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

Su Li stood aside and listened to Aunt Liu and the others' conversation, remaining silent.

Aunt Liu and the others didn't intend to ask Su Li any questions; they just couldn't resist their curiosity and gathered together to discuss it.

"Aunties, how about I discuss something with you?" Su Li suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu and the others immediately looked up and gazed at Su Li with curiosity.

"Aunties, we don't know when the team will set off. Why don't we sew some cotton-padded coats together in the next few days, so that everyone can get one?" Su Li said.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu and the others were taken aback for a moment, then frowned and said, "I'm afraid it can't be finished in the next couple of days. A brand new cotton coat takes a lot of time."

"We don't need brand new cotton-padded clothes. We can take apart the old cotton-padded clothes that everyone is already wearing, stuff them with cotton, and then have the aunties sew them up a few times. That way it will be faster!" Su Li said thoughtfully.

Hearing this, Aunt Liu and the others exchanged glances and then said, "That is indeed a good idea. Let the children stuff cotton inside, and then we'll sew it up. That will be much faster."

Su Li nodded and said, "I don't know if you aunties have noticed, but the temperature has been getting colder day by day these past few days. I'm worried that winter will come particularly early this year."

"Who says we didn't notice? We noticed it a long time ago. It used to be unbearably hot at night, but now it's incredibly cool. Before going to bed, I have to touch my child's palms to make sure they're not cold before I can go back to sleep," one aunt remarked.

One of the aunties said this, and the other aunties couldn't help but chime in. It was through this discussion that everyone suddenly realized how strange the weather was.

"If that's really the case, this winter will probably be very difficult," Aunt Liu said with concern.

"That's why we need to hurry up and sew cotton-padded clothes, so they can keep us warm and protect us from the cold," Su Li said.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu and the others nodded repeatedly, and their hands moved even faster. Some of the women had already gone to collect everyone's old cotton-padded clothes.

The temporary camp was located some distance from Huacheng, but not too far. There were relatively few disaster victims there, so the team was relatively safe for the time being.

Busy making cotton-padded clothes, they had no time to think about anything else, so the team was relatively stable at the moment.

……

In Majia Village, Zhao Zexuan and his soldiers hid in the shadows, watching Ma Yong and his men approach the village step by step, and seeing them being captured by the guards as soon as they appeared.

Ma Yong and his men were beaten up first before being taken away. Judging from the direction the soldiers were taking them, they were clearly going to take them to mine iron ore.

I thought Ma Yong and his group would be questioned, but it went so smoothly. It seems they are very eager to get their hands on this batch of iron ore.

"General, I just inquired and found out that they've captured quite a few people to mine for them, probably several hundred able-bodied men," Mo Nan reported.

Hearing this, Zhao Zexuan frowned and asked, "So many, all for mining iron ore?"

"That's how it is for now, but we need to inquire further with our subordinates," Mo Nan said.

“Iron ore is indeed in short supply right now, but not to the point of such a rush. I reckon there’s something else. If we inquire further, we’ll find out there’s something else,” Zhao Zexuan said.

"Understood," Mo Nan nodded in agreement.

Standing on the outskirts of Majia Village, looking at the surrounding fields, the general who had come with him couldn't help but sigh, "Although this village is remote, the fields look fertile. If it weren't for the intrusion of these soldiers, it might be a peaceful place."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan also looked over, remaining silent for a moment.

Majia Village is not large, or even very small. The houses are clustered together, so any noise inside can be heard from outside.

Hidden in the shadows, the group could hear clearly the shouts of soldiers, the hushed sobs of women, and the footsteps of patrolmen—it was incredibly noisy.

After careful consideration, Zhao Zexuan led several soldiers to knock out many patrolling officers and soldiers, and then slipped inside.

The village used to be clean and simple, but now it seems to be covered with a layer of dust. The roads are dirty and messy, and you can smell a strong gunpowder smell as soon as you enter the village.

At first, Zhao Zexuan thought he was just smelling something wrong, but the further he went into the village, the stronger the smell became. Now he finally understood why this group of people were willing to go to such lengths to capture people to mine. It turned out that the iron ore was a cover, and the saltpeter was the real key.

Zhao Zexuan had heard of the materials used to make gunpowder, but because of their scarcity, they were rarely seen. He never expected to encounter them here.

If it weren't for this accidental discovery, King Wu's plan would probably have succeeded, and the world would have been his for the taking.

The soldiers behind him had followed Zhao Zexuan to the battlefield and could naturally smell the gunpowder. They couldn't help but shudder and kept looking around.

After piecing together the truth of the matter, Zhao Zexuan had a plan in mind, but he did not show it on his face. At this moment, he was carefully observing the situation around him.

Upon entering the village, the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, suggesting that the entire village had been turned into a gunpowder production site.

"Sir, please spare him! He's just a child!" A sorrowful plea came from ahead.

Looking up, one could see a woman holding a young child, frantically kowtowing and begging for forgiveness on the ground, while three soldiers standing fiercely to the side said in a flippant tone, "Let him go, but what about the grain he stole? This kid is really bold, daring to steal even our steamed buns."

Upon hearing this, tears streamed down the woman's face as she pleaded, "The child was starving. I'll punish him right away. I've taken the steamed bun back, sir. Look, it's perfectly intact."

Looking at the steamed bun in the woman's hand, the three soldiers chuckled lightly at the same time. Then one of the soldiers knocked the steamed bun out of the woman's hand and sneered, "You think you can get away with stealing my steamed bun by apologizing? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Upon hearing this, the woman's tears fell even more fiercely. She hugged her frail child in her arms tighter and pleaded, "Sir, you can have anything you want, just please spare my child."

Upon hearing this, the three soldiers' expressions changed instantly. They looked the woman up and down and said flippantly, "Anything is fine, so why don't you sleep with us for a while?"

Upon hearing such frivolous words, the woman trembled all over, holding her child shakily without saying a word.

Seeing the woman's reaction, the three soldiers laughed even more unrestrainedly, their eyes constantly glancing at her. Their meaning was clear. When the woman didn't answer, their expressions grew increasingly impatient, and they sneered, "What? You don't want to? If you don't want to, your son will lose his life."

Seeing this, the woman cried out in fear, "Please, gentlemen, have mercy and spare us! I am willing to serve you like an ox or a horse to repay your kindness."

A tearing sound rang out as soon as the words were spoken...