Thus, the slave girls simultaneously and timidly turned their gazes toward Shen Feng, who stood beside him.
His features were proper, his demeanor composed, and his eyes shrewd but free of ferocity. He looked easy to get along with, making him seem like the most suitable candidate for a husband.
In the crowd, Su Lan, who was also a first-class maid, fixed her eyes on Shen Feng as well.
She had gorgeous features, a slender silhouette, and was by far the most stunning among the slave girls.
At this moment, her back was ramrod straight. Beneath her eyes hid a stubborn refusal to lose and a competitive drive. She tilted her chin up slightly, intentionally putting her best face forward.
She, Su Lan, if she was going to marry, would only marry the most outstanding man!
“Shen Feng, you choose first then!”
Seeing that Xiao Zheng had no objections, the Battalion Commander simply called out Shen Feng’s name.
It made no difference who chose first anyway, as long as they each took a wife back.
Hearing this, Shen Feng no longer held back. His gaze locked with precision onto Su Lan.
“This woman has proper and elegant features. I am willing to take her back.”
With one sentence, he both praised Su Lan and made himself look respectable.
“…”
The surrounding men instantly cast envious looks.
Su Lan felt wild joy in her heart, but she maintained a reserved facade on the outside, keeping her posture exceptionally straight.
She intentionally turned her body sideways so everyone could see the glory of her being chosen.
As her gaze swept past Su He, a flash of smugness crossed her eyes.
See? No matter the time or place, she, Su Lan, would always be the best.
So what if Su He was better at handling affairs? In the end, didn’t she still have to wait around to take the leftovers?
Perhaps she would even end up in the rear camp serving those rough brutes.
At this thought, the corner of Su Lan’s lips curled up imperceptibly.
“…”
Su He, however, completely ignored her gaze.
From beginning to end, her eyes were fixed on only one person.
—Xiao Zheng.
He stood at the very front, his tall frame like an iron tower, his shoulders and back broad. He looked like a silent piece of iron rock.
But strangely enough, while the other officers and soldiers were sizing the women up, quietly making choices, or whispering and exchanging opinions among themselves, he alone remained completely still!
He didn’t look them over, nor did he join the others’ discussions, as if none of this had anything to do with him.
Su He’s heart sank slightly. If this man had zero interest and even waived his right to choose, wouldn’t she lose a lifeline?
Suppressing the thought, she lowered her eyes and stood quietly where she was. Using the skills she learned in the apocalypse, she withdrew her aura to lower her presence as much as possible.
Wait!
She couldn’t rush.
She had to wait for the right moment.
After Shen Feng led Su Lan away, the other soldiers sequentially bypassed Xiao Zheng to step forward and make their picks.
“I want that one!”
“I want the third one from the left!”
“I want one who knows how to cook!”
The slave girls whose names were called felt as if they had received a grand amnesty. They scrambled over in a hurry, terrified that the soldiers might change their minds.
Within moments, eleven men had made their choices, leaving only Xiao Zheng on the field who had yet to pick.
Meanwhile, in the lineup of criminal slaves, seven women—including Su He—remained. Every single one of them looked deathly pale, their lips bloodless.
Because everyone knew what the outcome of being left behind was.
“Xiao Zheng, it’s your turn. Pick one quickly!”
The Battalion Commander on the high platform scowled, looking at Xiao Zheng once more.
Xiao Zheng’s hulking frame stood in place. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice deep and direct.
“General, I don’t need a woman!”
As soon as these words left his mouth, the training grounds fell silent.
Commander Li frowned, his tone shifting to displeasure. “What did you say?”
Xiao Zheng’s tone remained cold and rigid. “Just reward me with grain, forage, and silver. I can’t afford to feed another person!”
Hearing this, the remaining slave girls looked utterly despairing.
If they weren’t chosen, they would be sent to the abyss of the rear camp.
“Presumptuous!”
Commander Li’s face instantly darkened.
“Xiao Zheng, this is a reward from the imperial court. How dare you decline it?”
