The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and the old men and women who had been arguing fiercely fell silent as if they had been frozen in place.

Immediately afterwards, the old woman named Liu Guilan quickly put on a smiling face and said cautiously to the middle-aged man, "Ashi, please don't be angry. Your father is just like this, you know that."

After saying that, she turned her head and looked around eagerly, muttering, "Can you quickly see if there's anything to eat around here? Our little one is starving."

Immediately afterwards, Xi Xi clearly heard a child's heart-wrenching, wailing cry.

"Shut up!" the middle-aged man shouted angrily, and the child instantly fell silent, only able to let out a few sobs from time to time, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"I've been driving all day, I don't have the energy to go looking for anything to eat."

"What about the bread you brought from the convenience store?"

"I finished eating a long time ago."

"Didn't I tell you to eat sparingly?!"

“I’m being frugal, but Xiao Bao is still growing, how can he not eat?” Liu Guilan said matter-of-factly. “Ashi, why don’t you go and take a look around? This place looks much better than the desert. Even if there’s no meat or anything good, it would be good to find some crops or fruits.”

"Look at you, I told you why you were cursing Apan. If she were here, she could at least go out and find some food," the old man suddenly interjected.

"Who knew that little hussy was so easily scolded? She's an unfilial son, just like her mother. She actually dared to run away secretly; may she be struck by lightning!" Liu Guilan cursed incessantly, swearing at every turn. "Our little Lunyu is still the best."

"Grandma, I'm hungry..." The child's cries rang out again.

The old lady immediately felt extremely sorry for him and kept calling him her little darling and sweetheart, trying to coax him.

Lunyu? Lunyu? Why does that name sound so familiar?

Xi Xi's thoughts suddenly drifted back to Xue Lunyu, the suspect candidate who had run into the line of fire that day.

However, just a moment later, Xi Xi quickly dismissed the idea in her mind.

After all, the man named Xue Lunyu spoke clearly and appropriately, displaying an extremely mature and composed demeanor. It was hard to associate him with a child who was only a few years old.

Just then, Liu Guilan's urgent yet slightly annoyed voice rang out: "Old man! Old man!" Liu Guilan patted her husband's shoulder forcefully while urging him repeatedly: "Xue Songhuo! Hurry up and find us something to eat!"

Upon hearing this, Xi Xi, who had been lost in thought, was suddenly struck by a thought. So, he really is surnamed Xue?

In an instant, countless questions flooded her mind, causing Xi Xi's recently retracted rejection of Xue Lunyu to waver once again.

Meanwhile, Xue Songhuo, whom Liu Guilan called "old man," gave his wife a big eye roll in return.

Immediately afterwards, he closed his eyes as if nothing had happened, pretending to be dozing off, and ignored Liu Guilan's urging.

Liu Guilan's anger flared instantly. That old man was no longer in charge; how dare he argue with her?

Now, isn't her son, A-Shi, the one who calls the shots in this big family?

The old woman cursed her husband in her heart. She patted her sleeves, pulled a piece of dry wood that was still sparking from the blazing fire to use as a torch, and groped her way around alone.

In fact, elderly women of this age have no idea about the current situation or how to play survival games.

All she knew was that her whole family had been sent to this desolate place, and now they could only rely on her son.

The surroundings seemed bountiful, but apart from trees and bushes, not a single fruit could be seen. Soon the old woman grew tired and sat down, panting, under a large tree.

"Why did it get dark so quickly today?" Liu Guilan asked, panting as she looked up at the sky. A rustling sound came from the grass.

"Who?!" The old woman shuddered, glancing nervously into the depths of the bushes. She stood up hesitantly and shouted at the top of her lungs, as if trying to bolster her courage, "Who, who's there! I've seen you!"

Liu Guilan picked up a tree branch and threw it into the grass not far away. After a long silence, she finally mustered up the courage to walk forward.

"Why didn't you go with Mom to find food?" On the other side, in front of the fire, the middle-aged man called Shi frowned and stared at his father.

The old man snorted and said disdainfully, "I'm an old man, I can't move. I've worked hard for most of my life, just to enjoy my retirement. Don't try to boss me around."

The middle-aged man's eyes suddenly darkened, and his voice turned colder: "This is a survival game. If you want to stay in this team, you have to do something. Trying to freeload is just wishful thinking."

Upon hearing this, the old man felt embarrassed. His son was actually trying to intimidate him in front of his grandson. Was there no law anymore?

His face was flushed, veins bulging on his forehead, and he roared furiously, "I eat for free? Xue Shi, you little brat, how dare you say your own father eats for free?"

Think about it carefully. Who helped you grow up? It was me, your father, who toiled like a slave for most of my life, working myself to the bone to support my family! You heartless ingrate!

These words were like a lit fuse, instantly igniting the tense atmosphere between father and son.

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