Seeing this, the child next to her burst into tears and quickly knelt down like the girl, begging in a childish voice, "Sir, please, sir, don't kill my sister."

Liu Hu, who had never shown cowardice or hesitation when facing the Wuhuan cavalry, was now as flustered as a greenhorn.

He quickly waved his hand and said, "No, don't misunderstand, my brother didn't mean that."

The girl's eyes were filled with panic, and tears fell to the ground, splashing up many teardrops: "I don't know where I have offended you, sir. Please be merciful. My sister and I have never done anything wrong. I am willing to work to repay that pot of water!"

At this moment, looking at the girl's thin shoulders, Liu Hu suddenly felt an unprecedented desire to protect her. Thinking of what Lu Tu and Liu Yang had said, that he had reached the age to get married, what was there to be afraid of?

Liu Hu, no longer shy at all, reached out to hold the girl's arm: "I don't mean you any harm, do I? I have something to ask you."

Hearing this, the girl secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but after getting up, she was still somewhat afraid of Liu Hu. She held her younger sister in her arms and looked at him warily: "Please speak, sir."

"Where are you from?"

“My name is Ming Youlan, from Xiaowan Village, Huaishuo.”

"Are you married?"

"Never. My parents died early, and no one came to my house to propose marriage."

Liu Hu's hands, hidden behind his back, trembled slightly with nervousness. Just as he was wondering what to say next, a peasant woman among the refugees smiled and said, "Sir, you should ask this girl what her impression of you is."

"Oh right, what do you think of me?"

Ming Youlan wiped away her tears with her sleeve: "You are a man of great talent and I admire you very much."

What kind of logic is this? Even if Liu Hu were a complete idiot when it comes to love, he could tell that this was a rejection. What kind of couple would use the word "admire" between each other?

Liu Hu paced anxiously on the spot, and finally mustered up his courage to shout loudly: "Will you marry me? My monthly salary is enough to support you and your sister."

This left Lu Tu, Liu Yang, and the others in the distance completely stunned. They never expected that this kid would actually have a breakthrough.

Lu Tu nodded secretly: "Tiger is good, he's a responsible man."

Liu Hong and the others chimed in, "Yes, for these wandering refugees, having a stable place to settle down is more touching than words under the moon and flowers."

At this moment, Ming Youlan took a deep look at Liu Hu, whose face was flushed red: "If I am unwilling, will you kill me, sir?"

Liu Hu quickly waved his hand: "No, I will only kill whoever my brother tells me to kill. But if... my brother tells me to kill you, I will plead with him for you!"

Upon hearing this, Ming Youlan burst into laughter through her tears. She had never met such an innocent man before. This boy, who looked to be about the same age as her, had clear eyes and spoke responsibly. He seemed to be quite remarkable!

Everyone around could see that Ming Youlan had tacitly agreed with Liu Hu's words, but Liu Hu couldn't see it. He asked anxiously, "If you don't agree, please tell me."

An old man stood up and whispered to Liu Hu, "Sir, in my opinion, this young lady has agreed to your request. Don't back down now."

"Yes, yes, if Miss Ming didn't refuse, that means she agreed. Why don't you go and take her hand?"

Liu Hu was given a light push by someone and took a step forward, bumping into Ming Youlan.

Ming Youlan's physique was no match for the impact. She immediately fell backward, but Liu Hu reacted quickly and caught her around the waist: "Watch out!"

The two were only three centimeters apart, close enough for them to hear each other's heartbeats. Liu Hu could even see the fine downy hairs on Ming Youlan's face.

"Marry me."

"Um!"

Liu Hu didn't know what was going on, but somehow he finally blurted out his true feelings. When the two of them heard the commotion around them, they realized their ambiguous position.

They quickly stood up straight and separated, their faces instantly turning red all the way to their necks.

Liu Yang shouted from the side, "Bring your sister-in-law over! Act like a man, don't embarrass the Liu family!"

Lu Tu glanced at him impatiently from the side: "While others are talking about love, you're jumping around like this."

"Oh dear, I'm in a hurry."

Liu Hu, having heard Liu Yang's reminder, took the initiative to ask, "Then would you like to come home with me?"

Ming Youlan buried her head in her chest and murmured, "Mmm!" At this moment, the little girl grabbed Ming Youlan's hand and asked, "Sister, don't you want Xiaohui anymore?"

How could that be?

Ming Youlan looked at Liu Hu pleadingly again: "If you're willing to marry me..."

Liu Hu, mimicking Lü Tu's usual manner, waved his hand magnanimously: "What are you saying? I'm marrying you, so naturally I'll help you take care of your sister. From now on, you sisters will all live with me, and no one can separate you!"

Hearing this, the two sisters were relieved, especially Ming Youlan, who had previously thought Liu Hu was a timid man, but his handsome appearance did catch her eye.

She hadn't expected that the domineering side Liu Hu had inadvertently revealed would truly move her, especially his public promise, which made her even happier.

Thank you.

The three of them walked back side by side, but after only a couple of steps, Ming Youlan's legs gave way. Liu Hu quickly caught her and looked at Xiao Hui, asking, "What's wrong with your sister?"

Xiao Hui said with a sob in her voice, "We couldn't beat them. The bad guys stole my and my food today."

"Who!?" Liu Hu shouted sharply upon hearing this.

Upon seeing this from a distance, Liu Yang immediately drew his sword: "Damn it! My master said that bullying people is not allowed here. Who did this?"

Lu Tu gave Liu Hong and the others a wink, signaling them to follow with their men; they had to make an example of them.

In an instant, Liu Yang led dozens of soldiers into the crowd of refugees, stood before Ming Youlan, and asked, "Tell me, who stole your food?"

Ming Youlan bit her lip lightly, seemingly unwilling to speak.

Liu Hu said loudly from the side, "This is my own brother. Tell us, and we will stand up for you!"

Ming Youlan turned around and pointed at a few bachelors, who then got up and ran away.

Liu Hu wanted to give chase, but Liu Yang stopped him: "Take your men back and get something to eat. I'll take care of things here." With that, Liu Yang led his men and charged forward.

These people hadn't eaten much to begin with, so how could they possibly be a match for Liu Yang and his ilk who trained every day and were well-fed?

Before long, they were captured by Liu Yang and his men. When a knife was held to their necks, they cried out, "My lord, spare our lives! We are starving! The little food we have is not enough!"

"My lord, please don't kill me! I know Ming Youlan, and I know her family's background!"

Upon hearing that his future sister-in-law might have a secret, Liu Yang sternly demanded, "Speak!"