Gift

The man finished his transaction but showed no sign of leaving. He grinned and continued, "Big Sister is truly beautiful and kind-hearted, a good person!"

He didn't forget to include Lu Xi'an, adding, "Big Brother too."

Lu Xi'an smiled and replied, "You should be Big Brother, you look older than me. Big Brother too, cool and friendly, which is rare in this world."

The man waved his hand and said, "When you travel the world, everyone you meet is your Big Brother. My name is Luo Ping, may I know how Big Brother and Big Sister are called?"

Lu Xi'an said, "I'll tell you next time."

"Big Brother is truly cautious."

The man, Luo Ping, chuckled, seemingly unbothered. He continued, "It's hard to get in and out of this place now. Where are you two planning to go?"

Yao Wei stood in front of Luo Ping, having already put the drone and remote control back into the car.

Seeing Lu Xi'an speak, she remained silent.

The transaction was complete, and she wasn't good at this kind of conversation. It was better to leave it to Lu Xi'an.

After all, Lu Xi'an was better at communicating than she was and always knew what to say.

If it weren't for Lu Xi'an before, she probably wouldn't have known how to start a conversation with him even now, right?

Lu Xi'an didn't answer but threw the question back, "What about you, what are you planning to do?"

Luo Ping still didn't seem bothered by Lu Xi'an's question and said, "What else can I do? Of course, find a place to hide for a while.

"This place is so big, even if they have many people, they can't cover everything. They can only guard the roads waiting for us.

"If we can hold on for a few more days, they won't be able to afford it and will have to send people to find supplies."

Lu Xi'an nodded, "Makes sense, and then?"

"Then, when the situation is right, we'll leave quickly."

Luo Ping grinned at Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei again, revealing his uneven teeth. This guy seemed to like smiling a lot, using it to express friendliness.

"Big Brother, Big Sister, how about we go together?"

He suddenly added, "I have a secret base to the south, an absolutely great place, full of treasures.

"You can tell from my car and the things I brought you that survival there is definitely not a problem.

"When we get past this, you can come back with me, and you'll definitely live in luxury!"

Lu Xi'an asked, "If there's such a good place, why aren't you staying there yourself and running out?"

Luo Ping shook his head, "Cannot say, cannot say."

Lu Xi'an said, "Sorry, we're not looking to team up with anyone."

With that, he called Yao Wei and they got into the car.

Luo Ping hurriedly pressed, "Are you really not considering it? I'm telling the truth! I'm not lying!"

Lu Xi'an started to make things up, "Let's forget it, we like to travel around and don't plan to settle down."

Luo Ping laughed heartily, "Big Brother really likes to joke."

Who in this day and age would like to travel? Even a madman wouldn't dare to have such a hobby.

"Alright, let's part ways here. We'll meet again."

Lu Xi'an, imitating Luo Ping's "When you travel the world, everyone you meet is your Big Brother," said a cultured phrase, then shifted into gear and stepped on the accelerator, about to leave.

But Luo Ping called out, "Wait." He quickly returned to his car, took something out, and tossed it through the passenger side window, saying, "You two are good people, I'll give you two more things for free.

"Four AA batteries, brand new, enough for your remote control for a long time! And a good book, full of knowledge, you can learn from it and try some new tricks for entertainment."

The passenger side window was open, not rolled up, so the things Luo Ping threw in landed directly in Yao Wei's hands.

The batteries were indeed brand new, wrapped in clear hard plastic packaging.

However, as for the book, Yao Wei only glanced at it before quickly throwing it to the back seat, not daring to look further.

Lu Xi'an glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and chuckled.

The book Yao Wei had thrown to the back seat had lost its cover, but looking at the content, it was a full-color comic.

Each page was divided into four panels, with handsome men and beautiful women fighting fiercely, making Yao Wei blush.

This guy named Luo Ping really had a lot of "fancy stuff" on him. Were most of the treasures in his secret base these kinds of things?

Yao Wei had always been thrifty and unwilling to waste. Even though the book she held was unsightly, she didn't choose to throw it out the window but instead tossed it to the back seat.

Lu Xi'an planned to take a good look at it later when they stopped the car.

There were too few things for entertainment and leisure in this world. It was rare to get one, and he couldn't waste it. He wouldn't just treat this spiritual food as firewood to start a fire.

"What do we do next? Do we head west to take a look, or do we listen to that Luo Ping and find a place to hide first?"

Lu Xi'an asked.

Yao Wei pondered for a moment and said, "Let's hide first. What if he's telling the truth?"

Lu Xi'an nodded, "That's true, it's better to be safe than sorry. If that guy is telling the truth, and we go west again, we'll just end up attracting fire for him again."

Yao Wei couldn't help but turn her head to glance at Lu Xi'an. This guy had been talking smoothly since just now, as if he had caught something from that guy named Luo Ping.

Lu Xi'an pondered for a moment and said, "How about... we go back to the Shelter? We can hide there for a few days."

"It's not only safe there, but we also don't have to worry about consuming supplies. It's perfect for staying put."

"We're short on water there, but it's right next to the reservoir. Now that we have the drone, we can deploy it to check. Once we confirm it's safe, we can fetch water."

"Luo Ping was just cornered. The people from the county town aren't allied with the Liangshui Village group Luo Ping mentioned, so they shouldn't get the news that quickly. If we're careful, we can still make it back to hide."

Yao Wei had no objections and nodded, saying, "Okay."

With their minds made up, the two immediately drove back.

Yao Wei checked the map and found a rural road to avoid being intercepted by the Liangshui Village forces.

They didn't head west but returned east. In reality, Liangshui Village wouldn't be able to blockade them so easily.

After all, they had only recently left the county town. Going further east would lead them into the territory of the county town group. Before any cooperation was reached, Liangshui Village likely wouldn't dare to cross the border too much.

They had enough fuel in the car. Lu Xi'an drove, bouncing along the country roads. They not only avoided the people from Liangshui Village but also bypassed Fengcheng County town and Gao Family Village.

He wondered if the group from Gao Family Village was allied with the county town.

Soon, they reached Tan Village Entrance. As before, the two drove through the village first to check if it was safe. After confirming it was clear, they turned into the corridor between two houses at Tan Village Entrance and parked behind one of them.

After getting out of the car, Lu Xi'an glanced at the house and suddenly had a new idea: "What if we smash a hole in the back wall of this house and reverse the car in?

"That way, the slope behind will block us, and no one can see from the sides. Even if someone comes, they won't be able to find us at all."