When Xie Qiao heard what the shopkeeper said, she understood a lot better now.
Shopkeeper Chang looked at the girl and thought she must be a little naive, he then explained, “The sight of the rats causing a disaster is scary. I’ve seen it once in my early years. Those rats appear in groups, they’re fearless no matter day or night. Inside the house, whether it is wood or porcelain, almost everything would be eaten. Even the house can’t be preserved, not to mention the chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, and farms.
“The crops that the rats had eaten would be barren in the blink of an eye. Moreover, the rats are fearless of people, and there were many people who were bitten to death by the rats. Fortunately, the scope of this rat disaster was small. Otherwise, the imperial court would be in a terrible state. There would be more disaster victims outside the capital.”
Shopkeeper Chang sighed.
“The weather is getting colder and colder. This year, there will be… Many people freeze to death out there,” Shopkeeper Chang added.
“In the capital, there should be many rich families giving porridge and doing good deeds. When I came to the capital, I saw a few porridge stalls outside. There were even people giving out quilts. How could people freeze to death?” Xie Qiao asked.
This year, the number of victims did not seem to be particularly high. The supplies they needed should also be available.
Shopkeeper Chang glanced outside. Seeing that no one came over, he said, “If someone gives something away here, it will be robbed. How can the victims enjoy them?”
“Robbed?” Xie Qiao frowned slightly.
“Unless the disaster victims have work to do, they’re not allowed to enter the city. How can it be safe outside the city? There would be some hooligans guarding outside the city. When they saw that someone had good stuff and was a pushover, they would come forward and take it away. The things they took would be sold to pawn shops. Pawn shops were all for business, so how could they not take it when money came to them? Young Lady, where do you think the things that you’ve collected will go to in the end?” The shopkeeper said mysteriously.
Xie Qiao did not even need to think hard to realize that in the end…
The items would be bought by some wealthy families, then sold and sent out of the city.
“If the clothes are robbed, the food probably won’t be any better, right?” Xie Qiao said again.
“That’s right. Those victims outside mostly rely on porridge or work to make some money to support themselves. However, most people eat porridge for months, so how healthy would their bodies be? They are sallow and emaciated. It’s difficult for them to find work to do. There are also people who would distribute rice directly, but it’s the same. They will be robbed,” The shopkeeper smiled.
Although it was cruel, they were disaster victims. How could they live well?
It was only food and clothing.
It was not easy to build houses outside the city, so they were living in simple sheds. The sheds were covered with satintails and built with wood and stone around them. There would always be air leaking in.
It was cold during winter. In a few more days, the water would turn into ice.
When it snowed, the sheds would probably collapse.
However, even that was the case, the disaster victims probably thought their lives were not bad.
If it was during the disaster year, it would be normal for them to trade their children for food. Although some people would freeze to death, most people could still survive. As long as the snow melted at the beginning of spring, they could return home.
Xie Qiao was deep in thought.
When the shopkeeper saw that Xie Qiao was silent, he suddenly felt a little guilty.
This little girl was gentle and weak. He should not scare her like that.
“Actually, it’s not too bad. There are not many disaster victims this time, and their days are much better than before. You’re still young and have not seen the scene of the great calamity in the past.
The current one is really nothing,” the shopkeeper said again.
