Chapter 138: Good-hearted People

Chapter 138: Good-hearted People
Main Text
"My name is Su Xing, and this year I have reached the age for the coming-of-age ceremony. I am a second-year student at the Xuzhou branch of the Jiuzhou Academy. I live in Qingfeng City, where my family owns both houses and fields, and we live a joyful life. Unfortunately, those few days, heavy rain poured down, and the sky remained dark for several consecutive days. The embankment could not hold, and the river water surged in, washing away our houses and fields."
After these words, the person sitting across from Su Xing also stopped writing. He is an employee of Dengwen Building and his job this time is to interview local residents of Xuzhou about their views on the recent flooding and post-disaster reconstruction.
This employee puts the brush in his hand on the inkstone on the table. Next to the inkstone is a piece of paper filled with messy handwriting. Then, the employee takes out a clean piece of paper and continues to ask Su Xing for his answers, recording them.
"Later, the Beggar's Sect came and provided us with accommodation and meals. Although they were relatively simple, they met our modest requirements. Afterward, the government also arrived, and breakfast included an additional option of steamed buns. Eventually, everything returned to normal, except that our house and land may not be recovered for some time."
"The Beggar Gang and the imperial court have both done a commendable job. Although we suffered significant losses in this flood, our people are still here. As long as people remain, anything is still possible. Who knows, we might even have a larger family business in the future."
The employee wrote down Su Xing's response and said to him, "Okay, the interview is perfect this time. Thank you, Mr. Su, for cooperating with this interview."
Su Xing replied, "You're welcome. I'm also glad to have the interview from Dengwen Tower."
……
My name is Yi Shunfeng and this year marks my third year working as a guard for a convoy. A few months ago, the Rongchang Escort Agency I belong to received a major contract. The job is a long-term escort operation, transporting goods from Langyue City in Yuzhou to Qingfeng City in Xuzhou. The cargo mainly consists of cotton blankets and food.
My name is Xie Jin. My family runs a local business in Xuzhou, mainly producing and selling tea leaves. A few months ago, Xuzhou was hit by heavy rain, causing significant damage to several tea gardens in Qingfeng City where my family's tea plantations are located. As a result, the tea production has significantly decreased. My family had no choice but to seek refuge elsewhere and temporarily moved to Yuzhou to live for a period of time.
With a decrease in tea production and a sluggish market, our family has incurred losses this year. Fortunately, we have been profitable in previous years, so this year's losses have not been too devastating. Currently, we are also contributing financially and physically towards rebuilding after the disaster."
In the assembly point of the Dengwen Tower, Xu Mu Ke looked at the articles brought by the employees of the Dengwen Tower for interviews. After reading for a while, Xu Mu Ke became a little thirsty, so he reached out to grab the tea cup and take a sip of water to moisten his throat. However, just as Xu Mu Ke's hand was stretched out, a hand with distinct knuckles swiftly handed over the tea cup.
Xu Mu Ke naturally took the teacup and lifted it to take a sip. Just as she took a sip, Xu Mu Ke suddenly realized, "Xiao Bai is not here!" As she focused her gaze, Xu Mu Ke finally noticed that the person who handed her the tea just now was Ji Lin, dressed in a blue and white robe.
Xu Muke put down his teacup and said to Ji Lin, "Ji Lin, have you finished reading it? You have so much free time!"
Ji Lin smiled embarrassedly and said, "I haven't finished reading that yet, I'll go back to read it now." After saying that, Ji Lin returned to his own table and sat down to continue reading the documents on the table.
今天天气很好，太阳探出了云层，虽然在冬天的束缚下，空气依旧是冷的，可当阳光照下来的时候，身上是暖的，曾经萦绕在心头的阴郁也逐渐消散掉了。
On this sunny day, Chen Ranxin rarely had some free time to think about other things. She lay on the brocade mat, staring blankly at the ceiling, which had no decorations and was spotlessly clean. However, the natural wood grain was clearly reflected on the ceiling.
Today, Uncle Zhuang took me and some people from the court to visit other places in Xuzhou. We first arrived at a village outside Qingfeng City.
It was early morning when we got off the carriage and walked in the fields. Due to the previous floods, there was constantly a dampness in the air.
After walking for a while, we saw a group of people. They were dressed in official uniforms, carrying several wooden sticks and a bundle of ropes.
One person tied one end of a rope to a wooden stick and inserted it into one end of the field. Another person took the other end of the same rope and kept walking forward until reaching the other end of the field. They stretched the rope taut and tied it to another wooden stick, then inserted the stick into the other end of the field. In this way, a rope was suspended straight in mid-air. Reply to the translated content: This scene seems intriguing. It appears that these people are setting up some sort of structure or boundary in the field using the ropes and wooden sticks.
The officials divided into several groups, each group performing roughly the same actions. Before long, many ropes were suspended in mid-air, measuring the length and width of the land. Some officials took out paper and pens, recording the data that was measured.
我们看着这些官差做着事，也没有出声打扰他们。看了一会儿，继续往前走了。……”
这次的徐州水灾中，有许多人的草屋，方宅被洪水冲毁。一下子，这些人就失去了安身之所。无奈的，这群人只好背井离乡，去往与徐州相邻的州郡。
Yu Province is adjacent to Xuzhou, and it is also a place abundant in talented people and spiritual energy, naturally becoming a good choice for these people who have left their hometowns.
