Better Hands and Benevolent Hearts
At noon, under the scorching sun, a bustling crowd gathered in front of Xicheng Gate.
The people originally stood in three orderly lines, reporting their numbers as usual to receive their portion of medicinal porridge. Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the front of the line.
Among those distributing the porridge, a young woman noticed an old man sweating profusely as he clung to another man's arm. "Miss, this man stole my tag," the old man complained.
"Don't talk nonsense, old man. How can you prove this tag is yours?" The thin man clutching the tag smirked, raising his fist threateningly. "If you don't shut up, I'll make you regret it."
"This is my tag," the old man insisted. "I take this No. 5008 tag and receive porridge here every day. The people ahead of and behind me in line know it's mine. If you don't believe me, ask them."
However, the two men standing nearby averted their eyes, unwilling to get involved.
Seeing this, the thin man grew bolder. He waved the tag mockingly and laughed. "Old man, stop making things up. Who's going to stand up for you?"
"I will!" A young man from the adjacent line stepped forward indignantly. "I see this old man here every day, always around the same time. The tag is his. I also recognize you—you steal people's tags all the time just to get extra porridge."
Jiujin, one of the porridge distributors, narrowed his eyes and coldly addressed the thin man. "Give me the tag."
The man's face flushed red. Furious, he raised his hand, ready to strike the young man who had spoken up.
But before his fist could land, a sharp pain shot through his wrist. He yelped in agony, his arm suddenly going limp.
Jiujin turned, eyes lighting up as two young women emerged from the crowd.
The thin man, still clutching his injured wrist, turned as well and scowled when he saw them—two delicate-looking young women, their expressions filled with righteous anger.
"I'm just taking a few extra bowls of porridge. So what?" he scoffed. "If you can't afford to give it, then don't. Stop acting like saints."
One of the girls, dressed in light green, twirled an embroidery needle between her fingers and stepped forward. Without a word, she slapped him—twice.
The crisp "pa! pa!" echoed through the crowd, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.
"My lady provides this medicinal porridge to help people, not to let you stuff yourself!" she snapped. "One bowl a day is enough. We made that clear from the start. If you overconsume, it can harm your health. Don't think you can come crying to us when you make yourself sick."
She turned to address the crowd. "And to those of you who witnessed this and said nothing—you're just as guilty. From now on, anyone caught stealing or enabling theft of tags will be banned from receiving porridge. Jiujin, collect their tag numbers and remove them from the directory. They won't be getting porridge anymore."
The women who had been silently enduring similar injustices turned pale and rushed forward, pleading for leniency.
"You had your chance," the young woman in green said coldly. "Don't expect kindness when you refused to show it to others."
Qiqian, the girl's companion, stepped forward and sneered. "My lady is generous, but there are always people who take advantage of kindness. You brought this upon yourselves."
She turned back to the thin man, who was now trembling. "And you—you've been stealing extra bowls every day. This porridge isn't just food; it's medicine, carefully measured by doctors. Too much can be harmful. Go deal with your own problems. Don't you dare collapse at our city gate expecting us to take responsibility."
The thin man was now visibly shaking.
"You!" Qiqian gestured to the guards. "Take him to the governor's office to record this incident. If he dies, I don't want anyone blaming my lady." She tucked her embroidery needle away and continued coldly, "Every day before distribution, we announce the rules. They're also posted for everyone to read. If you ignored them, that's your problem."
Jiujin smirked and nodded approvingly.
Baliang, another worker, stepped forward with a chuckle. "You've been waiting for a moment like this, haven't you?"
Liu Min, standing beside him, smiled gently. "She always is. She'd stab someone before letting an injustice slide."
"Of course! Who wouldn't be angry?" Qiqian huffed, then turned to Baliang. "Where is the lady?"
"The lady has been at Huichuntang all morning, providing free medical consultations," Baliang replied. "She mentioned she'd return later to adjust the porridge prescription. She wants to start cooking in batches based on individual needs."
"Some people can take a lower dosage for prevention, while others already infected need a stronger dose. A few cases are serious enough that she plans to add additional medicines..."
"Good thing we received another shipment of rice, grains, and herbs," Baliang added with a sigh of relief. "Otherwise, we'd be in trouble."
"Don't worry," Qiqian reassured him. "All supplies are being processed at the city gates. They should be cleared for entry by afternoon."
The group walked toward the city gate, exchanging greetings with elderly villagers, women, and children along the way. They returned every greeting respectfully.
As they neared Huichuntang, Lu Qian arrived just in time to witness the scene.
The medicine stall was still set up, but Miss Linlang was nowhere to be seen.
Curious, Lu Qian approached one of the staff members.
"Miss Yu returned to the warehouse in the south of the city to refine the new prescription," the staff member explained.
Lu Qian sighed, feeling a strange sense of disappointment.
He had been hoping to meet her. Since hearing of her efforts, he had been deeply curious about the woman behind the operation.
"Miss Yu's medicinal porridge is incredibly effective," Dr. He, a young physician at Huichuntang, informed him. "Many patients with mild symptoms have already recovered. Now we're shifting focus to prevention."
Lu Qian nodded approvingly, a smile forming on his lips.
Though he came from a noble family, he was no stranger to the realities of the world. He had long admired Yu Linlang from afar, but now, he was genuinely moved.
According to Dr. He, she had been distributing porridge outside the city gates for over half a month.
Even with her meticulous budgeting, managing to keep the cost of a bowl under eight cents, the sheer number of recipients made expenses skyrocket. Over 12,000 tags had been issued, meaning she had already spent over 1,500 taels in just two weeks!
And that wasn't even counting the wages for the female workers she had hired, each earning 50 cents a day.
Lu Qian climbed into his carriage, heading straight for Prince Mu's residence.
He knew one thing for sure—the cost of this operation shouldn't fall solely on Miss Yu.
No, the court should pay.
Of course, the prince wouldn't be keen on footing the bill either, so he would just have to write a few tearful petitions and plead poverty. If the court wouldn't allocate enough resources, they could at least reimburse Miss Yu for the food and medicine she had provided.
It was only fair.
After all, she wasn't just working tirelessly—she was using her own wealth to save lives.
And yet, she never asked for recognition or reward.
Lu Qian thought to himself, There may never be another girl like Yu Linlang in this world.