So they didn't need to cook along the way; they could simply take the food out of the kitchen and eat it straight away, while it was still steaming hot.

The servants who came out on this trip were all trusted confidants, so Ning Bao didn't hide anything. After checking that no one was around, she quietly took out the food and laid it out. Everyone ate a little and then quickly crawled into the tent to prepare for rest.

However, they had only been asleep for a short time when they heard a series of unfamiliar footsteps.

Just as Ning Bao was about to go out to check, she heard the voice of the guards outside.

"Halt! Who are you?"

Ningbao lifted the tent slightly, and the mother and daughter peered through the gap.

Three people were standing in the darkness outside: an old woman and a young couple.

The sudden appearance of these few people in the middle of nowhere seemed rather abrupt. Su Jingshu's first thought was that they were some kind of ghosts, and she simply asked them aloud.

"Ningbao, are they people or ghosts?"

Ningbao thought of this problem the moment she saw them, and she examined them carefully.

"Mother, they really are people, but they don't look like good people."

As soon as someone approached the camp, Bai Ming and Zhou Mingxin went out immediately.

The young man immediately bowed and clasped his hands in greeting when he saw them, but Ning Bao couldn't see a trace of sincerity in his eyes.

The man stated matter-of-factly.

"Gentlemen, it's already dark and there's nowhere to stay nearby. Your hut looks nice; could you let us stay there?"

Zhou Mingxin answered without hesitation.

"cannot."

Zhou Mingxin's decisive answer stunned the man.

"Young men, you see, my mother is old, my wife is pregnant, and I am also very weak. It's windy at night, and I'll get sick if I stay in the wild."

Zhou Mingxin was speechless.

"What does this have to do with me?"

It's not like I made it dark, or that I made the wind blow.

Go find whoever did it. Besides, if you know it's going to get dark, you should find a place to stay earlier.

"You'd better leave quickly, we need to rest, otherwise my guards won't go easy on us."

Faced with Zhou Mingxin's threat, the young man took a step back, but the old woman beside him stepped forward and put her hands on her hips.

"You two brats, dressed so smartly, how come you have no compassion at all? Haven't you ever heard of respecting the elderly?"

"Old woman, I'm tired from traveling. Quickly make me a shed so I can rest. Oh, and bring me some food too."

The old woman was about to walk toward the largest tent when she was stopped by a guard after taking just one step.

The old woman panicked immediately upon seeing this.

"Let go! Why are you blocking me?"

Help! A nobleman from a wealthy family is bullying people…

Ning Bao looked speechlessly at the old woman who was sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum. It seemed that this person used to be a master of throwing tantrums in the village.

This trick might work in a village, but rolling around on that hillside in the middle of nowhere wouldn't attract any attention; it might even provoke a few ghosts...

Ning Bao glanced directly at Su Jing Shu.

"Mother, please stay here and don't go out. I'll go check on things."

Su Jingshu nodded.

"Then be careful, that old woman seems quite troublesome."