Exile after Divorce? Empty the Scumbag Husband First!-Chapter 127 - 125: I’ll Provide Both Meals Every Day
He couldn’t believe it. How could a woman with nothing suddenly create gunpowder out of thin air?
It must have been that man who was protecting her earlier who brought the gunpowder, intending to enslave them.
They say it’s for road building, but isn’t that just a way to make them do hard labor? Just like those soldiers.
He, Zheng Yang, would never be ordered around!
Now that everyone is an outlaw, why should they listen to her?
With no soldiers around, did this lowly woman really think she could become a mountain king?
Bah!
But his lone opposition was useless, after all, everyone else had agreed.
Not long after, the news spread that Ruan Mian would lead everyone in road construction. With Xue Yuanzhao and Wu Jie speaking for her, the others accepted it more readily.
However, in seeking help, Ruan Mian wasn’t about to have them work for nothing.
"Anyone who works will have two meals covered each day, and in addition, I’ll calculate their monthly wages based on the labor rates in the Capital City. Not a penny less." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed.
To know that in such circumstances, some couldn’t even fill their stomachs, struggling each day to find something in the forest.
But now, just by working, they could not only get free meals every day but also extra wages.
This, to them, was an irresistible temptation that no one could refuse!
However, Cui Zhu and the others were worried, pulling Ruan Mian aside and whispering.
"Miss, are we really going to be responsible for feeding so many people? Where will we get so much food?"
"Our supplies are barely enough to feed one family, how can it possibly be enough for so many?"
The other members of the Ruan Family had the same concern, but Ruan Mian already had an explanation for it.
"Don’t worry, Mr. Xie will help us solve the food issue. Besides collecting from the mountains, we can buy supplies from Liao Lie. Mr. Xie doesn’t lack silver."
"Huh? We can buy from Liao Lie? Aren’t we worried about encountering soldiers?"
"Liao Lie is close to us, and the soldiers’ battlefield is in Wuheng. They won’t approach the Liao Lie border for no reason. In short, we can solve the food issue."
"Our urgent task is to construct a saltpeter cultivation area. Oh, Cui Zhu, go and build earthen walls around the goose sheds and pigsties, we can gather some saltpeter there too."
"Are those places really hiding saltpeter?"
Ruan Qingsong, who was beside her, never imagined his sister was so knowledgeable. It was the first time he heard about artificially cultivating saltpeter, and it was truly eye-opening.
Actually, this method benefitted from Ruan Mian’s practice in the apocalypse.
This so-called "cultivating" saltpeter was essentially simulating the natural environment of saltpeter formation to build a systematic collection yard.
This collection yard needed multiple trenches dug, lined with clay, and layered with excreta and decaying leaves.
Between each layer, ashes should be spread, with small branches laid across to ensure air circulation.
In subsequent days, excreta needs to be regularly added to the trenches to maintain moisture.
After a period, the waste in the trenches can be extracted, and dissolved with pure rainwater to leach out saltpeter crystals.
The process isn’t short, and if they wanted to use this to temporarily make gunpowder, they wouldn’t have enough time.
So she planned to first use the black powder she had in space abundantly; the collection yard would serve as a supposed source for the black powder.
This way, no one would suspect where she got the gunpowder.
Taking advantage of the solitude, Ruan Qingsong pulled her aside and suddenly asked her seriously.
"Where is the real Mianmian?"
On hearing this, Ruan Mian couldn’t help but laugh: "Brother, I am Mianmian, where else could there be a second one?"
Ruan Qingsong’s expression was grave, as he scrutinized her thoroughly, confidently stating.
"How could you be Mianmian? Are you someone else possessed?"
It turned out her brother does care about his sister, as he had noticed this much.
But the truth was so absurd that Ruan Mian obviously wouldn’t explain her transmigration story—too troublesome and too complicated.
So, she earnestly concocted nonsense.
"Brother, I am Mianmian. I know you’re puzzled about what’s changed about me. During those three years with the Qi Family, I came to realize many things."
"I can only rely on myself to survive. You saw how Qi Mansion was; at the time, I had to be cautious just to live."
"So I read books on my own. Most of my skills I learned from those books. Didn’t you often say, ’Read more books to find a way out’? I remembered that well."
Hearing his sister’s sincere words, Ruan Qingsong felt a deep sense of guilt.
"I’m sorry, Mianmian, as your elder brother, it was my failure not to take care of the family, and instead implicate you, moreover... I didn’t even know about your tough time widowed at Qi Mansion for three years..."
This robust seven-foot man, thinking of these, had his eyes reddening.
Looking at his frail sister, Ruan Qingsong made up his mind.
"Mianmian, rest assured, this life, I’ll always protect you. Whether you marry or not, I’ll be there for you!"
Having married into such a situation at Qi Mansion once was enough; he would never let Mianmian repeat that mistake.
Ruan Mian understood his heart and nodded solemnly.
"Alright, then brother, you’ll have to protect me from now on."
Seeing his sincere vow, Ruan Qingsong finally offered a relieved smile.
So over the next few days, with surveying and planning, Ruan Qingsong took on all the most exhausting and tedious work without complaint.
Cui Zhu and Shaoxi managed the big kitchen at home. Both had been with Ruan Mian along the way, and their culinary skills had been steadily improving.
Ruan Mian provided the food.
They gathered a group and first built several "toilets" using earth and stone near the houses, the raw material for subsequent fertilizer and saltpeter production.
They then selected a flat area away from the houses to dig trenches and construct the saltpeter collection yard.
The meals provided were better than most found on their own, so for the sake of this food, they worked diligently, enjoying the sense of fulfillment over idleness.
Only a few households didn’t participate, among them the Qi Mansion and Zheng Zhao’s family.
Zheng Zhao now lay half-dead and unable to move indoors, with his blind father being a burden, leaving Zheng Yang in charge of everything.
Previously, Zhu Qin’er could handle all the household affairs, and they only needed to order her around. Now that Zhu Qin’er had joined Ruan Mian, they didn’t even have someone to order about.
So Zheng Zhao began to seek out other women to court.
Before long, he had become involved with Yuanxi from Qi Mansion.
