Xie Ling was pushed aside.

Several cooks nearby immediately brought some delicious food, surrounded Xie Ling, and asked her questions in a flurry.

"Madam, please have this big steamed bun of mine. It was just steamed today. It's soft and delicious."

"Go, go, go, go, get out of the way. Let Madam eat one of the steamed buns. Madam, eat my big bones. These big bones are used to make soup. There is a lot of meat in them."

"Just eat this big meat bun of mine."

…

When Xie Ling looked up, she saw all kinds of food piled up in front of her.

All of these cooks were taller than her, and the food they held in their hands was larger. The steamed bun alone was almost half the size of her head.

They were very cautious and even put a layer of white cloth under the food, for fear that Xie Ling would dislike it.

Xie Ling was a little hungry, so she scanned the bowl, took the cheapest steamed bread, and nodded, "Thank you."

The cook who was taking the steamed bread was so happy when he saw Xie Ling taking his own food that his face was red. He asked hurriedly, "Madam, do you want to eat more? I have steamed more than a dozen!"

The steamed bun was almost bigger than Xie Ling's face. How could she eat it? She quickly waved her hands.

There were a few burly cooks nearby, some helping Xie Ling fry the gypsum powder, some adding firewood and fanning the stove, all busy as hell.

Xie Ling felt embarrassed to be idle, so she finished her steamed bun and walked over. As soon as she raised her foot, she was persuaded to come back.

"Madam, just sit down and let us do it!"

"It's just a small matter, why should I bother you!"

"Look at you, you are so small. We use the rice shovel every day, and we are much more professional than you."

Xie Ling was helpless and had nothing to do, so she asked, "What do you usually eat?"

A cook counted on his fingers, "Coarse grains, white rice porridge, steamed bread, cabbage... We only had two meals a day before, and they were mostly porridge. After the county magistrate took office, we can have three meals! We can even have an extra meal at night!"

As he spoke, his face was filled with happiness.

Xie Ling walked over, lifted the bamboo lid, and looked at the steamed buns in the pot.

It was all made of coarse grains and bran, and looked black. Xie Ling poked it with the chopsticks next to it and found it was very hard.

It was completely different from the white flour steamed bread she had just eaten.

The white flour steamed bun she had just eaten was fragrant and soft, probably the best that the group of cooks could come up with.

Xie Ling felt warm in her heart. She glanced around again and found that the soldiers' lives were indeed hard.

Even though the food was improved after Gu Wei took office, it was still not very good overall.

Due to too many natural disasters and man-made tragedies in recent years, the soil fertility is not good, the grain output in Sinan County is not good, and the warehouse has been running at a loss.

"Madam, the stone powder has turned yellow-gray. What should we do now?"

A fat cook came over holding a spatula and said.

Xie Ling hurried over to take a look and nodded, "Please help me install it."

After loading, Xie Ling put the gypsum powder into bags and brought them to the kang built by the soldiers.

Now all the materials are ready. Xie Ling estimated the proportions, mixed them all together, and put them into the kang to dry.

The soldiers sat on the side and waited, occasionally fanning the fire as Xie Ling instructed to make the flames burn brighter.

The evening sky was filled with sunset glow, which was very gorgeous. A group of people sat on the mountain, enjoying the evening breeze, feeling cheerful.

I don't know who suggested that Xie Ling perform a talent, but in the end all the soldiers started to make a fuss, some were boxing, some were singing, it was quite lively.

Wu Daqiang stood aside and joined in the fun.

"Zhang Xiaoqiang, aren't you the best at military boxing? Show us your skills!"

"Sun Jun, you can dance with a sword, come on!"

Xie Ling also smiled and cheered from time to time, completely integrating into the military camp.

When the sun had completely set, Xie Ling got into the kang and saw the various materials being roasted dry. She exclaimed in surprise, "It's done."

The soldiers outside were looking around, with expectant looks on their faces.

What on earth was the county magistrate’s wife tinkering with all day?

After the items were dragged out, everyone looked disappointed. They were still the same broken porcelain pieces and plaster powder, only dried up.

A soldier scratched his head, very confused, "Madam, what on earth is this?"

Xie Ling clapped her hands, "It's okay, you will know tomorrow. Help me grind it into powder first."

A group of people cleared a piece of open space, and each of them took a stone or a hoe in their hands and began to grind enthusiastically.

Finally, a gray powder the size of a small hill was ground out.

Some brave ones even dipped a little with their fingers, put it in their mouths, and then spat it out.

Xie Ling's eyes widened and she quickly waved her hands, "Don't eat it! You can't eat this!"

The soldiers stuck out their tongues.

Early the next morning, Xie Ling took the design drawings and brought Liao Qizhu to the training ground.

Liao Qizhu is good at carpentry and naturally knows something about construction.

On the parade ground, the sun had just climbed over the hill, casting golden rays of light. The soldiers had already started their morning exercises. The sound of trumpets was incessant, creating a lively scene.

Xie Ling trotted over and waved to Wu Daqiang who was in front of the team.

"Uncle Wu, no morning exercises today. Let's get everyone ready and start building the public toilets and renovating the dining room."

"Okay!" Wu Daqiang replied with full energy and immediately ran to organize people.

Soon, all the soldiers stood together in neat rows, waiting for Xie Ling's instructions.

Liao Qizhu took a look at the layout of the military camp, added a few strokes to Xie Ling's design, and finally put together a complete plan.

According to the plan, Xie Ling divided the soldiers into ten groups and acted separately.

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