The sorrowful atmosphere lingered all the way, and Qin Ge fell into a deep sleep in a daze.
After an unknown amount of time, the tractor driver shouted, "Sijiucheng is here! Those getting off, please alight."
At this, Qin Ge slowly opened his eyes and said to the old man beside him, "Hmm, we're here, elder. Let's part ways here. If you ever have any difficulties in the future, come find me at Nanluoguxiang."
The old man chuckled, "Got it, young man."
Qin Ge looked up at Sijiucheng, secretly pondering, "Sigh, I finally have to face that father I've never met. I really don't know how to get along with him."
Forget it, I won't think about it too much. I'll take it one step at a time. First, I need to fill my stomach.
So, he eagerly walked towards Sijiucheng. After about half an hour, Qin Ge saw a small restaurant. Meat buns, millet porridge, and some soups were displayed at the entrance.
Qin Ge stepped forward and asked, "Boss, how much are the buns?"
The boss looked up and greeted enthusiastically, "Oh, young man, you're from out of town, aren't you? Please come in, it's warmer inside."
Qin Ge asked curiously, "Oh, boss, how did you know I'm from out of town?"
The boss smiled and said, "Your accent doesn't sound like someone from our Sijiucheng."
Qin Ge asked again, "Then boss, where does my accent sound like it's from?"
The boss thought for a moment and said, "You should be from the Dongting Lake area. It looks like you've come to stay with relatives, haven't you?"
Qin Ge replied, "You're amazing, boss. I really did come to stay with relatives. After the train and then the tractor, my stomach has been growling for ages."
"I was drawn over by the smell of your buns. My cravings have been awakened. Give me a few first."
The boss enthusiastically recommended, "Alright then, young man, how about you try four meat buns first?"
"My meat buns have thin skin and a generous filling. Take a bite, and it's incredibly fragrant! You can fill your stomach first, and then try our millet porridge later. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
Qin Ge asked, "Boss, how much are your buns and porridge?" The boss replied, "Buns are 1 jiao each, and a bowl of millet porridge is 2 fen."
Qin Ge reached into his pocket, pulled out 4 jiao and 2 fen, and handed it to the boss, "Boss, here's the money."
"Alright, young man, coming right up."
Before long, four steaming hot buns and a bowl of millet porridge were placed in front of Qin Ge.
Looking at the fragrant buns, Qin Ge's stomach rumbled. How long had it been since he last ate?
It hadn't even been half a day since he transmigrated. Forget it, he needed to eat his fill first. He picked up a bun and devoured it.
"Mm!" Qin Ge's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "So delicious! You know, meat buns from this era really are fragrant.
The pigs raised now are all bred in green, natural ways, making these buns truly delicious."
Qin Ge wolfed down a few, and as he was about to eat the last one, four people who looked like a mother and her daughters came in.
Leading them was a middle-aged woman, appearing to be in her thirties or forties.
Then he looked at the slightly older girl—good heavens, she must be nearly two meters tall.
His gaze shifted, and there were also a pair of small twins, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen.
All three girls were thin, with messy hair and dirty faces, but their features were still discernible, and they were quite good-looking.
Qin Ge couldn't help but inwardly scold himself, how could he still be commenting on their looks when they were so pitiful?
As he was thinking, he prepared to lower his head and eat the last bun.
At this moment, one of the twin girls said, "Mom, I'm hungry, I want to eat too."
The middle-aged woman said helplessly, "Be good, wait a moment. Let's go find a place with more people and see if we can beg for some food."
Hearing this, Qin Ge suddenly felt that the meat bun in his hand had lost its flavor.
He was eating meat buns while they were starving. Seeing these four, a mother and her daughters, displaced and fleeing here, was truly pitiful.
He held the meat bun in his hand and looked at the girl again.
Qin Ge said, "Little sister, I can't eat this last bun anymore. How about you take it and eat it?"
The little girl opened her big eyes and looked at her mother.
"Mom..." The woman sighed and said to Qin Ge, "Young man, thank you. Life is too hard these days, and this meat bun is too precious.
You are kind, and we are very grateful, but we should look elsewhere."
The woman thought to herself, being able to eat some cornmeal mixed with wild vegetables was already a delicacy, and someone was actually offering a meat bun. She wondered if this young man was truly foolish or truly rich.
Qin Ge watched the four, a mother and her daughters, walk away, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The people of this era are really kind-hearted. He sighed, put down the last bun, and then quickly drank the millet porridge.
Qin Ge called out, "Boss, pack 16 buns."
"Alright, young man, coming right up."
Soon, the boss had the buns packed and handed them to Qin Ge.
The boss couldn't help but say, "Young man, let me say a couple of things, don't take offense. In these times, there are too many people in difficulty. Can you help them all?"
Qin Ge retorted, "Boss, how do you know I'm buying them for those four, a mother and her daughters? Can't I eat them myself?"
The boss smiled and said, "With that look in your eyes, and your sighing. Uncle is a few years older than you; I've seen at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, different kinds of people. I can tell at a glance that you're a kind-hearted person."
"Young man, Uncle gives you a piece of advice: the suffering I've seen in the world is no less than yours, but if I were a little more kind-hearted, I would have starved to death long ago."
"Uncle has been in Sijiucheng for over ten years. I've seen people more pitiful than them, those who starved to death, those who sold their children. I've seen it all.
Right now, you can only take care of yourself. Uncle has seen too much suffering from others, and my heart has hardened."
"Alright, young man, I won't talk to you anymore, Uncle is still busy. Remember, young man, live your own life first."
Qin Ge nodded, "Okay, Uncle, I'll remember what you said."
Qin Ge took the buns and went to chase after the four, a mother and her daughters. He caught up with them shortly.
The four, a mother and her daughters, were squatting in a corner, begging every passing worker.
The woman pleaded, "Big brother, big sister, please be kind. Our family suffered a famine, we really have no other choice. Pity us, give us some food."
However, the indifferent passersby merely hurried past. In truth, they weren't without sympathy; they simply lacked the means to help others themselves.
Just like in Qin Ge's original era, although there were many kind-hearted people, there were also frequent reports online of some beggars earning millions a year.
Batch after batch of passersby went by, but no one paid attention to the pitiful mother.
Qin Ge stood there with the buns in his hand, unsure whether to go forward or retreat. After a moment of hesitation, he mustered his courage and walked up to them.
Qin Ge said, "Auntie, here are some buns. Take them and eat. Things will gradually get better."
The middle-aged woman looked up at Qin Ge, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
The woman choked out, "I don't know how to thank you."
The two twins said in unison, "Thank you, big brother."
The tall girl also softly said, "Thank you." Qin Ge waved his hand and handed over the buns.
The middle-aged woman took the buns from Qin Ge, quickly opened the bag, and put one in each girl's hand: "Eat, eat slowly." Then she closed the bag.
Qin Ge was a bit puzzled and asked, "Auntie, aren't you eating too?"
"No, no. We don't even know if we'll survive now that we've come to Sijiucheng."
"We'll each eat one bun a day. We'll last as many days as we can."