Xianyu Infrastructure, I have a lot of troops in my hands

It was not until the afternoon that they figured out the pattern. There were quite a few people in the sinkhole, both men and women. The women were doing laundry and cooking, while the men were digging for ore. They saw this from afar when they went out to solve physiological problems.

There are many tunnels at the bottom of the tiankeng, leading to all directions, and many forbidden areas are equipped with mechanisms.

From the guards, we learned that there are two high-ranking officials in Qionglou Village. The leader Gan Hu is in charge of the overall situation, and there is also a Mr. Qu who is quite prestigious in the village.

Xie Xian felt it was outrageous that this village of less than a thousand people had swords, crossbows, and even a military advisor.

At night, Xie Xian and Tu Zhen were led to where the women lived. The person who brought them here said, "The village doesn't support idle people. If you want to eat, start working tomorrow."

Xie Xian held a wooden hairpin in her hand, with a stubborn expression on her face: "I will do my best and not let Du Lang worry."

Everyone was speechless. Those who originally wanted to have fun were now fed up with her affectionate expression.

"What are you looking at? Go to work. This woman's mind is full of that white guy. It's so annoying." Xie Xian got away with it like this and was considered not very smart.

There was already a shortage of manpower in the village, and they would not allow two laborers to rest every day.

It’s not that no one has tried to covet Tu Zhen, but Tu Zhen’s sharp eyes and tall stature don’t quite fit in with current aesthetic standards, and she’s obviously not someone that’s easy to mess with, which keeps most people away.

In this way, Xie Xian and Tu Zhen had a brief period of freedom in this tiankeng, but she did not forget the purpose of her getting in.

The manager of the laundry room was called Xin Sanniang. After her husband starved to death on the road, she and her son were sold here by her in-laws for food.

There is a natural salt mine in this sinkhole. The bandits guard the exit and don't pay much attention to them, but they have to hand over a considerable amount of salt every month in exchange for some food and charcoal.

At the beginning, the bandits acted recklessly and bullied many refugees' families, which resulted in public outrage. After several riots, the total number of soldiers and bandits was less than a hundred, while the number of refugees and captured villagers from nearby was nearly six to seven hundred.

They did not want to lose more manpower, so they made a rule that women could not be forced, but could be exchanged for food and money, but only if they were willing.

Although this work was hard, they had food and drink, which was better than eating dirt outside. Only then were the refugees appeased.

Xie Xian seemed to be thinking about something. Now that she and Tu Zhen were temporarily safe, how could they pass on the news here?

She touched the big treasure in her pocket, which was given to her by Taoist Xuanqing before she left. It was said to be super-doubled black gunpowder.

Xie Xian has never tried it, but that doesn't stop her from being confident. Although she is not as good as Miss Qiu, if this situation really happens, everyone will probably be in trouble.

Xin Sanniang looked at Xie Xian's fair face, and hesitated to speak, "Madam, you should cover it up!" Xie Xian was really conspicuous.

"The last noble lady who was captured didn't survive more than seven days," she hinted.

Xie Xian understood it very well. She smeared some dust on her face, trying to have the same shade as everyone else.

Inside the cave hall.

"It's almost the end of the month, and the salt mine has less than 500 stones," the warehouse manager said listlessly.

"What's the reason?" Qu Qing asked without raising his head as he sat at the desk, seemingly painting a picture.

The steward nodded and said, "We don't have enough tools."

"What about the batch we bought last time?"

"Ironware is fragile and more than half of it is broken."

"Then continue shopping," Qu Qing rubbed his forehead. He really didn't want to waste time on these trivial matters.

"There's not enough money in the warehouse! We brought in a lot of artifacts in Pingcheng last time, which has aroused suspicion over there. Also, there's not enough food with the increase in the number of people!"

The manager lowered his head after he finished speaking. Anyway, he was just an accountant. He was abducted and brought here. He had been working here for two months. He was only given food and drink and could not go out. He had no motivation to work.

Where to buy or how to buy has little to do with him.

Qu Qing was helpless. There were a bunch of veteran soldiers in the tiankeng and local bandits who were recruited. They couldn't even think of the same thing together.

It is difficult to find someone who can read. Some of these accounting chores have to be done personally, but given his status, it is not appropriate.

Seeing that he was in trouble, the manager thought that he should find more colleagues to share the work, so he asked, "Is there anyone among these people who can read?"

He just heard that the nobleman's convoy was robbed this time.

Qu Qing frowned slightly and thought for a while. He felt that Du Xin must be able to read, but they needed to reduce contact as much as possible and wait for news from above.

The guards around Du Xin are no match for him. The only one left is......

Xie Xian looked at the clothes in her hands that had been beaten into rags and felt helpless.

She really has never washed clothes! In her previous life, she only washed her own socks when she was a child, and when she grew up, she relied on a fully automatic washing machine.

The original owner had never done this job in this life, so the innocence on Xie Xian’s face at this moment was extremely real.

Xin Sanniang who was standing next to her was shocked. She had seen people tear clothes by washing them, but she watched as Lady Xian hit the clothes three times and they were ruined.

"Did the clothes get ruined by being soaked in salt?" An elderly woman nearby came over to smooth things over. Xie Xian's expression was really too innocent.

Xin Sanniang took a deep breath and motioned for Xie Xian to continue.

Xie Xian wiped the sweat off her forehead, then gently tapped the rocks with the wooden stick in her hand, fearing that she would use too much force and turn the clothes into rags.

Xin Sanniang took a few glances and saw that Xie Xian had adapted well and no longer damaged her clothes, so she lowered her head and concentrated on her work.

But some people obviously don't think so.

"I don't know where this lady came from. Her hands are so tender that they have never held a hammer before!" A sarcastic voice was heard.

The person who was speaking was a very charming woman. She had a pretty face, but she was too thin, which made her face look sarcastic.

The pounding sounds by the stream paused slightly, and all the women pricked up their ears.

Xie Xian was thinking about how to pass on the message and was absent-minded. Her ignoring of the matter seemed to make the woman think that Xie Xian was afraid of her.

"I heard that you eloped with someone. Now your husband has been caught. Let's see how he can save you." After saying this, the woman glared at Xie Xian fiercely.

Her usual lover said that a beautiful woman had come. She was not convinced and rushed over to take a look. "It's just a set of clothes!"

She rolled her eyes and said, "Girl, you don't need these clothes anyway, why don't I give you three chestnut cakes in exchange for them?"

Xie Xian looked up at her, a flash of impatience on her face. She said in a muffled voice, "No!"

"You little bitch, I'm going to tear you apart. Who are you trying to seduce by wearing such sexy clothes every day?" He revealed his true intention and went towards Xie Xian.

Before she got close, Xie Xian heard a clicking sound in her hand.

Everyone fell silent and looked up, only to see that the bowl-sized laundry pestle in Xie Xian's hand had broken into pieces, with the black wood that had been soaked in water for years now having sharp splinters on the broken edge.

Xie Xian threw the clothes in her hand onto the stone, held up the half-broken clothes pestle, stood up straight, looked down at the woman in front of her who was half a head shorter than her, and said with a half-smile: "What did you say?"