The rebel army's foremost master craftsman forged a million iron pylons!

"Ah, I didn't steal it!"

The woman exclaimed in surprise and turned her head. Her face was covered in soot, but it couldn't hide her delicate features.

"Qin Shuang, it's you?"

Li Tian was astonished. He never expected that the young lady of the Sanshui Military Mansion would actually steal eggs.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me, you've mistaken me for someone else."

Miss Qin Shuang seemed very ashamed, covered her face with one hand, and fled.

But she seemed to be so hungry that her legs were weak. After taking only two steps, she suddenly fell forward with a thud. Li Tian, ​​quick-witted and agile, caught her by the shoulder.

Li Tian looked her over carefully for a while and noticed that she looked pale and sickly, clearly having been hungry for a long time. He couldn't help but ask, "Have you not eaten in a long time?"

"Wow!" Qin Shuang burst into tears, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"After I ran away that day, I got lost and wandered around in the mountains for two days. There was nothing to eat, so I could only eat wild fruits and grass roots..."

"There are wolves in the mountains. When they howl, I'm terrified."

"Later, I went down the mountain in a daze, and an old lady gave me two sesame seed cakes. I ate those two cakes for three more days."

"I'm sorry, Li Tian, ​​I really didn't mean to steal the eggs. I was just so hungry."

Li Tian didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly. He understood Qin Shuang; in this chaotic era of war, people could truly starve to death.

Even though Qin Shuang is the eldest daughter of the Sanshui Military Academy, she is no exception when faced with hunger.

"Let's go, I'll take you to find something to eat."

Li Tian helped Qin Shuang up from the ground, but because she was so hungry that she could barely walk, he could only carry her halfway in his arms.

Before long, they arrived at a village, which Li Tian remembered as Li Family Village.

In front of a house, an old woman was drying potatoes with a winnowing basket. When she saw Li Tian, ​​a kind smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Oh, it's Corporal Li. Oh, who's this girl? She looks starving."

The old woman glanced at Qin Shuang in Li Tian's arms, her face showing sympathy. She immediately turned around and went into the house, bringing out two hot roasted potatoes and stuffing them into Qin Shuang's hands.

"Girl, eat up. It's not easy to find food these days. We only have two roasted potatoes at home, so I'll give them all to you."

"Um, um, thank you."

Upon smelling the aroma of food, Qin Shuang could no longer restrain herself. After Li Tian helped her sit on a rock, she immediately began to wolf down the roasted potatoes.

She felt she had never eaten anything so delicious in her life, not even the braised chicken or crab in the general's mansion could compare.

After eating two roasted potatoes, Qin Shuang finally felt a warmth in her stomach. She looked up and asked hopefully.

"Auntie, is there any more? I'd like to have two more."

"This..." The old woman looked troubled and looked up at Li Tian, ​​"Sergeant Li, what do you think of this..."

Li Tian was helpless.

A young lady is indeed a young lady.

These days, having two roasted potatoes is already considered a good deal.

It might even be money they saved from their food rations.

"Qin Shuang, don't do this. There's food in the military camp. I'll take you back to the camp, and you can have a delicious meal there," Li Tian said.

"Food." Upon hearing the word "food," Qin Shuang's eyes lit up immediately, and she stood up from the ground. "Okay, I'll go back to the military camp with you."

After saying that, Qin Shuang smiled sweetly at the old lady and took out a small gold particle from her pocket and handed it to her.

"Auntie, I don't have anything valuable on me, just this little bit of gold. Please give it to me so I can buy some oil and rice."

"Ah!" The old woman was stunned. "Is this girl stupid? She's carrying gold, how could she let herself starve like this?"

The old woman waved her hands repeatedly, "No need, no need, two potatoes aren't worth it."

Qin Shuang immediately looked troubled. "Auntie, is it not enough? But this is all the gold I have left."

Not enough?

The old woman was surprised again. Who was this daughter from? This single piece of gold was enough for an ordinary person's expenses for a month.

But the gold was too valuable, and she dared not accept it for the time being, so she looked to Li Tian for help again.

"Auntie, please accept it." Li Tian smiled slightly, glancing sideways at Qin Shuang. This girl, though a bit simple-minded, has a kind heart.

The old woman gratefully accepted the gold, and Li Tian led Qin Shuang toward the military camp.

"Do you know how much this piece of gold can buy?" Li Tian asked.

"I don't know. When I was little, whenever I cried, my dad would give me gold beads to play with," Qin Shuang said sullenly.

Helpless, Li Tian changed the subject again, "So what are your plans for the future? Do you want me to send someone to take you back to the Sanshui Military Command?"

"I'm not going," Qin Shuang suddenly emphasized. "It's too stuffy in the General's Mansion. I want to play outside. I, Qin Shuang, would rather starve to death than go back to the General's Mansion."

"Be careful, the 'it smells so good' principle might fall on your head," Li Tian muttered to himself, without saying it aloud, and took Qin Shuang directly back to the military camp.

The military camp was bustling with activity; some were forging iron, others were building houses, and laughter filled the air.

Seeing this scene, Qin Shuang was stunned. "Li Tian, ​​what, what's going on? I remember there weren't this many people here when I came here last time."

Li Tian smiled slightly, "They are all young people from nearby villages who come here to work as blacksmiths, learn a skill, and earn some wages along the way."

Qin Shuang was stunned again, not because of the lively scene—he had seen the General's Mansion enslaving laborers.

It's not that easy. Usually, one supervisor monitors more than a dozen workers. If they don't like something, they'll be whipped until their skin is torn and bleeding.

If you don't finish your work for the day, you won't even get dinner.

Nowhere else can one find such ease and comfort as Li Tian's place.

"Li Tian, ​​why are you so nice to these people?" Qin Shuang couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm?" Li Tian turned his head, a hint of disgust on his face. "Why can't I be good to them? We're all born of the same parents. It's just that life isn't peaceful. We're all equal."

"Ah!" Qin Shuang was stunned. This was the first time she had ever heard the word "equality." Although she would be considerate of the servants in the mansion, she had never felt that she was equal to them.

"Li Tian is really an interesting person," Qin Shuang thought to herself.

The two continued walking forward. Li Tian pointed to the thatched hut in the courtyard and said, "Qin Shuang, you can live here from now on. I'll live in the dilapidated temple."

"Hmm," Qin Shuang nodded gently. After wandering outside for a month, having a thatched hut was already quite good for him.

As the two were talking, Qiao San Niang came over carrying a winnowing basket, which contained some dried radishes that had been dried in the sun.

Upon seeing Qin Shuang, Qiao San Niang's face darkened. She slammed the winnowing basket down in the yard and turned to leave.