The leader didn't know what to do. The others looked at each other and the four people sitting on the ground. Finally, they had no choice but to step forward and persuade them.

"Comrade Cao An, this time we truly didn't investigate thoroughly. The informant swore you were engaging in speculation, so we only did our job. Since this was a misunderstanding, we haven't taken any excessive measures against you. Please be magnanimous and don't embarrass us."

Cao An sneered, opened his eyes, and glared at him fiercely. "Were we making things difficult for you? Did I say anything when you first went to check my sister's scrap yard? It's obvious that Yan Er did it on purpose. Not only did you bully a little girl, but you also dragged me into this?" Seeing that he was speechless, he closed his eyes again. "I need to report this to my team after daybreak."

The man had no choice but to give up persuading them and gather everyone to discuss. Soon, most of the people in the red armbands retreated, and the leader and three others remained. Looking at the four people on the ground, he reluctantly continued to persuade them.

"Comrade Cao An, please go into the house first. Don't let our sister get frozen. I promise to go back to the bureau with you after dawn. We will give you a satisfactory explanation."

Seeing that he was sincere, they no longer felt embarrassed.

"Untie my sister, and we won't have to do it." Cao An was worried about Xia Youyou's small body and worried that her heart wouldn't be able to bear the cold at night.

The man quickly went around and helped Xia Youyou untie the rope on her hand.

Xia Youyou was indeed feeling a little uncomfortable, so she stopped refusing. She stood up and opened the door to the small room, "Brother, you guys go in first." It was cold at night, and even the strongest person couldn't stand staying out all night. She felt a little sorry for Qi Siling and Xiao Hai.

She looked at the two of them apologetically and whispered an apology. "Qi Si, Brother Xiao Hai, I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have dragged you two into this." She didn't expect Yan Er to bring her so much trouble, but instead implicated them.

The two shook their heads to indicate that it was nothing.

Seeing her leaning her head against the wall, Qi Siling nudged her shoulder with his elbow and said, "Don't say such awkward things. Can the brothers blame you?"

"That's right, since I call you brother, we are siblings. How can we, brothers, hold this against you?" Xiao Hai was also teasing her with a smile.

Xia Youyou looked up and smiled sweetly at them, then stood up and prepared to go outside to light the fire wall to prevent them from catching a cold from the cold all night. "Brother, you guys sit down, I'll go light the fire."

I put the stools in place for them before leaving. Looking at the people wearing red armbands standing outside the door, I couldn't help but feel a little sympathy.

"You guys should go in too. It's cold at night. Don't get sick."

Several people nodded gratefully and went into the house.

Cao An stood up and sat on a stool with Xiao Hai, making room for a few people.

"I'd better untie you."

Cao An stopped being pretentious and nodded in agreement. The rope loosened, and he was about to get up and go outside to help Xia Youyou, but Qi Siling held him back, "I'll go help Youyou."

Cao An raised his eyebrows, his eyes inquiring, and nodded in agreement after a moment.

Qi Siling quickly went outside and found Xia Youyou at the back of the hut, lighting the ground with a night-shining pearl. He raised his lips, making a small sound, and then approached her.

"What are you doing?"

Xia Youyou was bending over to look for dry firewood on the ground, looking for something that could start a fire. When she heard the noise, she turned around and looked at him.

"Are you all untied?"

He nodded and squatted down with her to pick up the dry grass on the ground. "It's all loose. Let me do it." He took the dry grass from her hand, took out a match and started to light it and throw it into the fire wall.

Xia Youyou stood up and stood aside to avoid the smoke from blowing into her face.

Qi Siling looked at her with amusement, "What you said just now is really appropriate. Nothing ventured, nothing gained." He shrugged and smiled, "How can you be sure that we can cooperate with you?"

"We are all smart people." Speculation and profiteering were not allowed in this era, but she took the risk to cooperate with the black market, not to mention dragging them along to resell to the capital.

"You believe us."

"Don't you trust us too? You don't even doubt what I make and just eat it directly without worrying that we will kill people and rob them." Xia Youyou looked at the truck full of goods.

Qi Siling shook his head and laughed, "You're right, we are all smart people and won't do stupid things." After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Is that okay?"

Xia Youyou knew he was talking about food, so she shook her head and said it was okay, "There's nothing here."

He understood and thought it was an empty city plan.

After sealing the fire wall, the two reentered the room. There was only one bench left, so they walked over and sat down. Eight people gathered around the small square table, and a moment of silence fell.

On Xia Youyou's left was Cao An, and on her right was Qi Siling. Her big eyes flicked between the two of them, then she looked at the four people with red armbands opposite.

"There's something I don't know whether I should ask." Xia Youyou looked at the leader.

The man looked at her doubtfully, "Go ahead."

"What's your name? Why are you holding on to me? It was you who went to the scrap yard last time, wasn't it?"

"My name is Zhao Shi, team leader of the patrol team."

Xia Youyou nodded, "Did Yan Er report us?" She got confirmation, "Then do you know why he reported me? Or do you have any concrete evidence?"

Zhao Shi didn't know if he could say it. He exchanged glances with the others and shook his head, "We don't know the order from above."

Xia Youyou understood that this meant she couldn't tell anyone. She had been a little worried, but now it didn't matter. If there was a traitor in the black market, they would handle it themselves. As long as she didn't get caught, with the space in her hands, no one would be able to find the food!

After staying up half the night, Xia Youyou couldn't bear it any longer and fell asleep on the small table. After finally making it to dawn, she was woken up by Cao An in a daze.

She opened her sleepy eyes and glanced around. Zhao Shi and the others had already left the hut, and Qi Siling and Xiao Hai were standing nearby, smiling at her. She rubbed her lower lip with the back of her hand, making sure nothing was wrong, then sat up straight.

The clothes covering her body slipped down and fell off her body, which startled her and she hurried to pick it up.

Cao An stopped her and bent down to pick it up himself. He took it off last night because he was worried she would be cold, so he covered her with it. He was a hot-tempered person anyway, and there was a fire wall in the hut, so he was not afraid.

Standing up straight again, Cao An's big hands rubbed her little head. "Put on my clothes. It's a little cold this morning." He helped her put them on and used his hands as combs to tie her two braids again.

Qi Siling and Xiao Hai exchanged a glance, their surprise evident. They hadn't expected a fierce man like Cao An to have such a delicate side.

Xia Youyou had just woken up, still a little dazed from not having slept well. Like a puppet, she let Cao An dress her and comb her hair. She tilted her head to look at the two people standing beside her, "What time is it now?"

Her originally tender and crisp voice sounded a little dull from not waking up. Her innocent look softened the hearts of the two people watching her for no reason, and they even began to understand Cao An's behavior. If they had a sister like this, she would definitely be more gentle than Cao An!