The first snowfall of early winter lasted for three days and three nights.
Xiangyang District was doing pretty well. Until now, there had been no tragic incidents of people freezing to death in their homes or collapsing houses due to the snow.
Wearing a thick sweater and a pair of woolen trousers, he wrapped himself in two more layers of thick clothes. After walking for a while, his body slowly warmed up.
Which of them did not work since they were young?
Their bodies were strong and their ability to withstand the cold was strong. Now that they had the sweaters and trousers to ward off the cold, this winter was simply too blissful.
However, even though Jiang Pengji had worked so hard, some inharmonious things still happened from time to time.
"Sigh … This is the fourth child this month …"
The patrolling soldiers heard a baby crying in the alley. They went forward to check and found a tattered swaddling cloth lying in the snow.
"It's a girl … These shameless old things!!"
The soldier slightly lifted the swaddling cloth to take a look. It was indeed a girl.
He felt some pity in his heart. He opened the collar and stuffed the child inside to keep her warm.
The child had been crying in the snow for a long time out of survival instinct. Her little face had already turned blue.
The soldier looked around and found that the door of a courtyard was slightly open. A pair of turbid eyes were focused on this corner.
"Old bastard!"
The soldier spat in that direction and raised his hand to grip his gun tightly. The door immediately closed.
"The district magistrate now does not allow relatives to murder babies. He does not even allow pregnant women to have a miscarriage. This is equivalent to murder. Those people came up with this idea. They just throw the child out and let the child freeze or starve to death. " Another patrolling soldier raised his hand and poked him, saying, "Send the child to the nursery. It's quite cold outside."
If they really did not want to have a child, it was better to send the child to the nursery. They really did not understand why these old people were committing such crimes.
After experiencing the tragic earthquake, these soldiers had a different understanding of life. They were not used to such acts of cruelty to the innocent.
The district magistrate was benevolent. As long as each family was not lazy, they would be able to provide for their family.
However, no matter how good the policy was, it could not stop some people who liked to lie on the ground and wait for a pie to fall from the sky.
Not to mention other things, just the purchase of sweaters and trousers this winter, if the family worked diligently, they could earn 200 coins in two to three days. They would be allocated land the following spring. Their lives would only get better and better. How could they not be able to provide for a small baby?
How much could such a small child eat?
Some people didn't have a good life, but they didn't reflect on how lazy they were. They could only blame their family for having too many mouths to feed.
The soldier looked coldly at the door, spat in disgust, and continued his patrol.
That evening, Jiang Pengji received the news. Her joyful expression immediately turned gloomy.
"A bunch of hopeless trash." Jiang Pengji sneered. Her eyes were filled with uncontrollable disgust and contempt. "I've checked. Which family are they from? Whoever lost their child would be arrested and thrown directly into the county headquarters' prison to reflect on themselves. Do they really think that just because the children froze and starved to death in the ice and snow, they can't be considered to have killed them? "
Qiguan Rang and Feng Jin both had daughters, so they abhorred such a phenomenon.
"My Lord, this is only treating the symptoms but not the root cause."
Even though it was winter, Qiguan Rang did not let go of his feather fan. He muttered, "Even though there are new laws, if they don't want to raise those children, there are other ways. This is what it means when there are policies from above, there are countermeasures from below. When the time comes, there will only be more children who will suffer. "
It was still alright now. At least only a few children were lost. The scene that Qiguan Rang saw when he was young was considered tragic.
Liyun pinched his chin and suggested, "Why don't we let the families send the children they can't afford to raise directly to the nursery?"
Meng Hun hurriedly objected. He shook his head and said, "This method won't work. What if those who are gluttonous and lazy and don't care about raising children keep giving birth? Let my Lord be the spendthrift. Will the district headquarters really raise them? There are many such ignorant people. "
A hundred grains of rice feed a hundred people. Some people are simple and kind, but some are sharp and vicious.
Jiang Pengji sat on the seat of honor and said coldly, "This method is fine."
Liyun's eyes brightened. His suggestion was accepted?
Jiang Pengji added, "But the parents of the children sent to the nursery must sign a contract to cut off their blood ties. From today onwards, the two of them will not be able to see each other. No matter what happens to them in the future, they are not allowed to interfere with each other. If they are caught meeting in private, they will be punished. When the children grow up, they can speak however they want. There's no need to talk about blood ties. These people, do they really think that by venting their lust and giving birth to children, they are qualified to be parents? If the district headquarters finds out that someone deliberately mistreats children, once it's proven, they will be severely punished! "
Her words were harsh.
She had long set the law that the elders and relatives could not arbitrarily take the lives of young children, but there were still people who knowingly broke the law.
If there was no explanation, where would her authority as the district magistrate be?
Jiang Pengji was silent for a while and said, "I will let these children become useful people. They will not be ants in this chaotic world."
The nursery not only had newborns, but there were also children of all ages who had been sold and abandoned. Most of them were girls.
Jiang Pengji had seen them before. Each of them were like injured little beasts. They could only silently lick their wounds, their eyes filled with confusion.
The flourishing Xiangyang district was still like that. What would the other places be like?
She could not protect these people for a lifetime, but she could teach them how to protect themselves and become stronger.
"Cough, cough, cough …"
Coughs sounded from the simple wooden house. The strong smell of medicine slowly drifted out.
"Master Zixiao, the medicine is ready."
A skinny youth held a bowl of black medicine and said in a low voice. A hoarse reply came from inside the house.
Upon entering, the sight was dim. A sickly youth was lying on the bed.
It was Wei Ci who had walked for more than half a year but still could not reach the border of Xiangyang district.
To be honest, his luck was really bad. It was to the extent that even drinking water could not fill the gaps between his teeth.
"Master Zixiao's face is pale, or do you feel cold?" The youth asked, "Do you want to bring a mattress over?"
"No need …" Wei Ci endured the nausea and finished the bowl of medicine. He frowned and said weakly, "It's just an old problem of having a cold body. It's very cold this winter. It's normal for the illness to break out … It's alright. I'll get better after a while … How are the arrangements outside? Are there any other problems?"
"Don't worry, Master. I'm leading everyone to make arrangements. Now that the snow has sealed the mountain, those beasts can't enter. " The youth saw the weariness between Wei Ci's brows and subconsciously lowered his voice. He quietly packed up the medicine bowl and left. He closed the door to prevent the cold wind from entering.
"Zhang Ping had a weed in his mouth and asked the youth, how is Zixiao's condition?"
"His fever has subsided, but his cough doesn't seem to be getting better. His entire body is as cold as an ice cube. It's worrying to see him." The youth sighed. There was only an unreliable barefoot doctor in the village. The medicinal herbs were also harvested by themselves. Who knew how effective the medicine was. "How is Master Xiheng's arm?"
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