They were dressed in ragged clothes, looking sallow and emaciated. The patched garments hung loosely on their frames. With just a casual glance, Lu Yinxi could tell who these people were.
Sure enough, almost in a daze, Wang Dabao broke free from her hand and ran towards the crowd.
"Uncle."
After being missing for so many days, seeing his familiar relatives, the little boy's tears welled up instantly. He hugged his uncle's leg and cried heart - rendingly, as if he wanted to turn the world upside down.
Even Shang Luoshu was startled, his eyebrows twitching.
Do kids cry so much?
"Judging from your unfamiliar faces, may I ask where you come from and what brings you to Yangxian?"
After Wang Xiaobao's explanations, the group of people knew that these two outsiders had saved him. So Lu Yinxi and Shang Luoshu finally had the chance to meet the leader of this group, Wang Xiaobao's father - Wang Dali.
He looked honest and simple, stronger than an ordinary peasant. Although his hair was messy, his clothes were neater than others', but still not in good condition.
This was Lu Yinxi's first impression of Wang Dali.
"Sir... leader,"
Shang Luoshu found a proper title and deliberately lowered his stance. "My name is Lu Dashu, and this is my wife, Xiaoxi. We fled from Pingqiang."
Wang Dali's eyes darkened, and his gaze became a bit more scrutinizing.
Pingqiang was not far from Yangxian, and he knew a bit about the situation there.
Like Yangxian, Pingqiang was also one of the disaster - stricken areas this time. The local magistrate there was also a greedy man. He not only imposed additional taxes in the name of the imperial court but also ordered that those who couldn't pay the taxes in full would be given fifty strokes of the cane.
After such a punishment, even if a person didn't die, they would be crippled.
The oppressed people in Pingqiang originally wanted to follow the example of Yangxian and rob the granary directly. However, the magistrate of Pingqiang had made preparations in advance. In the end, not only did the people of Pingqiang fail in their attempt to rob the granary, but they also lost many lives.
In desperation, they had no choice but to flee the city and seek shelter elsewhere.
During this period, Wang Dali's group had met many people from Pingqiang.
That was why Shang Luoshu dared to tell such a lie.
Hearing this, Wang Dali didn't let down his guard. Instead, he questioned them again, "Since you've fled from Pingqiang, why did you come to Yangxian?"
The situation in Yangxian was not much better than that in Pingqiang. Most people who fled Pingqiang would go to other places to rely on their relatives. But these two showed up on the mountain near Yangxian and even saved his son.
It wasn't that Wang Dali wanted to maliciously speculate about others, but since they had robbed the granary and officially opposed the whole of Yangxian, the magistrate of Yangxian had tried to send people to infiltrate them several times in an attempt to break them from within.
That was why Wang Dali and his people were so exclusive. Moreover, in this situation, they could hardly even save their own lives, let alone care about others.
His sharp eyes scanned the two of them back and forth. Lu Yinxi "fearfully" hid behind Shang Luoshu, acting timid and obviously frightened.
The man pretended to protect her behind him and still spoke humbly, "You're really the leader. One question hits the nail on the head. To tell you the truth, we came to Yangxian out of desperation."
"After the great disaster, our family's harvest was gone, and our parents starved to death. We didn't have any relatives outside. We had no choice but to flee the city, thinking we'd take it one step at a time. Then..."
Saying this, the man deliberately glanced at Wang Xiaobao. It was just an ordinary look, but for some reason, Wang Dali felt a growing sense of pressure.
Their plan sounded flawless and quite reasonable.
Suppressing his uneasiness, he continued coldly, "It's true that you saved Xiaobao. I'm not an ungrateful person. Tell me, what do you want?"
"Can we stay here for a few days? Not many, just three days!"
Afraid that he wouldn't agree, Shang Luoshu quickly made the gesture of "three". "After traveling for so many days, we just want to rest for a few days and make plans for the future."
If it were someone else, Wang Dali wouldn't have agreed even for three hours, let alone three days. But these two had saved Xiaobao, and this matter had spread around here.
He was the leader of this group now and needed to set an example. He couldn't be ungrateful.
"Okay, but you have to bring your own food."
"Thank you, thank you."
After that, Wang Dali sent someone to show them to their accommodation, a very shabby wooden hut. It couldn't even keep out the sun or rain and was drafty everywhere, but it was better than sleeping in the open.
After thanking him a few more times, Shang Luoshu led Lu Yinxi into the hut.
After closing the door and finding themselves alone, they no longer needed to pretend. Lu Yinxi immediately covered her mouth and bent over with laughter.
"I didn't know someone could be so obsequious. Hahaha..."
"Is it funny?"
To be honest, Shang Luoshu was a bit annoyed now. He couldn't exactly say why, but he just felt something was off.
"Rarely do I see someone being so humble. Can't I laugh?" Saying this, Lu Yinxi was about to burst out laughing again.
Wang Dali was highly on guard against these two, so he arranged for them to live in the most remote place, far from the original gathering area. That was why the girl was so unrestrained.
Seeing her laughing more and more vigorously, Shang Luoshu couldn't hold it in either. On an impulse, he suddenly stepped forward to stop the girl from laughing.
When she saw the approaching figure, Lu Yinxi's first reaction was to step back. But unexpectedly, she stepped on a stone, forcing her to lean backward.
Shang Luoshu immediately noticed her abnormality and reached out to support her, but it was already too late. Under the combined effect of gravity and inertia, the two of them fell onto the straw - covered bed.
......
The back of her head was resting on the man's hand, his forearm was around her waist, and his body weight was on top of her. Somehow, Shang Luoshu had firmly trapped Lu Yinxi in his own little world in this position.
Their eyes met, and a tender and ambiguous atmosphere flowed around them, sweet and refreshing.
Lu Yinxi suddenly remembered the kiss that night. A blush crept onto her cheeks, and something stirred in her mind, making her breathing more and more rapid.
Suddenly, the girl spoke.
"Shang Luoshu!"
The man instinctively replied, "What... Mmm..."
Somehow, her slender hand had quietly climbed onto the back of Shang Luoshu's neck. With just a gentle pull, he tasted the sweetness of her lips again.
Well, it was very sweet!
But even sweeter things were yet to come.
Her red lips parted slightly, and her pink tongue quietly stuck out, deliberately tracing the shape of his lips again and again.
Shang Luoshu's eyes darkened instantly. The forearm around her waist tightened, and the big hand under her head began to exert force.
It wasn't enough. He wanted more!
He forcefully captured her lips and entangled with her little tongue. The scalding breath almost made Lu Yinxi drunk.
Forcing herself to stay rational, the girl didn't hesitate at all. When Shang Luoshu was almost lost in it, she bit his lower lip!