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

"What kind of fruit is that!" Su Li murmured, then smiled and said, "Salt-frosty fruit. This kind of fruit has a layer of frost on its skin, and that frost is salt. The fruit is sour, so it is called salt-frosty fruit."

Pidan didn't quite understand what was said after that, but he understood the words "Salted Frost Fruit." He suddenly realized, "No wonder it's called that. This fruit really does taste both sour and salty."

Hearing this, Su Li smiled and was about to speak when she saw Aunt Liu and the others who had left to call for help rushing over with other villagers. Zhao Zexuan also came along.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Su Li stepped forward and asked, "Is it possible to pick these fruits?"

Zhao Zexuan had heard about the fruit's uses on his way here. Now, looking up at the fruit on the tree, he nodded and said, "I'll send some skilled soldiers to climb the tree and pick them; they can get them."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu and the others standing to the side couldn't help but remind him, "General, this salt is covering the surface of the fruit, so it's easy to scratch. You have to be careful."

Zhao Zexuan understood this point. As soon as he arrived, he observed the fruit on the tree. After seeing the white frost covering the fruit's skin, he had an idea.

"Give the order to everyone to gather some clean cloth bags. Since the salt is covering the fruit's skin, picking it directly by hand will inevitably cause some frost to fall off. Have the soldiers wrap the fruit in cloth bags before picking it. That way, even if some frost falls off the fruit, it will fall into the bags, minimizing the loss."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu and the others became happy. Without waiting for Zhao Zexuan to say anything, they spontaneously called for people to search for any usable cloth bags.

Su Li stood aside, smiling as she watched Aunt Liu and the others get excited. Zhao Zexuan's suggestion was excellent; with this method of harvesting, the frost on the fruit wouldn't be wasted much.

The presence of many such fruit trees in this area indicates that this type of tree is not limited to this one area on the mountain; it may also exist in other places. Therefore, Su Li couldn't help but remind her, "The growth habits of these trees are all similar. Their appearance in this area suggests that they may also grow in other parts of the mountain. Why don't we have people search for them further?"

Zhao Zexuan thought the same way. The importance of salt goes without saying. He originally wanted to hurry down the mountain to replenish his salt supply, but now that he had found the salt, the journey didn't have to be so rushed.

“That’s what I was planning too. Since the frost on these fruits can be used as salt, we don’t need to rush. We can search in these mountains for a few more days,” Zhao Zexuan said.

Su Li thought so too, so she said, "Salt is indispensable. We should collect as much as we can. It's worth staying here for a few days just for salt. Besides, we can not only look for this fruit in the mountains, but also see if there are any other foods to eat."

No one can know the full extent of the species in the mountains. Since there is time to linger, Zhao Zexuan also plans to have the soldiers search the surrounding area more thoroughly. Therefore, Su Li's words really resonated with him.

“In that case, let’s find a safe place to camp first. We’ll stay in the mountains for a few more days before leaving,” Zhao Zexuan said decisively.

Su Li nodded hurriedly, then suggested, "Let's find a flat place, preferably with a convenient water source nearby. We need to replenish our water supply. If we have enough water, we can wash ourselves first. Our clothes haven't been changed for so many days and they're almost spoiled. Besides, being unclean makes it easier to get sick."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan quietly sniffed the smell on him and indeed found it to be sour. He silently nodded in agreement and instructed the soldiers to find a suitable place.

The harvesting work on the tree had already begun. Aunt Liu and the others were busy directing the work under the tree. While directing the soldiers to pick the fruit, they were also distressed by the "white frost" that they had accidentally rubbed off. Su Li thought to herself, "If the white frost weren't so fine that it would be impossible to find once it fell on the ground, I'm afraid Aunt Liu and the others wouldn't be so careful!"

Su Li couldn't participate in the work either in the trees or under the trees, so she simply led the people to tidy up the temporary encampment. This was not just a matter of each person occupying a piece of land. She directed the soldiers to set up several small temporary bathing tents, two for men and two for women, in different corners.

Although fleeing famine should be done in a shabby manner, this is out of necessity. Given our weak situation, and with such a large and numerous group, we need not fear being coveted.

Having a sour smell on your body is just a small matter. The biggest hidden danger is the invisible and intangible dirt on your body and clothes. This dirt can cause abnormalities in the body and make you sick without you even realizing it.

Moreover, during the days that everyone has been adrift in the flood, they have come into contact with a lot of things and have gotten all sorts of dirty things on them. Just to be on the safe side, they should take a shower and wash their clothes clean so that everyone can feel at ease.

The makeshift tents didn't need to be too nice; they just needed to last a few days. So, in no time, several simple tents were set up, and the others who had been watching the spectacle gathered around curiously.

"Miss Su, is this newly erected tent specifically for everyone to bathe in?" a man asked.

Hearing this, Su Li nodded. She understood that people didn't pay much attention to their personal hygiene while fleeing famine, so if it wasn't made clear now, most people wouldn't take it to heart.

"This tent was indeed built specifically for everyone to take a bath. You can take this opportunity to tidy up."

Upon hearing this, many people smiled happily. After not taking care of themselves for so many days, they were indeed happy to be able to take a good shower.

But some lazy ones casually said, "Our clothes aren't wet, so we don't need to take a bath. We don't need to worry about these things in the wild."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at the speaker. Smelling the rancid odor emanating from them, they couldn't help but cover their noses and say, "Your stench could travel for miles! Don't worry about it!"

Upon hearing this, the group replied, "We're all fleeing famine, isn't everyone like this? It's no big deal."

……

Seeing that the two sides were about to start arguing, Su Li quickly said, "That's not how it's said. Bathing is not only for getting clean, but also to avoid other dirt. After drifting in the flood for so many days, we've encountered a lot of floating debris, and everyone's clothes are not clean."

“Think back carefully to the floating debris we encountered during the flood, and you’ll know whether or not it was necessary to take a shower,” Su Li reminded them.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately recalled the floating debris in the floodwaters, and they couldn't help but shudder, feeling unclean all over. They immediately said, "It's necessary, absolutely necessary."