The Fierce Farm Girl Has A Secret Space

Chapter 2888: Chapter 2888: Master Du the Philanthropist (Part 4)

After the initial shock, the three of them dared not delay and quickly turned around to run. Once they were out of Quanzhou Port, they saw vehicles outside for hire.

There were horse-drawn carriages, ox carts, and donkey carts, some open and some with compartments.

Yang Ruxin went over to rent a carriage with a compartment: "To Santong Lanes."

"Madam, are you here for sightseeing?" The coachman, a man in his forties, seemed quite chatty.

"Visiting relatives," Yang Ruxin smiled.

"The houses in Santong Lanes are all of wealthy families." The coachman flicked the reins. "May I know which family you are visiting?"

"The Du Family."

"Is it the family of the benevolent Du?" The coachman paused.

"The benevolent Du?" Yang Ruxin was also momentarily stunned. All these years she hadn’t paid much attention to the Du Family’s affairs, as Du Yunpeng had been doing quite well. She merely received dividends at the end of the year, and they had been increasing every year. She had reminded Du Yunpeng that prosperity should benefit the world. Although the Du Family had not reached that stage, it was proper to do good deeds for those around them.

At the time, Du Yunpeng had even asked her how to proceed.

She suggested examples like founding schools and charitable halls, building bridges, and repairing roads.

She hadn’t expected Du Yunpeng to do so well that he earned the reputation of a benevolent Du?

"Yes indeed." The coachman nodded vigorously. "If it’s the Du Family in Santong Lanes, then it’s the family of the benevolent Du."

"In what ways are they benevolent?" Yang Ruxin became interested.

"The Du Family used to be known for being stingy, but later I heard that the eldest branch of the Du Family returned and reclaimed their original property."

"This Master Du has a kind heart. He established schools, repaired roads, and built bridges in Quanzhou. Madam Du also founded a charitable hall named Anxin Hall, specifically for taking in those who were homeless. Many people initially thought that the Du Family would face trouble, since supporting so many idle people isn’t practical. But Master Du didn’t let those people feel entitled to eat and drink without contributing. Instead, he assigned them work based on their physical conditions to earn their keep."

"Those with leg issues could learn to roast tea, those with hand issues could assist in grinding medicine... In short, everyone had work to do, and as long as they worked, they’d have food to eat."

"Whenever there was a disaster or difficulty somewhere, as long as the Du Family knew about it, they would definitely step forward. Three years ago, there was a flood here, and the Imperial Court’s relief couldn’t arrive immediately. It was the Du Family that opened their granaries and cooperated with other wealthy households, allowing the people to hold out until the Imperial Court’s aid came, and until the flood receded."

"Uncle Coachman, hasn’t anyone tried to exploit the Du Family?" Lun Dou asked inquisitively.

"How could there not be?" The coachman laughed. "Not to hide it from the young lady, just last month there was an incident. A person from a nearby village, evading gambling debts, ran to the Du Family’s charitable hall, intending to freeload by claiming to be homeless. What happened? In just two days, the Du Family found out about his situation, and the person fled in fright."

Yang Ruxin laughed: "The Du Family truly does well." The intelligence network covering Jiangnan had long since matured; investigating someone without much background was very easy, and two days was already a long time.

"Indeed." The coachman looked quite proud. "The Du Family’s businesses are numerous; anyone diligent can find work there, and they’ve never been late with wages."

As they chatted, the carriage turned into Santong Lanes, only to be blocked at the entrance.