Chapter 49: Not Enough? I'll Slaughter Another 3,000 Pigs!
Bang~
!
Bang Bang Bang~
One ragged refugee after another knelt before the He family servants, some even kowtowing repeatedly.
"There's no need to thank us."
The servants hurriedly helped the refugees up and explained: "We're just doing our jobs. The person who came up with this idea is Daoist Wang Xiu from the Three Pure Immortal Sect."
"Of these three thousand pigs, two thousand were purchased by Daoist Wang himself. The remaining thousand were donated by our master."
"If you want to thank someone, thank them both."
After the servants' explanation.
All the refugees were moved to tears. Some had come from nearby cities, forced to migrate due to floods.
Others had come from territories ruled by other Immortal Sects, unable to survive the harsh oppression of Immortal Sect disciples, forced to flee their homes.
Still others.
Had escaped from 'human livestock pens' within demon clan territories, surviving nine deaths to finally reach Maple City.
Starving all the way, tossed about the whole journey, they'd already lost half their lives.
But now.
After a bowl of hot brown rice porridge in their bellies, they felt reborn. The feeling of being able to eat their fill—it was pure happiness.
Daoist Wang Xiu.
Steward He.
These two names were etched deep in their memories, deeper than anything else.
...
News spread quickly.
The He family's disaster relief using 'bran brown rice porridge' soon spread throughout Maple City.
At first.
Hearing that the He family was using bran meant for livestock for disaster relief, the city's commoners cursed in unison.
But.
After hearing that the He family was 'trading pork for brown rice at a 20% discount,' the curses vanished, replaced entirely by praise.
Some even suggested the He family 'add more pork,' 'three thousand pigs isn't enough for everyone,' and 'let the neighboring cities see that Maple City people can afford this.'
In an instant.
The entire city was caught up in it. Bags of brown rice were carried from thousands of households toward the He residence.
In fact.
If He Daren understood the concept of 'futures,' he could have used this opportunity to buy up large amounts of brown rice from the city.
Then hoard it, creating a shortage, driving up rice prices, and selling at the right moment.
That way.
Buying low and selling high, trading pork at an 80% discount for grain wouldn't just avoid losses—he might even profit.
Of course.
Wang Xiu wouldn't teach him such tactics. They weren't honorable. Corrupt merchants who did such things too often might find their sons born without certain parts.
However.
Even without understanding this principle, when three thousand pigs' worth of pork flooded the Maple City market, pork prices would inevitably drop. Whether they could maintain 80% value was uncertain.
Hmm.
In other words, those who traded brown rice for pork.
If they just wanted a treat, everyone would be happy. But if they tried to resell for profit.
Cough, cough.
They'd probably lose even their underwear!
...
Meanwhile.
In the refugee gathering area at the city outskirts, news of the He family's porridge relief was rapidly spreading.
After all.
For these refugees, nothing was more important than eating. They hadn't gone to the relief tents before simply because they'd been disappointed too many times—they could never compete.
Waiting for relief porridge was less practical than digging for wild vegetables and gnawing tree bark and roots on the mountain.
But now it was different.
Brown rice porridge mixed with some bran?
Bran is for livestock and hurts your dignity?
Dignity isn't worth a fart!
Forget brown rice porridge mixed with bran—even pure bran porridge would be a feast!
In an instant.
The entire refugee area erupted. Over a hundred thousand refugees surged toward the disaster relief tents across the city, terrifying the surrounding commoners.
Good heavens.
Are these people crazy?
That awful, bran-mixed brown rice porridge.
They can actually stomach it?
In that moment.
Many of Maple City's old families and scholars, who had originally insisted that Wang Xiu and He Daren's 'bran disaster relief' was beneath dignity, felt a strange emotion rise in their hearts.
Making every grain of relief food fall into the mouths of refugees, disaster victims, and the starving.
It seemed.
This was how disaster relief should work.
"Wuwu~"
"I'm finally full—this is the first time I've been full in half a year, wuwuwu~"
"Brother, big brother, we're not going to die anymore."
"Mother, can you see us from heaven? Little sister and I finally made it to Maple City. We can survive now."
"Three Pure Immortal Sect, Daoist Wang Xiu, and Steward He, wuwuwu~"
...
Before the relief tents, some had tears in their eyes, some wept with gratitude, and others wanted to kneel and kowtow—no matter how much people tried to stop them.
Human nature in all its forms.
Fully displayed.
On the high city tower, Wang Xiu and He Daren stood side by side.
The old butler stood half a step behind: "Everything is just as Daoist Wang predicted. The Daoist truly sees things clearly. Young master..."
He Daren: "Call me Master!"
The old butler nodded: "Yes, young master. I've calculated. Based on rations for a hundred thousand refugees, our He family's stored brown rice and bran can last half a month."
"If we count the brown rice traded from those three thousand pigs, that's about three million jin—enough for another three months."
He Daren nodded, watching the grateful refugees praising him.
He felt wonderful inside and murmured: "I didn't know being praised for doing good felt this amazing! Daoist Wang, how about we slaughter another three thousand pigs!"
Old butler: ???
Wang Xiu: ???
His lips twitching, Wang Xiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Don't be impulsive. As they say, a pint of rice creates gratitude; a bushel creates resentment."
"Now."
"These disaster victims are eating bran brown rice porridge and are grateful to you because you saved their lives."
"But when they recover their strength, if you continue serving bran porridge, they won't feel the need to make their own way anymore, nor will they be grateful."
"They might even complain that the bran porridge doesn't taste good, asking why you don't provide white rice porridge or white rice."
He Daren froze: "How could that happen?"
The old butler, advanced in years and experienced, nodded: "Young master, if you really keep providing brown rice porridge, that's very likely to happen."
He Daren scratched his head: "Then what should we do? We can't keep giving porridge, but we can't just let them die!"
"Simple—work for relief."
Wang Xiu smiled: "I've already reported to the sect, proposing to expand Maple City's north gate and incorporate the wasteland there."
"Refugees can build houses and clear land there, becoming self-sufficient as quickly as possible."
"If they want white rice and big pork legs, they can."
"Let them earn it with their own hands!"
Whoa!
He Daren's eyes lit up: "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"
...
Good heavens.
This Daoist Wang is clearly younger than him—why is his brain so much sharper?
Over a hundred thousand refugees—a headache for anyone.
And just like that, it's solved?
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