Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

She walked at a moderate pace, passing through rows of crowded sheds and carts, weaving through the crowd.

The deeper she went into the camp, the more people there were, and the more densely packed the tents became. She looked around and listened as she went.

People were whispering, "I heard the grain allocated by the imperial court was robbed on the way," and "We've been waiting for half a month and they still haven't been able to register our households." Several women were squatting by the shed, twisting straw ropes in their hands, their faces showing a numb expression.

She walked to a corner near the south side of the fence, where the sheds were set up more sparsely, and she could see the activity on the official road outside the fence.

In the distance, at the city gate, there seemed to be a long queue. Several people in official robes had set up tables at the city gate and were questioning people one by one. The queue was extremely long, stretching all the way to the corner of the city wall. Ma Dadan's horse was tied to a dead tree at the city gate, but there was no one on its back.

Jiang Xing took a few more steps forward, wanting to get a better look, when suddenly a commotion arose by the fence. Several soldiers with knives strode toward the camp entrance, their footsteps hurried and orderly.

She stopped, stepped aside to let the patrolling soldiers pass, her gaze still fixed on the direction of the city gate. Ma Dadan's figure flickered in the crowd, and she vaguely saw him standing in front of the table at the city gate, holding up the document and token, talking to the people behind the table. His movements were very exaggerated, clearly he was arguing his case.

After a while, Ma Dadan finally emerged from the crowd. He mounted his horse much more slowly than usual, sat on it for a moment, then spurred the horse and slowly rode back towards the camp.

Jiang Xing turned around and walked back. By the time he returned to the camp, it was completely dark.

The fire was burning brightly, and Aunt Wang's porridge pot was bubbling away, while Widow Sun had already chopped up the wild vegetables she had dug up and sprinkled them into the pot.

At this moment, Chen Sumei was squatting on the other side of the fire, silently picking vegetable leaves. Her movements were still slow, but at least she didn't seem to be slacking off anymore.

Hu helped her pick the vegetables, and neither of them spoke. Occasionally, Hu would nudge her with her elbow, and she would pout and throw the vegetables she had picked into the bowl.

Just as Jiang Xing walked back to Zhang's side, the sound of hooves came from the direction of the fence. Ma Dadan dismounted and limped over.

Everyone swarmed around, and Shen Dehou was the first to speak: "Captain Ma, how is it?"

The other refugees also looked at Ma Dadan with expectant expressions.

Ma Dadan didn't rush to answer. He first walked to the fire, squatted down, warmed his frozen fingers, and then took out the fortune slip and token from his pocket, spreading them out on his knees.

"The government office said that the imperial court's resettlement order has arrived, and the documents for distributing land have also been issued." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so faces gathered around him. "However, there are still refugees on the way, and not all of them have arrived yet, so everyone is still waiting here. They will come in batches."

The village chief of Zhoujia Village was getting anxious: "Coming in batches? When will it be our turn? The New Year is just half a month away."

Ma Dadan frowned, clearly displeased with Village Chief Zhou's questioning. He snorted coldly, his voice becoming more forceful, and said to the crowd, "Do whatever the imperial court arranges. Stay put and behave. Grain will be distributed every three days, and you will be allocated your share when it's time."

There was a moment of silence around the fire after these words were spoken. Those who had initially expressed some objections dared not utter a sound. They were worried about not being able to register their households and not having enough food. However, if the government was willing to provide food, they would wait.

Seeing that no one was pressing the issue, Ma Dadan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Xing stood to the side without saying a word. She glanced at Ma Dadan, who was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and they both understood what the other was thinking.

Ma Dadan rode away on his horse, and Jiang Xing gave Shen Dehou a look before turning and leaving without making a sound.