The old woman's breath hitched, and her gaze towards Sheng Lengshuang shifted. She had initially thought the others had exaggerated Sheng Lengshuang's medical skills, but it now seemed that wasn't the case.
Based solely on what she had seen, Sheng Lengshuang understood Tao Li's importance to them.
Just as Sheng Lengshuang had said, among so many puppets, only Tao Li retained a trace of her own consciousness. Such an existence could not be easily lost.
"I know what you're thinking. You don't want to lose someone like Tao Li, yet you keep parading her in front of me to distract me," Sheng Lengshuang narrowed her sharp eyes.
The old woman remained silent, her trembling hands clenched tightly. As expected, Sheng Lengshuang was no simple person.
Sheng Lengshuang continued, "Do you know why you only have one Tao Li? If it were me, I could refine many of these things that possess their own complete consciousness."
She indeed possessed such capabilities.
The old woman's eyes changed, "Are you trying to negotiate with me?"
Sheng Lengshuang smiled, "It's not me negotiating with you; you're not worthy of me negotiating with you. Tell your master that if he wants to obtain such a formula, he should come and talk to me. Perhaps he'll have a chance."
With that, she and her guards bypassed Tao Li.
As she passed Tao Li, she caught a plea in the latter's eyes but ignored it. Tao Li's current predicament was her own doing.
Moreover, even in her current state, this woman still intended to kill her. It would be foolish for her to save Tao Li.
The old woman was unsure if Sheng Lengshuang's words were true. She no longer blocked Sheng Lengshuang and left with Tao Li. This matter had to be reported to her master.
If Sheng Lengshuang truly possessed such a method, her master would definitely negotiate with her.
...
After arriving at the military camp, Sheng Lengshuang accompanied a group of doctors to examine the patients. They then inspected the water sources and other matters, before gathering to discuss how to recuperate the soldiers' health.
By the time they finished, it was already two to three hours later.
Sheng Lengshuang rubbed her slightly stiff shoulders and walked out with the doctors, chatting and laughing.
As they passed an open space in the military camp, she stopped.
The doctors, seeing this, followed her gaze but saw nothing. They asked in confusion, "Miss Sheng, what are you looking at?"
Sheng Lengshuang smiled, "I'm thinking about whether we can plant fruits and vegetables in this open space. We are temporarily stationed at the border, but these border troops will be stationed here permanently."
"If we can help them increase their supply of fruits and vegetables, won't they have fresh vegetables to eat during the harsh winter?"
The doctors looked around the open space.
"That makes sense. Even in the East, there aren't many fresh vegetables and fruits in winter, let alone at the border. If we could plant some, the border soldiers could also have a taste of freshness."
"The problem is, we are skilled at treating illnesses and saving lives, not farming."
"We may not be skilled, but the people in the city are. And there should be skilled people in the military camp. We just need to prepare some insect repellent powder."
Sheng Lengshuang's smile widened, "That's exactly what I was thinking. There are many such open spaces in the military camp, and I want to utilize them. By next year, we'll have plenty of fruits and vegetables to eat."
The doctors nodded in agreement, "We should choose fruits and vegetables that are resistant to the cold. Not only will we have food in winter, but just seeing the lush green fruits and vegetables will lift our spirits."
Sheng Lengshuang was a person of action. Once she had an idea, she asked the doctors to prepare some insect repellent powder, while she went into the city to look for good fruit and vegetable seeds and people skilled in farming.
Upon entering the city, she frequently saw patrolling soldiers and passing constables.
However, this did not affect the common people. They went about their business as usual, clearly accustomed to it.
Sheng Lengshuang noticed that the local customs in the city were quite robust. The women were not as gentle and shy as those in the East. The women here had fewer restrictions and lived more freely.
She walked and stopped, occasionally buying some distinctive small items or snacks, thinking of sending them back to Xiao Feng and her mother.
She walked for a while but didn't see any seeds for sale.
Later, she learned from an aunt that seeds were generally only available in the spring. If one wanted to buy seeds at other times, they would have to go to nearby towns or buy from itinerant merchants. However, most households kept their own seeds.
Sheng Lengshuang understood. The border was a tougher place, so the common people would save their own seeds when farming to avoid spending money on buying them. It was even possible to sell saved seeds for profit.
She wasn't disappointed, thinking she would discuss it with Mo Lingxi later and have him find people to buy some seeds.
As she was walking, she suddenly heard some discussion.
"Old Sun is truly pitiful. His wife died when he was young. He finally managed to raise his son, but as soon as he had a granddaughter, his son and daughter-in-law also died one after another."
"Ah, I wonder how an old man in his fifties, with a granddaughter only a few months old, will manage to live."
"It can't be by farming. No matter how skilled Old Sun is at farming, he can't support himself and the child with just that. A child this age is very expensive."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Lengshuang leaned closer and asked the people around, "Is this Old Sun very skilled at farming?"
A talkative aunt gave a thumbs up, "Old Sun's farming is top-notch. Back then, he relied on his farming skills to marry a beautiful wife, raise his son, and help his son get married. It's just... alas!"
Sheng Lengshuang had an idea. She followed the crowd's gaze.
She saw a courtyard with a simple house. A lonely and sorrowful old man, holding a female infant a few months old, was weeping bitterly. His home was kept very tidy, and in some places, white cloth had not yet been removed.
She walked over and crouched in front of Old Sun, asking softly, "Old Sun, I want to ask for your help with farming. Are you willing?"
The people around were stunned. Was there someone who specifically hired people for farming? But seeing that the girl was well-dressed, she must be from a wealthy family, so it wasn't surprising.
"Miss, I can also farm, and I don't ask for a high monthly wage!"
"Miss, our whole family can farm, please hire our whole family."
Sheng Lengshuang ignored these people. She saw Old Sun raise a face full of hardship and tear tracks and repeated her idea.
Old Sun looked confused and bewildered, "Hire, hire me to farm? Farming requires hiring people?"
It was as if his farming skills were taught by his father and he had further refined them himself.
Sheng Lengshuang, "It's to farm at the military camp."
When the onlookers heard it was to farm at the military camp, they stopped clamoring. While there might be a few bad soldiers in the border army, the vast majority were good and genuinely protected them. They couldn't act recklessly.