The public notice had already been posted yesterday. The requirements for the handout were easy to fulfill, and each person could receive so much, a full five liters of rice. This was simply like a meat pie falling from the sky, causing everyone to be wild with joy.
“Mystic cultivators and body cultivators, be more self-aware! Today’s handout does not include these kinds of people with special abilities. Once we gauge people with mystic energy or some kind of other ability fraudulently receiving a handout, they will all be captured and thrown into prison!” The team leader of the royal guard stood stalwartly in front of the line as he yelled to maintain order.
The mass of people were split into three lines.
In the first line, the gauging stone was used to test people’s age and abilities. After passing this test, they would go to the other line to get the handout. Afterwards, they would go to the third line to receive a red stamp on their arm that indicated that they had received their handouts.
This red stamp would not disappear within the day, so there was no possibility of lining up again to receive a second handout.
If they were quick about it, it didn’t even take too much time to complete these steps. Hence, the line moved very quickly.
The junior eunuchs and royal maids divided up the tasks: some scooped the rice, others pressed the stamps, while several others were in charge of the accounts and hauling the grain. All the elderly and children who received the handouts beamed with joy.
“If we discover anyone snatching grain, we will punish the person with the strictest penalty, so abandon your wishful thinking!” The royal guard commander Hui Feng announced loudly, “Besides coming to distribute grain this time, we will also be issuing another mission. All the residents of Xiluo Street, no matter if you live in the shack area or private residences, can accept this mission of repairing the western city wall.”
“The mission has already been posted on the notice board. Those who are interested can go take a look.” When Hui Feng stopped shouting, several dozen people who had been observing from the periphery dashed toward the mission notice board.
It had to be known that all the missions the royal court had ever issued basically had good benefits and a high salary. If they were late, this kind of popular mission would definitely be gone.
At the same time, inside a rundown temple in the old city district of Xiluo Street.
Sunlight streamed through the cobweb-laced columns and rafters, slowly spilling onto the niche where the statue of a Bodhisattva sat.
That Bodhisattva’s face was dirty, and not only was it missing a hand, it had also toppled over to the side. The two empty and chipped plates on the table before it were covered with dust. A spider had taken refuge on the Bodhisattva’s face, industriously weaving its web.
“Mom, Mom, get up, quickly get up!!” A young lady in her early twenties who was dressed in rags excitedly pushed the soundly sleeping old biddy in the corner. “Mom, Mom! Quickly get up, Xiluo Street is giving out grain today. You and Younger Brother quickly go and get the grain for me.”
“You have to hurry and snatch it. It’ll be gone if you’re late!” The young lady vigorously pushed her old mother to wake her up.
“Cough, cough. Cough.” The woman whose face was covered with wrinkles sat up. “Cough, is that so? Where did you hear this?”
“I heard that a public notice has been posted everywhere. Everyone knows already. It’s cause we live in this rundown temple that we aren’t well-informed. Mom! Hurry up,” the young lady urged grumpily.
“Where is Younger Brother? Younger Brother! Younger Brother.” That young lady walked to another corner and shook the worn-out blanket hard. She just went up and gave that thin and frail lad a kick as she scolded furiously, “You really are useless. And yet you call yourself a level-two mystic cultivator? Other people can go out to complete missions, yet you fear death and hole up in this rundown temple all day, snatching food from normal people.”
That boy kicked her in return. “What are you doing?”
