Chapter 378
377, Mind’s Eye (7th update)
Several guys went to grab the old beggar but were tripped and fell to the ground. The beggar insisted on seeing the proprietor, and since the silly girl wasn’t there, he could only come and ask for the proprietor himself.
“This old beggar sure puts on airs. I gave him food, and now his stomach hurts, he wants me to give him an explanation? Go back and say this to him, say it’s my order, his stomach hurts today, take him to see the doctor, and from now on, he and the other beggars will no longer be served porridge or steamed buns at our restaurant, not even leftovers. Let them find their own way to make a living!” Xie Zhinuan said gravely.
If every beggar came to the restaurant door because they felt unwell, she might as well not be in business.
The manager hurriedly agreed.
Back at the entrance of ‘Kechanglai,’ he repeated Xie Zhinuan’s words to the beggar on the ground. The onlookers were surprised; the beggars immediately protested, confronting the old beggar, “You old beggar are truly hateful. You don’t even know what you’ve eaten that upset your stomach. How can you blame ‘Kechanglai’? We all ate the same, so why don’t we have stomachaches?”
“Exactly, you’re just too despicable!”
“It’s more than despicable; it’s downright detestable!”
This year, they finally managed to get enough to eat, not having to endure hunger like the preceding years, where some couldn’t bear it and a good number of beggars starved to death.
This year was different, thanks to Miss Xie’s kind heart. The food from the restaurant was good, and even the leftovers were not mixed together as if for feeding pigs or dogs; they were separated, served to them still warm, with porridge and steamed buns fresh out of the pot.
Not a single beggar in Fengping County had starved to death this year. News reached beggars from many nearby counties and towns, and over a hundred came. Miss Xie didn’t reduce the size of the steamed buns or water down the porridge because more people showed up. It stayed the same as before.
According to Miss Xie, no one would choose to be a beggar if they had another way.
Among them were those who were not averse to idleness and gluttony, but whether due to laziness or dire straits, who would choose to be a beggar if there was another path to take?
Xie Zhinuan wanted to offer these people another way to live, but on the condition that they were grateful, aspired to improve, approached her with pleas, and assured her they would work hard in the future, no longer thieving or being lazy.
So she waited, waiting for these people to come to their senses.
But instead of waiting for their enlightenment, she ended up waiting for an old beggar to cause a scene at her door.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ƝονǤօ.ƈօ
Then she cut off their food supply. After all, did the rice for porridge and flour for steamed buns not cost money?She might have a bit of goodwill, but she absolutely would not allow them to take liberties.
In an instant, the old beggar became the target of public anger.
The spectators thought these beggars were too much and also thought Xie Zhinuan deserved it. Why should one be kind to beggars? Trying to seem beneficent, now look at the retribution she received.
The beggars worried more about their next meal.
These days, they had eaten well, lived a bit too comfortably.
Now suddenly everything was gone, they had to settle accounts with the old beggar.
But by the time they collected their wits, where was the old beggar?
The old beggar had run off long ago.
Xie Zhinuan kept her word; ‘Kechanglai’ truly stopped providing food that evening. Many people gathered at the back door, adults, elderly, children, all wanting to find the old beggar. But who was the old beggar? Where did he come from? Where had he gone now?
No one knew.
“Oh my, could it be that Miss Xie didn’t want to continue supplying us with food and intentionally hired someone?”
“I guess it’s possible!”
“I also think so!”
Some children couldn’t help crying out in hunger, some elderly sighed regretfully, some people were accusing, knocking on the door.
On the other side of the wall, Xie Zhinuan heard their complaints loud and clear.
“It seems, it’s hard to be a good person, hard to do good deeds. There’s a reason why they say gratitude for a bucket of rice, resentment for a scoop of rice!” Xie Zhinuan murmured softly.
Chapter 379