The aroma was not strong, but it had an uncanny pull. Once it entered your nose, it refused to leave.
It was as though something were tickling the back of your throat, making your stomach churn.
At first, the people in the service area watched from far away. Eventually, they could no longer stand it and began drifting toward the farmland, one after another.
By mealtime, a ring of people had gathered on the field ridges behind the hill, men and women, young and old.
Every one of them craned their necks, watching longingly as Yang Yong and the others fished corn out of the pot and took great bites.
Every kernel on those ears of corn gleamed with a rich, oily sheen.
With each bite, juice squeezed out between their teeth and ran down from the corners of their mouths.
The onlookers swallowed in unison.
"What they're eating... that didn't grow in soil like ours, did it?"
"No shit. Could anything we grow look like that?"
"It smells so good..."
The crowd stirred, but no one dared approach.
The sight of Yang Yong killing people earlier that day was still fresh in their minds. Wang Cuifen's corpse was still soaking in the field, with no one daring to retrieve it.
However much they coveted the food, not one of them dared take that step.
Except for one man.
A man with no legs and only his right hand left.
His half-body was wrapped in a rag. Propping himself up with his one remaining hand, he inched across the field ridge toward Yang Yong and the others.
He moved like a lizard with its tail cut off. With every movement, the rag dragged a wet streak across the ground.
"What do you want?"
Long Ya reacted first. She had already