Chapter 583: Leave It to You
The two figures moved along the darkened streets. Whenever they spotted a sheltered alleyway, they'd duck in for a look. If they found any refugees huddled inside, they'd hand them a handful of silver fragments.
They continued like this, walking and distributing, and soon their pouch of silver was empty.
Padi Tu swiftly sprinted back to the fertilizer store, located the large cart, and emerged with another sack of silver slung over his shoulder. Then, he resumed his task, going street by street, distributing the coins.
He managed through the first two trips, but by the third, Padi Tu was panting heavily, practically exhaling plumes of exhaustion. Just as the Heavenly Lord had said, his strength alone was simply too meager. Even if the Heavenly Lord provided endless silver, how much could one man carry? He couldn't make more than a few trips delivering these heavy coins.
Saving the common people of the world was no easy feat!
When they were more than halfway through the third sack of silver, the two found themselves on Xi'an's most bustling and opulent street. Despite the snowy night, it remained a vibrant scene of pleasure and indulgence. Scholars and poets reveled in the merrymaking, and laughter echoed from every tavern and brothel.
Padi Tu huffed, "Hmph! 'Behind crimson gates, wine and... what was it again?'"
"'Behind crimson gates, wine and meat go bad; on the roadside, people freeze to death.'"
"Ah, yes, yes, that's it! The Heavenly Lord truly possesses greater knowledge."
Padi Tu's gaze swept over to a large tavern's side entrance, where a crowd of refugees huddled, waiting for something unknown. Moments later, a table of scholars and poets finished their meal and rose to leave.
The waiter, tasked with clearing the tables, scraped the leftover food from the plates and bowls into a wooden basin with a clatter. Then, carrying the basin, he stealthily slipped to the side door while the manager wasn't looking, pulled it open just a crack, and passed the basin out.
The refugees waiting outside surged forward, grabbing handfuls of the scraps and leftover food from the wooden basin, desperately stuffing them into their mouths.
The waiter shushed them, "Quiet! Don't make a sound. If the manager sees me, I'll be fired, and you won't get any more food."
The refugees nodded vigorously, and their frantic movements immediately slowed.
Inside the tavern, the manager's booming voice echoed, "Siwa! Siwa, where are you slacking off? I told you to take the leftovers to feed the pigs. Where did you sneak off to loaf around?"
The waiter startled, then quickly shouted back, "Coming, coming! I was just in the back, relieving myself."
"Lazy ox, lazy horse, always full of piss and shit!" the manager bellowed.
The waiter meekly went over, enduring a torrent of curses from the manager, who was tugging at his ear.
Padi Tu erupted in fury. "Damn it! I'm going to kill that manager!"
Li Daoxuan shook his head. "No! Don't commit evil deeds under the banner of justice. That manager, while seemingly petty and harsh, doesn't deserve death. Killing is easy, but discerning who deserves to die and who doesn't is profoundly difficult. If you aspire to be a true hero, the first thing you must learn is to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and to understand the principle of balanced action. Otherwise, you won't be a hero; you'll merely be a reckless demon."
Padi Tu remained silent.
Li Daoxuan urged, "Think carefully. What's the optimal solution for this situation right now?"
Padi Tu racked his brain, pondering and pondering. After a long moment, a metaphorical lightbulb clicked above his head. "Heavenly Lord, let's find the owner of this tavern, buy it, then kick out the manager and make that waiter the new manager!"
Li Daoxuan smiled. "That's a good idea, but it's still not quite right."
Padi Tu asked, "Why not?"
Li Daoxuan elaborated, "Can this waiter read? Does he possess management skills? Can he run a tavern successfully? You've only seen his kindness, and yet you'd entrust such a significant responsibility to him. You might inadvertently cause more harm than good. If he's incompetent and the tavern goes bankrupt in a few months, what then? What if he's consumed by guilt towards the owner and hangs himself?"
Padi Tu exclaimed, "Huh?"
He began thinking again, and after a while, it finally clicked. "I understand now! We buy the tavern, transfer a literate and numerate person from Gao Family Village to be the head manager, and then hire this waiter as the assistant manager."
Li Daoxuan affirmed, "This time, you've got it right. Make a note of this. Tomorrow, during the day, investigate who owns this tavern. If we can buy it, acquire it, and proceed exactly as you've suggested."
Padi Tu beamed with delight. "Following the Heavenly Lord, I'm truly learning a great deal."
Li Daoxuan explained, "Xi'an is a unique city. Gao Family Village cannot openly seize control of it; that would undoubtedly cause immense trouble. However, what cannot be done overtly can be achieved covertly. We'll start by taking over various businesses and shops across all sectors of this city."
At this point, he clapped Padi Tu on the shoulder. "Though you're riddled with flaws, you have one great virtue: you're neither greedy for wealth nor lustful for women. Most common human vices seem to bypass you entirely. Even in this decadent city, you won't be swayed from your true nature; the sugar-coated bullets of feudal remnants won't pierce your resolve. So, keep a close eye on matters here in Xi'an."
Padi Tu was overjoyed. "Thank you for trusting this humble one, Heavenly Lord."
"I only said half of it," Li Daoxuan retorted. "You possess many flaws that most ordinary people don't."
Padi Tu was speechless.
Li Daoxuan instructed, "Now, go on and distribute more silver."
Padi Tu pleaded, "Heavenly Lord, I truly can't carry any more. Hauling hundreds of pounds of silver through these streets and alleys is going to be the death of me!"
Li Daoxuan decided, "Then we'll continue tomorrow night."
Padi Tu sighed.
Early morning, just as dawn was breaking.
The doors of Xi'an's official grain store were rattled incessantly by the clamoring common folk.
Wu Shen, as the Imperial Censor most concerned with the people's welfare during disasters, was quickly roused.
Donning his padded robe, he hurried outside to the grain store. He found a large throng of refugees pressing against the entrance, jostling and shouting. Those at the very front hammered impatiently on the doors, "Open up! It's almost daybreak! Hurry and open!"
The grain store manager, with an annoyed expression, pulled open the door. "What's all this commotion? Does it make any difference to you whether I open or not? You can't afford anything anyway."
The refugees shouted in unison, "We have money! We have money now!"
The manager stared, bewildered.
The refugees spread their hands, revealing small, glinting fragments of silver clutched in each palm. Every single person in the dense, dark crowd held some.
The manager was utterly stunned. "What is going on?"
Wu Shen, standing nearby, was equally perplexed. "Where did they get all this money?"
Nevertheless, he decided this wasn't the crucial point. The fact that they now possessed money was a tangible reality, and not necessarily a bad development.
Wu Shen promptly waved his hand, issuing an order: "Sell them the grain!"
The manager immediately sprang into action, and the shop assistants busied themselves. Grain was moved in and out, weighed, and bagged; everyone was engaged.
Almost every refugee received a small fragment of silver, several *qian* each, enough to buy a *dou* of grain – ten catties. Mixed with wild vegetables, tree bark, and roots, and eaten sparingly, it would sustain them for dozens of days.
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