In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

The Pei family was no longer on Zhao Zexuan and the others' radar. They were too busy to do anything but check the sturdiness of the bamboo raft in preparation for tomorrow's departure and to reassure the people as they packed their belongings.

With the last bamboo raft completed and put into testing, it meant that departure tomorrow was a certainty. Zhao Zexuan was instructing the soldiers on relevant precautions when Wang Cong brought people to report on the reactions of the local people.

"The generals are all here, so there's no need to hide this from anyone. Just say what you have to say," Zhao Zexuan said to Wang Cong.

Upon hearing this, Wang Cong said solemnly, "Some people don't want to leave and want to stay here, but they want food!"

Before Zhao Zexuan could even speak, the military advisor beside him said, "They're really shameless. They haven't done anything all this time, just been protected by us, and now they're asking for food. Are they taking advantage of our temper?"

The other generals thought the same way, so they frowned and expressed their disagreement.

Zhao Zexuan had anticipated this, and said, "I understand. Tell Madam about this, and she will know what to do."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cong paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement and turned to find Su Li.

Watching the man leave, the general who had been silent earlier asked, somewhat puzzled, "General, are we really going to leave them food? They didn't contribute anything; we collected this food with great effort. Are we just going to give it to them now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan said, "We have taken most of the grain in the Tongcheng warehouse. They did contribute to the grain in there. It is understandable that they want some grain to survive."

"Besides, they've been quite well-behaved lately, so giving them a way to survive isn't unreasonable. And how they're distributed, and what kind of food they get, is up to us. After tomorrow, these people will have nothing to do with us anymore, and what happens to them is up to them. There's no need to worry about it."

Having said that much, the other generals couldn't say anything more, but they felt that those who wanted to stay here were somewhat unaware of the situation.

Just then, Wang Cong's words arrived, and Su Li pointed to herself with some surprise, then said, "The general really said that I should handle this matter."

Sensing Su Li's disbelief, Wang Cong nodded without changing his expression and said yes.

After finally digesting the news brought by Wang Cong, Su Li began to carefully consider the meaning behind Zhao Zexuan's words.

"Is there a specific list of the people who want to stay, or what are their usual behaviors?" Su Li asked.

Upon hearing this, Wang Cong paused before saying, "Some of those people were the ringleaders of the last disturbance."

Upon hearing this, Su Li immediately understood Zhao Zexuan's meaning and said, "Wait a moment, I'll take the aunties to pack up first, and then I'll give you the grain. You can go and compile the specific list."

Wang Cong: "Yes, I will take people to do the statistics immediately."

Wang Cong left with his soldiers, and Su Li then led her people to pack up.

The women present had all heard the conversation and were naturally a little angry, saying, "They really don't know what's good for them. What chance do they have of surviving if they stay here?"

Upon hearing this, Su Li did not offer any opinion, but instead said, "This is their own choice, and others cannot interfere. Let's pack our things first. Since we are going to give them some food, we should prepare as soon as possible."

……

Time passed quietly, and Wang Cong soon returned with the list. Su Li took a look at it, pointed to the grain that had just been collected, and said, "Take this grain and distribute it to them according to the number of people."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cong led his soldiers forward to take the items. He glanced at the distributed rations inside, raised an eyebrow slightly, and then nodded in agreement.

Many people chose to stay, but they were all locals from Tongcheng. They didn't want to leave their hometown easily, and they still held onto the illusion that everything would be alright after the flood receded. So they chose to stay, and now they were anxiously waiting to receive their food.

Among the people who remained were several of those who had caused trouble last time. They were now pretending to be obedient and staying in the center of the crowd, but in reality, they had already come up with several ideas and were planning to make a big scene if Zhao Zexuan and his group did not agree to distribute the grain to them.

The people who caused trouble last time were Lai Jin, Lai Yin, and Lai Zhu. These people are typical examples. Now that they are gathered together, Lai Jin said in a low voice, "Do you think they will give us food?"

Upon hearing this, the other two felt uncertain, but they still tried to remain calm and said, "They wouldn't dare not share food with us. After all, so many people stayed behind this time. If they don't share food with us, it means they want to see us starve to death. This will arouse public anger and make other people feel disheartened. You should know that many of those who surrendered are from Tongcheng."

Hearing this, the group felt a little more confident and discussed how to act according to the situation later.

However, before their discussion could even begin, Wang Cong led his men to distribute rations to everyone, no more, no less, leaving no room for objection.

Looking at the grain they received, some people felt it was too little, but since it met their expectations, they didn't say anything. However, some were still dissatisfied and complained, "How can there be so little grain? How can it be enough to eat? And you don't have any of your good food, like milk foam, meat floss, or tea oil noodles. Isn't this obvious discrimination?"

Upon hearing this, the people, who were secretly pleased with the grain they had received, turned their gaze away from the grain sacks and looked at the soldiers distributing the grain. A hint of dissatisfaction appeared in their eyes, and they quickly chimed in, "That's right, why don't we have those things? You're being too unfair."

Wang Cong was at the front, overseeing the distribution of rations to the soldiers. Upon hearing this, he didn't hesitate to draw his broadsword and hold it to the necks of the most vocal individuals, saying, "You want fairness!"

With a large knife hanging over their necks, the men who had been making the most noise immediately fell silent, not daring to utter a single word.

Those present were terrified by Wang Cong's act of drawing his sword without warning, and they all shut their mouths, not daring to say another word.

Seeing that the people around him had quieted down, Wang Cong didn't waste any more words. He directly pointed to a few soldiers and ordered them to drag out the people who had been making the most noise and tie them up with ropes.

Looking at the pale-faced group, Wang Cong sneered, "Do you still think we need fairness? Raise your hand if you want to be treated fairly, let me see."

Upon hearing this, the people who had been making a ruckus all lowered their heads, becoming as docile as quails, not daring to utter a single word in rebuttal.

"Giving you food is already more than enough, yet you still dare to ask for more. I'm afraid you still don't recognize your place and still dare to talk about fairness."