Chapter 179: Miss Kou Really Knows How to Read Faces

Chapter 179: Miss Kou Really Knows How to Read Faces

People were kneeling before her, leaving Xin You with no way to hide.

"Neighbors, please get up. Eat some porridge to tide you over, but don't go home yet."

After Xin You finished speaking, Liu Zhou shouted the same message loudly again.

People gradually got up. Some had dropped their baskets in shock, while others instinctively protected their belongings, the porridge still in hand.

But in a situation like this, who could think about eating porridge? They looked around bewildered and started discussing.

"Was that just an earthquake?"

"Probably. I felt the ground move."

"But why did only the houses in this area collapse? Look over there, they're all still standing," someone pointed into the distance.

It looked unchanged, but more and more people were coming out of their homes to check the situation.

"I understand!" a young man shouted, pointing at the collapsed houses. "It was the weight of the snow that caused the collapse!"

"It was the snow!"

After a moment of silence, many in the crowd began to cry.

"Oh God! We were already struggling to survive, and now it’s taken our homes away."

"Oh, the poorer we are, the harder life gets."

Several carts dragging wooden barrels slowly approached, leaving deep impressions on the snowy ground.

The aroma of roasted meat wafted out as the lids were lifted. The scent of the meat calmed the crowd's cries.

"Neighbors, being alive is what matters most! Eat some meat first!" Liu Zhou shouted loudly.

Perhaps the long-term poverty had toughened these people to tragedy. After a brief emotional outburst, they quickly accepted the reality and lined up, waiting patiently for their share of the meat.

"Thank you, Miss Kou."

"Thank you, Miss Kou!"

Everyone who received the roasted meat sincerely thanked Xin You.

Guyu stood within the crowd, watching the girl who was the center of attention, resisting the urge to approach her with questions.

He was studying at the Guozijian, and she ran a bookstore near it. There will be plenty of chances to ask her later.

Speaking of which, the Guozijian!

Guyu's expression changed as he said to Gu Yuniang, "Mother, I need to go request leave from the Guozijian first."

The Guozijian had rules. Unexcused absences result in deductions, and accumulating too many can lead to expulsion.

"Go quickly," Gu Yuniang replied.

Guyu was still worried and reiterated, "Mother, I'll come back immediately after requesting leave. Please don't rush to go home and sort through things until I get back."

"I understand, go quickly."

Gu Yu set off running, from his home, which was reduced to rubble, toward the densely packed shops. The closer he got to the bustling areas, the more things appeared as usual.

If anything stood out, it was that more and more people were gathering in the streets, talking about the earthquake that had just occurred.

Inside the National Academy, teachers and students were also discussing the incident.

"Gu Yu, you're late today," said a fellow student, surprised.

In the eyes of the students, Gu Yu was always punctual—a model student.

"Could you tell me where Supervisor Wen is?"

Someone indicated where Supervisor Wen could be found.

When Gu Yu arrived, he found not only Supervisor Wen but also Meng Jizuo and others.

Meng Jizuo was instructing a few of the supervisors. "Please calm the students down; I'll go inquire about the situation."

Although the tremor seemed almost imaginary, Meng Jizuo looked serious.

Though he had never experienced such a thing, the books he had read told him that while they only felt a slight tremor, there must be places where mountains had crumbled and the land turned into a living hell.

Gu Yu bowed formally to Meng Jizuo and the others, then approached Supervisor Wen. "Sir, student Gu Yu requests a leave of absence."

"What’s the reason for your leave request?" Supervisor Wen asked gently.

The Academy had always been strict about personal leave; students requesting time off usually faced some unfortunate circumstance.

Gu Yu lowered his head and said, "This morning, there was an earthquake. All the houses in my neighborhood were crushed by the weight of the snow."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jizuo suddenly turned and approached Gu Yu.

"Where does your family live?"

"My family resides in the North Tower Ward area."

"Did you come here directly from home? Any casualties?" As Meng Jizuo asked this, a heavy weight seemed to press on his heart.

Gu Yu hesitated and said, "There may not be any casualties."

"How is that possible!" Several of the teachers present couldn't help but shake their heads.

Meng Jizuo looked puzzled. "No casualties?"

"I can't be sure," Gu Yu said, still deciding to mention what Xin You had done. "When the houses collapsed, the neighbors were waiting for roasted meat. No one had gone back inside, though some might not have come out. I'm not sure about that."

Meng Jizuo looked much relieved.

If what you say is true, even if there were some who hadn't come out, it would only be a small number. Compared to massive casualties, this was already the best possible outcome.

"Is the Miss Kou you speak of the Miss Kou from Qingsong Bookstore?"

"Yes, sir."

Meng Jizuo approved Gu Yu's leave on behalf of Supervisor Wen and then accompanied Gu Yu back to the North Tower Ward in a carriage.

Upon seeing the ruins, Meng Jizuo was astonished.

The houses lay in ruins, and it's frightening to imagine how many lives would have been lost if everyone had been at home.

"Where is Miss Kou?" Meng Jizuo recognized Liu Zhou, the shop assistant from Qingsong Bookstore, and asked.

"Our master has already returned and instructed us to stay and see if we can assist," Liu Zhou replied.

Meng Jizuo nodded and silently gazed at the collapsed houses.

After waiting for a while until the ground stopped shaking, residents returned to their homes and began rummaging through the debris for usable items, mostly using their bare hands.

Meng Jizuo didn't stay long and headed to the palace.

Meanwhile, several ministers also made their way to the palace. As they waited for the emperor’s audience, they gathered to discuss the day’s unusual events.

Emperor Xingyuan met his ministers with a grave expression and immediately arranged for various government offices to investigate the situation in the capital.

Meanwhile, the students at the Imperial Academy hadn’t yet realized the significance of the morning’s minor tremor. Their focus shifted as news of Guyu’s leave spread.

"Did you hear? All the houses in Guyu’s area collapsed. Fortunately, Miss Kou was there distributing porridge, which saved many lives."

"Why was Miss Kou distributing porridge in Guyu’s neighborhood?"

"How should I know?"

"Brother Duan, aren’t you Miss Kou’s cousin? Do you know why she was giving out porridge there?"

Duan Yunlang, surrounded by his peers, looked confused. "Porridge? I have no idea."

In a dormitory, Zhang Xu slapped his thigh. "I know why!"

His juniors hurriedly asked, "Why?"

Zhang Xu's voice trembled as he spoke excitedly. "Have you forgotten what Miss Kou said?"

"She said Guyu was destined for a bloody disaster."

"Exactly! Think about it, if not for Miss Kou distributing porridge, Guyu would have been at home, and when the house collapsed, he would have been buried underneath!"

"He would have been a goner!"

"That's not important! Zhang Xu didn't care whether Guyu lived or died. What's important is that Miss Kou can really read faces!"