vrcanaries Chapter 232 Purgatory on Earth
Chapter 232 Purgatory on Earth
Upon receiving the message from the mansion, Sister Zhao and the others handed over their work to their servants and rushed back immediately.
When she saw the familiar figures standing in front of the mansion, Sister Zhao was excited and called out from afar.
Hearing the voice he remembered, Zhao Dagen trembled. He immediately turned around and saw his sister-in-law walking towards him. He took a few steps forward and said, "Mother!"
Ignoring the filth on Zhao Dagen's body, Zhao's sister-in-law showed no disgust or hesitation. Her face flashed with excitement and heartache as she slapped him several times, making a "slap slap" sound: "How did you get yourself into this state? Yueming Prefecture is so far from Youzhou Prefecture, how did you come here without a word?"
After a long separation, Zhao's sister-in-law had tears in her eyes. She patted her son with force that seemed quite forceful, but it was all bark and no bite; it sounded loud but didn't actually do much.
Upon seeing Yu Ge'er, Chen Xiaoliu quickly ran forward. He stared at his husband, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. The man was wearing brand-new silk clothes and looked even more spirited than he remembered.
Chen Xiaoliu stopped in his tracks, not daring to go forward.
"Chen Xiaoliu!"
Unaware of anything amiss with the man, or sensing any hesitation in his gaze, Yu Ge'er stepped forward without hesitation, grasped his arms, and scanned him up and down. Seeing his disheveled appearance and the horrifying centipede-like scars on his face, he asked urgently, "Why didn't you write? You suddenly brought Father to Youzhou Prefecture. I've sent you letters these past few months, but you haven't replied."
Faced with Yu Ge'er's urgent concern, Chen Xiaoliu forced a smile, tinged with sadness: "Father passed away half a year ago. Yueming Prefecture suffered from drought, resulting in a poor autumn harvest and grain prices soaring to 100 taels per shi. There were also countless refugees. Dagen, the young master of Ruyi Tower, and I fled Yueming Prefecture together to save our lives. Along the way, we encountered many disaster victims. Fortunately, Scholar Zhao was clever and resourceful, and he led us to successfully avoid several dangers, which allowed us to reach Youzhou Prefecture."
Upon hearing the news of his father-in-law's death, Yu Ge'er froze.
He never imagined that his healthy father-in-law would pass away like this.
Six months later, Chen Xiaoliu slowly accepted the fact that his father had passed away. He woke up from the grief of losing his father and saw that Yu Ge'er was sad and upset. He comforted him instead: "When Dad left, he did not suffer and left with a smile. Originally, I was going to write to you, but Dad stopped me before he passed away and told me not to call you back. I planned to come to find you after the funeral, but many things happened afterward and delayed my original plan."
Chen Xiaoliu did not deceive Yu Ge'er. When his father passed away, the drought in Yueming Prefecture was not so severe. Chen Laoliu did not go hungry or suffer a living hell before he died. His only regret was that he did not see his daughter-in-law and grandson one last time before he died.
While the mother, son, and husband were catching up, Gu Lin was not to be outdone.
Back when Yue Mingfu opened his shop, Wang Yue and Zhao Xing were his regular customers. They would come to the shop almost every day, either in person or by sending someone to buy food. Among them, Wang Yue was also the young master of Ruyilou. Gu Lin had cooperated with him several times and was an old acquaintance of theirs.
Zhao Xing and Wang Yue stood side by side. Zhao Xing was injured and leaned on Wang Yue for support. He looked too weak to speak. Wang Yue looked at Gu Lin and said apologetically, "We did not inform Boss Gu before visiting. We have disturbed you."
Unlike Zhao Dagen, Chen Xiaoliu, and others who had a deep relationship with Gu Lin and could come to rely on him without any burden, Wang Yue and Zhao Xing, although acquainted with Gu Lin and were friends, had no debts to each other, so they could not come to rely on Gu Lin with a clear conscience.
Gu Lin was slightly dazed. Looking at the two young men in front of him, who were not as energetic as before, one was injured and weak, and the other was exhausted. Although he did not know what they had been through, Gu Lin still treated them sincerely: "The three of us have known each other for many years and are old friends. There is no need to say such formal things."
Looking at the two again, Gu Lin saw that although Wang Yue was supporting Zhao Xing with great strength, he himself was so thin that he was practically skin and bones. Gu Lin didn't dare let the other man support Zhao Xing anymore, so he quickly called over a guard to help him.
Turning his head and seeing that Sister Zhao and the others were emotional, Gu Lin said, "Let's go inside and talk first."
Upon hearing this, Zhao's wife and her group calmed down and followed Gu Lin into the mansion.
After they left, the guards outside drove away those who came to inquire about the news. The Zheng residence was located near wealthy families, and the surrounding mansions all knew that the prefect lived there. Therefore, when they saw a big commotion outside the Zheng residence, no one could sit still and sent people to get closer to find out, for fear of missing any important information.
