Chapter 95: The Flamboyantly Dressed Woman

The bright light of day illuminated the surroundings, and a noisy commotion could be heard from outside the city gate not far away.

The Shen family, too, was awakened by this clamor.

Last night, they hadn’t set up tents but had slept on the ground as they had done before.

So after waking up, they quickly tidied up and rolled up the quilts and mats on the floor, placing them on a cart. Then they started talking while eating.

Last night, they had already agreed that today Shen Yu’an, Shen Rong, Fei Yanchen, and Bai Wu would go into the city together to buy things.

After eating a little, everyone pulled their belongings and walked closer to the city gate.

As expected, just like the information they had gathered yesterday, people in the city were already preparing to distribute porridge as soon as it became light.

Shen Yu’an and the others looked towards the direction of the city gate, wanting to see what was happening.

The city gate opened slightly, and a row of soldiers stood guard outside.

It was both to prevent any disturbances and to deter opportunistic individuals from taking advantage of the situation.

The sound of horse hooves came from inside the city gate, and the gate opened wider. A luxurious horse carriage was being driven out.

Surrounding the carriage were several dozen servants, firmly guarding the perimeter to prevent anyone from approaching the people inside the carriage.

As soon as the carriage appeared, many refugees who had been waiting outside the city gate swarmed around it.

A guard-like figure looked at the dirty and disheveled refugees with disdain on his face and shouted, “Move aside, make way! If the porridge spills, none of you will get to eat!”

The refugees reluctantly took a step back, but they still wanted to be closer to the carriage to have a chance at getting the first bowl of porridge. As a result, the carriage was unable to move an inch and became stuck at the city gate.

Suddenly, the curtain of the carriage was lifted by a delicate and slender hand, revealing a beautiful young woman.

In the next moment, a pleasant voice was heard.

“Please, everyone, step aside and don’t push. Rest assured, everyone will be able to have porridge.”

After speaking, she smiled at the crowd, and the atmosphere became lively: “It’s Miss Meng! Miss Meng is here to distribute porridge to us!”

Sitting inside the carriage was Meng Yuening, the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the prestigious Meng family, renowned for their medical expertise in Great Wei.

Meng Yuening had arrived in Dashan County a few days ago with members of the main branch of the Meng family. When she learned that the Meng family was distributing porridge outside the city, she took the initiative to come and assist.

Due to her beauty and kind-hearted nature, and her lack of disdain towards the refugees outside the city, Meng Yuening had gained a favorable reputation among the people.

The crowd stepped back a bit, and the carriage could finally move forward smoothly.

The coachman guided the carriage to a stop at the foot of the city wall. Then, a maidservant got down from the carriage, and Meng Yuening followed, holding onto the hand of the maid for support.

The household servants had already placed several large barrels of porridge on the ground.

Meng Yuening looked at the chaotic crowd and caught a whiff of an unpleasant odor. She wrinkled her nose in disgust but quickly composed herself.

With a warm smile, she said, “Everyone, please line up one by one. Everyone will have porridge.”

However, most of these refugees had been hungry for a day, with their last meal being the watery soup distributed yesterday morning. Meng Yuening’s words had little effect.

In the end, it was the guards and soldiers stationed at the gate who helped the Meng household servants and guards to control the unruly crowd.

Meng Yuening personally served the porridge to the refugees, and every person who received porridge from her praised her for her beauty and kind-heartedness.

Meng Yuening had initially endured the unpleasant smell and the anger of personally serving these lower-class refugees, but her frustration began to dissipate slightly.

However, she only pretended to serve porridge to the few refugees in the front before handing the ladle to a nearby servant.

One of the maidservants sent by Meng Yuening’s father felt relieved when she saw that Miss Meng had finally passed the ladle to a servant.

There were thousands of refugees outside the city, and no matter how wealthy the Meng family was, they couldn’t sustain such widespread distribution of porridge for long!

Based on the way Miss Meng is serving the porridge, it’s likely that half of the people haven’t even received any of the contents before it runs out.

Below, it’s probably the other people who are distributing porridge to the refugees outside the city. The Shen family and their group didn’t join in the commotion.

Shen Yu’an looked at Meng Yuening pretending to be gentle and kind as she served porridge among the refugees, and then glanced at Bai Miaqing, who had been gentle and soft-spoken throughout the journey, cleaning her eyes.

Bai Miaqing couldn’t help but laugh when Shen Yu’an teased her with her playful expressions. She tapped her nose and asked, “What are you looking at me for?”

“Sister Miaqing is a great beauty. I just want to feast my eyes a little,” Shen Yu’an replied with a cheerful smile.

Song Shi watched as Shen Yu’an and the others, who were getting ready to head into the city, prepared their empty baskets.

She turned to Shen Yu’an and cautioned, “Once you’re in the city, buy what you need and come back quickly.”

Then she looked at Shen Rong and said, “Take good care of your daughter when you’re in the city. These are troubled times, so make sure she doesn’t get lost or mistreated.”

Shen Rong nodded in agreement, and Shen Yu’an interjected with a smile, “Mother, you can rest assured. Even if I were to be mistreated, no one would dare mistreat me.”

The others joined in the laughter, enjoying the lighthearted moment.

Indeed, with Shen Yu’an’s skills, there were very few people who could bully her.

Shen Yu’an also instructed the people who stayed behind to take good care of the children at home and not to gather near the city gate.

After all, it was a special time, and they were carrying a significant amount of food, which could attract attention.

Shen Yu’an and the other three individuals who were going into the city each carried a basket on their back, so even if they bought something, it wouldn’t attract too much attention. This included Fei Yanchen as well.

Ji Xun looked at the Crown Prince of Wuding, carrying such a down-to-earth basket, and let out a proud and disdainful hum. He wasn’t that envious of him being able to go to the city.

At the city gate, the porridge distribution continued, and more people started to come out from inside the gate.

Shen Yu’an and the other three individuals headed towards the city gate with their baskets on their backs.

Just as they reached the city gate, Shen Yu’an was about to take out some silver from her pocket when she bumped into a flamboyantly dressed woman.

The woman appeared to be slightly older than her mother, with deep wrinkles on her face that even layers of makeup couldn’t conceal. A cheap perfume scent emanated from her body.

Shen Yu’an couldn’t bear the strong and pungent fragrance, and she sneezed heavily.

Just as she was about to raise her head, she saw a pair of hands with long nails reaching towards her face. Shen Yu’an quickly leaned back to avoid them.

Shen Yu’an was shocked as she looked at the flamboyantly dressed woman in front of her.