Chapter Seventy-two: Offering Congee

  Every day thereafter, on a certain open space in Xujia Village, one could see a foreigner with dozens of teenagers running, jumping, flipping and tumbling, making a big fuss. These teenagers originally had some foundation in Eastern martial arts, so under the exchange with Zhang Lei, Rodman no longer taught them grappling techniques, but instead let them practice their own martial arts well. This approach also made Zhang Lei quite appreciative.

  Zhang Lei himself, however, was immersed in his own steel-making technology research. Without good weapons, the army would be like a tiger without teeth. Modernized weapons were the teeth of the tiger in Zhang Lei's mind. And high-quality steel was one of the most important steps to arm those teeth.

  This day was a good day for the whole Xujiayuan, because Tongsheng's good news had come down, and Xujiayuan had won two in a row. This village of less than 500 people suddenly became the focus again - the last time was because of wealth.

  Hundreds of people in the village rushed to watch the excitement. For thousands of years, farmers' admiration and enthusiasm for scholars have never faded. Now, two child prodigies have emerged at once, which is an extraordinary thing. People are eager to see their talents - although they are all from the same village and have been coming and going for over a decade.

  So Zhang Lei decided to set up a shed and offer porridge on the official road outside the village on this fine day.

  This is a big deal, before dawn, the whole family got up, and the stove had been set up outside the village yesterday. A group of people transported several carts of raw materials to that place, Zhang's first guard played the role of protector, spent half an hour, finally transported the things that can cook hundreds of kilograms of porridge to the porridge point under the city wall of Guandao.

  For some reason, as soon as there was such a good deal, there was no need for publicity. Even before they arrived at the city gate, countless refugees had already surrounded the empty land, making it impossible to pass through. When Zhang Lei and his group came over, they burst into thunderous applause.

  Fortunately, they brought so many people to open the way, Zhang Lei and his group finally arrived at the place after a long and arduous journey. They quickly started their lives by cooking porridge. These refugees were from the north and west, their clothes had been in tatters for a long time. The men were okay, as long as they had a piece of cloth to cover themselves. However, hunger had already made those women abandon their modesty, when they heard Zhang Lei was distributing porridge, they came out with bare breasts.

  Witnessing this scene, Zhang Lei couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. So-called war, regardless of whether it's just or not, is merely a man-made disaster carried out to satisfy the inflated desires of those in power. Let alone the outcome, the ones who suffer are always these poor common people. If there truly is such a thing as loving the people, then the first and foremost principle should be to let them live and work in peace.

  As thoughts wandered, the fierce fire had already boiled the rice porridge, and the thin gruel emitted waves of fragrance. The scene began to become lively. Zhang Lei seemed to be able to hear the rumbling sounds from the hungry bellies of these refugees.

  At this moment, dozens of oppressors ran over from afar and strictly divided the people into three teams in front of three large pots. The oppressors held knives and stood there with a ferocious expression, instantly making the refugees tremble with fear.

  I don't know who called these bailiffs, Zhang Lei didn't bother to ask so much. After a while, all the porridge was finally cooked, and he said: "Come on, everyone, don't rush, each person can get a ceramic bowl, this big bowl is given to everyone, I won't take it back later. Now let's drink porridge first. One bowl per person, after eating, go to the back of the queue voluntarily until you are full, and that's enough."

  The crowd erupted in cheers, and everyone began to serve the porridge. Two men stood guard by the stove, preventing anyone from rushing forward and causing unnecessary harm. Zhang Lei asked while serving the porridge, "Thanks to several military brothers for coming to help out today."

  The person on the left stared at these refugees without blinking, and when someone had cooked a bowl of porridge, he let him go from his side to drink it next door. The person on the right smiled and said: "Mr. Zhang said that this is an outsider's words, not to mention that giving porridge is originally a great virtue, we as officials, come to help is what should be done. Not to mention Mr. Zhang has done so many big things for the county over time, it is reasonable that we should come, saying thanks or no thanks."

  "Boss Zhang, if there were a few more people like you in our county, I reckon the County Magistrate would be so delighted that he wouldn't be able to sleep at night," said another.

  Zhang Lei humbly said, "What you're saying is nonsense. Without everyone's help, no matter how capable I am, it would be impossible to turn things around like this. Now that I've achieved some success, I should repay the kindness and help you all have given me in the past."

  "Well said, Xujia Village has produced a person like Boss Zhang, it's truly the good fortune of Xujia Village, also the good fortune of Chao County, and even more so, the good fortune of the Ming Dynasty..."

  As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden commotion broke out at the back. Zhang Lei looked over and asked, "What's going on in the back? Didn't we say everyone would have enough to eat? Why are they making a fuss?"

  "I'll go take a look," said an official, and then he went towards the back.