Lobby.
Zhao Dagen and his group were travel-worn and emaciated. As soon as Gu Lin entered the mansion, he summoned Da Yan and asked her to personally go to the kitchen and instruct them to send over some food.
After everyone took their seats, Gu Lin looked up at Zhao Xing. It was clear from the group that Zhao Dagen and the others regarded him as their leader: "What happened in Yueming Prefecture? Why did you come to Youzhou Prefecture?"
When Chen Xiaoliu was talking to Yu Ge'er, Gu Lin was unaware of the drought that had occurred in Yueming Prefecture because they were far apart.
Zhao Xing repeated the story, then his tone turned slightly somber: "Before we left, the price of grain in Yueming Prefecture had soared and refused to fall. The people were starving, and the disaster victims were eyeing us covetously. Seeing that we might not survive if we stayed any longer, we moved away from Yueming Prefecture. Not long after we left, the people and disaster victims in the city rioted, and the prefect and general of Yueming Prefecture died at their hands."
Having witnessed both the refugee uprisings and the Red Army revolt, no one would dare to rebel unless the situation had become extremely dire.
Even after experiencing the previous two situations, Gu Lin was still shocked by what Zhao Xing said. How could a prefect and general of a region die so easily at the hands of ordinary people?
Thinking this, Gu Lin asked, and Zhao Xing’s voice was slightly hoarse: “The yamen runners and garrison soldiers are not getting enough to eat and are starving to death. How can they possibly resist the starving people and disaster victims?”
In addition, this prefect was not like Prefect Zhen. He was very timid and afraid of trouble. He was afraid that the court would punish him for the unrest in Yueming Prefecture. So he discussed with the general to suppress it on his own. However, the situation got worse and worse. By the time the disaster was reported, the court was already under the control of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. The two were busy vying for the throne and had no interest in this matter.
As Wang Yue listened to Zhao Xing recount their experiences over the past six months, his heart, which had been hardened by witnessing his father, mother, brothers, and sisters die one after another on the road to escape, began to soften.
His eyes were slightly red as he looked up at the young man at the head of the table: "When the drought first appeared, wealthy households and officials in the city opened sheds to distribute porridge. But as the price of grain became more and more expensive, they couldn't even bear to give up wheat bran. Although Fumanlou and Ruyilou persisted in distributing porridge, it was just a drop in the ocean."
"The prefect reported the drought to the imperial court, but the court did not send anyone to provide disaster relief for a long time. Later, we heard on our escape route that the people of Yueming Prefecture had gone mad, and the disaster victims had also gone mad. In order to fill their stomachs, men and women went to the vegetable market and people exchanged their children to eat..."
At this point, Wang Yue couldn't bear to continue, because his mother and father had also considered entering the vegetable market to protect him and his siblings.
At first, they carried a lot of gold, silver and jewels and dry food when they fled, so they were not short of food. However, as the journey went on for longer, the dry food was gradually eaten up. They began to exchange gold and silver for food, but in times of peace, precious and rare gold and silver could only be exchanged for a few bags of food.
In the end, they ate all their food and could only dig up grass roots, gnaw on tree bark, and eat insects, but they still couldn't protect their families.
Wang Yue's words echoed throughout the hall. As Gu Lin listened to his description of Yue Ming Mansion, which was like a living hell, his emotions were in turmoil. Zhao's wife and Yu'er looked at Zhao Dagen and the others with heartache.
Suddenly, Zhao's sister-in-law's gaze swept over Zhao Dagen and Mu Hou, and her face twitched.
Her voice was hesitant and trembling: "Where is Mu'er?"
Mu'er was born a year after Zhao Dagen and his wife got married. He was a little man. Although Zhao's wife didn't spend much time with him, she loved her grandson just as much as Zhao Dagen and his wife did.
Zhao Dagen's lips trembled, his heart aching as if a piece of his flesh had been ripped out, and he opened and closed his mouth but could not answer his mother's question.
Mu Qinglian looked numb, her eyes filled with extreme pain as she looked at her mother-in-law. But perhaps because she had run out of tears, she spoke: "Mu'er is gone. In the third month of fleeing, he caught a cold and had a high fever that wouldn't go down. He finally fell asleep in my arms."
When she didn't see Mu'er, Zhao's wife already had a bad feeling. Now that she heard Mu Qinglian admit it herself, she could no longer hold on to any hope. Her face went blank and she fell backward, but fortunately, Zhao Dagen caught her.
Suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose, Zhao Dagen helped the other woman sit down. Seeing her mother-in-law's sorrowful expression, Mu Qinglian closed her eyes and held back her tears: "Mother, there's no need to grieve. Mu'er left peacefully. Dagen and I brought him to Youzhou Prefecture, and our family is reunited. Mu'er's spirit in heaven must be happy."
