Chapter 123: The Poor Children
Chapter 123: The Poor Children
There was a group of around thirty people gathered in the village’s square and all of them were carrying luggage as if they were about to leave the village.
"What is going on here?" Zhe Yuan asked as he and the others reached the square and noticed the abnormal atmosphere.
"All these young people are the ones who have lost their families in this plague. They all are planning to leave the village." Liying was the one who provided the answer.
"Leaving the village? Why?" Xiang Ling asked as she stepped forward and looked at the children in the crowd. She was having a hard time understanding their decision. "Where are you all planning to go? You might have lost your families but you still have your homes and assets here. If you all work hard, you will still be able to build a future for yourselves in this village. But what are you all going to do in an unknown place without a place to live and money to buy food? Have you all really thought this through?"
She felt more perplexed the more she looked at those stupid people. Almost all of them looked young except for a few who were either in their twenties or older. Most of them were in their teens and then there were a few who were younger than even ten years.
"But what about me, Lady Chen?"
The dejected voice belonged to a five-year-old girl who stepped out of the crowd while tears were streaming down her cheeks as she looked up at Xiang Ling with a desperate look in her eyes. Despite being healthy, she was in such a poor state that it pained Xiang Ling to look at her. The little girl’s clothes were torn and covered in dirt. Her hands and feet were also covered in dirt. Her hair was a complete mess.
"What happened to you?" Xiang Ling asked as she quickly crouched and pulled the girl closer to take a look at her health.
"My mother is no longer here and my uncle has refused to take me in. I don’t know how to cook or work in the fields. I want to run away because I heard my aunt talking about selling me away last night." The girl started crying as she told her story.
Gasps of shock could be heard throughout the square as everyone was surprised to hear the girl’s words.
"You little monster! I was wondering where you have run off to and look where I found you. Trying to run away, dream on!"
The sharp voice belonged to a middle-aged woman who suddenly stepped out of the crowd of spectators that had gathered in the square. She stared at the little girl who was clutching Xiang Ling’s clothes tightly while trying to hide from the woman.
Xiang Ling didn’t know anyone to explain that this woman was the so-called aunt of the little girl. Placing her hand over the little girl’s shoulder to comfort her, she fixed her sharp gaze on the woman who immediately noticed who was protecting her niece.
"Oh! Lady Chen. Please forgive this little rascal for disturbing your rest. She’s still young and doesn’t know many things. But don’t worry, I will teach her properly after I bring her back home." The woman said in a polite tone with a huge smile before she took several steps forward only to stop when Xiang Ling completely stepped in front of the little girl.
"You are taking her nowhere without my permission." Xiang Ling told the woman who appeared shocked and almost scared for a moment but then she quickly masked her expression and spoke, "Lady Chen, this is our family matter. Even though you are our benefactor, you don’t need to trouble yourself with such matters."
"Madam, you are making me think that I made a huge mistake by saving your life." Xiang Ling said with a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her words shocked not only the woman but even the crowd, making them all realize that despite her usual kind and calm persona, Lady Chen also carried a fierce side in her.
Turning her attention away from the woman, Xiang Ling pointed her gaze toward the group of people who were on their way to leave the village and asked, "How many of you are leaving the village because you are worried that your relatives will sell you off?"
At first, nothing happened. No one replied and the entire square was filled with a dead silence.
"See, Lady Chen? Such things don’t happen-"
"You all don’t need to worry. I’m the young lady of the Chen family, daughter of the County Magistrate of Nanxia. If you all want to be saved, tell me and the County Magistrate will protect you." Xiang Ling spoke again, this time using her identity as the daughter of the County Magistrate.
Her idea worked as the square was suddenly filled with a buzz and everyone was shocked to know her identity. So far, only the disciples of the two sects had known the fact that she was the daughter of County Magistrate Chen, but now the villagers knew too.
The very next moment, another kid stepped out into the front and others followed after him shortly. Xiang Ling was shocked to see that not two or three but nine children had stepped forward and they all were young. The oldest among them was around thirteen or fourteen while the youngest was a four-year-old boy.
"This is ridiculous! Have you all lost your mind? How dare you think about selling away these kids just because they aren’t your blood?" The village head had enough and he finally couldn’t contain his anger. Staring at the crowd, he spoke, "We have just survived a disaster and you all learned nothing from it. Those of you who have been planning to sell these kids away, you all should have died and left this world for the better."
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A/N: Thank you OneMore_Chapter22 for the Golden Tickets.