Exile after Divorce? Empty the Scumbag Husband First!-Chapter 359 - 345: Since You Want to Survive, I’ll Give You a Way Out

"I am already a dying person; do you think I would fear your threats?" Seizing the rare pause, Ruan Mian coldly lowered her voice and spoke succinctly.

"You and we are all fellow sufferers. If I’m not mistaken, you’re likely fleeing from Yu Zhou City, right?"

Though the person said nothing, the slight movement of their eyebrows confirmed Ruan Mian’s thoughts.

She continued, "We’ve all suffered from the flood and should help each other. By forcibly entering here, it’s as if you’re bandits crossing the border! There is limited food supply. Even if you take it temporarily, it’s only a short-term solution. Have you considered what happens afterward?"

That person wasn’t interested in her rationale: "We’re dying anyway; any food is better than none, living one more day is a day gained!!"

Seeing their belligerence, Ruan Mian’s gaze darkened, reminded of the supplies she had stored before the flood hit.

If they refused to listen to reason, she would address it more directly.

"Since you seek survival, I’ll offer you a way out."

"You all are fleeing disaster, I understand your survival instincts. And as you can see, the refugees in Wuheng City are at least not fearing for their lives."

"It’s understandable that you’re struggling to survive. Since you’ve reached our Jinsha Village, follow our village rules."

"As long as you adhere to the rules, I ensure you won’t starve, at least you won’t die of hunger."

Upon hearing this, a light of hope kindled in many eyes.

Ruan Mian immediately followed with, "If you wish for this chance of survival, stand to my right. I’ll first count the number of people."

"I’ll take you to a nearby wasteland, and provide you with some food, but how much you earn depends on your determination."

"What do you mean by this, miss? Our determination is more than enough."

At this point, the group of refugees mostly ceased fighting and looked towards Ruan Mian.

"I’ll find someone to teach you how to construct wooden huts, but building these requires a significant amount of timber. You need to gather and saw it yourselves. The more timber you saw, the more food you’ll receive."

"We’ll count by household, tallying the total."

Additionally, these newly arrived refugees couldn’t be mixed with those from Wuheng City to prevent the recently contained epidemic from spreading again.

They also needed to separate those in poor health among the refugees, mimicking the epidemic zones set up for Wuheng City’s victims.

Relying on manual labor to earn food is the fairest way for everyone.

Some leading refugees were skeptical: "There’s already so many people in your city, and our numbers aren’t few either. Where do you get so much food to supply us? Could it be a trick to get free labor from us?"

Ruan Mian gave a faint smile and calmly said, "We grow our own food. With the right methods and seeds, starvation isn’t a concern."

"But you, no matter how much you fight and rob, can you really take on the entire Wuheng City?!"

This statement struck the refugees hard; they had been driven by desperation and hunger to act recklessly.

Now, calm, the disparity in strength was obvious.

Moreover, there was the Border Guard General in the Wuheng Region. If the military officers intervened, they would be defenseless.

With this in mind, they fell silent, one by one stepping to Ruan Mian’s right, indicating their willingness to heed her advice and seek a path to survival. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Once everyone aligned, Ruan Mian called for Yun Xiu.

"Ashu, you and Jinxiu know how to build the shelters. These refugees are now your responsibility. The government officers here will certainly assist you."

As soon as she finished, Lord Lin’s trusted government officer stepped forward with a few others, bowing and saying, "Miss Ruan, rest assured, we will definitely support Young Master Yun."

Having arranged this, Ruan Mian had to return and organize some medication and more food.

Fortunately, she had a stockpile of food, though she had to conserve the more expensive medicines.

So, with the increase of refugees over the days, she became even busier.

So much so, she seldom found time to eat.

Nonetheless, she felt it was worthwhile, doing meaningful work, and did not feel particularly tired.

Seeing Lord Lin’s dedication to others even while ill, she wanted all the more to assist him.