Gu Lin, sitting at the head of the table, trembled slightly as his eyelashes fluttered. He looked up at the group of people in front of him. He had initially thought that only Zhao Dagen and the others had come because they had arranged for their families to stay at the inn. Now that he realized it, they looked disheveled and haggard, so how could they possibly be staying at the inn?
So that means that apart from them, everyone else died on the way to escape.
Da Yan brought food with her men. Seeing that Sister Zhao was about to faint, Gu Lin suppressed his grief and said, "Sister-in-law, let them have some food first."
Hearing Gu Lin's words, Zhao's sister-in-law gradually suppressed her grief, cheered up, and turned to look at the increasingly thin faces in front of her: "Quickly, you all eat quickly. If it's not enough, I'll ask the kitchen staff to bring some more food."
For nearly six months, Zhao Xing and his group have not had enough to eat. During this time, they not only live a life of not having enough to eat or wear, but also have to be wary of being stabbed in the back by disaster victims.
Suddenly, they saw Da Yan bring out a table of food, and the aroma made their mouths water.
Seeing the eager expressions of Gu Lin, Zhao's wife, and the others, their eyes filled with not disgust but only heartache and reluctance, they did not refuse and sat down at the table.
Picking up a bowl of clear soup noodles, even though there was only vegetables and no meat in the bowl, Wang Yue felt as if he were tasting a delicacy. Zhao Xing and the others were a step slower, but after picking up their bowls with Wang Yue, they quickly started eating. In just a few breaths, everyone saw that they had finished the steaming hot soup noodles.
Gu Lin gasped slightly. Zhao's wife, worried that they might burn themselves, quickly said, "Eat slowly, there's plenty in the kitchen."
Seeing that their noodles were bland, Sister Zhao said, "I'll have someone make you some meat..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Dagen and the others' expressions changed. Zhao Xing managed to keep his composure, but his face turned slightly pale. Wang Yue and Mu Qinglian couldn't hold back any longer and ran outside to vomit.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing and Zhao Dagen instinctively chased after them. Gu Lin sent Da Yan to quickly follow and check. Faced with the sudden change in the situation, Zhao's sister-in-law was still a little confused.
Gu Lin had some guesses and explained, "They fled to Youzhou Prefecture and saw countless tragic scenes along the way. They certainly don't want to see meat again anytime soon."
When Gu Lin first instructed the kitchen to send food, he thought that they had been hungry for a long time and it would be bad to suddenly eat something oily, so he asked the kitchen to send some light soup noodles. Unexpectedly, this led to the unexpected result.
Chen Xiaoliu's face turned pale, but when he saw Yu Ge'er beside him, he gradually recovered and nodded in agreement with Gu Lin's statement.
Upon hearing this, Sister Zhao's face showed a hint of guilt: "It's all my fault for being careless; I didn't even think of that."
Not wanting the other party to blame themselves, Gu Lin said, "Da Gen and the others must have been on edge during their escape. This kind of tension can be very harmful to their health in the long run. Sister-in-law, why don't you go to the kitchen and keep an eye on things, and have them brew some calming medicine to soothe their nerves and allow them to get some rest?"
Hearing Gu Lin's words, Zhao's sister-in-law felt that they made a lot of sense and quickly left the main hall for the kitchen.
Zhao Xing and his three companions also returned from outside.
Knowing they were exhausted, Gu Lin didn't keep them to talk any longer. As the owner of the mansion, he should arrange accommodations for them.
Zhao Dagen and his wife can live in the same courtyard as Zhao's wife and her husband. Chen Xiaoliu and Yu Ge'er are a married couple and can also live together. Zhao Xing and Wang Yue live in the same courtyard.
Faced with this arrangement, none of them had any objections, and Gu Lin had someone take them down to bathe and rest.
In the evening, Zheng Hao returned home after finishing his shift. He was clean and tidy, and without even going to the front yard, he went straight to Gu Lin's courtyard.
As soon as he entered, he sensed the heavy atmosphere and did not hear Uncle Gu's laughter as usual. He frowned and walked into the house.
Unusually, there were no candles lit in the room, making it very dark. Zheng Hao looked up and saw no sign of the young man behind the table, behind the screen, or on the soft couch in front of the window. He turned his eyes and walked towards the bed.
During the day, the bed curtains are always hung up, and they are only lowered at night. Now, the bed curtains are hanging in front of the bed.
Lifting the bed curtain, Zheng Hao saw a young man lying on the bed with his back to him. At first, he thought the man was sleeping and was about to get up when he heard a faint sound of water coming from inside.
He paused.
"Uncle Gu."
The person on the bed neither answered nor moved.
The young man, however, knelt on the bed and approached the other man. Instead of forcibly turning the young man around, he placed his hand on the other man's back and patted him gently.
With his gentle pats, the once calm back trembled more and more. The young man lowered his head and reached out to hug Gu Lin. The other party did not want to face him directly, so he did not force him.
"What happened? Uncle Gu, please tell me."
[While writing, I found myself crying.]