Chapter 337
Chapter 337
Just as they had predicted, more and more refugees began arriving in Mobei after some time.
Even though communication was difficult in this era, common people at the bottom of society still had their own ways of obtaining information.
Merchant caravans that had visited Mobei spread news of the region when they returned home or sold goods along their routes.
Food mattered most to ordinary people. One or two travelers remembered Mobei’s sweet potatoes and potatoes. When disaster struck and they had nowhere else to go, they recalled those crops and set out with their relatives and fellow villagers.
Gradually, word that Mobei had life-saving food spread ever farther.
Those fleeing without knowing where to go began following others toward Mobei.
They had also long since had enough of the Imperial Court’s increasingly oppressive taxes and levies.
War raged in the south, while the north had instead become safe.
All they wanted was enough food to fill their stomachs and a peaceful place to live.
“Line up! Everyone form an orderly line and come over here for porridge.”
“If you’re sick, step forward and line up on the other side. The physicians will examine you.”
“No cutting in line! Anyone who cuts doesn’t get porridge.”
In Beizhen City, guards patrolled and maintained order, directing the chaotic mass of refugees into lines.
At the news of food, the refugees – gaunt and sallow from hunger throughout their journey – swallowed repeatedly and craned their necks to peer ahead, desperately wishing they were next.
“It smells wonderful.”
“Father, we have food.”
“Thank heavens. Thank heavens…”
Many people began to cry as they smelled the sweet fragrance in the air and watched the line steadily shorten.
Those who reached the front and received bowls filled to the brim with porridge were ushered out of the line.
“Once you have your porridge, don’t block the way. Go eat in the open area over there.”
The porridge was so thick that the refugees still waiting in line stared with wide eyes.
“The porridge is so thick.”
“Father, those people were right. We truly can eat our fill here.”
Many people voiced their gratitude.
They had fled all this way, some driven by natural disasters and others by human calamities.
The other counties had refused to let refugees like them enter at all.
They had prepared for the worst, expecting that they might be barred from Mobei’s cities too and have nowhere to stay.
They had not expected that, although they could not enter the city, they would be given food.
Food alone was enough.
And the porridge was so thick.
“Father, there are even physicians treating the sick.”
“Mother… why couldn’t you hold on a little longer? There is food here, and people to treat the sick…”
Some people began sobbing as they ate. Far too many had lost loved ones along the way.
“This place is wonderful. Can we settle here from now on?”
“This porridge is so sweet.”
From the moment refugees began pouring in, Ji Yan’an opened the granaries and released grain.
The porridge was made from old rice cooked with chunks of sweet potato.
Sweet potatoes were naturally sweet. Cooked with the rice, they produced thick, sweet porridge that filled the stomach.
The refugees ate in such comfort that the meal felt like a dream.
After they had eaten their fill, the sick were sent to medical tents outside the city to wait for treatment.
Major epidemics often followed great disasters.
Some of these refugees showed similar symptoms.
Coughing, fever, and physical weakness.
The illness was also contagious.
Shen Qingzhu and the city’s physicians had already developed medicine to suppress it.
Anyone with those symptoms was housed in isolation and given medicine.
Those with other symptoms received corresponding treatment.
Refugee shelters had also been erected outside the city.
Mobei nights were somewhat cold, so even a simple shelter made conditions much better.
“Everyone, men come with me. Women go over there. Bathe, change your clothes, and shave your heads.”
To cure disease, both the surrounding environment and people’s bodies had to be kept clean.
The refugee shelters had been treated with limewater and disinfected with alcohol.
The refugees themselves also needed to be cleaned.
Washing their hair was too troublesome, so it was shaved off and burned.
Their clothes received the same treatment.
Once they had bathed, they were given clean clothes to wear.
These were old garments donated by the residents of Beizhen City.
This effort had also begun with Jiang Yunsui.
Of course, even Jiang Yunsui had never imagined it would grow into a citywide effort, with people voluntarily donating their old clothes.
Children grew quickly, and Jiang Yunsui could no longer wear many of her garments. Leaving them unused would have been a waste.
She simply sorted out everything she had outgrown. Apart from undergarments, all of it could be donated.
The garments needed some work first.
The old garments were unpicked, and the women at the textile workshop reused the fabric to make simpler clothes before giving them to the children outside the city.
When Ji Yang saw this, she followed Jiang Yunsui’s example.
Then the other Ji women learned of it and brought out their old clothes as well.
Eventually, everyone in the Ji Mansion joined in. Young male servants, maids, and guards all brought out old or slightly damaged clothes from home.
Since Beizhen City opened the textile workshop, cloth and yarn had become much cheaper. Even ordinary families could afford to buy extra material and make clothes for their adults and children.
They were therefore willing to give away old clothes they no longer wore to help the refugees outside the city.
Besides, to the people of Beizhen City, Jiang Yunsui was a little immortal.
Many loved to imitate her. Whatever she did, others eagerly followed.
And so, beginning with Jiang Yunsui, the campaign to donate old clothes and bedding spread throughout Beizhen City and even to the surrounding villages.
That was why the refugees now had clothes to wear.
When they heard the garments had been donated by Beizhen City’s people, many refugees began to cry.
“This is wonderful. Everyone here is so kind.”
They had witnessed far too much human cruelty during their flight, but here, they felt warmth again.
“Sir, why do we have to shave our heads?”
Could their hair truly be shaved off so casually?
“Why so many questions? This is for your own good. You’ve fled all this way, and who knows how much filth is hidden in your hair? Those fleas carry poison now, and countless people along the road have contracted the plague. Shaving your heads lets us burn away the filth and fleas completely. Your hair will grow back. Which matters more, your lives or your hair?”
After hearing this, no one complained again. One by one, they waited to have their hair cut.
Throughout their escape, they had possessed only one goal: to stay alive and fill their stomachs.
Nothing mattered more. It was only hair; after being cut, it would grow again.
Some of the women were even more decisive.
Their journey had been harder than the men’s.
To protect themselves, some had deliberately smeared their faces and bodies with dirt.
Beauty and dignity were luxuries one could consider only after life became stable.
All the shorn hair was thrown into a large pit and burned.
The filthy, unwearable clothes went in as well.
After washing themselves clean, everyone found suitable clothes and changed into them.
The clothes were not new, and some were even patched.
But they were clean and carried the scent of soap pods and sunlight, which made everyone feel deeply reassured.