Chapter 2: The Refugees

The middle-aged man hurriedly stepped back, momentarily flustered and unsure of what to do. Xue Yun stopped Mao Laoyao and said to the middle-aged man: "What is the matter? You can speak slowly; how can you resort to violence?"

Xue Yunzhen was lost in thought when a sudden commotion erupted ahead, drawing a large crowd gathered to watch. Just as Xue Yunzhen was about to turn and leave, a little girl, around twelve or thirteen years old, burst out from the crowd. Her face was quite dirty, her clothes were tattered, and she was holding a small piece of flatbread in her hand

The middle-aged man said, "Excuse me, sir, it is a total of 5 wen."

The middle-aged man selling pancakes said: "It's not that I don't understand reason, old sir, but there are too many beggars asking for alms. If I were to show kindness to each and every one of them, then even a small family would find it hard to make a living."

Then the middle-aged man exclaimed, "What more do you want? If you resort to violence, it is you who is in the wrong. It would be better to follow the old gentleman's suggestion."

Then the middle-aged man said, "How about charging a little less, four wen?"

The onlookers around began to slowly disperse, and at that moment, a few dirty children approached Xue Yun, reaching out for money. Xue Yun, feeling anxious and quite embarrassed as he had no money, was at a loss. Just then, the elderly gentleman who had given money earlier stepped forward and gave each of the children a coin. After receiving the money, the children scattered away. The elderly gentleman smiled at Xue Yun and said, "Young man, your kind heart is commendable, but in any endeavor, one must act within their means; this way, you will not find yourself in a difficult situation"

Xue Yun said: "Indeed!"

Xue Yun blushed and respectfully said: "Thank you, Mr. Xie, for your kind words. I have learned a lot from you."

Mao Laoyao: "There are many young masters like him in the capital; how much can you really help them"

Xue Yun said: "Are you still getting into fights with others"

Xue Yundao: "Did you hear clearly? You do not understand what the other party is saying"

Just a few steps out of the Xue residence, I saw Mao Laoyao catch up and say: "Third Young Master, the master has instructed me to follow you to run errands and show you the way"

The old gentleman let out a heavy sigh. The girl, holding a cake and with tears in her eyes, knelt down before the old gentleman. Xue Yun felt a wave of sadness and turned to Mao Laoyao, saying: "Do you have any money on you, Laoyao? Lend it to me for a moment."

Mao Laoyao: "Is it not acceptable for me to borrow and return?"

Mao Laoyao pulled out more than ten wen from his pocket, along with a small piece of broken silver. Xue Yun grabbed it and said: "Consider it a loan from me; I will return double when I get back"

The middle-aged man's wrist was numbed by Xue Yunzhen's grip, and he felt a surge of fear upon hearing that the person before him was a young master from a prominent family. His courage diminished significantly, and he hurriedly said: "Young master, I apologize for the offense. It was truly a lowly person like me who intended to strike that little wretch, not wanting to mistakenly engage with the young master. Please forgive me."

Xue Yundao: "I am just about to seek advice from the esteemed elder."

The old man said, "I will pay the money she owes you, is that acceptable?"

The old gentleman also hurriedly left. Mao Laoyao whispered to Xue Yun: "The Third Young Master, the Tartars have occupied Shenyang, and there are many refugees fleeing from the north. A few days ago, the officials from Shuntian Prefecture and the Imperial Guards drove away quite a number of refugees. At the city gates of the capital, there are refugees everywhere, and even more are coming from the north to the Deshengmen area; there must be several tens of thousands of them."

A greasy middle-aged man emerged behind her, shouting: "You little wretch, daring to act like a robber in broad daylight, just wait and see if I don't take you down" as he moved to strike.

The street in the west is bustling, with various shops lining both sides and numerous street vendors. Xue Yun walks while observing. Up ahead, it is even more lively; after all, having spent much time in the countryside, everything here feels novel. During his time in the countryside, he studied literature and martial arts with Qi Bo, which was quite arduous. However, after persevering over the years, he has achieved significant progress. Today's unexpected events have brought him considerable gains; he feels a surge of knowledge flooding his mind, and his physical strength has greatly increased. There are still many things he needs to digest slowly. During his time in the countryside, he studied literature and martial arts with Qi Bo, which was quite arduous. However, after persevering over the years, he has achieved significant progress. Today's unexpected events have brought him considerable gains; he feels a surge of knowledge flooding his mind, and his physical strength has greatly increased. There are still many things he needs to digest slowly.

