Chapter 335: People who support each other

Xie Linlang did not make a sound obediently, until the old man breathed a sigh of relief, she asked a little strangely.
"That was from Shibosi? Why are you so afraid of them?"
Seeing Xie Linlang speaking standard Mandarin, the old woman replied in Mandarin with a slight accent.
"You are not a fugitive slave?"
"Me?" Xie Linlang looked down at the bib on her neck, a little bit dumbfounded. She thought the market smell was too irritating, so she surrounded her mouth and nose with cloth strips, but she didn't expect to be regarded as a fugitive slave.
So she shook her head, "I'm not, I'm here to buy something, but I was squeezed here."
Seeing the old woman suddenly became nervous, Xie Linlang said again.
"But I'm not a bad person, don't worry, I know that you just helped me kindly, but I don't know...what the is going on with this Shibosi?"
Seeing that she didn't seem malicious, the old woman said slowly.
"Brother never visited the inferior port? He didn't even know the Shibosi..."
This is the first time Xie Linlang knows that even the ports in the capital are divided into upper and lower levels?
The old woman continued, "The Department of Shipping is responsible for the port entry and exit and management, and they are also responsible for tax collection...
You just saw the people outside running in such a hurry, either they didn’t pay taxes, or they were fugitives, or they were gangsters who didn’t have a hukou... Once these three were caught by the Department of Shipping, the punishment was severe, so everyone had to run. "
Xie Linlang recalled that before, he found that almost everyone was running. These people could not be fugitive slaves or illegal households, they should be tax evasion.
The old woman sighed.
"Taxes are getting heavier year by year... People who are run over by slaves who can't survive will hide in inferior ports to make a living, because the people from the Department of Shipbuilding think it smells bad and they don't usually come here often, so they can avoid taxation. "
Xie Linlang was truly amazed!
Seeing her stunned, and the weather outside was not too early, the old lady was kind-hearted, and asked Xie Linlang if she wanted to stay for dinner.
Xie Linlang knew that she definitely didn't have much food, and where she would eat it.
But the time the old woman spoke, she had already filled a bowl of porridge from the stove on one side.
"You're welcome, it's not a good thing, just ordinary fish porridge, eat it..."
As she said, she put out a few more bowls of porridge, and said while serving.
"You don't look like a bad person, this world is sinister, you have to help each other to survive..."
Xie Linlang was holding the pottery bowl and looked at the porridge that was not thick and mixed with a little fishy smell, feeling very emotional.
At this time, seeing where the old woman was going to pick up the tray, Xie Linlang quickly stepped forward to help.
"Where are you going to take it? I'll help you!"
She is still very strong, holding a tray with six pottery bowls, she can still lift it easily.
Seeing that she could do it, the old lady was not polite, so she removed a wooden cover in the corner of the house, revealing a cellar!
She went down first, Xie Linlang was a little strange, but she followed closely behind.
As soon as it went down, a faint coolness rushed over his face. In the cellar that could only store food, there were still four young male slaves hidden!
When they saw Xie Linlang, they immediately became vigilant, but Xie Linlang was brought down by the old woman, and they didn't say anything.
The old woman said happily, "The fish that the boss brought back today is very fresh, come and eat!"
Xie Linlang put the tray on the simple stone table in the cellar, and the boys carried a bowl by themselves, but they all picked up a few.
Seeing Xie Linlang staring at them in a daze, the old woman didn't hide it, she said directly.
"These children are fugitives, but thanks to them, the old woman didn't starve to death, but they don't like to talk, don't mind."
It turns out that the people in this area are very poor, and most of them are old and weak, or people who can't survive outside.
Later, many fugitive slaves came here. Although they were slaves, they were very diligent and powerful.
Therefore, every household basically takes in fugitive slaves. On the one hand, they can help them with work, and they can help them. On the other hand, they can also provide refuge to the fugitives to prevent them from being captured by the officials.
The two sides supported each other, avoided the Shibosi and the city service, and lived hard in the dark side of the bustling capital.
And these are already the norm in Lianyu Harbor, and many people know it, and they are not secret.
After listening, Xie Linlang felt very heavy. She asked, "I think people outside are very hostile to slaves. Why are you willing to take them in?"
The old woman said with a smile.
"Where is there any hatred? They are also poor children, and if they weren't willing to stay with me, my old lady would not be able to work and would have starved to death.
Even though many people outside hate slaves, what they really hate is not slaves.
It’s like the Wang’s lady at the market’s entrance, shouting every day that she can’t live anymore and want to drive all the slaves out of the capital, but in fact, their family will cook a little bit more food every day for the slaves under the Dongqiao to eat. Eat leftovers at home.
But they are all very poor people, who will have leftovers..."
The old woman said and shook her head, "Everyone hates them, but the slave owners, but some small slave owners buy and sell slaves to make a living.
The real hate is the people above! Hey...not to mention it! They are all big people, so how can they care about the life and death of ordinary people like us? "
Seeing Xie Linlang's questioning all the time, holding the bowl of porridge without moving, one of the four silent male slaves asked with a slightly unkind tone.
"Why don't you eat it? Can't you look at it?"
Although Xie Linlang dressed up in an ordinary dress, things like aura can not be covered by clothing.
As soon as he said this, the old woman was a little embarrassed, and she said awkwardly.
"I don’t have any other good things at home... and the fish porridge is pretty good. I heard that people living in Dongji can only eat one meal a day, and they have to do the heaviest hard work. There are people every day. Exhausted."
Xie Linlang took a deep breath, shook his head and said, "No, I don't dislike it, just feel that the world is not easy."
She lowered her head and drank the porridge as she said. This porridge was indeed fishy and not tasty, but when she ate it, it reminded her of the days when she could not eat, and she had been very embarrassed.
In order to make her obedient, the Witch King kept her in a dungeon for three days and three nights. She had eaten live scorpions when she was extremely hungry before the water and rice entered. Now I want to come, how did she eat worms? Down?
She ate the porridge clean, then got up and left. It could be seen that the male slaves did not welcome her.
But before leaving, Xie Linlang took out all the silver she had on her body, a total of two or two, and gave them all to the old woman.
The old woman was shocked, and Xie Linlang had already left without waiting to refuse.