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Chapter 150: The Crying Beastkins
How does one define a satisfying life?
Some people have a lot of money, so they don’t have to worry about their next meal, how to make ends meet, or worry about the things they need to live. So for them, it’s about being able to find entertainment to keep themselves occupied and entertained.
For others, however, it could be something as simple as being able to eat properly, as even that could be a challenge for them.
When Liu Feng arrived at the dock, the area that was usually used to store wheat and park carriages were occupied by beastkin slaves. They were squatting on the ground, staring at the wheat porridge that was being cooked. They couldn’t help but lick their lips as they smelled the fragrance of the wheat porridge.
“Young Master!” Niu Da ran over and saluted. “Only a few beastkins have left; the rest all stayed here.”
“Mhmm. Did we bring enough wheat?” Liu Feng asked, looking at the steel barrels. Each one. When filled to the brim, was enough to feed around 50 people. They had currently filled 3 of them.
“Not enough,” Niu Da said, shaking his head. “We only brought 6 days of wheat for 100 people, and we already consumed 2 days worth of wheat.”
Liu Feng waved his hand, interrupting the boring report. He smiled, “North Wind City’s City Lord has agreed to sell us wheat with a 10% discount. Tomorrow, have someone buy enough wheat for 5000 people to last for 4 months. If we don’t have enough ships, rent some.”
Niu Da blanked for a bit and quickly recovered from the shock. Joy could be seen in his eyes. “Understood!” He had been worried about not having enough food for everyone, but now, with the news that Liu Feng brought back, he was confident that he could let everyone fill up.
“Arrange for them to eat. Have them line up properly; everything must be kept in an orderly fashion,” Liu Feng said.
“Understood!” Niu Da said, nodding his head. He was going to whip anyone that tried to mess around. Whoever wanted to eat had to follow the rules.
“Young Master, I’ll go and kill whoever dares to make trouble,” Mina said in a cold voice. She wouldn’t be soft on some “mice” that were ruining everything.
“Don’t be so murderous,” Liu Feng said, gently stroking Mina’s ears. “People aren’t saints, so they are bound to cause problems. People who cause small problems should only be sent to the Little Black Room for a few days. Only serious crimes warrant death penalties.”
“Little Black Room?” Mina was confused. Sending people who commit crimes to a room? Is it a dungeon?
“It’s a room less than 1.5 meters tall and just long for 1 person to lie down. It is soundproof, so people inside the room can’t hear anything outside. It’s semi-sealed and fully black on all sides, hence the name, Little Black Room,” Liu Feng said, briefly introducing the Little Black Room. “People who committed small crimes are to be sent in there for 3 or 5 days. During this time, no one is to communicate with him, and there will be no light at all. Even food will be delivered to them quietly.”
Mina shivered upon hearing that. Normal people could stay in there for a day or 2. But 3 or even 5 days? People without a strong will would go crazy. Normal people can’t live alone without any contact- they need socialization and communication with others. Psychopaths were exceptions, but that was the case for most other people.
“Young Master, will you send me in there if I committed a crime too?” Mina asked timidly.
“Ha! No way,” Liu Feng said, laughing lightly. “I’ll spank you if you commit a crime.”
“…” Mina blushed, squirming and rubbing the hems of her shirt. Should I go and commit a crime? How does it feel to be spanked by Young Master?
Liu Feng looked at Mina’s increasingly reddening cheeks in amusement, having no idea what Mina was thinking about.
“Everyone line up! Anyone who tries to cause problems won’t get wheat porridge to eat,” Niu Da yelled, his voice traveling far out in the night sky.
As soon as they heard that there was something for them to eat, the beastkins all livened up and immediately got up. They all stared at the 3 steel barrels.
The soldiers ordered the beastkins to split up into 3 lines. Anyone who tried to cut in line was met with a kick from the soldiers. Violence and force were required in a critical situation like this one. Otherwise, things would get messy if someone started something and caused the others to follow suit. Starving people dared to do almost anything.
After the beastkins finished lining up, a few soldiers carried some large wooden barrels and placed one on each side of each line.
“Everyone must wash their hands clean. You do not get to eat until you wash your hands clean,” Niu Da shouted.
The Beastkins were a bit confused, but they didn’t dare to complain. They all obediently washed their hands, scrubbing so hard that some of their skin became red.
The beastkins who had finished washing their hands were stopped by some soldiers about 6 meters away from the place they could get wheat porridge.
“Take this,” a soldier said, handing 3 index-sized paper slips to a beastkin who had finished washing his hands. “Don’t lose them. You can now go and get wheat porridge.”
“Oh oh.” The beastkin carefully took the paper slips and got in front of the steel barrels. He couldn’t help but swallow his saliva upon seeing the thick wheat porridge inside.
“Give me a paper slip,” the soldier guarding the wheat porridge said.
The beastkin was confused and just stood there looking at the soldier. What’s a paper slip?
“It’s this!” the soldier said, trying to hold in his smile as he took a paper slip from the beastkin’s hand.
“Here you go. Go eat over there,” the soldier said, giving the beastkin a wooden about the size of an adult hand. He pointed to an empty space. “After you finish eating, and you aren’t full, you can go line up again. Each of the paper slips in your hand can be used to exchange for one bowl of wheat porridge.”
This made the beastkin tighten his grip on the paper slips. He finally understood what the paper slips were used for. I can get 2 more bowls of wheat porridge this big?
“Go on, don’t block the people behind you, the soldier urged.
“Okay okay,” the beastkin carried the bowl of wheat porridge and walked away. He looked at the thick wheat porridge inside, feeling as if he was dreaming. The amount of wheat porridge in the bowl was more than 3 days worth of food he would get in the past.
“De- delicious, so delicious…” Tears flowed down their eyes as the beastkins ate. Their tears flowed into the bowl as they ate, which made the porridge sour, but despite that, it still warmed their hearts. f𝚛𝗲𝐞𝐰e𝗯n𝗼v𝗲𝚕.𝚌o𝐦
The beastkins were about 30% full upon finishing their first bowl. They looked at the empty wooden bowl in their hands and then turned to look at the steel barrels. They squeezed the notes paper slips in tightly and nervously lined up again.
The beastkins quickly all got their first bowl of wheat porridge, and it was time for them to get their second bowl. They gave away another one of the paper slips and got another bowl of wheat porridge.
“Waaahhhh…”