HLnovel Chapter 125: Changes are more than just the shelter
Chapter 125: Changes are more than just the shelter
Ma Chao didn't let Han Qingyun wait too long. He said a few words to his mother and sister and told them they could leave.
Xiaolei also gave Lu Yanyan a handkerchief she embroidered herself and asked Lu Yanyan to accept it.
Although her embroidery skills are not as good as Lan Niang's, they are also very good.
Lu Yanyan accepted it and thanked him, and Xiaolei smiled embarrassedly.
After leaving Rhodes Lane, Lu Yanyan wanted to visit the shelter.
Lu Yanyan and Han Qingyun decided early on to donate 10% of the income from the marinade business to the shelter.
Thanks to Han Huaixi's space, their marinade business was able to go so smoothly.
The two were worried about the impact that excessive use of space would have on their daughter.
So they are also trying their best to reduce their dependence on space.
Donating part of the income is also to accumulate blessings for Han Huaixi.
When Ma Chao heard Lu Yanyan say that she was going to the shelter, her face looked a little strange.
Ma Chao's family was not poor, otherwise his mother would not have been able to raise more than 280 taels of silver to return to the escort agency.
It’s the small courtyard of his house, which is worth three or four hundred taels because of its good location.
It was just that Liang Shao interfered and the yard could not be sold, so Ma Chao was sold to a pawnshop.
Before the accident happened to Ma Chao's family, they also donated money and supplies to the shelter.
It was fine a few years ago because the shelter would tell donors where the items would be used.
The account list will be made public from time to time, and the shelter's accounts will be checked by a dedicated person every six months.
But in recent years, the shelter has changed a lot.
Not only were the published accounts unclear, but the children in the accounts looked much thinner than before, and the clothes they wore were extremely tattered, almost like beggars on the street.
Many people suspect that the money, food and clothing they donated were not used for these children.
Some even said they saw the shelter's manager selling the shelter's refined rice...
After hearing what Ma Chao said, Lu Yanyan and Han Qingyun fell silent. They wanted to do good deeds, not to raise parasites.
Han Qingyun was silent for a while, then said, "Let's go and take a look."
Walking was too slow, so Han Qingyun and Lu Yanyan went to buy another carriage, which would be used to deliver goods to Mingxianglou in the future.
Before going to the shelter, Han Qingyun went to the grain store and bought two hundred kilograms of coarse grains.
At the entrance of the shelter, the receptionist saw the carriage parked at the door, and came out to greet it with a smile on his face.
Han Qingyun and Lu Yanyan walked out of the carriage, dressed in plain clothes. Apart from their outstanding looks, they did not have a single valuable accessory on them.
The smile on the steward's face faded a little.
When the manager heard Han Qingyun say that he wanted to donate some coarse grains to the shelter, his face became even worse.
But he still followed the rules and led Han Qingyun and others into the shelter.
In addition to adopting orphans, the shelter also provides shelter for people without household registration.
However, these people have to do hard labor in the shelter for two years before they can regain their household registration.
Han Qingyun and Lu Yanyan came in from the door and saw only the laborers working non-stop with numb faces.
These laborers were so thin that they looked almost like slaves sold in the human market.
Occasionally, the sound of children crying could be heard, and Han Qingyun asked the manager if he could see those orphans.
"If you are sure you want to adopt them, you can definitely meet them."
The manager had a not-quite-sincere smile on his face.
“How can I decide whether to adopt them if I don’t meet them?”
The steward was a little impatient and said to a laborer who was sweeping the yard next to him: "Go, bring some children over, they need to be cleaner."
In fact, the yard was already very clean, but the laborer kept cleaning it.
The manager didn't seem to notice that the hard laborers were doing repetitive work.
Or maybe he just felt that the hard work couldn't be stopped.
After a while, four children were brought in. They were probably about four or five years old.
These children all have big heads and small bodies, which is caused by not eating enough for a long time.
They all looked unhappy, with pale complexions and timid expressions.
One of the children had scars on his neck, but they were hidden by his collar and could not be seen without careful observation.
