Just as Shenxi was about to lead his men to continue their exploration, he met Xie Aishuang.

When Xie Aishuang silently raised her head, Chen Xi was taken aback.

Xie Aishuang's face had obvious marks from being slapped, indicating that she had been hit, and the blow was quite strong.

Shen Xi looked at Zhao Rong with some doubt: "You can arrange these people yourself, you don't need to give them to me."

There are only a few women, and no matter what their status was in the past, they are just ordinary people now. Zhao Rong can make arrangements for them.

Zhao Rong's lips twitched: "This woman said that the commander gave her a life-ending pill, and she has already done what the commander instructed her to do, so she needs the commander to give her the antidote."

Chen Xi almost slapped her forehead: She forgot.

"Okay, wait a moment!"

"Yes!" Zhao Rong didn't dare to ask, "The life-severing pill, does the commander have such a medicine?"

Looking at Xie Aishuang, who had a very aggrieved expression, Shen Xi casually took out a pill: "Antidote."

Xie Aishuang didn't doubt the authenticity of the antidote, after all, she knew that she didn't deserve a fake antidote from the chief.

Seeing that she had taken the pills, Shenxi instructed Zhao Rong, "I'm handing the person back over to you. Go and make the arrangements!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Ronggang was about to take Xie Aishuang down to make arrangements when Xie Aishuang suddenly knelt down: "Commander, please let me go with you!"

Although Shenxi had only known Xie Aishuang for a short time, he could tell from that brief encounter that while the girl was somewhat clever, she was ultimately narrow-minded and had a strong desire for revenge.

Shen Xi shook her head: "You're not qualified to stay by my side."

She didn't want to say much; those around her couldn't have any personal grudges, they could only be devoted to her.

"Zhao Rong, you personally make arrangements for Xie Aishuang!"

"yes!"

Zhao Rong knew that the commander was worried about her!

Xie Aishuang gritted her teeth inwardly. She had originally intended to use Chenxi so that she might be able to take revenge on all those who had bullied her in the future.

Xie Aishuang was thrown next to Lin Yanjun, who ignored her food and drink. Although she was not tied up, she was still under guard and could not escape.

Zhao Rong continued to deal with the matter, and handed the other four women over to the women's team leader, Pan Ruoqiao.

This was something she took the initiative to do. After her husband, Zheng Ankang, was "taken over" by the leader, Pan Ruoqiao dared not complain, but instead focused her energy on the women who later joined the team.

The four women, Xie Aixia, Xie Aiwu, Xie Aixue, and Xie Ailin, are actually girls. They have their own tempers and their own little schemes, but now that they've fallen to this state, they have no choice but to bow their heads.

Pan Ruoqiao inquired in detail about their abilities. Xie Aixia was sixteen years old and proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but these skills were useless in the current situation.

If asked anything else, they would only know some needlework and know the skills of managing the inner quarters, but nothing else.

Pan Ruoqiao frowned. She had once been a lady from a prominent family, but her family had fallen into decline, and bandits had broken into her home. Some of her family members had died, and others had scattered. She escaped and met Zheng Ankang, which was when she finally found a foothold.

"You have no useful skills whatsoever, how am I supposed to make arrangements for you?"

Pan Ruoqiao said this on purpose. She had been a maid and did rough work. She had been bullied a lot. Only by facing things calmly could she survive.

Xie Aixia held back her tears and raised her head high: "I don't need to work here. Take me to my maternal uncle's place, and I will thank you handsomely!" She never wanted to suffer like this again.

Although she was once a concubine's daughter, her aunt was favored, and she was raised as a legitimate daughter, so she was naturally very proud and arrogant.

Pan Ruoqiao frowned slightly: "Who will send you there? It's so chaotic outside. If you want to stay, then stay. If you don't want to stay, look, there are some refugees over there who haven't joined yet. You can go there."

Xie Aixia didn't need to look; she had already seen the real refugees. They couldn't even be called human beings; their situation was far worse than that of the lowest-ranking maids and servants in her household.

It's not just a difference, it's a world of difference.

"She can't do anything, yet she wants to act like a rich young lady." Pan Ruoqiao looked down on her.

In this situation, knowing that there was no hope of returning to her stepmother's family home stirred up her pride.

She gritted her teeth and wiped away her tears: "I may not know how, but I can learn."

Pan Ruoqiao's eyes held a hint of a smile: "I hope you can keep your word. Go to the cleaning department first!"

Those around who knew about the cleaning department gasped: It's so unfair that such a delicate girl would work in the cleaning department!

This department was assigned to Li Qin by the leader for incidental management. Since diseases can enter through the mouth, it is very easy to get sick if hygiene is not up to standard.

Li Qin asked her father, Li Zhong, to bring people to do the work, mainly to clean up the excrement, dig the latrine, collect people for urination, and then fill it up when it was full.

There's a lot of waste from so many people; it's messy and tiring, so many people don't want to do it.

Now, Pan Ruoqiao is making such a delicate young girl do cleaning; just thinking about it makes me feel like Xie Aixia is being punished.

Upon hearing this name and seeing the reactions of the crowd, Xie Aixia knew it was no easy task.

However, since she had already said it, she could only grit her teeth and nod.

Later, after she actually started doing it, she vomited countless times, and it was too late to regret it.

Seeing the tasks assigned to Xie Aixia, everyone knew they weren't good, and the remaining three girls became much more obedient, giving normal answers.

Pan Ruoqiao handed over Xie Aiwu, who was in charge of cooking, to Li Qin, and asked her to help with the cooking.

Xie Aixue's beautiful handwriting impressed Pan Ruoqiao, who then entrusted her to Shen Qing to teach people to read.

Xie Ailin was eloquent and the youngest, only thirteen years old. She was not shrewd, so Pan Ruoqiao kept her by her side, mainly to do women's work.

Shenxi, along with her guards and some members of the vanguard, continued their journey into the deep forest.

She had learned from the newly arrived refugees that not only was the drought severe outside, but there were also more locusts than in previous years. Although it was not yet a locust plague, it was still abnormal.

Shenxi guessed that a locust plague would definitely come soon.

She needs to find all the food she can before the locust plague arrives.

This time, she also brought Li Qin along. All the edible plants were marked, and the large group that followed them went to collect them.

Moreover, Chenxi's primary objective is water. The water sources outside are mainly concentrated in the county town and the prefectural city, but it would be difficult to accomplish anything in those places with just over three thousand scattered soldiers.

Shenxi entrusted the main force in the rear to Zhao Rong with utmost trust, believing that one should not employ those one does not trust, and one should not employ those one does not trust!

Shenxi and his men swarmed through the area like locusts, collecting everything edible.

On the third day, Lin Yanjun was still feeling dizzy. He had been starving and drinking for three days and was almost at his limit.

In his dazed state, he seemed to be dreaming, dreaming of his father, who, before dying in battle, still earnestly taught him: "Our Lin family must not be bandits, but only righteous soldiers!"