The child stared at Lin Yuxin warily for a long time before nodding. However, he still didn't trust these people. They were all carrying knives and had such fierce expressions; they didn't look like good people at all.
Therefore, he remained very wary of them.
Lin Yuxin noticed his wariness and didn't insist. She let Xueying release him. If she scared him away, how would she find clues?
The moment the child let go, he immediately jumped several meters away, watching them warily from a distance.
Lin Yuxin wasn't in a hurry. Instead, she asked Wang Yu to take out some steamed buns and water, place them on an empty table, and then waved for everyone else to step aside.
He took a few steps back before saying:
"Eat up! Once you've finished eating, let's have a proper talk."
The child looked at Lin Yuxin and then at the steamed buns on the table. He swallowed hard. He had been starving for three days and only came out to eat today because he couldn't stand it anymore.
Then they encountered this group of people of unknown origin, but... they had food!
After hesitating for a long time, the child finally succumbed to the temptation of the food. He then looked warily at Xueying and the others, and cautiously walked towards them. Seeing that they hadn't moved, he suddenly grabbed the steamed bun and began to wolf it down.
Even though I was choking and feeling uncomfortable, I didn't stop.
Helpless, Lin Yuxin could only say softly:
"Eat slowly, drink some water, we have more if you're still hungry."
The child ignored him and wolfed down his food, finishing one steamed bun in a few bites, then picked up another and started eating it.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Lin Yuxin didn't say anything and just waited quietly for him to finish eating.
The child had finished eating and had one steamed bun left. He picked it up and hid it in his clothes. He glanced at Lin Yuxin and the others, then his eyes darted around. He turned to run away, but Xueying flashed in front of him, blocking the doorway and grabbing him by the back of his collar. He couldn't escape.
"You can't escape. We just want to ask some questions. We won't do anything to you."
Lin Yuxin raised an eyebrow and said calmly.
She really didn't expect that this child would try to run away after eating and drinking his fill; he was a bit ungrateful!
The child looked at Lin Yuxin warily. He knew that these people were listening to this pretty young lady, so he immediately locked his gaze on Lin Yuxin.
The child hesitated for a moment, then, knowing he couldn't escape, nodded resignedly.
"Okay, let's sit down and talk!"
Seeing that he wasn't struggling anymore, Lin Yuxin guessed that he had already come to his senses, so she said calmly.
Then he walked to the table where he had put the steamed buns earlier, which was also the only intact table in the entire hall. He pulled up a stool at random, dusted it off, sat down, and looked at the child.
Xueying then released the child's collar and stood at the door, blocking his way out.
After the child steadied himself, he watched her movements but didn't go over. Instead, he cautiously found a corner a little away from them and squatted down, looking up at Lin Yuxin.
Lin Yuxin had no choice but to let him be. She asked in a low voice:
"Tell me, how do you get back from here? What happened? Where are the people here?"
The child sat there for a while before speaking:
"Could you give me some more food?"
Lin Yuxin raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement:
"Sure, if what you say is useful, I can give you food."
The child only spoke slowly after she agreed:
"My name is Gouzi. A month ago, my mother wanted to take my younger brother and me to seek refuge elsewhere. She said that the heavens were not sending rain, all the crops in the fields had died, and the food in the streets was very expensive. Our family couldn't afford it, so we were stuck in Jibei City!"
"Most people in the county and countryside had already left. Just as my mother was about to take us away, a group of people came from the city with some tokens from above, saying that the grain distributed from above had arrived and they would distribute the grain to the villagers for free."
"The people who hadn't left the county were overjoyed, thinking that the emperor had sent people to rescue them. We received two days' worth of food, which wasn't really food, just dry rations, some steamed buns and flatbreads."
"But these are lifesavers for us people who have no food. People come to collect them every day, and no one cares even if they taste strange."
"You said those pancakes and steamed buns tasted strange? How so?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuxin frowned and asked.
"It has a bitter almond smell and a musty smell; it tastes really weird."
The dog thought for a moment and then said.
"Go on!"
Lin Yuxin thought for a moment but couldn't figure out what was wrong with the taste, so she had no choice but to let Gouzi continue.
The dog nodded and continued:
"After a couple of days, the people on the street started acting strangely. They all had blank expressions, dull eyes, walked stiffly, and spoke slowly. Even my mother started acting abnormally."
"Then these strange occurrences gradually decreased, and the whole county was filled with an eeriness. Some normal people sensed that something was wrong and became afraid. They wanted to leave, but they couldn't get out. Every time someone left, they would be sent back, and the next day they would become abnormal. After a few days, they would disappear."
“Until one day my mother disappeared too. I searched for a long time but couldn’t find her. I was afraid that if my younger brother was not found before my mother was found, something would happen to him too, so I took my younger brother and hid.”
"Later, someone came to the county and said that the higher-ups had ordered them to plant certain trees. The group was afraid that things would be exposed, so they hid those strange people. But the uncles who planted the trees would go back every day, so they never found out."
“I was worried that they would really leave and never come back, and that no one would find out what was going on here. So one day, I hid in the place where they were hiding and secretly released them.”
"It finally made those people who came to plant trees realize that something was wrong. After they found out that I was the one who released the people, they tried to arrest me, but I hid for a night."
"The next day, just when I was about to be caught by them, two strange uncles came and rescued me and took me with them. They stayed at the inn afterward. One of the uncles even gave me food. Then one day, that uncle told me to find a place to hide, so I took my younger brother and hid."
"But a few days later when I went out to find food, there was no one on the street, it was like a ghost town. I went to find my uncle, but everything was spoiled and my uncle was gone. I was terrified and didn't care about finding food. I went back to my hiding place and hid. I came out again just now."
As the child finished speaking, Lin Yuxin learned the whole story. However, when she heard the child mention the uncle who had given him food, Lin Yuxin instinctively felt that it was Li Xiaochen.
She asked anxiously:
"Wasn't that uncle wearing dark black clothes? He had striking features and didn't talk much?"
The dog thought for a moment and nodded. The uncle did not talk much when feeding him. At first, he was a little afraid of him. If the uncle had not saved him, he would probably have been scared to tears.
Was there anything wrong with your uncle before he disappeared?
Lin Yuxin was overjoyed; she had finally received news of him. Then she asked again.
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