"Big brother?"
One sharp-eyed child spotted Jiang Fan first and cried out in delight.
The other children looked over at once when they heard him.
"Big brother's here!"
"Big brother!"
"..."
They set down their bowls and swarmed around him in a whoosh.
Their little faces tilted up, their eyes filled with dependence and joy.
Jiang Fan could not understand how much weight he had truly held in their hearts. At the final moment of their lives, he had appeared before them like a Savior and dragged them back from the abyss.
But from their expressions, he could tell that they genuinely regarded him as someone they could rely on.
"Hey!"
"Eat, keep eating!"
Jiang Fan patted the children's heads, then looked toward Hong Ling.
Hong Ling hurriedly wiped her hands on her somewhat worn clothes, looking flustered.
"You... you're back!"
Jiang Fan smiled faintly.
"Mm. You've settled things nicely!"
Before he had left with Elder Tang, he had told Hong Ling to arrange a place for them first, and that he would come find her afterward.
Only a few hours had passed, yet she had actually managed to find shelter for this group of children. It truly had not been easy.
Hong Ling's face flushed slightly.
"No... Everyone helped..."
"Before I went to gather herbs for the Huangfu Family, my younger brother and I lived here for a long time!"
"Granny Wang and Uncle Li next door were our old neighbors!"
"When we came over this time, they helped us a great deal!"
Jiang Fan nodded and looked around the crude shed.
As if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "By the way, are all the children who came out of the cellar here?"
Hong Ling nodded.
"Mm!"
"Usually, those who can go to the Huangfu Family to gather herbs