There are many inns in Langyue City in Yu Province, and in one of the private rooms of an inn, there are seven or eight people gathered, and they all share a common identity, escaping from Xuzhou.
Strictly speaking, it cannot be considered as fleeing, after all, these people can all be considered wealthy. Although this flood has impacted their properties, their accumulated wealth over the years still makes them look glamorous and shiny.
Although they escaped from Xuzhou, they still have a conscience. This time, they gathered together to discuss what supplies to provide for Xuzhou next time. The big order received by Rongchang Escort Agency is their contribution. Translation:
On the streets of Qingfeng City, there is no longer the hustle and bustle of the past, with people walking in small groups; shops on both sides of the street are also closed for business; the street seems a bit desolate. Yesterday, when Master Zhuang and his gang returned, it was a rare event in the lively Qingfeng City. On that day, many people came out of their houses, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elegance and prowess of these heroes.
In the afternoon, the quiet town of Qingfeng remained empty. However, there was commotion on the avenue outside the town. Two people were seen riding on high-headed horses, galloping along the road. Behind them, two groups of people were dressed in armor, following closely behind. After a while, they entered Qingfeng City.
They entered the city and walked for a while before arriving at a large courtyard. The two people riding on the horses also dismounted and led their respective teams into the courtyard. At this moment, it was clear to see the faces of the two riders. Please note that the @ symbol is not commonly used in English to indicate the beginning of an address or mention. Is there any particular reason you want to keep the @ symbol in the translation?
Wearing a white robe, one person's face is as beautiful as jade; the other person is dressed in black clothes, with a handsome appearance. One in black and one in white, both carrying a sword at their waist.
The person in the white robe is called Xun Ziyun, the eldest son of the Xun family in Yuzhou, belonging to the Ministry of Justice; the person in black clothes is called Huo Wuzhi, the nephew of Huo Yan, the Minister of War, belonging to the Ministry of War.
Both of them are very young, although they have reached adulthood. They are in the prime of their lives, strong and passionate. Both individuals are highly regarded in their respective departments, which is why they were sent down to XuZhou to face this flood and undergo a rigorous training.
Although the qualifications and achievements of the two individuals may not be sufficient to assume the role of leader in this disaster relief operation, they still play important roles in this mission. Tasks such as repairing the dam and maintaining social order are all led and directed by the two of them.
Today, the two of them took the team out for training, ensuring the team's agility.
"As the saying goes, there is no first in literature, and no second in martial arts." The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice are both primarily composed of martial artists. They have always been competing for the honor of being "the first", so the relationship between these two departments has never been good. Therefore, after Xunzi and Huo Wuji, the two teams they led, entered the courtyard, they directly went back to their respective rooms without saying a word to each other. The division between the two teams was very clear.
Night gradually fell, and the sky grew darker. In the remaining light, a convoy arrived at the northern gate of Qingfeng City. In this convoy, a flag was raised with four square characters written on it, saying "Tongda Escort Agency." The convoy's escorts, porters, and some accompanying personnel all got off the vehicles to undergo the routine inspection by the city gate officials.
After careful inspection by the officials, the official at the city gate allowed the convoy to enter the city. It is now the period of post-disaster reconstruction, so routine inspections are more stringent.
这个车队进入清风城后，也是有丐帮的人前来接洽。（许多从其余州郡送过来的物资都会交给丐帮，由丐帮进行统一分配。因为有些事不是私人组织能做的，只有朝廷或朝廷认可的组织才能做）。
The darkening sky illuminated one after another with lights, simultaneously igniting the hunger within people's bellies and intensifying their desires. People began having dinner, one family at a time.
Under the illumination of the lights, one tray after another was placed on each person's table, filled with simple dishes and rice.
Chen Ranxin ate the plain food, feeling somewhat inexplicably sad. It was not because of the simplicity of the meal, but because her loved ones were not by her side. Especially the loved ones who were in the same city. Besides her, there was another person who shared the same feeling. And this person was Chen Ranxin's relative, her mother, Xu Mu Ke.
(After meeting Chen Ranxin yesterday, Xu Muke slept in the gathering point of the Beggar's Sect for one night. The next morning, Xu Muke said goodbye to Chen Ranxin and left the gathering point of the Beggar's Sect, returning to the inn in Deng Wen Tower.) Translation: @(After meeting Chen Ranxin yesterday, Xu Muke spent the night at the gathering point of the Beggar's Sect. The next morning, Xu Muke bid farewell to Chen Ranxin and left the gathering point of the Beggar's Sect, returning to the inn at Deng Wen Tower.)
After finishing her meal, Chen Ranxin opened the window and looked into the distance. In the direction she was looking, there was an inn, which now belongs to Dengwen Tower. Under the moonlight, the inn also opened a window, and from inside, a gaze was cast towards the inn where Chen Ranxin was staying. Translated: Chen Ranxin opened the window after finishing her meal and looked into the distance. In that direction, there was an inn, now owned by Dengwen Tower. Bathed in moonlight, the inn also opened a window, projecting a gaze towards the inn where Chen Ranxin was staying.
(End of this chapter)