Chapter 178: Collapse

Chapter 178: Collapse

There were too many people around. Xin You looked around the area but wasn’t sure if Guyu was among them.

Based on the timing, the incident probably occurred when Guyu was leaving home to return to the Imperial Academy. There was still some time until that happened.

But exactly how much time? Fifteen minutes, half an hour, or even longer? No one could be sure.

If Guyu left home at roughly the same time each day, observing him might provide some clues. This was why Xin You had unconsciously searched for Guyu in the crowd.

However, she quickly abandoned the idea of calling Guyu forward in front of the crowd to question him.

There were too many unpredictable events in this world. Even a person’s established routines could suddenly change. At this point, she could only depend on herself.

Xin You turned her head and gave Liu Zhou a slight nod.

Liu Zhou called out, "Neighbors, form a proper line! We're starting to serve the porridge!"

The person at the front of the line took the bowl filled with porridge and glanced at the other large barrels. "Is there no red-braised pork today?"

Liu Zhou’s voice grew louder, "We’ve been buying large quantities of chicken and pork for several days, and the market couldn’t keep up with the supply. Our young miss specially ordered the meat from her estate, but it was delayed. The meat was just prepared when we left; it will be delivered shortly. Please wait a little longer, everyone."

"Do we need to queue again?" The person at the front was reluctant.

Of course, this wasn’t out of dissatisfaction with Miss Kou or the other benefactors, but rather complaints about waiting in the cold wind.

Liu Zhou chuckled and comforted them, "Today is the last day of the porridge and pork giveaway. We guarantee that everyone in line will get their share."

Hearing this, the person was indeed comforted.

Since they were guaranteed meat, they could wait a bit longer.

Fortunately, because it had been snowing for two days, everyone had experience. Those who were better off brought covered wooden buckets, while others used bamboo baskets to prevent snow from falling into the porridge bowls. Apart from the cold, waiting a little longer was fine.

Xin You watched quietly. No one left after getting their porridge; everyone chose to re-queue and wait for the red-braised pork.

She secretly sighed in relief.

After three consecutive days of porridge and pork giveaways, trust had been established. They believed they would get the pork and, having tasted its aroma, were willing to wait.

In the snowy winter, time was the least valuable thing for most common folk.

"Miss Kou, good morning." When it was Guyu’s mother’s turn, she greeted Xin You warmly.

She hadn’t expected such generous rewards for helping the young lady find her cat that day.

"Good morning, Auntie," Xin You smiled, her gaze shifting to Guyu with a look of surprise. "Is Young Master Gu part of your family, Auntie?"

"Miss Kou, do you know my son, Yuyu?" Guyu’s mother looked even more pleasantly surprised.

Xin You smiled. "I have a bookstore near the Imperial Academy and have seen Young Master Gu a few times."

"Yuyu is my son." Guyu’s mother felt even closer to Xin You and nudged her son with her elbow.

Why isn’t this child greeting her!

Guyu greeted her politely, "Miss Kou."

Xin You asked naturally, "My cousin is a student at the Imperial Academy. I remember the academy’s holiday was yesterday. Are you returning to the academy, Young Master Gu?"

"Yes," Guyu replied, not wanting to say much as he had been unable to guess Xin You's intentions.

Gu Yuniang, however, was quite talkative: "We usually go out around this time. Thanks to Miss Kou, we can have a bowl of hot porridge."

At that moment—

Xin You silently repeated these words in her mind and looked up at the sky.

The snow had just stopped last night, but it had started again, falling without end.

Despite the crowd, she could still feel the biting cold of the wind and snow.

Xin You immediately felt a slight tremor, and her heart tightened.

Gu Yuniang’s hand holding the bowl shook, spilling some porridge. She thought she hadn’t held it steady and felt distressed.

Most people didn’t react, thinking it was either an illusion or dizziness.

"Something's wrong!" Guyu's expression changed drastically. "It’s an earthquake!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd became chaotic.

The ground shook slightly again, and this time everyone noticed.

"It's an earthquake! An earthquake!" someone shouted in panic, running away.

Some experienced people shouted, "Get down! Get down quickly!"

Others, not alarmed by the minor tremor, remained skeptical.

Suddenly, a loud noise came.

"Look!"

"The houses are collapsing!"

Some people, losing their senses, instinctively ran towards their homes but were pulled back by others: "Do you want to die?"

Panic spread, but people stood frozen, staring in the direction of their homes.

In that area, houses collapsed one after another, snow splashing and covering the ruins along with the falling snow.

After what seemed like an eternity, someone knelt down, crying out in pain, "Everything has collapsed! Everything has collapsed!"

Cries rose one after another, hearts aching for their lost homes.

A young man held his wife tightly, fearful yet grateful: "My dear, thank goodness you and the child came out for the porridge. Otherwise—"

The young woman, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with emotion: "Yes, thank goodness we came out, thank goodness—"

Her voice suddenly halted as she turned her gaze toward Xin You.

If Miss Kou hadn’t come to distribute porridge and insisted on giving out meat per person, she wouldn’t have brought her child out in the heavy snow. Then both she and her child—

Looking down at her ignorant child, the young woman kneeled in the direction of Xin You: "Miss Kou, thank you for saving my family, for saving my child."

The young woman's words snapped the crowd back to reality.

Yes, if it weren't for Miss Kou giving out porridge, on such a cold and snowy day, they would have all been lying in bed, only to be buried under the rubble.

An increasing number of people knelt down.

"Savior!"

"Thank you so much, Miss Kou!"

Gu Yuniang also knelt down but noticed her son was still standing straight.

She yanked him down to his knees.

Guyu was dazed, and even though he was pulled to his knees, he remained stiff and stared at Xin You without blinking.

It was their turn to receive porridge, and the girl stood right in front of him.

She wore a fox fur coat, with the hood and collar lined with snow fox fur, revealing only a small face.

Her face was pale from the cold, making her dark, pure eyes stand out even more.

The girl’s words from that day echoed in his ears: "I foresee that Young Master Gu will face a bloody disaster, and it will occur when you return home—"

What had he done then?

He had thought she was mocking him, a poor student, and dismissed her as one of those mischievous girls who enjoyed playing tricks, turning away.

Just moments ago, he had been wondering about Miss Kou’s purpose in distributing porridge and meat.

But now, he finally understood.

However, a larger question arose: How did Miss Kou know the houses would collapse? Could it really be foreseen through fortune-telling?

Guyu’s mind was in turmoil, and he felt dizzy as he tried to stand.

Gu Yuniang reacted quickly, grabbing her son and pulling him down firmly.

What was this child thinking of doing while everyone in the neighborhood was kneeling!