The old man said: "Even a small piece of cake is worth five wen, do you think I am easy to deceive just because I am old"

At this moment, people around gathered, and everyone began to chatter and discuss the situation. It turned out that the girl had somehow grabbed a pancake from the middle-aged man selling them, and he had chased after her in anger. An elderly man in the crowd approached the middle-aged vendor and said, "A pancake is not worth much; how can you bring yourself to hit this girl?"

Xue Yundao: "Kicking you once, what is the big deal? Surely, I won't break him as well."

Xue Yun and Mao Laoyao turned back home. After walking a few steps, Mao Laoyao called out to Xue Yun, pointing at two men who quickly darted into a small alley by the street, saying: "Those two men have attacked me, Young Master, you must avenge me."

The middle-aged person said: "She only has a small piece of bread in her hand, and the bread on the ground is soiled by her, so it naturally has to be counted together."

The old gentleman said: "The young man is teachable. I have matters to attend to and must take my leave first. If the young master has time, it would be a pleasure for you to come visit me."

The little girl rushed directly towards Xue Yun, who at that moment could not avoid her and had no choice but to stand still. The middle-aged man struck towards the little girl. The little girl fell in front of Xue Yun, and the man's palm was aimed at Xue Yun. Xue Yun quickly extended his hand to deflect the man's strike. The man, realizing he had almost hit the wrong person, was momentarily at a loss. Mao Laoyao hurriedly rushed forward and shouted loudly at the man.

Xue Yun said: "I am borrowing money from you hetushu.com. What are you hesitating about? Will you lend it or not?"

The girl was helped up by the old gentleman. Xue Yun stepped forward and took the silver coins from the girl's hand. The girl looked up and gazed deeply at Xue Yun, then turned and ran towards the alley by the street, disappearing in the blink of an eye at the end of the alley

Mao Laoyao: "Young master, you wouldn't want to help a girl, would you"

Mao Laoyao: "Yes, I really don't understand"

"That man, you don't know when to quit, daring to strike our young master." As she spoke, she moved to push the person.

The middle-aged man glanced at Xue Yun, feeling apprehensive, and said: "I will go along with your suggestion."

Xue Yun felt even worse after hearing this, and for a moment lost all interest in the outing. He said to Mao Laoyao: "Sigh! Let's go back."

Xue Yun also wanted to take out money to pay, but when he reached into his pocket, it was empty. He then remembered that he had fallen ill a few days ago and had only just started to feel better. In the rush to come to the city, he found himself without a single coin. At that moment, the old gentleman took out five wen and handed it to the middle-aged man selling pancakes. The pancake seller quickly accepted it and put it into his waist pocket, then turned and squeezed through the crowd to his stall, wrapping a pancake in a leaf. He hurried back and handed the pancake to her. At this time, the girl had quietly hidden behind the old gentleman. The old gentleman took the pancake handed over by the middle-aged man and placed it in the girl's hand, saying: "Little girl, take this. Don't do this again in the future; you will suffer in this world."

Mao Laoyao: "It wasn't a fight; I was the one being beaten. The day before yesterday, the second young master was in a hurry after Xue Bo bought him some dried fruit. On the way back, he accidentally bumped into these two filthy scoundrels. That chubby one kicked me and sent me tumbling. If it weren't for that skinny one blocking the chubby one, he would have come up to hit me."

The old gentleman said: "My home is at the western end of this street, about ten shops past the Zhengyang Gate, there is a place called 'Xu Ji Silk Store' that is it."

Old gentleman: "Five wen is just five wen; you hit her and she suffers a bit. How about giving this girl a cake as well? Consider it a small loss for you, but it is still a good deed."

The old man sighed: "The Eastern invaders are causing chaos, and the refugees are rising everywhere. What is happening to this world!"

Mao Laoyao: "That filthy scoundrel kicked me, and to this day, I still have a large swollen bump on my thigh. I can hardly walk, and it still hurts. I cursed them, but that fat guy actually retorted in a bird-like language. If it weren't for the skinny guy pulling me away, I would have surely cursed those two filthy scoundrels to death. Third Young Master, I know you are skilled in martial arts; you must help me teach those lowly scoundrels a lesson so that they understand the power of the Xue family."

The old gentleman laughed and said: "You are truly a cunning merchant, never willing to suffer any loss. So how do you justify hitting her?"

Xue Yundao: "The young man will certainly visit the esteemed elder for guidance"

Xue Yundao: "Even so, it should not be allowed. How can a young girl withstand the blows from a strong man like you? If you injure her, you will certainly face legal consequences."