"Why aren’t you eating, child?" the woman asked Xiao Jinxing, seemingly noticing his unease.
"He’s shy around strangers," Ye Qichi quickly explained.
Xiao Jinxing threw him a look.
Ye Qichi acted as if he hadn’t seen it.
She picked up some vegetables and held them to Xiao Jinxing’s mouth, "Be good, open up."
Xiao Jinxing looked at Ye Qichi coldly.
Ye Qichi smiled radiantly.
His eyes told Xiao Jinxing that it was good enough that someone was willing to take them in, so don’t be picky.
Xiao Jinxing pursed his lips and then opened his mouth.
The bland dish didn’t taste very good, but at that moment, it seemed to suddenly stimulate his taste buds.
"Have some porridge," Ye Qichi reminded.
Xiao Jinxing took a sip of porridge.
Then, he began to eat.
Ye Qichi watched Xiao Jinxing eat and couldn’t help but find it amusing.
They should have let this guy, no, let the royal ministers, really get to know the common people’s hardships.
"By the way, big sister," Ye Qichi suddenly asked, "I just heard your son say your elder brother went off to war? Has he gone to the border?"
Upon mentioning her husband, the woman sighed deeply, "Yes, all the men in our village have been conscripted to fight. These past few years, there’s been unrest at the border, and every year men are required to join the army. It won’t be long before my son has to enlist too."
Her son was naturally whom she referred to.
Ye Qichi frowned, puzzled, "Aren’t military enlistments voluntary now?"
"They say it’s voluntary, to protect our homes, but we really have no choice. If you don’t go, the officials will find all kinds of ways to trouble you. A few years ago, the third son from our village didn’t join, and his wife was kidnapped, his child was trafficked, and his family was torn apart..." Talking about it, she sighed heavily again.
Ye Qichi looked over at Xiao Jinxing.
Xiao Jinxing paused as he ate his meal.
He probably hadn’t expected that policies from above would turn out at the grassroots level.
"Do you want more porridge, child?" The woman noticed Xiao Jinxing’s bowl was empty and quickly asked.
"Mhm." Xiao Jinxing nodded.
As if it was to be expected.
The woman hurriedly got up to serve him more porridge.
"I’ll do it," Ye Qichi quickly interjected.
"No need, no need, I’ve got it," the woman insisted and hurried to fill the bowl with porridge.
Ye Qichi shot another glance at Xiao Jinxing.
Xiao Jinxing pretended he didn’t see it.
And continued eating.
The woman suddenly remembered something and said, "Right, miss, did you say you’re heading to Yuzhou?"
"Yes. I’m going to find my sister," Ye Qichi lied without batting an eye.
"I heard from people in the town that there seems to be an epidemic in Yuzhou. Many people from Yuzhou City have fled," the woman cautioned.
"Really?" Ye Qichi feigned ignorance.
"I’m not sure about the details. It’s just what the second aunt from the town brought back last time she went. Not sure if it’s true or not." In ancient times, news would not spread very quickly.
So the epidemic in Yuzhou City had been going on for so long, and only now has the real news reached the court. Whether someone deliberately spread it or not, it’s still an instance of ’the sky being high and the emperor being far away’; the court wouldn’t know at all about the big trouble in Yuzhou.
"We’ll see when we get there. If it’s really bad, we’ll just go somewhere else. After all, my husband and I have already pledged ourselves to each other for life; we’re definitely not going back," Ye Qichi said firmly.
Xiao Jinxing looked exasperated.
"I’d like another bowl," Xiao Jinxing suddenly spoke up at the dinner table.
If you want more, serve yourself, won’t you?!
And who was it that just now looked so disgusted you wouldn’t even touch the chopsticks?!
The woman was stunned for two seconds, then quickly responded warmly, "I’ll serve you."
Ye Qichi inwardly cursed the damn Prince.
Another bowl of porridge was placed in front of Xiao Jinxing.
Xiao Jinxing started eating again.
At this moment, the woman’s son had also finished a small bowl and eagerly held up his own bowl to her saying, "Mom, I want more too."
The woman seemed somewhat embarrassed and troubled.
"My boy," she called out again.
"No, no, I want to eat, I want to!" the little boy whined.
"Be obedient," the woman’s tone became stern.
"Why isn’t he allowed to eat when a child is growing?" Xiao Jinxing still didn’t understand.
At that moment, Ye Qichi naturally realized that all the food had been eaten by Xiao Jinxing.
These villages were already poor, having a full meal was not easy.
"That..." the woman said, struggling to find words.