The clothes were not too dirty, but rather worn.
"It's said that the imperial court allocates money to the shelter every year. Why are these children so thin?"
"How can the imperial court afford to support so many children? However, if you are willing to donate more silver, these children can have a few full meals."
The manager's tone was very bad.
He didn't expect that the two people riding in the carriage were so stingy and only donated 200 kilograms of coarse grains, which were not even worth selling. It was really a bargain for these hard laborers and orphans.
Han Qingyun and Lu Yanyan walked out of the shelter without saying a word. Behind them, they heard the manager muttering, "Poor bastard."
Ma Chao looked at Han Qingyun and the other man cautiously, and was relieved when he saw that they were not angry.
"It wasn't like this before. When I was a kid, I came here with my dad to bring food to the children. Back then, the people in the shelter always greeted us with a smile. Even if it was just a bowl of porridge, a piece of cloth, or a pair of shoes, they would say thank you on behalf of the children."
As Ma Chao spoke, his voice became lower.
What has changed is not just the shelter, but many other things.
Lu Yanyan felt like a fire was lit in her heart, but she didn't know who to vent her anger on.
"The court doesn't care?"
"The imperial court used to be in charge. Embezzling shelter funds was punishable by heavy penalties. For some reason, the government hasn't changed in the past two years, but the officials seem to be paying less attention. Perhaps they're just too busy, which is why these people are taking advantage of the situation."
“No matter how good the policy is, it still needs to be implemented and supervised.”
Han Qingyun sighed softly and finally let out a breath.
"Yan Yan, I want to go to Ji'an Academy to take a look."
"it is good."
Ji'an School is located on Luoshi Street in the north city. Most of the houses were built seven or eight years ago, so Luoshi Street is not dilapidated.
It can be seen that the people passing by are not rich, and their clothes are even worse than those of the people in Qingliu Street.
At the gate of Ji'an School, an old man was bowing and expressing his gratitude to a middle-aged man and woman.
After the couple left, the old man bent down and wrote something on a piece of paper.
Standing at the school gate, you can still hear the sound of Lang Lang reading.
When the old man saw Han Qingyun and his wife, he quickly bowed and asked, "Young Master, is there anything wrong?"
Han Qingyun lowered his head and saw a line of words that had not yet dried on the paper - "Mr. and Mrs. Lu from Hongye Street, two taels and three cents of silver."
There were other records on the paper - "50 catties of coarse grain", "1 ounce of silver and 30 eggs", "1 piece of coarse cotton cloth"...
This is a donation manual that records the donor's surname and the amount of money and materials donated.
Lu Yanyan naturally saw it as well.
Seeing Han Qingyun was in a daze, she replied, "Old man, we heard that Ji'an School is also a charity that specializes in adopting abandoned orphans. We also want to do something for these children. But, can we go in and take a look?"
The old man nodded: "Of course you can."
Then, he shouted to the courtyard, "Xiao Liu, take these two nobles to the school for a look."
A boy of about twelve or thirteen ran out from inside.
He responded, "Thank you, Grandpa. I understand."
Then the young man said to Han Qingyun and the others, "Sir, Madam, please follow me."
The couple followed the young man in.
The school was very large, and there were two or three women washing clothes, which seemed to be clothes for the children in the school.
Seeing Lu Yanyan staring at the woman, Xiaoliu explained, "Those sisters-in-law are all neighbors on Luoshi Street. Their children are also studying in the school. They, along with other aunts, will take turns helping with the laundry, cooking, and taking care of the youngest children. They don't charge any money."
“How many children are there in the school now?”
"One thousand one hundred and twenty-eight. When they turn ten they must be released, or we can't afford to support them."
"How can there be so many children? Including those who have been released, there must be around two thousand children over the years."
"Madam is so smart. Our school has adopted 2,082 children in total." Xiaoliu said with pride.
"Moreover, children who graduate from our school, even if they are only ten years old, can do odd jobs or be apprentices and support themselves."
Han Qingyun and Lu Yanyan looked at each other, their hearts shocked.