“…”
Xiao Zheng didn’t reply, but his brow furrowed even tighter.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to marry a wife; he truly just couldn’t afford to feed one.
The Xiao family had been hereditary military households for generations. His father had died in battle five years ago, leaving behind a widowed mother, a fifteen-year-old younger brother, and a thirteen-year-old younger sister.
With a family of four relying solely on his military pay to survive, and considering his massive appetite—where even twenty buns in one sitting wouldn’t fill him up—life was hard enough.
He could barely manage to scrape by on his own, so why drag another woman in just to make her suffer?
The training grounds fell into a temporary silence.
Despair spread rapidly among the remaining slave girls.
Su He, who had kept her head lowered the entire time, suddenly raised her eyes. She couldn’t wait any longer.
If she waited further, she would have no way out.
She hadn’t gone to such lengths to lower her presence just to be sent to the rear camp.
Su He took a large stride forward.
This single movement instantly drew everyone’s eyes to her.
A criminal slave actually dared to step out of line on her own initiative?
What was she trying to do?
Su He stood firmly with her back straight. Instead of looking at the Commander, she stared directly at Xiao Zheng.
Her eyes were clear and calm, showing neither fear nor a desire to please.
She spoke, her voice not loud, but carrying clearly into everyone’s ears.
“I don’t need you to support me!”
Hearing this, everyone was stunned.
Su He continued, “I know how to farm, cook, and manage a household! I won’t waste your rations, and I won’t be a burden to you.”
Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm, and her gaze toward Xiao Zheng was entirely open and direct.
“Furthermore, you are strong! Following you keeps me safe.”
“!!!!”
The entire field went dead silent for a moment, and the next second, it erupted into a roar of laughter!
The border guards had always been straightforward people. Hearing these words now, they found it incredibly refreshing and amusing.
“This girl has guts! She’s practical!”
“Direct enough!”
“Xiao Zheng, you’ve picked up a treasure.”
“This young lady is sharp and frank, way better than those weeping women!”
“Exactly, exactly! Take her home quickly, maybe she really does have a knack for farming?”
“Old Xiao, she already took the initiative, what are you still being squeamish for?”
“Yeah, Old Xiao, your appetite is notoriously huge. Maybe marrying a wife will actually get you full for once~”
“Hahahaha~”
Laughter echoed across the training grounds. There was no malice in it, only good-natured teasing.
Xiao Zheng, however, was stunned. He looked down at the thin, weak maid before him. Though he couldn’t see her exact facial features clearly, her eyes were remarkably bright.
She stood perfectly straight, without shyness or fear, unlike other women who feared him, avoided him, or looked down on him for being coarse.
She simply and frankly told him that she chose him because of his strong build.
And she also made it clear she could support herself without burdening him, which was surprisingly honest and refreshing.
Still, who exactly was picking whom here?
Yet, facing her clear eyes, the refusal that had risen to the tip of his tongue got stuck squarely in his throat.
Seeing this, Commander Li made a decisive call, “Good! It’s settled then! Xiao Zheng, take her back and get her settled immediately.”
After speaking, he glared at Xiao Zheng with a warning look.
“Stop dragging your feet, you’re not even as straightforward as a woman!”
Xiao Zheng remained silent for a moment before finally spitting out two words, “Follow me.”
Su He nodded slightly and quietly followed behind him.
His massive frame walked ahead, blocking out most of the wind.
Looking at his back, a hint of a smile flashed in Su He’s eyes.
She had gambled correctly on this man.
As for whether they could get enough to eat…
She lowered her eyes and looked at her own hands. A faint, subtle green light briefly shimmered at her fingertips.
Getting by would be no problem at all!
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Standing next to Shen Feng, Su Lan watched the scene with a flash of mockery in her eyes.
How shameless, actually begging someone in public to take her in.
That Xiao Zheng looked coarse, rude, and entirely covered in a murderous aura.
He wasn’t respectable like Shen Feng at all.
From now on, Su He would certainly have a miserable time ahead of her.