Chapter 50: Chapter 43, Perfect Solution_l
With the tacit approval of his parents, the support of 200 stones of grain from Old Madam Yan, and the encouragement of Daohua, the next day, Yan Wenxiu nervously suggested to the Master of the County School that they take advantage of the good snowy scenery and organize the students to go out on a sketching trip.
Generally speaking, during the harsh winter, the Masters of the County School wouldn’t agree to let the students go out. However, this matter had been prearranged by Yan Zhigao with the instructing teacher, and so, a group of students set out, treading through the snow to leave the city.
Because of the fear that accidents might happen on the road, Yan Zhigao also specially arranged for a number of government officials to follow and escort them.
The students were out for the entire day.
That evening.
Everyone gathered at the Songhe Courtyard, curious to see Yan Wenxiu who, upon his return, appeared grim and remained silent.
It wasn’t until Yan Zhigao returned from the County Governor’s Office that Yan Wenxiu spoke, “Father, the lives of the refugees are truly… too difficult.”
Before today, he couldn’t have imagined that in this freezing world of ice and snow, there were people who couldn’t even afford shoes, whose only clothing was a thin layer, and yet, they had to brave the snow to search for food in the mountains.
And the food they sought was not game, but things like tree roots and bark.
When he saw a five- or six-year-old boy chewing on a piece of tree root with relish, as if enjoying some delicacy, his heart was fiercely struck.
Compared to some of the wealthier families in the Yan Family and the County School, they were not rich, but from childhood to adulthood, he had never worried about food and clothing. Only today did he realize that there were people in this world living such bitter lives.
In the past, refugees were just a group of people fleeing from calamities in his mind. He knew their lives were not easy, but he had no concept of how difficult they really were.
Today, the hardship of the refugees was clearly laid out before him, and the shock this brought him can only be imagined.
Yan Wenxiu described what he had seen and heard that day, and after listening, everyone fell silent.
Earlier during her time disguised as a refugee, Daohua had already come to know about these conditions quite well, so she was not too greatly affected. Now, what she was thinking about was how to help the refugees. She broke the silence, “Big brother, what do your classmates think of the refugees’ lives?”
Yan Wenxiu, “They naturally sympathize greatly.”
Daohua, “Then did you talk to them about supporting the refugees through the winter?”
Yan Wenxiu nodded, “I did. Everyone expressed their willingness to help the refugees with their own abilities.”
Daohua smiled and nodded approvingly.
The students from the County School were all young, and even if they were sometimes unruly, their hearts were still good.
Daohua asked again, “Then, big brother, do you have any plans for this matter?”
Yan Wenxiu was startled, “Do we need plans for this?”
Daohua, “Of course, we do. For instance, where will everyone’s donated goods be kept? And who will register and verify them…”
Yan Wenxiu interrupted Daohua, “Wait, big sister, can’t the goods just be donated directly to the County Governor’s Office?”
Daohua shook her head, “This is the students’ act of kindness. It has nothing to do with the County Governor’s Office. Of course, you should be personally involved. Moreover, you only gain something after you have done the task yourself. Big brother, this is a rare opportunity, and you should cherish it.”
Yan Wenxiu glanced at Yan Zhigao, and seeing his father deep in thought, he then turned to look at Daohua, “This matter is too big…”
Daohua: “Isn’t it just about collecting things and then distributing what’s been collected? There are so many students in the county school, with each person responsible for a part, it would be very easy. However, such matters indeed cannot be taken lightly, we must draft detailed regulations in advance to prevent problems from arising at the last minute.”
Yan Wenxiu glanced at Daohua and, not ashamed to ask for advice, said, “Big sister, could you specify what the regulations are?”
Daohua: “For instance, when donations come in, someone has to be responsible for registration and verification, right? And say, if there’s a large volume of donations, we’ll need a place to store them, right? Similarly, when distributing, we also need to keep records to clearly know the inventory…
“Moreover, surely not every student at the county school comes from a well-off family. For these individuals, don’t ask them to donate, but since others are donating, they might feel uncomfortable if they don’t, so in that case, get them involved by doing something whether it’s registering or storing, basically let them also participate.”
Actually, Daohua didn’t know much about these matters either, she just spoke whatever came to mind. Nevertheless, Yan Wenxiu was listening very attentively, nodding his head from time to time.
Meanwhile, Yan Zhigao’s gaze toward Daohua grew increasingly satisfied, while Madam Yan and Madam Li had been smiling indulgently the whole time.
After Daohua finished speaking, Yan Zhiyuan immediately said, “Wenxiu, let Wenjie help you too.”
“And me, I want to help as well,” Yan Wenkai called out right away, having been eager to join the conversation after seeing his older brother and big sister discussing, but, regrettably, he hadn’t been able to get a word in.
Yan Zhiqiang, who usually didn’t like to express his opinions in front of others, also spoke up this time: “Wenxiu, if you need people to move things, call Wentao, he’s strong.”
Old Madam Yan looked at her grandchildren with a beaming smile and said, “Since Wenjie, Wentao, and Wenkai are also participating, then… the old lady will contribute 100 bushels of grain.”
Madam Li followed with a smile, “Our household will also contribute 200 bushels, which adds up to 500 bushels of grain from us, not too many, but not too few, giving the other students a reference for comparison.”
Yan Zhigao had been silent the entire time, seemingly letting Wenxiu and the others fuss over it. From his face, which bore a slight smile, one could tell he was in a good mood.
Of course, this didn’t mean he didn’t value this matter. On the contrary, he took it very seriously.
He carefully considered his eldest daughter’s words and felt that if these matters were organized by the students themselves, it would be much better than being arranged by the county governor’s office.
At least, for the influential local families, supporting their children in charitable acts was much easier to accept than supporting the county governor’s office in disaster relief.
Early the next morning, Yan Wenxiu, skipping breakfast in his enthusiasm, went to the county school. It wasn’t even half a day before he had rallied over ten students willing to make donations.
Once someone took the lead, the rest followed much more easily.
There were indeed a considerable number of students from the county school who came from affluent families. Soon, the amount of money and grain donated exceeded Yan Zhigao’s expectations.
Yan Zhigao also wanted to take this opportunity to train his eldest son and didn’t intervene, but he couldn’t just ignore the situation. Therefore, he sent over the careful and reliable Teacher Xiao to help.
The students, undertaking such a task for the first time, worked with great zeal. Over several days, despite encountering numerous problems, they managed to resolve everything before another heavy snowfall.
The refugees received some clothing and grain, perhaps not much, but it was enough to help them survive the harsh winter.
With this, the students were satisfied, and so were the parents behind them.
How could they not be proud of their children for managing such a significant act at such a young age?
As for Yan Zhigao, the head of the county, he too was relieved.
As long as the refugees were fine, he might not have performed any meritorious deeds, but he certainly made no mistakes..