amaotonovel Chapter 682: Cold and Selfish
Chapter 682: Cold and Selfish
Qi and Qian had a dispute over a fifty-li area of land called "Yingzuigou". Each side had its own reasons, but neither could convince the other, so they had no choice but to fight to stop the war.
"Yingzuigou" has four high mountains with beautiful scenery, and there are three cities and counties nearby. If it was given up for no reason, it would affect the country's destiny in a big way, and it would be considered cowardly and inaction, which would bring eternal infamy.
It just so happened that Zhou and Chu also had some connection with "Eagle's Beak Ditch" and wanted to get a piece of the pie. The four countries were in chaos and the people were living in misery.
When Li Changxiao opened the door in the morning, he saw a farmer's family, with their elderly, women and children, running away to another place, trying to escape from this chaotic place. Li Changxiao cleaned the door of the inn in an orderly manner, not paying any attention to the chaos.
A kind-hearted man passing by advised him that the situation here was not peaceful and if he wanted to survive, he should pack up quickly and stay away from this place.
Li Changxiao just smiled it off, thanked the other party for his kindness, and took out some dry food to give to the other party to eat on the way.
The number of guests coming to the inn dropped sharply. Li Changxiao sighed. Business is really a matter of ups and downs. Just when it was getting started, something like this happened.
Even if he had a business mind, it would be useless. But as long as his wallet was full and the inn was still "alive", he was satisfied.
Over the past month, there were more and more refugees on the road. A waiter and a cook who came and went from the inn suddenly found Li Changxiao. They looked embarrassed and wanted to say something, but they couldn't.
Li Changxiao asked the two if they were planning to leave. He also told them that if they were worried about unrest, there was no need to worry, as long as they stayed in the inn for another day, no one would be able to harm them.
The waiter and the cook hesitated for a moment, but left resolutely. Firstly, the Laiqu Inn was no longer as prosperous as it used to be, and secondly, it was human nature to seek profit and avoid harm. The waiter and the cook only knew that their shopkeeper had good medical skills, but they had no idea how he would fight.
The two men advised Li Changxiao that although they were going to seek refuge together, the cook had a relative who lived in a stable city and had a small business. If they went to seek refuge with that relative, they would be safe.
Li Chang smiled and shook his head, letting the two go, and gave them a few taels of silver when they left, to help them have a safe journey and to part ways in peace. The two looked ashamed, but still felt overjoyed, and fled away from the Laiqu Inn.
Qingxiao looked depressed and ran out to curse a few times.
The waiters, cooks, accountants who came and went from the inn, all had relatives at home, and brought them to Li Changxiao for treatment. Even some relatives received favors from Li Changxiao.
At that time, they had sworn to be loyal to the inn for the rest of their lives, and to do their best. But now, at the beginning of the turmoil, they had to leave the inn.
Although it is human nature, it is still somewhat immoral. This is what made Qing Xiao angry.
The waiter who had stayed behind suddenly retorted, "It was originally an employment relationship. Now there is civil unrest. If they don't leave, are they going to stay here and die?"
Qingxiao said: "You!" The waiter glared at him without any hesitation.
Li Changxiao stopped Qingxiao's abuse and just smiled calmly. Within two days, another waiter from a famous restaurant handed in his resignation.
The waiter bowed and said, "Boss, I am grateful that you took me into your inn, but I have also done what I should do. We owe each other nothing. I am leaving now."
After saying this, he left resolutely.
Qing Xiao was angry. If the principle of equivalence was really followed, the debt owed to Li Changxiao by this waiter would be something he would never be able to repay in two lifetimes. Not to mention the medical treatment, even the daily wages were much more than those of other waiters.
Li Changxiao looked at the other person's departing back, sat on the armchair, tapped the armrest with his fingers, and smiled faintly.
Since someone had set a precedent, all the remaining workers left within a few days. After a period of prosperity, the huge inn was left with only Li Changxiao and Qingxiao.
But there were many passers-by in front of the door. Residents of small towns and villages within dozens of miles often had to pass by the door of the inn to escape the chaotic area.
This resulted in no one entering the hotel even though there were many passers-by in front of the door. Li Changxiao clearly noticed that the number of people fleeing was increasing, and their clothing was becoming more and more simple.
At the beginning, the people who fled often rode in carriages and wore fancy clothes. It was obvious that they were the sons of wealthy families and had heard the news early. As time went on, the situation became more serious, and even a war broke out, which completely entered the vision of ordinary people.
Nowadays, the people who are fleeing are wearing straw sandals and coarse linen clothes, and they are in a hurry and numb. Li Changxiao sighed suddenly, took out the money jar where he stored money, and asked Qingxiao to buy rice.
Then the two of them cooked rice porridge early in the morning and gave it away on the roadside. Passers-by could get a bowl of porridge for free. It was also a way to relieve their hunger. Li Changxiao never minded being kind to others. Especially when he saw the refugees were so pitiful, he couldn't help but feel pity and helped them if he could.
This went on for several months, and all their savings from going to and from the inn were spent. In the end, Li Changxiao and Qingxiao had no choice but to go up the mountain to hunt and kill some game for food.
One day, the soldiers of the Qian Kingdom came and surrounded a large city, not allowing any water to enter or anyone to leave. The siege was extremely brutal.
The worst sufferers are the people inside.
The number of people fleeing gradually decreased. Li Changxiao didn't know the reason and didn't try to find out. He just spent the whole day guarding his small piece of land, leisurely and comfortable.
One day, Qing Xiao suddenly asked, "Brother Li, facing this chaos, should we do anything?" Li Chang Xiao replied, "No need."
Qing Xiao suddenly felt a chill, sighed, and returned to his room. But Li Chang Xiao's attitude of not caring about anything that had nothing to do with him kept lingering in his mind.
He felt conflicted. He clearly felt that Li Changxiao was a kind-hearted person, but why was he sometimes cold and selfish?
Li Changxiao could guess what Qingxiao was thinking, but he didn't try to explain it, because Qingxiao was right about him. He was indeed a cold and selfish person, but also a kind person.
As time went by, he became more and more indifferent. But he always believed that if someone fell in front of him and that person was not a heinous person, he would still save him.