Chapter 35: Drought and Famine Year (Part 6)

Downstairs, a little beggar who was eight or nine years old, dressed in the same tattered clothes as Chen Huihong but much cleaner, was flexibly dodging the waiter's chase on the first floor.

Seeing that the woman and Qin Yanxing had come down, the waiter who was chasing the little beggar hurriedly stopped, and for the first time complained and shirked responsibility: "Boss, this little beggar is sneaky and dishonest. I saw him turning around our pastry shop early in the morning, and he just slipped in just now. I knew he was going to steal something and caught him on the spot!"

Qin Yanxing roared with a dark face: "Shut up!"

Then he immediately switched to a smiling face, looking at the woman: "Sister, look..."

The woman ignored him, walked straight downstairs, bent down and pulled out the little beggar hiding under the table, and said softly: "Maybe he's just hungry, smelled the fragrance and wanted to come in to beg for something to eat."

After speaking, the woman lowered her head and said: "But it's wrong to slip into someone else's shop. The shopkeeper opens the door to do business and welcomes guests. If you come in, it will affect the shopkeeper's business."

The little beggar didn't speak.

"In my opinion, he's just young and ignorant, just drive him out. There are many disaster victims in the city recently, it is estimated that he came here with his parents to flee famine, and he is already very pitiful."

After speaking, the woman patted the little beggar and let him go out.

The little beggar ran out reluctantly. After going out, he looked at Chen Huihong who was still sitting at the door playing with the wooden horse, and glared at her with a warning look.

Chen Huihong gave the little beggar a look, didn't fight back, and continued to play with the wooden horse.

Seeing that not only did a beggar slip into the shop, but there was also one sitting outside, Qin Yanxing was angry and scolded: "Why don't you drive away the one outside."

The waiter was obviously a good eater of melons, heard the rumors about Chen Huihong circulating on the street today, leaned forward and whispered a few words. Qin Yanxing frowned, obviously not daring to provoke the legendary lunatic young lady who ran out of a big family, could only point to the black flour pastries in the counter.

"Take two and invite her away."

The waiter hurriedly went to take them, picked two smallest black flour pastries and went to the door to stuff them to Chen Huihong: "Please do a good deed, can you go elsewhere to sit and play?"

Chen Huihong took a look, found that it was black, didn't take it, but still consciously stood up, patted her body and planned to change to another place to sit and appraise the fragrance.

The woman carried the food box and walked out. Chen Huihong didn't look at the road for a while and almost bumped into the woman.

The little beggar who had run to the side of the street glared at Chen Huihong again.

Chen Huihong knew she was wrong, and hurriedly said: "Sorry, this is for you."

After speaking, she grabbed the black flour pastry from the waiter's hand and stuffed it to the woman.

Waiter:?

Seeing this, the woman smiled, took the black flour pastry, took out a handkerchief to wrap it up, and said softly: "The pastries my brother made really don't taste good, I'll exchange them with the ones my husband and I made."

After speaking, the woman squatted down and opened the food box, took out two white flour steamed buns the size of a fist that were obviously made of fine grains and slightly gray in color from the top layer and handed them to Chen Huihong.

Chen Huihong took the steamed buns blankly, showing hesitation for the first time, her face full of: "Did I succeed in begging for food?"

Qin Huai gave a thumbs up to Chen Huihong's innate talent for begging for food. In one sentence, the black flour steamed bun turned into a white flour one.

The little beggar on the side of the street was about to bite his teeth.

The woman also saw the little beggar on the side of the street and waved at him. The little beggar ran over quickly.

The woman handed the black flour steamed bun wrapped in a handkerchief to him, and took out a white flour steamed bun from the food box, and slowly covered the food box.

"Remember to beg at the door in the future, don't go in, you will be beaten. Do you know?"

The little beggar nodded and whispered: "Thank you."

Then he ran away.

Chen Huihong thought about it and followed with a "Thank you."

Then she ran away too.

The woman looked at the backs of the two running in two directions, smiled, and her mood seemed to be much better, and left with the food box.

Qin Huai of course followed Chen Huihong and left. He didn't have the condition to follow the little beggar even if he wanted to. This dream was Chen Huihong's, he could only follow the dream owner.

From the moment Qin Huai entered the dream, he hadn't seen Chen Huihong eat any food other than tree bark. Chen Huihong had always kept away from the insects and earthworms that Hui Niang dug up, occasionally gnawed on the unknown fruits she picked up, and didn't even taste the sweet potatoes Mother Zhang gave her.

Now that the woman gave two white flour steamed buns that looked good, Chen Huihong hesitated for a while holding the steamed buns, and finally couldn't resist the temptation and took a bite.

Just one bite, Chen Huihong's eyes lit up.