  At this time, a man in his 40s with scars all over his face appeared in front of Zhang Lei. His entire left hand was swollen and bruised, with faint bloodstains and yellowish pus oozing from some areas. If he didn't receive medical attention soon, his hand would likely be crippled, and more severe consequences could even threaten his life.

  Zhang Lei immediately handed the spoon in his hand to the person next to him, and personally carried a bowl of hot porridge around the stove to come before this person, saying: "The injury on your hand is already very serious, if you don't treat it soon, it will be bad. Eat first, after you're full, I'll go help you invite a doctor."

  The middle-aged man's eyes, which were originally dull and lifeless, suddenly became sharp and piercing. The veins on the back of his hand bulged out. However, this strange phenomenon passed quickly. He took the porridge from Zhang Lei's hands, but instead of drinking it himself, he walked towards the back. Zhang Lei followed him to the corner of the wall, where there were a few more people. The woman was probably his wife, and a child of several years old was sleeping peacefully in her arms.

  A middle-aged man brought porridge to a woman's mouth and said in a hoarse voice, "Girl, eat it while it's hot, warm your stomach."

  The woman looked up at the middle-aged man and said: "Either feed Xiaobao first, I'm not hungry yet, or you eat?"

  A middle-aged man nodded to Zhang Lei and said, "No need, you eat, let Xiaobao sleep for a while, this kind-hearted person has already said that it's enough, Xiaobao will wake up later and we'll give him some then."

  The woman looked at Zhang Lei, and Zhang Lei smiled and nodded, saying: "Eat, eat, I keep my word, today everyone will be full."

  With Zhang Lei's consent, the woman finally put down her worries and took a bowl of porridge, not caring that it was still steaming hot. She tilted her head and drank almost half the bowl in one gulp. She was really too hungry, and now that she had food in front of her, she couldn't care about anything else.

  The middle-aged man with a face full of dirt and scars showed a relieved smile, slowly sitting down beside the woman and looking at her with affectionate eyes. The woman had just finished drinking the white porridge in the bowl, he immediately took over the bowl and stood up, saying: "I'll go queue again."

  Zhang Lei originally said he would help him get the white porridge, but after thinking about it, he decided not to. Rules are meant to be followed, and privilege is the root of all rule-breaking. This root cannot start from oneself.

  He sat down opposite the woman with great interest and asked, "The wound on your husband's hand seems quite serious. I've decided to pay for him to see a doctor, but can you tell me how he got this injury? It looks rather strange."

  The woman was originally hanging her head low, after drinking a bowl of porridge she regained some strength and seemed to have come back to life. Seeing Zhang Lei not leaving but instead talking to her, she couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. However, the man from earlier had already said that this young man was a good person, so she slightly put down her guard and quietly told him about her experiences.

  After inquiring, Zhang Lei learned that the man's name was Mao Guan, 40 years old, an old iron worker from Wuhu Zhuangjia Iron Factory. He had a pair of good eyes and could judge the quality by the color of the molten iron. Unfortunately, he was scalded by the molten iron on his hands and feet, and was driven out of the factory by the new young boss. His whole family begged for food and drifted to Ningguo County.

  Zhang Lei suddenly realized that the injuries on his body were probably caused by splashing molten iron, but he was excited to think that he had such skills. Zhang Lei thought to himself that he needed someone like this to refine steel, and it seemed that good things would happen to good people after all. It was as if when he wanted to sleep, someone would bring him a pillow, and when he wanted to eat, someone would bring him steamed buns.

  This made him even more determined to help Mao Duan heal his wound. He said, "Don't worry, I will definitely ask the best doctor to treat him. Wait a moment and you can follow me home, I'll arrange for your accommodation."

  The woman didn't say anything, probably waiting for Mao Dun to make a decision. Zhang Lei stood up and said: "You tell him what I said later, I'll go ahead and get busy."

  The day passed quickly, and Zhang Lei also fulfilled his promise. A steady stream of food was poured into the big pot. The refugees ate to their heart's content. It wasn't until every last bit of food had been eaten that Zhang Lei began to pack up to head home.

  Just then, a constable who was maintaining order in the distance ran over and said: "More refugees have come from outside, hearing that someone is giving out porridge to fill their bellies, they all rushed over."

  Zhang Lei was startled and said: "Do you have to be so fierce?"

  "That man said: 'Boss Zhang, you'd better take your people and leave first. We'll handle things here. If these refugees come and there's nothing to eat, something bad might happen.'"

  "Alright then, it seems I can only come back tomorrow. Please take care of things here for me, brothers." Zhang Lei said helplessly.

  "Alright, alright, maintaining law and order is our duty anyway. You're being too polite. Let's hurry up and go."

  Zhang Lei nodded and went to call the Mao family, following him back home. The young man named Xiaobao looked very spirited, after eating his fill, he immediately regained his lively personality, Zhang Lei was very fond of him, and decided on the spot to recruit him into his own Zhang Family Guard.