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

Shen Qingci paused upon hearing this, and frowned.

"So, who do you live with now?"

The little girl kept sucking on the candy in her mouth, mumbling, "Brothers!"

As soon as the little girl finished speaking, several short boys rushed out of the crowd in a panic.

The boys glanced around and their eyes lit up when they saw the little girl in front of Shen Qingci.

One of the tallest boys, who looked to be about ten years old, came running up, panting.

The boy pulled the little girl behind him and looked at Shen Qingci warily.

"Girl, are you alright?"

The little girl blinked and tilted her head. "I'm fine. The older sister was very nice; she even gave me some delicious candy!"

After saying that, she stretched out her hand, which was tightly clutching the candy, and placed it in front of the boys.

The little girl's eyes held a hint of reluctance, but she still asked generously, "Do you want some?"

The boys exchanged a glance, swallowed hard, shook their heads, and pushed the little girl's hand back.

"Little sister, you can eat it. Your brothers don't like it."

Seeing the boys swallowing hard while trying to refuse, Shen Qingci and the others couldn't help but chuckle.

Li Shishi also took out some candy from her pocket and handed it to the little boys.

"These are for you, don't be shy!"

The little boys looked at each other, hesitated for a while, swallowed hard, and finally couldn't resist reaching out their dirty little hands to take the candy from Li Shishi's hand, thanking her repeatedly.

"Thank you, sister!!"

Then each person received one, and they were distributed evenly.

After receiving the candy, everyone carefully opened it, examined it closely for a while, and then couldn't resist taking a small lick to their lips.

The group's eyes widened in surprise as a sweet, fruity flavor, unlike anything they had ever tasted before, burst forth on their tongues. They couldn't quite describe the taste, but it was incredibly delicious.

However, the tallest little boy received a durian-flavored candy, and upon licking it, he didn't just show a shocked expression like the others.

Instead, his hands trembled, almost causing him to drop the candy, but he managed to restrain himself, a complex expression on his face.

Everyone simply licked the candy a few times, then reluctantly rewrapped it in the wrapper and carefully put it in their pockets.

Why aren't you eating anymore?

Seeing that the little boys had received the candy but weren't eating it, Li Shishi asked them in confusion.

The eldest boy spoke first, "Let's take it home and eat it. One candy this big can last us several days!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiqing and the others showed expressions of heartache. "Where are your parents?"

"We don't have parents; they're both dead."

Shen Qingci frowned and asked, "So you'll live on your own?"

Seeing the little boys nod in unison, Shen Qingci and the other girls frowned even more deeply.

"Ah Liang, haven't you arranged for anyone to take care of these orphans?"

Shen Qingci turned to look at A Liang, who was waiting to the side.

Ah Liang scratched his head awkwardly. For the past few days, he had been busy with training and patrols, and hadn't paid much attention to the specific situation among the refugees.

"This... I failed in my duty. I'll investigate immediately!"

Just as Ah Liang was about to turn and leave, Shen Qingci waved her hand, "No need, this is not your responsibility. I'll look into it later."

"Sisters, we're leaving now. If we don't join the queue now, there won't be any left to eat."

Just as Shen Qingci and A Liang were talking, several little boys had already pulled the little girl back into the crowd and lined up at the back of the queue.

Watching the departing figures of the homeless orphans, Shen Qingci and her companions' initial joy upon arriving at Black Mountain Pass vanished almost entirely.

They understood that this was the cruelty of war, how many families were torn apart, and how many orphans were created.

"Sister, these children are so pitiful, we can't let them be left unattended like this."

Li Weiwei took Shen Qingci's hand, her eyes filled with a pleading look.

Shen Qingci patted Li Weiwei's hand, "Don't worry, I know. We'll make sure these children are taken care of properly."

"And if properly trained, she might become a great help to you in the future."

Although Shen Qingci felt that Zhao Daxuan was powerful, he could not do without the help of his subordinates, so she thought about how to strengthen Zhao Daxuan's team whenever she had the chance.

These orphans are currently helpless and alone. If they are taken in and properly cared for, they could become a great help in the future.

"Let's go see my husband first."

The women smiled again when they heard about going to find Zhao Daxuan, and quickly walked towards the city gate of Heishan Pass.

"Ah Liang, quickly take us to see our husband!"

As Li Weiwei walked, she gave instructions, and A Liang quickly ran ahead to lead the way, "Alright, ladies, follow me!"

Ah Liang knew that if Zhao Daxuan had not yet returned to Heishan Pass, he must be checking the situation at the site of the rock collapse, or going up the mountain to kill the Tartars who were trying to cross the cliff to investigate Heishan Pass.

Therefore, he took the women and headed north of the Black Mountain Pass. No matter where Zhao Daxuan was, he was north of the Black Mountain Pass anyway, and he could ask the soldiers stationed there when he got there.

Li Shishi and the others followed closely behind A Liang, their faces filled with anticipation.

The group had just left the north gate of the Black Mountain Pass when they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from ahead.

The group looked up and saw a cavalry unit. At the very front of the cavalry was Zhao Daxuan, dressed in military uniform with a solemn expression.

His armor still bore traces of blood, left behind from the few Tartars he had casually killed that morning on the cliff as they tried to cross the mountains to scout out the enemy.

He has now led his men to inspect the congested areas of the northern pass and is preparing to return to the Black Mountain Pass.

Zhao Daxuan's brows and eyes still held the weariness of days of hard work, and his face was much paler than usual, but when his gaze fell on the group of people who suddenly appeared in front of him, he immediately perked up.

The chilling aura forged from the bloodshed of the battlefield vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden gleam of surprise in his eyes, and his previously tense lips unconsciously curved upwards.

Zhao Daxuan gently spurred his horse, and the warhorse beneath him suddenly accelerated, covering the distance of several hundred meters in just a few breaths.

A dozen meters away, Zhao Daxuan dismounted and quickly walked to Shen Qingci and the other women.

Before Zhao Daxuan could speak, a figure suddenly rushed into his arms and hugged his waist tightly.

Zhao Daxuan looked at Li Weiwei in his arms, his eyes revealing a hint of doting affection, and gently ruffled her hair.

Li Weiwei leaned on Zhao Daxuan's shoulder and saw the bloodstains on his armor. She was immediately alarmed and checked Zhao Daxuan over, only to find that he was not injured, before she breathed a sigh of relief.

"My lord, you just fought with the Tartars again? Are you alright? We've been waiting all this way, and seeing you now puts our minds at ease."

"It's alright! They're just a few petty thieves, nothing to fear! But you, why did you travel so far to the border? You must have had a difficult journey."

Zhao Daxuan looked at the girls in front of him with a pained expression.

Li Shishi pursed her lips. "If we hadn't come soon, you might have forgotten about us!"

Half a month had passed between Zhao Daxuan's departure to ambush the Tartar army at Heishan Pass and their reunion at this moment.

Zhao Daxuan pulled Li Shishi into a tight embrace, laughing heartily, "We could never forget our ladies!"

Then, looking at Shen Qingci with gentle eyes, she smiled and said, "Qingci, did you miss me?"

Shen Qingci blushed slightly, but still nodded gently.

Zhao Daxuan pulled her close again, then looked at Lin Zhiqing at the back.

Lin Zhiqing bit her lip lightly, her face flushed with embarrassment, and slowly stepped forward, automatically throwing herself into Zhao Daxuan's arms.