Chapter 186: What Can You Do for Me?

After breakfast, everyone was sent off by Cao Lingyun to dig the irrigation ditch.

Everyone except Yang Wenyao and the two women who had just given birth.

Shi Yuebai said that given the limited conditions, she couldn’t provide proper postpartum care for the two women, but they could rest for a month and didn’t have to do any hard labor.

As for Yang Wenyao, for the first time, he was allowed to walk along the canal by the second wall, enter through a side gate, and step inside the second enclosure.

The moment he entered the second wall, Yang Wenyao felt himself relax.

In this cold weather, even a difference of one or two degrees in temperature could make a big difference in comfort.

But when he looked ahead, he was immediately stunned by what he saw.

Above the canal by the second wall, thick white mist floated and rolled.

The canal, whose depth was unknown, couldn’t contain all that mist, so it spilled over, drifting outside the ditch.

Because Shi Yuebai’s headquarters was right by the riverbed, the terrain near the second wall was a bit lower, causing the white mist to roll down to the base of the wall.

Beneath the second wall, there were dozens of tents.

Each tent was well-made, some even had awnings.

When Yang Wenyao walked over, the elderly people resting by the tents, preparing to go scavenging, all turned to look at him.

They regarded Yang Wenyao as an outsider, their eyes full of wariness.

“Excuse me, how do I get over there?” Yang Wenyao forced himself to ask. “Yuebai asked me to come find her.”

The group of elderly people fell silent. Not a single one was willing to give him directions.

Yang Wenyao was one of Scarface’s men. He’d been brought here by force by Yuebai, so he was naturally not one of them.

Yang Wenyao felt out of place, standing there awkwardly.

Finally, it was Xiao Jiao who stood at the “Tong” frame and waved at him. “Uncle, over here! This way!”

She was holding a stick, pointing it toward a ladder shrouded in the white mist.

Because the mist was so thick, the ladder was barely visible.

For someone unfamiliar with the place, even if they stepped onto the ladder, it would be easy to lose their footing and fall.

No one knew what was hidden in the mist.

How deep was the canal? How many traps lay at the bottom?

With a trace of fear, Yang Wenyao carefully stepped onto the ladder, inching forward slowly, using his feet to brush aside the mist so he could see where to step next.

By the time he crossed the few-meter-long ladder, his forehead was covered in sweat.

Finally stepping onto the so-called “Tong” frame, Yang Wenyao looked at Xiao Jiao.

Xiao Jiao was a year younger than Da Jiao, and even more delicate in appearance.

If Da Jiao had the air of a lady from a noble family, Xiao Jiao had the charm of a gentle, refined girl. Of course, it would have been better if she wasn’t holding that stick.

She wore the same style of vest and skirt as her sister, but her two braids were tied with a little bell hair tie.

This was so that when she went out with Second Sister Shi and Ying Ruoying to capture people, Second Sister Shi could better keep track of her position.

That way, at night, if Second Sister Shi shot arrows, she wouldn’t accidentally hit Xiao Jiao.

Ying Ruoying also wore a similar bell on her ankle.

“Uncle, come with me,” Xiao Jiao said, leading Yang Wenyao straight to Guai Guai’s house.

Shi Yuebai was inside, looking at blueprints.

Guai Guai’s living conditions had improved a bit. He’d scavenged two large tables, each three meters long and 1.8 meters wide.

He’d pushed the tables together under the awning, with several lights hanging down from above. Guai Guai usually worked on parts at these tables.

Shi Yuebai sat at the edge of the table, which was piled with parts, leaving just enough space for a blueprint.

The blueprint was drawn by Guai Guai.

When she saw Yang Wenyao come in, Shi Yuebai pointed at the canal on the blueprint. “Progress on this little ditch is too slow. I’m planning to get more people and dig from both sides.”

This canal would circle the second wall, surrounding Shi Yuebai’s headquarters and turning it into an island.

But right now, they were only digging from one side.

Aside from the elderly scavengers, Ah Hong and Nong Yasi were still cleaning up trash behind the public toilets and expanding the supply yard.

Shi Yuebai had sent every available worker to dig the canal.

Guai Guai was at the other end of the table, busy dismantling parts.

“The weather’s getting too cold. If it gets any colder, the ground will freeze and progress will slow even more,” he said.

Shi Yuebai patted the table. “That’s why we’re short on people. We need to dig from both sides and meet in the middle.”

Just then, Shi Chengyu, who was squatting outside Guai Guai’s yard, suddenly shouted, “When Yao and Shun ruled with virtue, people loved their rulers as parents. When Qin ruled by force, people saw their rulers as enemies. Therefore, to handle external threats, you must first secure your own people.”

Yang Wenyao couldn’t help but feel that Shi Yuebai’s place was full of talent.

Compared to Scarface’s crew, Shi Yuebai’s group was on a whole other level.

They had fighters, they had scholars.

And now, seeing Guai Guai, Yang Wenyao realized they had tech, too.

But whether it was Shi Yuebai, Guai Guai, or even Xiao Jiao, none of them paid any attention to Shi Chengyu.

She always kept quiet, curling up in a corner like a quail, but every now and then she’d spout some classical Chinese.

She was clearly a bit crazy.

Shi Yuebai didn’t bother with her, and so no one else minded her either.

“Yuebai, what do you want me to do for you?” Yang Wenyao asked.

This was the first time in five years on the wasteland that he’d shown such a proactive attitude, no longer holding himself back.

Shi Yuebai’s round face broke into a smile. “What can you do for me?”

She knew that last night, Yang Wenyao had nearly beaten one of his old teammates to death in the tent.

She also knew that when they first tried to escape, Yang Wenyao and another person hadn’t left.

He was mostly silent, but he wasn’t stupid.

Yang Wenyao could read the situation.

Whether he’d be stuck digging ditches for the rest of his life depended on what he could do for Shi Yuebai now.

Yang Wenyao lowered his eyes and said, “I’m strong. I can keep Scarface’s men in line.”

These past few days, he’d clearly felt himself getting stronger.

He could also see that as more people joined the ditch-digging, Cao Lingyun couldn’t manage them all alone.

And Scarface’s men were different from the elderly and women. Even with shackles on their feet, they were tough and hard to control.

Sometimes Cao Lingyun had to go out with Shi Yuebai, and the worksite would get unruly.

Cao Lingyun needed help.

If they started digging from both sides, they’d be even more short-handed when it came to supervisors.

Yang Wenyao felt he was the best candidate for the job.

He had a strong sense of fairness. He wouldn’t take revenge on anyone, not even Scarface’s men, but he wouldn’t show favoritism either.

Shi Yuebai nodded. “Alright.”

She tossed him a key. “I’ll take off your shackles. Go ahead.”

(I have no idea where my printer was sent by the courier. After the after-sales service sent someone to pick it up, I never got any updates.)"