises can be heard first - the sounds of gongs and drums, hawkers' calls, rising and falling in a constant rhythm. The people attending the temple fair are diverse, with some wearing brand new clothes, whether they are silk robes or ordinary cloth garments, all coming to buy things or specifically to soak up the atmosphere. Others have come to perform, dressed in their finest attire, looking particularly distinctive. There are also several stages where people are performing operas, surrounded by crowds of onlookers who watch with great interest, occasionally bursting into loud applause.
Of course, there are also beggars and poor people, and not a few. These people are scattered around, they will not take the initiative to beg for food, silently squatting on one side, hoping to meet kind-hearted people.
What's most pitiful is some little kids, especially some little girls, in the cold winter, wearing only a single layer of clothing, shivering and standing to one side, staring blankly at the endless stream of people.
Su Tiancheng had long adapted to this era. When he went out, his body carried a lot of copper coins, as well as silver and gold. In fact, the gold was difficult to spend, just like a very large bill, small merchants and vendors would not have that much change to give back, so one must bring some spare change themselves.
Seeing several little girls, shivering with cold, Su Tiancheng did not directly give them copper coins. Instead, he bought some food from a nearby stall and handed it to the little girls. After receiving the snacks, the girls were about to kneel down and kowtow, but were stopped by Su Tiancheng.
The entire province of Shanxi has been affected by the disaster, and there are countless young girls like this. Su Tiancheng cannot save them all, nor can he do such a thing. What is his status? He is just a student, and doing some things beyond his own identity will only bring about disasters.
Su Er Tong followed closely behind, discovering that his young master seemed to have no interest in the excitement of the temple fair, and couldn't help but feel a bit downhearted. Was it possible that the young master had just come to take a look and was now preparing to leave?
"Second child, go watch the excitement, don't follow me anymore, we'll head back at 4 o'clock."
"Young master, I can't do this. When we came out, father said that I must always follow you."
"We won't be bound by the rules of outsiders, we've all come out now, so let's have a good time. Alright, don't follow me anymore, go play on your own, just remember to meet at the entrance of Chenghuang Temple at noon."
It's not even noon yet, and Su Er has had enough excitement for such a long time.
Su Tiancheng said so, Su Er Tong was naturally delighted, and he ran towards the lively place with a whoosh.
Su Tiancheng did not head towards the bustling area, he chose a slightly quieter place, and even when resting, he had to think about problems, it was impossible to relax too much.
Not far away, there was a group of people, and some laughter came over.
"This little girl is quite pretty, follow your brother and I'll make sure you eat well and live a good life."
"Follow me instead, that broken temple of yours probably doesn't even have food for yourself, come with me and I'll make sure you get to eat, brother won't cheat you..."
"Stop arguing, come with me..."
Hearing these giggles, Su Tian suddenly understood that there must be a situation of selling sons and daughters.
Think of our tenant farmers at home. If we hadn't helped them out, they would have had to sell their children too. Without food to eat, what other way is there?
He sighed and turned around to leave.
"Ah, you little scoundrel, daring to lay hands on me? You're looking for a beating!"
A burst of angry shouting and scolding voices came over, apparently from the same people who were laughing earlier.
Su Tiancheng felt a bit strange and couldn't help but walk towards the crowd. He wanted to see what had happened.
Before they could even get close, several ruffian-looking men stumbled out, running and cursing as they went. They yelled at that good-for-nothing kid to wait up, and it looked like these ruffians had clearly gotten the short end of the stick.
Su Tiancheng suddenly became interested, how could such a situation occur? Was someone seeking justice?
Perhaps it was because he wore brocade clothes and his attire was quite elegant that the people surrounding him saw him and voluntarily made way.
An unforgettable scene appeared before his eyes.
A sturdy man, with bloodstains at the corners of his mouth and bruises on his face, looked like he had just been in a fight. The man's eyes revealed a wolf-like gaze, as if protesting against the world.
In the empty space in between, a young girl was kneeling. The girl wasn't very old, probably fourteen or fifteen years old. She looked quite good, but her face was pale and it didn't take much to guess what had happened - she had probably seen the fight earlier and her body was still shaking with fear. She was already thinly dressed, making her look even more pitiful.
On the girl's head, a grass sign was inserted, this is the mark of selling one's body.
In front of the girl was a placard with the words "Sell body to bury father" written on it.
Seeing Pu Pi leave, the strong man walked in front of the girl and tore off the grass sign on her head.
"Sister, let's go back home, I'd rather starve to death than come here again."
The girl's eyes had already welled up with tears, and when she heard the strong man say this, she finally couldn't hold back anymore and burst into sobs.
Outside the crowd, the noise came out again. Several bailiffs, holding batons in their hands, rushed into the crowd.
"Move aside, move aside! The government is handling a case now... Who was it that made trouble here just now?"
These few people, dressed in official uniforms, looked fierce and menacing, as if they really represented the government.
Su Tiancheng knew that these few people were just the lowest-ranking catchers in the yamen.
These captives, the vast majority of whom are city rascals without a future, poor and destitute, go to the government office to mix with people for food, and do not need to consider the future, let alone think about children.
Don't mention wealthy families, ordinary people are also not allowed to let their own children become captives.
Zhuang Han unknowingly protected the girl, he probably knew that going against the government would not end well.
A gambler looked ahead and saw the cards, his eyes lit up instantly.
"How dare you, in broad daylight, slander the imperial court."
The people around fell silent, looking at the strong man and the girl with sympathetic and pitiful eyes. Who didn't know that these bailiffs and thugs were in cahoots with each other? Just now, the strong man had taught the thug a lesson, and those thugs must have found the bailiff nearby. It seemed that the strong man and the girl were going to be at a disadvantage.
At this moment, Su Tiancheng had a strong interest in Zhuang Han. He already felt that this Zhuang Han was different from ordinary people.
He absolutely couldn't let the bailiffs take away the strong young man and the maiden, he walked onto the empty ground in the middle.
Several bailiffs were ready to take down the strong man and the young girl, but when they saw Su Tiancheng coming in, their instincts told them to shout at him. However, after taking a closer look, they didn't dare to act rashly.
"What right do you have to take people to the government office?"
Su Tiancheng's voice was not loud, but it was full of the temperament of a superior.
Since the bailiffs are doing things inside the yamen, they still have eyes and know which people can be bullied at will and which ones cannot be offended. This is their basic common sense, otherwise don't think about mixing in the yamen.
"This young master, our government office is handling the case, we also have no way out, please forgive us."
The captor was very polite, but Su Tiancheng would not be polite.
"Haha, okay, I saw what happened just now. Alright, I'll follow the few bailiffs to the yamen and see how you dare to slander the imperial court."
One of the captives was somewhat dissatisfied.
"May I ask your honorable surname?"
"I am Su Tiancheng, a student of Pingyang Prefecture. Remember that, now let's go to the prefectural yamen."
Several catchers took a breath of cool air, Su Tiancheng's name, this period of time, they heard too much about it, even the governor, opened his mouth to praise him, and Liu Dahua, the chief of the official residence, specially entertained him. His identity is not ordinary, let alone say that Su Tiancheng is the student of the governor, if he really went to the government office with a few people, what would be the consequences, it's not necessary to say.
"It was actually Young Master Su, I didn't know any better and didn't realize these two were Young Master Su's people. I've offended you, I've offended you, I'll leave now, don't be disturbed by me, Young Master Su. Don't get angry, and don't take it to heart, ignorance is no crime."
Su Tiancheng nodded slightly, and several captors quickly left.
