The rioting outside the villas had been quelled. The residents couldn’t help feeling relief as they came out of their basements.
Song Yan’s subordinates tied Shu Yuanwei and the leader of the refugees up with hemp ropes and threw them onto the floor of the living room. They said, “Sir, we have already arrested all the refugees who participated in the riot and are waiting for your instructions. Also, how should we deal with this particular person?”
Shu Yuanwei thought that the riot would definitely succeed. He did not expect it to end up like this.
Shu Yuanwei knelt on the ground, thinking that he was really unlucky. Shu Xian and Lin Shan had both slipped away. He was the only one caught!
“I didn’t do anything wrong. At most, I just gave them directions. What can you do to me?”
Shu Yuanwei raised his head stubbornly. His gaze landed on Song Yan, who was beside Qiu Tong. He immediately gaped in shock and panic.
“Mr. President?”
When Shu Yuanwei saw Song Yan’s face, he was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a pale face and kowtowed repeatedly to beg for mercy. “I really didn’t know you and Qiu Tong had such a… such a relationship! I offended you, Sir. Please have mercy on a commoner like me. Let me off!”
Shu Yuanwei was so flustered that he kept stammering. He never expected that Qiu Tong’s backer would be the president himself.
“I didn’t mean to go against Qiu Tong at the market. Why don’t we do this? In the future, the Qiu family can come to our food store to get grains and other foods whenever they want!”
“I will give the order that no one will charge the Qiu family a single cent!”
Shu Yuanwei pleaded for mercy in an agitated manner, but Qiu Tong just stared coldly at his ingratiating and fearful face. She remained silent and sneered.
Song Yan did not explain his identity. He just raised his hand and instructed his subordinate, “Send him to prison and charge him with the crime of burglary.”
“As for your words of repentance, you can save them for your fellow prisoners in jail.”
Song Yan waved his hand and his men dragged Shu Yuanwei out. Before he disappeared, he was still shouting, “Have mercy! I won’t dare to do it again!”
Qiu Tong asked Ke Le and the others to bring the children to the bedroom. She and Song Yan sat on the sofa and looked at the refugees kneeling on the ground.
“Where are you from? Why are you robbing people in S City?”
Qiu Tong frowned and said, “Do you know that there’s a world of difference between begging and causing some ruckus on the streets compared to breaking into private homes and committing robbery? You might be sentenced to death…”
“Who truly wishes to commit robbery? Who doesn’t want to live a proper life?”
One of the refugees looked up at Qiu Tong, still remembering the bags of grains she had given him. He replied with a wry smile, “We moved here from the neighboring city. Everyone originally had grain fields at home. Even if they couldn’t earn money, they could still keep their families warm and full. They wouldn’t go hungry.”
“However, due to the locust plague, none of the grain fields produced any harvest!”
“We heard that S City managed to control the locust plague. Although the harvest was halved, there is still food. Hence, our entire family moved here to beg for some food.” The refugees recalled the hardships they had faced along the way and covered their faces with their hands, unable to speak.
Qiu Tong asked doubtfully, “But if you want to beg for food, can’t you do it in your home city?”
“There are also other wealthy districts in your city. Why did you come such a long way?”
Upon hearing her question, another refugee explained, “There are already rioting hooligans running rampant on the streets of our city. They’ve already snatched away all the food. They attack and plunder food and money without any qualms. Some even target the women.”
“We came here to take refuge!”