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As the sun tilted westward, the troop arrived at a plain. Since time was not particularly pressing, and the marching speed of the main army was incomparable to that of the mercenary group, Edward ordered a rest in this area. The mercenaries, accustomed to outdoor life, began setting up tents in small teams.
"Phew."
A woman gathered some firewood and snapped her fingers, igniting a hearty flame. Other female mercenaries busied themselves with preparing dinner.
Mengdie tied her horse to a stake and walked into the camp. She observed the women cooking and the men setting up tents. Was there even a need to choose?
"Hand me a hammer."
With sleeves rolled up, Mengdie approached a bearded man adept with a large hammer, nearly as big as herself. He was efficiently driving tent pegs into the ground. As he hammered another peg, Mengdie tapped his waist (at her eye level) and reached out her hand.
The bearded man stared at Mengdie in surprise for a few seconds before tentatively pointing at his hammer and the half-erected tent.
"I'll help you. I'm confident in physical tasks," Mengdie said with a smile, her hand still extended.
After another moment of hesitation, the bearded man was about to hand her another hammer when his wife approached, placing her hand on Mengdie's shoulder.
"Little sister, why don't you join us in cooking? We could chat, too."
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Chat? Please, I've had enough of chatting with women for the past two months. I just want to get closer to my male comrades!
Suppressing her frustration, Mengdie politely declined the woman's offer. The bearded man, glancing between his wife and Mengdie's slender arms, produced a smaller hammer, almost the thickness of Mengdie's wrist, and handed it to her. Seeing the small hammer, Mengdie frowned unhappily, refusing it and pointing to the large hammer in the man's hand, her interest unabated.
"Give me one of the same size as that. I told you, I'm confident in physical work."
The bearded man looked at Mengdie again, hesitating before lifting the large hammer from his shoulder. He fetched an equally large hammer from his belongings and placed it in front of Mengdie.
"Boom!"
The hammer hit the ground, sending a tremor through it. Delighted, Mengdie grabbed the enormous hammer, attempting to lift it...
Lift?
No, the hammer did not budge, firmly resting on the ground. Mengdie's cheeks turned red, her slender arms trembling slightly.
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"
Her face was completely red now. She bent into a bow shape, her beautiful buttocks raised high, legs striving to straighten. Sweat beads rolled down her flushed cheeks, a look of pain apparent on her lovely face.
Naturally, Mengdie's efforts drew the attention of all the men in the camp. They paused their work to watch the young girl, her struggling face, and her hair waving in the wind. Some even wanted to help.
"Heave-ho!!!... Heave... ow!"
Despite her efforts, the hammer remained immovable. Her palms were sweaty, and her arms began to numb and weaken. Finally, overexerting herself, she fell backwards.
The collision between her buttocks and the ground was painfully direct. Tears, already on the brink, blurred her vision. Rubbing her sore bottom, she stood up and angrily approached the hammer.
"Damn it! I used to carry Mount Tai with ease, and now this little hammer dares to defy me?! Ow... it hurts..."
Tears in her eyes, Mengdie approached the bearded man.
"Little sister, come cook with us?" the man's wife offered again.
Mengdie shook her head vehemently, her male pride not allowing her to give up. She asked the bearded man for a smaller hammer.
After four changes, the fifth hammer, about the size of a basketball, was finally manageable for Mengdie. But before she could rejoice, the hammer, unbalanced, tipped over. Mengdie, barely holding it up, couldn't control its direction. Following shouts of alarm, she fell backwards once more...
"Thud!"
Pain surged through her already aching buttocks...
"Thud, thud, thud, thud."
The smaller hammer hit the stakes. Finally, a small tent was erected. Mengdie put down the small hammer the man originally offered her, wiping the sweat from her forehead, pleased with her work. If it weren't for her current frail body, this otherworldly life under the sky and on the earth would be quite enjoyable.
Yes, if it weren't for this weak body that even she pitied...
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