HCB Chapter 64: Helping One Person at a Time
Chapter 64: Helping One Person at a Time
That person is Qin Sangbai.
Although she seldom goes out in recent years, she has spared no effort to help many homeless children.
There are so many people who have fled to Kyoto and have been separated from their families or abandoned by their families. If you can help as many as you can, that's it.
The next morning, Mu Qingyan went out with the jade hairpin. She stopped by the Qin residence and picked up Qin Sangbai. Since her asthma was almost cured, her mental state was different from before.
There was always a sense of deadness in the former strength and forbearance.
But now, it’s as if she has new hope in her life, making her look radiant and full of energy.
"Yuzhan got up early in the morning and made a lot of cakes and steamed buns to take with her. I wanted to buy some, but Yuzhan said it would save money if she made them herself, so I let her do it. We'll go to the store to buy some food and daily necessities. Although it's still autumn now, winter is coming soon. We have to buy cotton clothes and charcoal for the elderly and children in advance."
Qin Sangbai looked at his maid Gancao and said with a smile, "Gancao and Yuzhan have the same idea. This morning, she also made a lot of pancakes and said she would bring them to the children to try. Qingyan, I think there are some women and girls among them who are good at needlework. Why don't we buy some cloth and let them try to make some handkerchiefs and sachets for girls' homes, and see if we can sell them for some money. After all, we can only help so much. People have to rely on themselves to make a living in order to live an upright life. It is not a long-term solution for us to continue to support them..."
Mu Qingyan smiled, with a hint of excitement between her eyebrows, "Look, we are thinking the same thing, right? I also want them to do something, to have a business to make a living. After all, you and I don't have any way to make money. You can still rely on your family, but I can't rely on the Duke's Mansion at all."
I really need to look back and see if there is anything I can get them to do.
As for the children, it is best for them to learn to read and write. Even if they cannot pass the imperial examinations and become officials in the future, they can still become teachers. It is also a means of making a living...
But to put it bluntly, you still have to make money.
After buying a lot of rice from the merchant, he also bought some cloth and cotton and took them to the Poor Lane in the north of the city.
When the children learned that their two beautiful sisters were coming to see them, they were as happy as birds out of a cage and ran towards them chirping.
Yuzhi and Gancao asked the older children to help move the things in the car into the house. The younger children were also busy and were responsible for carrying the food baskets.
When I bought this yard, it was very desolate, with dry leaves and weeds everywhere.
Now that it has been tidied up, it looks like a home.
The children cherish the hard-earned comfort and food and clothing, and dare not waste even a little bit.
They were used to living a life of hunger and cold. Even though they no longer had to go hungry, they were subconsciously afraid that one day they would return to the way they were before.
The old people were all sick before, but after being treated by Mu Qingyan, they are now in good spirits and sit in the yard to sew and mend clothes for the children.
Even if the clothes are torn beyond recognition, they can still be used for a while by sewing and mending them, which is better than having big holes in them.
Seeing Mu Qingyan and Qin Sangbai coming in, they all stood up, rubbed their rough hands awkwardly, and looked embarrassed.
Both of them are noble ladies from prominent families, and it is a great honor to have their help.
The younger women were also busy doing needlework.
After they recovered, they took on some needlework from people living nearby. Even if they couldn't exchange it for money, they could still get some food, such as eggs or rice and flour. Although it wasn't much, it could last them a day or two if they saved on food.
One family was short of eggs and rice, so they sent a few newly hatched chicks.
There is more breath of life in this yard.
Mu Qingyan and Qin Sangbai were not the kind of people who liked to put on airs. As soon as they came in, they were all smiling and greeting the elderly and women.
The old people responded awkwardly.
I didn't dare to sit down.
It was not until the two of them came over and helped them sit down that they sat back in their original seats, feeling very embarrassed.
"Winter is coming soon. We bought some cloth and cotton for everyone. Several grandmothers and aunts are good at sewing. It's more difficult to do it yourself..."
A young woman responded quickly, "We are not afraid of hard work! The two girls have worked so hard for us, we really don't know how to repay them..."
As the woman spoke, she began to wipe away her tears.
Her hometown was hit by a flood and all her family members were washed away. She went to the mountain to collect firewood but got lost and escaped the disaster.
Later, she fled all the way and wanted to go to Kyoto to seek refuge with her relatives. However, her relatives refused to take her in and even thought she was unlucky. She was seriously ill and almost dying, so she drifted to the north of the city, where she was rescued and later became a member of the community.
"Don't be sad, aunt. We help you not for your repayment. The world is not peaceful now, and there are tens of millions of people displaced. We are living in Kyoto under the feet of the emperor. We rely on the merits of our ancestors and live a life of luxury. If we see the suffering of the world and remain indifferent, wouldn't we be betraying the emperor's grace?"
These words were said by Qin Sangbai.
He spoke so sincerely that everyone present was moved to tears.
The children were eating delicious pancakes and sweet pastries in the house, as if they had temporarily forgotten the days of hunger in the past. Their faces were filled with innocent smiles, which also infected Yuzhi and Gancao who were present.
Their backgrounds were not good either. They sold themselves into slavery. Although they had to serve others, at least they had no worries about food and clothing.
There is no need to sleep in the open air.
The masters you meet are all kind-hearted, so you don't have to live in fear.
Qin Sangbai expressed his idea, and several young women immediately said that they would definitely be able to make little gadgets that all the girls in Kyoto would like.
Another woman said that she was very good at sewing and used to make a living from it in her hometown. However, she later suffered a sudden change in her family, lost her livelihood, and even her capital.
In this world, everyone has difficulties, and no one is obligated to help you for free all the time.
If you want to live with your head held high, the only way out is to be self-reliant.
In the past, they didn’t have enough food to eat, and just being able to stay alive was already exhausting. Now that they have enough food to eat, they naturally have to consider long-term plans.
We can't always let the two girls run around and work hard for them.
Although the people of Da'an are relatively open-minded and girls can go out freely, it will damage their reputation if they always walk with people of low status like them.
Qin Sangbai actually has always had a wish, which is to build a school for those displaced children so that they can learn to read and write and don't have to live in such a muddle-headed way.