222: Abject Poverty

Abject Poverty

The young boy was thankful to the Princes for saving him. He stopped and turned to them. "Thank you for helping me there, your highnesses," the young boy expressed his gratitude and bowed.2

"You do not need to thank us. Show us the way to your home," Nianzu said, placing his hand again above the head of the young boy. "May I know the name of this young boy?" Nianzu softly asked.

"I am Su Tengmin," the young boy replied.

"You have a nice name," Nianzu replied, and the three kept walking. They were in the same village from where Chuntao belonged.

"Why are the people from this village always in trouble and why is my brother always there?" Lei Wanxi wondered. Seeing the princes in the village, the villagers were bowing as they walked past them. After walking for a few meters, they reached outside the house of Su Tengmin.

The house was made of bamboo sticks and was shabby unlike many other houses in the village. "My mother is inside the house," Su Tengmin replied. Nianzu nodded and walked inside with him while Lei Wanxi followed them.

On a wooden bedstead, a woman was lying who was covered with a torn blanket. "Su-min, where is your father?" Nianzu asked who had gone towards the bed and was checking his mother's fever by placing his hand on her forehead. 

Nianzu looked at Lei Wanxi. "Bring a physician here, Brother Wanxi," Nianzu politely asked Lei Wanxi. 

"But Brother, I don't even know about this place. It might take me more time. Why don't we send the boy?" Lei Wanxi suggested. 

"We cannot send him. Stay here. I will be back in a few minutes," Nianzu asserted. Tengmin had opened her eyes, but she could not see the person standing in front of her because of illness. 

In a meek voice, she asked, "W-whom have you brought, Su?" the woman asked her son who looked at Lei Wanxi. 

"I am the Sixth Prince of Han Kingdom, Lei Wanxi." Hearing the name of the Prince, the woman tried to get up. "Y-your highness," she was weak because of the illness. 

"Please don't get up. You do need to bow," Lei Wanxi stated and looked towards the door. "Su-min, I am going out to see the Fourth Prince," Lei Wanxi informed the young boy and walked out of the house. As he came out he saw Nianzu there. 

"Brother, you did not go?" Lei Wanxi asked. 

"I've sent a villager to bring the Physician," Nianzu replied. "Wanxi, we live such a luxurious life that we forget the people surrounding us, especially the subjects who are living their lives in abject poverty," Nianzu proclaimed. 

"Brother, I have no answer for this. The condition of this village is poor and we do not know how many such villages there are where people are living miserable. Even if we find out, can we help every single person? Giving them money is not the only option. Poverty is a broad scale concept and eliminating it is difficult," Lei Wanxi affirmed. 

"Don't you think it is because of the unequal distribution of resources? People at the top will have everything they want, but the people at the bottom will not be able to afford all that. Even a two-time meal is hard for them to manage. There are many other reasons as well, but discussing them is of no use until we conclude," Nianzu proclaimed.

"Brother, you think too much. You cannot help everyone, every time you meet them," Lei Wanxi pronounced. By then the Physician came there with the villager. He greeted the two princes.  "Please check the lady and give her sufficient medicine," Nianzu ordered the Physician.

"Yes, your highness," the Physician replied and walked inside the house. The villager had already gone away from there while the two princes went inside the house. The Physician after examining the lady gave her some pills and a powered herbal medicine. He told Su Tengmin about the medicines.

Nianzu took out a silver coin from his pouch and handed it to the Physician who took it, thanked him, and left the house. "Su-min, have your mother taken any meal? You need to feed her this pill," Nianzu said.

"Yes, your highness. Mother has taken her meal an hour ago," Su Tengmin replied. He walked out of the house and brought water in the earthen glass. He told his mother to take the pill, which she did. In a meek voice, she thanked the princes.

"Su-min, where is your father? What kind of food do you take in your meals? Could you please tell me?" Nianzu asked.

"My father left us two weeks ago. We eat the sweet potatoes mostly as we cannot afford other kinds of food," Su Tengmin replied. Nianzu's eyes filled with tears.

"What kind of food do you want to eat? Have you had your lunch?" Nianzu further asked.

"I could not have lunch today as we did not have enough money. I need to find a small job so that I can buy food for us," Su Tengmin replied.

Nianzu nodded. "Su-min, you are a young kid who is doing more than enough for your family. I am impressed by you. Here, take this pouch. It has coins which you can use daily. Don't tell anyone, okay?" Nianzu extended another pouch, which was made of a mixture of copper and iron.

Su Tengmin was hesitant in taking the money when Lei Wanxi put the pouch in his hands. "Keep them and use them carefully. Don't tell anyone about them. Use two coins daily. That will be sufficient for two-time meals," Lei Wanxi affirmed. 

Su Tengmin nodded and bowed. "Thank you, your highnesses. Thank you. Because of you, my mother is saved," Su Tengmin expressed his gratitude once again as he wiped off the tears in his eyes. Nianzu caressed his head once again before leaving from there.

As they left the house, Lei Wanxi noticed that the Fourth Prince was again turned sad. "Wanxi, let's go to Miss Chuntao's House," Nianzu said, and the two turned to her house.

"She is not here. Brother, I think she has returned to the Palace," Lei Wanxi answered.

"But she used to close this door before going back to the Palace. I do not think she has gone back," Nianzu deduced when Chuntao came out of the room, wiping her tears. 

Nianzu and Lei Wanxi looked at each other when Lei Wanxi asked, "Miss, why are you crying?" 

Chuntao, who had not seen them, immediately turned and bowed. She had already wiped the tears from her face so she lied, "Your highness, I was not crying." Lei Wanxi nodded his head while Nianzu skeptically peered at her. 

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