Chapter 302: Settling In
After all the bustling activity, many people finally had steaming meat buns, vegetable buns, or plain buns in their hands. Even those with less money could afford a bowl of porridge for a single coin. However, there were still many who stood at a distance, swallowing their saliva as they watched others eat, their eyes filled with envy.
Some children, unable to resist their hunger, started crying uncontrollably, their parents unable to console them. Some broke free from their parents’ grip and ran straight toward the bun shop, their eyes locked onto the steaming buns inside the bamboo steamers, reaching out to grab them.
“I already gave you two taels of silver, didn’t I? There are still over a hundred people here who haven’t eaten yet. Exchange all of it for plain buns and distribute them. No one should have to go hungry after finally making it into the city. But I have to say, these meat buns of yours are truly delicious—probably the best I’ve had in all my travels.”
“Really? Thank you for the compliment, sir! You’re quite generous. Tomorrow, we’ll have even more flavors of buns for you to try. For now, I’ll exchange the silver for plain buns and distribute them so that everyone can have a few to eat.”
The man took another big bite of his meat bun, nodded as he chewed, and then walked away down the street, leaving behind a crowd of grateful people gazing after him.
“Even people who travel the martial world have kind hearts. We were considering giving away food to those who couldn’t afford it today, but it looks like someone else has already done that for us. This way, we don’t have to break the system we’re setting up.”
“That’s true. If we gave out food today, they’d expect it every day. This works out better. Father, let’s go check on the inn.”
When father and daughter arrived at the inn, lights were already glowing in many of the upstairs rooms.
The weak lamplight illuminated the night, giving Luo City a completely different atmosphere.
Outside the inn, a group of raggedly dressed people stood at the entrance, their faces full of worry.
“You don’t have money for a room?”
Yu Haojie stepped forward and asked directly, even though he already knew the answer.
“That’s right. I heard a shared room costs twenty copper a night. Where would we get that kind of money? If we’d known, we wouldn’t have come into the city. At least outside, we could still pull up wild grass for warmth. Now that we’re here, everything costs money. We were just thinking of heading back out.”
An elderly man, dressed in a tattered prison uniform, spoke up. Behind him stood two young men and two children, around ten years old.
Like him, there were many other families in prison garments, all seemingly planning to leave the city.
“Grandfather, I am the city lord of Luo City. I see that you’ve come a long way, and if you leave now, you’ll have to sleep under the open sky, struggling to even find food. You might be able to hunt, but there are hardly any wild animals left outside the city. Here’s what I can offer—our city has many houses for rent. If your children find work in Luo City, your livelihood will be taken care of.”
“Really? You… you’re really the city lord? You truly have houses for rent? And we can find work here?”
Yu Haojie nodded with a warm smile, scanning the excited faces in the crowd before returning his gaze to the elderly man.
“Of course. Some houses come with courtyards, while others are single-room dwellings. The prices are reasonable. I’ll have someone take you to see them. The wilderness will be covered in snow in two months, and if you keep wandering, not only will it be dangerous, but you might not even survive the winter.”
“Yes! Yes! City Lord, you are a great man! Our family was originally a large one, but after exile, only the five of us remain. We still have two taels of silver, but we don’t know if that’s enough to rent a house. We heard that prices in the wilderness are outrageously high!”
“It’s enough. A single-room house is only two hundred copper a month. You’ll still have money left to buy food. Once your family’s young men find work, you won’t have to worry about survival. Even in exile, you can still make a life here.”
Seeing the tears well up in the old man’s eyes, Yu Haojie gently reassured him.
Hearing that rental prices were so affordable, those who couldn’t afford an inn but had a bit of money suddenly saw a glimmer of hope!
Once those who wanted to rent left, only those with absolutely no money remained.
They couldn’t afford a room—some couldn’t even afford food.
“You… you’re really the city lord?”
A young man, shivering from the cold, mustered the courage to step forward and ask weakly.
He clutched his thin clothes tightly against his body, trembling under the freezing night wind.
“Yes. You’re not renting a house?”
Yu Haojie already guessed why these people were still lingering outside the inn, but he didn’t want to immediately offer charity—he refused to become an easy target.
“We… we don’t have any money. City Lord, could you let us stay first? I see that your city is brand new. If we stay, we’ll find work, and once we get our wages, we’ll pay you back for the rent.”
“You’ve got a nice plan there. But why should we believe you’ll actually pay us back?”
Yu Luo’s cold voice cut in.
Hearing the pleasant yet firm voice, the young man instinctively looked toward her and was momentarily stunned by her beauty.
Seeing that it was a woman—standing beside the city lord, no less—he quickly lowered his head, not daring to look directly at her again.
“I… I can write an IOU. Or… or I can work for the city lord in exchange for rent. We just want a place to stay and at least one meal a day.”
“One meal a day? In the dead of winter, do you really think that’s enough?”
Amused by his reaction, Yu Luo teased him.
“It’s enough! We’ve gone days without food before when we couldn’t hunt. One meal a day is more than we could ask for!”
“Father, if that’s the case, won’t they just become too weak to work? Forget it—let’s give them an advance on some food, and we’ll deduct it from their wages later.”
“What? M-Miss, you’re really agreeing to this?!”
Seeing the hopeful faces behind the young man, Yu Haojie nodded.
“Come on, I’ll take you there myself. But remember, when you get your wages, don’t come up with excuses to avoid paying rent.”
“Thank you, City Lord! Thank you, Miss! We won’t—absolutely not!”
The young man, overwhelmed with gratitude, dropped to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly, his voice full of emotion.
