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墨書 Inktalez
In the past few days, he had recorded at least hundreds of Famine victims, the vast majority of whom could neither read nor write. This was a common situation at the time: knowledge was tightly controlled by the social hierarchy, and literacy skills that could circulate among ordinary people were extremely rare.
Gao Shun was not the first refugee who could read and write. However, he was the youngest among them, only fifteen years old.
Out of caution, a resident from Zhao Family Village responsible for the records took out a thick book and casually flipped to a page. Pointing to a sentence, he asked Gao Shun, "Could you please read this passage?"
"The morning mushroom does not know the changes of day and night; the cicada does not know Spring and Autumn."
This line came from Zhuangzi's "Free and Easy Wandering."
After a brief moment of thought, Gao Shun answered smoothly.
"Oh, he really can read and write," the recorder remarked with surprise. "That's impressive."
The person from Zhao Family Village nodded slightly in approval, then made a mark in the corresponding position on the list. He told Gao Shun, "That's enough; you can go eat at the porridge shop now. However, before that, you need to learn the proper way to perform a respectful bow."
Gao Shun followed his instructions and performed a standard bow, asking, "Is this how it's done?"
To his surprise, the recorder gently shook his head and corrected him: "No, this is a unique bow of Zhao Family Village. Don't worry; it's quite simple. There will be someone at the porridge shop to guide you. Just pay close attention; you'll master it after one demonstration."
After hearing this, Gao Shun nodded in understanding and headed towards the porridge shop in the crowd.
The location of the porridge shop was different from where he had just registered; it was surrounded by numerous disaster victims sitting with bowls in hand, each quickly gulping down thick corn and millet porridge.
Gao Shun curiously leaned forward to observe their food and couldn't help but express his admiration. It seemed that Zhao Family Village was indeed generous; the porridge they provided was thicker and more nutritious than the wine rations from the court.
Thinking this to himself, he quickly approached the porridge stall.
There were about a dozen people at this stall; two were distributing food while the others were fully equipped, their vigilant eyes watching every disaster victim coming to receive porridge to prevent any chaos or attempts to snatch food.
Many displaced individuals were starving and had not eaten for several days. Without anyone maintaining order, chaos could easily erupt.
Zhao An decided not to take that risk and arranged for personnel to stand guard in advance to prevent any potential issues from arising.
As Gao Shun walked into the area, a middle-aged man dressed in contrasting colors approached him and said, "I will teach you the Zi Wu Gong Shou Li. If you wish to enjoy the porridge, you must learn it diligently."
Gao Shun immediately expressed his agreement, focusing intently as he mimicked the gestures demonstrated by the man: his left hand cradled his right palm, forming an internal knot that represented the principles of Yin and Yang, creating a shape reminiscent of the Taiji diagram.
Gao Shun was known for his exceptional intelligence; after just a brief observation, he fully comprehended and accurately replicated the Zi Wu Gong Shou Li.
The teacher across from him suddenly brightened with excitement. "May I ask your name?"
"Junior Gao Shun," he replied.
"Very well, Brother Gao."
"My name is Zhao Chen. I have a very good impression of you; you are indeed a promising learner."
Zhao Chen gently tapped Gao Shun's shoulder and said kindly, "You can line up over there to receive your porridge."
Following his guidance, Gao Shun took a bowl of steaming, sticky corn porridge. As he searched for a spot to sit in the crowded area, preparing to listen closely to the rumors of Zhao Family Village, he took a sip and was struck by an exceptionally sweet taste. He paused in astonishment—how could it be so sweet?! He stared at the mixture in his bowl, his surprise evident.
It was important to note that in this era of scarce resources, even ordinary sweets like sucrose were hard to come by. Even Yuan Shu, who was as noble as a prince, longed for just a taste of sweet nectar on his deathbed.
This highlighted just how difficult it was to obtain sugary substances. Yet Zhao Family Village was so generous that they even added a considerable amount of sugar to the porridge given to those suffering from famine—such an act was truly extravagant.
Gao Shun couldn't help but marvel at how extraordinary Zhao Family Village was. Remembering the miraculous elixir that Brother Dian Wei had produced, he felt he was beginning to understand.
This place was indeed Zhao Family Village, and it was certain that there were divine beings residing here.
At that moment, a haggard-looking figure approached him—a famine-stricken person who softly asked, "Friend, do you find this strange?"
Gao Shun looked at the person who had initiated conversation and nodded in acknowledgment. "How did you know?"
"Hehe laughed a couple of times, saying, 'Who comes here and isn't surprised after drinking that bowl of porridge? It even has sugar added to it.'"
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