During my escape from famine, I survived by eavesdropping on the whispers of food.

At this very moment, Qin Shuangshuang was sneezing as she led her team eastward.

After a long journey overnight, the group ate breakfast by a dried-up river the next morning and then went to an abandoned county town nearby.

No matter how you look at it, the county town is much larger than Qin Family Village. Although it looks dilapidated, it is still several times better than my small village.

Qin Shuangshuang looked around at the county government building in front of her; it was now deserted.

Lu Jun peered inside and said to Qin Shuangshuang, "This is Qiao County. On the way here, I saw quite a few refugees pass through here, but they didn't come in. I guess this place has been deserted for a long time."

Judging from these symptoms, the imperial court probably hasn't sent an official to take over yet. We can stay here temporarily.

Qin Shuangshuang looked around at the mansion. It could indeed accommodate quite a few people. Now, the street was overgrown with weeds, and most of the roof tiles were missing.

If they could settle here, it would be a place where they could set their sights on the world. However, the leader looked around and saw that there were mountains and a dried-up river. The river was dry and the grass had dried up. But who knows, they might be able to dig a well for everyone to use with their skills.

That means it's something to look forward to living a good life here.

Qin Shuangshuang smiled and agreed, then suddenly thought it was a good idea, "Then let's take everyone inside first and settle them in properly."

Everyone followed Qin Shuangshuang inside. Uncle Li and Lu Jun led the way, clearing a path for Qin Shuangshuang and the others. Once the path was cleared, Qin Shuangshuang looked around. Aside from the overgrown weeds, the houses had been reinforced, after all.

It didn't look as fragile as the houses of ordinary people outside. The roof tiles were narrow, and although there were still quite a few drafts, they could be patched up and made habitable.

Qin Shuangshuang carefully compared the options and concluded that the current location for holding the ceremony was the most suitable for gathering everyone together.

Looking at what was in front of her, Qin Shuangshuang saw that apart from a few strong men, the rest were the elderly, women and children. Originally, each household was not fully healthy, but if they were grouped together and helped each other, they would be able to improve their lives more quickly.

Qin Shuangshuang quickly stepped forward and said to everyone, "Since you all trust me, then I'll make this clear to you today. This place does look quite dilapidated, but I think it's not bad as our current base. At least it can provide shelter from the rain and wind."

Now I see more and more refugees on the road. We'll stay here and protect this little corner of the world. I'll lead everyone to a better life so that everyone can have enough to eat every day. So it all depends on whether you're willing to listen to me.

The younger brother, still nestled in his mother's arms, looked at the eldest sister across from him and couldn't help but say to Zhou Shi, "My eldest sister looks so imposing! Is this the same eldest sister I used to know? She's so different from the timid and submissive eldest sister I knew before."

At this moment, Zhou said to Qin Shuangshuang with relief, "Your eldest sister is now a capable person. She used to be timid and often bullied. It's good that she's like this now. I'm happy for her. However, it's good that you siblings are all alive and well."

Under the watchful eyes of her mother and younger brother, Qin Shuangshuang suddenly felt a little guilty. The little one had noticed something was wrong so quickly that morning.

Qin Shuangshuang felt that she should conceal herself well and not expose her identity so quickly.

After hearing Qin Shuangshuang's words, everyone supported her.

"Shuangshuang, don't worry, we'll all listen to you. You gave us food to eat. With you here, you'll be like half the village chief. From now on, we'll all listen to you!"

"That's right! You're a little girl who feeds us, so you're our savior. Whatever you say goes!"

Seeing everyone praising her so much, Qin Shuang nodded in satisfaction. Lu Jun, watching Qin Shuang's flustered state, crossed his arms and gazed at her face with a hint of appreciation.

He also had high hopes for this little girl, wondering how many people could truly survive in this chaotic world.

Hearing that no one had any objections to her, Qin Shuangshuang then said to them, "These past few years, I've seen that the place has become quite large. You've all been divided into several groups, but from now on, you'll combine those groups into one family."

In order for everyone to have a better life, we must help each other.

"it is good!"

No one objected. Qin Shuangshuang looked around and saw a writing brush on the courtroom floor. All that was left was ink that had dried up completely. Finding something to write with was indeed a challenge for her.

Her gaze remained fixed on the left bank. Lu Jun had already noticed this, and then took out a calligraphy brush from his pocket and said to Qin Shuangshuang, "This is a rough draft, which I made myself. You can use it. Just open the cap on top, and the ink inside will automatically flow down the brush handle and then you'll have ink."

Qin Shuangshuang looked at the calligraphy brush in her hand in surprise. How was it any different from a modern fountain pen?

It utilizes a physical high-pressure and low-pressure reaction; such an invention is something that only appears in modern times.

She quickly stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and asked, "Did you really invent this?"

Lu Jun decisively replied, "Otherwise what? Otherwise, who else do you think has such a brain? Do you want to use it or not? If not, give it back to me."

Lu Jun reached out to ask him to return the calligraphy brush. Qin Shuangshuang saw that he looked so serious and didn't seem to be lying to her. She was originally quite happy, but now that she saw this person, she realized that he was indeed from a different era. So she could only say in a daze, "Use it, use it. Why wouldn't I use it?"

She went to the table and took out a few scraps of paper. She wiped the dust off the paper and then wrote down the names of the people Uncle Li had mentioned. In the end, they were divided into six groups of three people each. The strongest person in each group became the group leader.

Afterwards, Qin Shuangshuang explained to them that they should choose their own rooms first, and that this place would be used as a cooking area from now on.

Everyone then dispersed, each taking their own group to find suitable accommodations. Qin Shuangshuang then rallied everyone to start cleaning the house.

Today we need to patch up the roof of the county government office to prevent it from leaking in the middle of the night.

After a busy day, Qin Shuangshuang was in the main hall, cooking soup in a pot. She watched as one group after another came into the main hall, and Lu Jun also came in at this time.

Qin Shuangshuang still couldn't find her younger brother. She turned to Lu Jun and asked, "Where's my brother?"