Those present hesitated upon hearing this, unsure of what Yan Xiao was up to.
Yan Xiao then smiled and sized up the "fat sheep" in front of him, wondering what benefits he could gain from them.
They had used up the last bit of salt when they were cooking the crayfish.
Shen Qiyue was almost heartbroken to tears at that time, because people can't go without salt for a long time.
Yan Xiao never intended to hide the fact that crayfish were edible, since they were so abundant that she and Shen Qiyue couldn't possibly eat them all.
Besides, the two of them are likely to eat this frequently in the coming period, so we can't be on guard against people every time, can we? Shrimp shells are also difficult to handle.
Since it's going to be discovered sooner or later, might as well make good use of it and gain some benefits for myself.
In those days, even the lowest grade of coarse salt was a precious commodity, and she didn't expect these refugees to have much of it.
But something is better than nothing.
Yan Xiao was actually quite unsure of herself, but she maintained a calm and composed demeanor, making it impossible for anyone to figure out her true intentions.
She didn't urge them. After explaining her intentions, she took a wooden stick and led Shen Qiyue to the couple who were tied together.
The couple had their mouths gagged and couldn't speak at all, only making muffled noises.
Even in this predicament, they showed no remorse whatsoever, still glaring fiercely at Yan Xiao as if they wanted to devour her.
The adage that villains die from talking too much is something Yan Xiao understood long ago.
She didn't waste a single word on the two of them; with a swift movement, she struck the couple directly on the knees with her stick.
She was already strong, and now that she was full, every time the stick fell, there was a "crack" sound of bones breaking, as well as the couple's muffled groans of pain.
Yan Xiao's movements were so fast that no one present had time to react.
When they came to their senses, all they saw was Yan Xiao holding a wooden stick with a smile on his face, and a miserable couple writhing in pain on the ground.
Those present felt a chill run down their spines upon witnessing this scene.
The fact that Yan Xiao's ugly face was still smiling added an eerie touch to the scene, causing some timid people to take a step back.
Some of the bolder people spoke up:
"What are you doing?"
Yan Xiao turned around at the sound, smiled at the person who asked the question, and replied with an innocent look:
"What kind of question is that? Didn't you see it yourself? I'm breaking their legs to stop them from harming more people."
He even gave a puzzled look, his tone full of doubt:
"They just tried to kill me, and I only broke their legs. Isn't that merciful enough? Is there anything wrong with that?"
Such words paired with such an expression would certainly sound incredibly innocent to a young woman.
Unfortunately, Yan Xiao was too ugly, and combined with what she had just done, it only made the people present feel horrified.
What do you mean by "just broke their legs"? That's far more cruel than killing them outright!
These are famine years, and they are refugees. Even those with all four limbs intact may not survive, let alone those with missing legs.
This is to leave them with a breath of life, letting them wait to die in endless despair!
Shen Qiyue was also startled by Yan Xiao's ruthlessness. If it were before, she probably wouldn't have dared to look at Yan Xiao at all.
But for some reason, she felt inexplicably at ease at that moment, and felt that her sister-in-law in front of her was particularly reliable.
Those who were originally considering whether to force Yanxiao into the water, now seeing this scene, began to have second thoughts.
They were just ordinary people before, not vicious people. The reason they dared to eat people and follow that couple here was because they were forced to survive and believed that the two little girls were easy to deal with.
But seeing how ruthless this woman was and how she seemed fearless, who knew where her confidence came from? This made them think twice.
The group exchanged glances and whispered among themselves before a representative stepped forward to speak with Yan Xiao.
"You just said you wanted compensation, what do you want?"
Yan Xiao had been waiting for this effect, and seeing that someone had finally asked, she replied directly:
“You are all refugees, so you naturally have no money. I was just thinking that you could scrape together some salt or cloth for me. You should be able to do that, right?”
As Yan Xiao spoke, she observed their expressions. Seeing that several people immediately showed signs of distress, she knew they must have some, and quickly tempted them:
"I can assure you that the crayfish will be enough to feed everyone here. All you need is some salt and a cloth, and you'll have plenty to eat from now on."
Even a fool could see this deal was incredibly profitable, so what are you all hesitating for?
These words of laughter and conversation held a fatal attraction for those who hadn't had a full meal in a long time.
Sure enough, after several rounds of discussion, they finally nodded in agreement.
"Okay, we'll raise the money for you, but you have to keep your word, or we won't let you off the hook."
"Of course, with so many of you, how could I dare to do anything reckless!"
Before long, a small bag of coarse salt and two patched linen blankets were placed in front of Yan Xiao.
There was probably only about two ounces of salt, and the blanket was barely enough for her and Shen Qiyue to sleep on the floor. The supplies were truly pitifully scarce, but this was the limit of what these people could scrape together.
Yan Xiao was very dissatisfied, but said nothing. She simply told Shen Qiyue, who was already getting restless, to put the things away.
Then, ignoring the urging of the others, he walked up to the couple again.
Under the couple's resentful and terrified gaze, he reached out and took their bundle, then searched them to make sure there was nothing useful before getting up.
"Don't look at me like that. Who told you to ask for your own deaths?"
Yan Xiao handed the bundle directly to Shen Qiyue, then gestured for Shen Qiyue to clean up the pots and pans, while she led the people to the riverbank.
"You all need to watch carefully!"
When those people saw Yan Xiao grabbing strange insects with pincers from the river, their expressions became quite interesting.
When Yanxiao separated the strange insect's head and body, peeled off its shell to reveal the meat on the shrimp's tail, their expressions became even more interesting.
The first person to react angrily exclaimed:
"Are you playing us? This is a venomous insect punishable by heaven; eating it will kill you. Are you trying to harm us?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Yan Xiao remained completely unfazed, even blinking innocently, and pointed at the crayfish, asking in return:
"My sister-in-law and I ate so much of this stuff, did we die? We're still alive and well, aren't we? Some things are only true when you see them, not when you hear them. You've heard it poisons people, but have you ever actually seen it happen?"
After the joke was told, the group looked at each other in bewilderment. They had only heard about it and had not actually seen anyone being poisoned.
But if everyone says so, it can't be just a rumor, right?
Seeing that they all looked like they wanted to get angry but couldn't find a reason, Yan Xiao quickly continued:
"Anyway, I've already told you about the food. Whether you dare to eat it or not is none of my business."
There are plenty of crayfish by the river right now, aren't you going to catch some? If more people come, this spot might not be yours anymore.
These people were already starving, and they were tempted by what they heard. In addition, Yan Xiao and Shen Qiyue were indeed unharmed. With no way out, they decided to take a gamble and rolled up their sleeves to go into the water.
Having achieved her goal, Yan Xiao had no intention of staying any longer. After giving Shen Qiyue a look, she silently led Shen Qiyue away.
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