How delicious this steamed bun was, it went without saying.

Almost without any hesitation, Chen Huihong stood on the side of the road and devoured the remaining steamed buns, and after eating, she smacked her lips with unfinished meaning. She looked at the other steamed bun, hesitated for a while, and stuffed it into her arms.

Passers-by who had heard the rumors about Chen Huihong, seeing Chen Huihong eating so fragrantly, couldn't help but sigh with their companions: "The lunatic young lady is hungry."

"That pastry looks really good, white flour."

"It's just a white flour pastry."

Chen Huihong turned a deaf ear and continued to walk on the street. It's just that this time she seemed to have a direction, not wandering aimlessly on the street, but returning along the original road towards the remote suburbs.

Leaving the bustling street, beggars and refugees became more numerous, and Chen Huihong also blended in, no longer the famous lunatic young lady on the street, but became one of the ordinary refugees.

Chen Huihong looked around, seemingly thinking about something. Walking and walking, Chen Huihong grabbed a refugee who looked relatively strong and asked: "How to get to the place where porridge is distributed?"

The refugee subconsciously showed a ferocious expression, and as soon as he saw Chen Huihong was stronger than him and had a rosy complexion, he looked like he could fight, so no one dared to provoke her, and everyone silently endured and let her squeeze.

"There, it is said to be distributed by a prince, the one there is the thickest, with many rotten beans and little sand."

Chen Huihong walked in the direction pointed by the refugee.

The refugee didn't lie to Chen Huihong. The porridge shed there might indeed be the best in the whole field recognized by everyone. It is said that the number of refugees here is almost several times that of other places. The team is chaotic and crowded, and some people are even stepped on and pressed underneath, wailing constantly.

There were several managers with bright and beautiful clothes at the porridge shed, who didn't manage much, crossed their legs and drank tea leisurely, at most looked at how many beans were left and when to finish work, and occasionally grabbed a few handfuls of sand and sprinkled them into the pot.

Chen Huihong squeezed around in the crowd. The refugees thought she wanted to cut the line. Seeing that she was strong and had a rosy complexion, she looked like she could fight, so no one dared to provoke her, and everyone silently endured and let her squeeze.

Squeezing and squeezing, Chen Huihong heard a familiar voice.

"Sister Chen!"

What came into view was Hui Niang's pleasantly surprised little face.

"Ate?" Chen Huihong asked concisely.

Hui Niang shook her head: "Too many people, can't get in line. And..."

Hui Niang pointed to several big men near the porridge shop: "If you get in line, you have to give them half a bowl. If you don't give it, you will be beaten. I don't dare to squeeze forward."

Hui Niang's figure was considered good among the refugees, and if she tried hard to squeeze forward, she might have already drunk it.

Seeing this, Chen Huihong directly grabbed Hui Niang, took her out of the crowd snatching porridge, and came to a corner with no one.

"Eat this." Chen Huihong took out the steamed bun that had been pressed into a flour cake from her arms and handed it to Hui Niang. In Hui Niang's shocked eyes, the steamed bun slowly rebounded and returned to its previous shape.

"Wow!" Hui Niang exclaimed.

"White flour steamed bun, it's really not white!"

Qin Huai:...

Hui Niang, the point you exclaimed is a bit strange.

But who is this pastry chef? How can he be so awesome, the dough leavening technique is too good.

It can bounce back even after being pressed like this, a unique skill!

Hui Niang couldn't wait to take a hard bite and said loudly: "Sweet!"

"Sweeter than sweet stalks!"

Hui Niang devoured the whole steamed bun in a whirlwind and asked with some expectation: "Sister, have you been to the inner city?"

"Went."

"Is it fun?"

"It's okay, quite lively, many people."

"I don't dare to go, they all say that people like us will be beaten if we go to the inner city."

"It's okay, as long as you don't enter that... what..." Chen Huihong thought about it, "Pastry shop, you won't be beaten. If you sit at the door, someone will take things to you to eat and let you leave."

Hui Niang opened her mouth in admiration and made a silent exclamation.

"Have you found your parents?"

"No, they might not have come to Beiping." Hui Niang said happily, "Sister, do you like it here? Are you staying here?"

"Should be."

"Then can I continue to stay with you, sister? I didn't dare to spend the 7 copper coins you gave me, afraid of being robbed. In the future, you go shopping everywhere, and I will go to the inner city to beg for you."

Chen Huihong: "... You are happy."

Qin Huai felt that what Chen Huihong really wanted to say was that she didn't want to beg for food.

"Sister, where are we going now?"

"I'm going to find some clothes."

"Why find clothes?"

"Because you said I would be beaten if I entered the inner city wearing these clothes."

"Sister..."

Qin Huai left the dream.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 36 =====