A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Inside the council hall, after discussing some specific matters concerning the Black Mountain Pass and the mines, Zhao Daxuan waved for everyone to go about their business.

They only called upon Qin Lide to go with them to check out the refugee camp.

"Elder Qin, it's truly remarkable that tens of thousands of people followed us to this remote place."

Qin Lide smiled and said, "Lord Zhao loves the people like his own children. Although these tens of thousands of refugees are now homeless, they have at least a way to survive by following you all the way to Black Mountain Pass."

"Mr. Qin, you flatter me. This arrangement is a win-win situation, so why not do it?"

Zhao Daxuan walked with Qin Lao through the refugee camp. Most of the able-bodied men had gone to work at the Black Mountain Pass, leaving only the elderly, women, and children in the camp.

Looking at the overcrowded camp before him, Zhao Daxuan frowned slightly. The living conditions of the refugees were truly appalling.

Not only is the environment crowded, but it is also extremely rudimentary, with many houses simply built from wood and weeds.

"Old Qin, the living conditions of these refugees are really bad right now. Have someone keep an eye out for a more suitable location around Black Mountain Pass, or even build a town here."

"If they are willing to stay after the Black Mountain Pass is repaired, they can build a house in that town."

"Don't use those old methods. If you're going to build, use the kind of concrete that's being used to repair the Black Mountain Pass and steel bars made from iron ore. That's how you build sturdy and durable houses."

Qin Lide, walking beside him, heard Zhao Daxuan say this and his eyes lit up. He had seen the concrete used to repair the Black Mountain Pass, and if it were used to build houses, it would indeed be more sturdy and durable.

As for the steel bars Zhao Daxuan mentioned, he probably meant iron bars. These bars, when used in conjunction with concrete, can indeed make houses more durable.

"Sir, this is a good idea. I'll have someone look for a more suitable place to build the house."

Qin Lide nodded repeatedly with a joyful expression. This was something that would benefit the country and its people, so he naturally wouldn't refuse.

Zhao Daxuan nodded and continued to inspect the camp with Qin Lide.

When they arrived in front of an old woman with a child, the old woman hurriedly pulled the child down to kneel and kowtow to Zhao Daxuan, while also pressing the child's head to the ground.

"Lord Zhao is here! Hurry up and kowtow to him!"

The old woman pressed the child's head down and said with a sincere expression.

Although the child's expression was blank, his eyes lit up when he heard "Lord Zhao," and he kowtowed several times to Zhao Daxuan.

"Knock knock knock..."

The child's forehead instantly turned red, and Zhao Daxuan felt a pang of heartache upon seeing this. He quickly pulled the child up and rubbed his forehead.

"Good boy, get up quickly. Why were you kowtowing so vigorously?"

The child looked at Zhao Daxuan earnestly and said, "Because my mother said that our family's survival is all thanks to Lord Zhao. When we see you, we must kowtow to you a few times, and when we grow up, we will serve you to repay your great kindness."

Zhao Daxuan laughed heartily, patted the child's head, and said with satisfaction, "Hello there, then grow up quickly, I'm waiting for you to serve me."

He then helped the old woman up and asked with concern, "Auntie, how is your family doing in this camp? Is the daily food allowance enough?"

The old woman nodded repeatedly and said, "It's all thanks to your kindness, sir. Although the living conditions are a bit poor, life is no worse than before."

Zhao Daxuan nodded and said with a smile, "That's good. Don't worry about housing. I'll build big houses for everyone in a while."

The old woman was taken aback upon hearing this, her eyes immediately reddening, and her voice choked with emotion as she repeatedly expressed her gratitude: "Thank you so much, sir! You are truly a living bodhisattva reincarnated!"

Their original houses in the village had long been burned down by the Tartars, so even if they went back, they would have to start all over again.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Daxuan was willing to build a house for them, and the old woman was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.

Zhao Daxuan took a stroll around and learned about the situation in the refugee camp. Although the refugees were displaced, they were not starving, which was already quite satisfying.

They were especially moved to tears when they heard that Zhao Daxuan was willing to let them settle in Heishan Pass and help them build houses.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Daxuan walked into the Black Mountain Pass.

Zhao Daxuan returned to the commander's residence just in time for lunch. As soon as he entered the inner hall, he saw Shen Qingci and the other eight people sitting at the table, chatting and laughing. The atmosphere seemed quite harmonious.

Zhao Daxuan breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment four pairs of resentful, beautiful eyes looked at him.

Li Weiwei, who used to rush forward to greet him whenever she saw him, simply stood up and said softly, "Husband, you're back."

Shen Qingci also stood up and said sarcastically, "Husband, you suddenly brought several younger sisters back without even letting us know so I could have come back to entertain them."

Zhao Daxuan gave an awkward smile and explained, "I know you're busy, and Su Qingluan and the others must be tired from their journey, so I told them to go and rest first, and I wasn't in a hurry to inform you."

"Oh? Is that so...?"

Shen Qingci looked at him with a half-smile. Zhao Daxuan chuckled and quickly changed the subject, saying, "You two should all know each other, right?"

Su Qingluan and the other three women nodded slightly. "Of course we know her. Sister Shen has been very kind to us. If it weren't for her, we don't know what would have become of us."

Zhao Daxuan smiled. He had heard this story before, but he brought it up on purpose to ease the tension.

"Haha, then it seems I don't need to introduce you. Ahem, from now on we're all family."

"Qingci, this family is getting bigger and bigger. It will be up to you to manage it from now on."

Shen Qingci rolled her eyes at Zhao Daxuan and said indifferently, "I know that, but Qingci's abilities are limited. If my husband adds more responsibilities to Qingci in the future, it will not be easy to manage this household."

Zhao Daxuan naturally understood Shen Qingci's implication. He chuckled and said, "Of course. If it weren't for General Yue's insistence, this wouldn't have happened."

Seeing Zhao Daxuan get his comeuppance, Li Weiwei and the other girls couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle, their resentment dissipating somewhat.

"Alright, hurry up and eat, we've been waiting for you."

After Shen Qingci finished speaking, he instructed Chunmei to bring out the food that had already been prepared. Tonight's meal consisted of six dishes and two soups, which was significantly more than usual because there were a few more people.

As everyone sat down at the dining table, Shen Qingci smiled and said to Su Qingluan and the other three women, "My four sisters, it's your first day here, so I should treat you well."

"Unfortunately, we didn't prepare anything at home. These are just some simple home-cooked dishes, so please make do with them."

Su Qingluan and her three companions had been traveling for two days and were already starving.

Seeing such a sumptuous meal, they were already secretly swallowing their saliva. When they heard Shen Qingci say this, they immediately waved their hands repeatedly.

"Sister Shen, you flatter us. You know what happened on the way from the capital to Zhenbei City. Now that we have such a sumptuous meal, how could we dare to ask for more?"