As the night deepened, the two groups of people in the service area became clearly separated.
Lu Shiyan and Xiao Han simply packed up the tableware and returned to the SUV.
Xiao Han leaned back in his chair, stretched out his long legs, and sneered, "That group of people is just this much. They almost drool at the smell, but they don't even dare to fart."
He was referring to the way Li Xinhu and his group were fidgeting because of the spicy fried pork.
Lu Shiyan started the car, the engine roared low, his eyes were calm, he glanced at the camp of Li Xinhu and others at the other end of the service area, and said lightly: "They are different from people like Wang Jianguo."
Xiao Han heard it from the side, came over and winked: "Hey, someone's greed is aroused?" Su Wan's cheeks flushed slightly and she glared at him.
"Want some spicy food?" Xiao Han stroked his chin. "I seem to remember that we got a few cans of good chili sauce when we replenished our supplies last time?"
After checking the surroundings of the vehicle, Lu Shiyan walked over. Seeing this scene, his gaze paused on Su Wan's face.
Soon, the iron pot was placed on the simple stove, and when the oil was hot, the chili sauce and diced meat were added. With a "sizzling" sound, the rich and spicy aroma instantly exploded and filled the air.
Su Wan couldn't help but take a deep breath, her eyes lit up. Lu Shiyan was the new chef of the team, and she didn't expect that the task of cooking would fall on him. Judging from his skillful movements, his cooking skills should be good. She knew nothing about cooking, so she could help.
The fragrance was so overbearing that even Li Xinhu at the other end of the service area could vaguely smell it. The people over there were obviously getting agitated, some sniffing the air hard, and some swallowing their saliva.
The young woman in the red T-shirt stared at this side with her eyes fixed, and the desire in her eyes was even more obvious.
Li Xinhu shouted in a low voice, asking everyone to calm down, but it had little effect. Several young men still glanced over here from time to time.
Su Wan's mind was on the pot of spicy fried pork cubes that made her very hungry. The meal was served soon, with hot white rice, spicy fried pork cubes, vegetable soup, and fried eggs and pickled radish cubes. It was a simple home-cooked meal, but it was hard to find in the end times.
Xiao Han swallowed the food in his mouth and nudged Lu Shiyan with his elbow. "Hey, seriously, do you like boys or girls?"
Lu Shiyan paused in picking up the food and said, "They are all the same." His voice was so calm that no preference could be detected.
"Tsk, so boring." Xiao Han curled his lips, feeling that he was asking for trouble.
He turned his target to Su Wan, who was gasping for air from the spiciness. "Pregnant girl, how about we start thinking of a name now?"
Xiao Han winked at her, looking like he was just looking for trouble. "Since you like spicy food so much, how about calling her Little Chili Pepper? It's so appropriate and flavorful!"
Su Wan had just taken a sip of soup when he paused after hearing this.
Chili pepper?
A passage from the book suddenly flashed through her mind: In Li Xinhu's team, there was a young woman who was bold and beautiful, and her nickname was "Little Pepper".
It was also she who betrayed Li Xinhu at the critical moment because of a little food and promise, leading to his almost complete annihilation.
Su Wan's eyes subconsciously turned to Li Xinhu. The young woman in the red T-shirt was looking at them furtively, with a hint of desire for food still lingering in the corner of her mouth.
Li Xinhu stood at the other end of the service area, his eyes fixed on the fire on Lu Shiyan's side, with a complicated expression.
"Brother, I'm hungry." The tall man pulled Li Xinhu's sleeve, with obvious desire in his voice.
"Hold on." Li Xinhu whispered, "We have to save our rations, or we won't make it to the central base."
"But..." The tall man looked at Lu Shiyan, "They have so much food..."
Li Xinhu glared at him and said, "Don't have any bad ideas. The people over there are not easy to deal with, especially the leader, who exudes a fierce aura."
The young woman in the red T-shirt came over and said softly, "Xinhu, I think the people over there are quite friendly. How about we..."
"Sister Hong, give up this idea." Li Xinhu decisively interrupted her, "The kindness in the end times is all fake. Let's stay here for one night and leave, don't make any trouble."
The woman named Sister Hong pouted and walked away dissatisfied.
Li Xinhu turned to the core team members and said, "Take turns to be on duty and stay alert. Wake me up if there's any movement over there."
Over there, Lu Shiyan and his group finished cleaning up the dishes. Xiao Han stretched lazily: "I'll go around and see if there's any movement."
"Be careful." Lu Shiyan said calmly.
Su Wan arranged a fairly comfortable rest area. After eating and drinking, she felt much better.
As the dusk deepened, fires lit up on both sides of the service area, like two camps facing each other in the darkness.
On Li Xinhu's side, several team members sat together, occasionally low discussions could be heard, and their eyes would drift towards Lu Shiyan from time to time.
"Ah Hu is too conservative." Sister Hong whispered to her companions, "Ah Hao, it's such a late hour, why are you still talking about rules?"
A tall man beside her nodded: "Yeah, look at their cars and equipment, they must have a lot of good stuff. We have more people, why should we be afraid of them?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Another loyal follower of Li Xinhu, a tall and thin man wearing glasses, stopped him in a stern voice, "Xinhu's decision is right. Survival in the apocalypse depends on reason, not brute force."
Sister Hong sneered and said no more, but the resentment in her eyes became more obvious.
In the middle of the night, Lu Shiyan and his group took turns to rest. At this moment, Xiao Han was leaning against the car door, on guard.
On Li Xinhu's side, it was Sister Hong who was on duty. She woke up the two men and whispered something to them. The tall man nodded, with greed burning in his eyes.
"Right now, most of them are asleep." Sister Hong pointed at Lu Shiyan and the others, "There's only one person guarding there. Let's go together. We have more people, so it won't be difficult to take them down."
The man with glasses was still hesitant, "Sister Hong, what would Xinhu think?"
The tall man also hesitated, then he thought of something and stepped forward, "Don't be afraid, don't forget that Sister Hong's man died for my brother..."
"I just don't believe that he will compromise after he succeeds and sees the benefits." Sister Hong curled her lips, "Ah Hao, don't forget that your wife is pregnant?"
Upon hearing this, the bespectacled man Ah Hao's face turned pale instantly. He thought of his wife's increasingly haggard face due to malnutrition, and his expectations and worries for his unborn child.
If there were more food... His clenched fists loosened slightly, then clenched again. Hesitation and pain intertwined in his eyes, and his Adam's apple rolled violently a few times. In the end, he was unable to utter the rebuttal and could only nod with difficulty.
Sister Hong nodded with satisfaction and waved her hand, motioning for her to follow.
Under the cover of night, the three men bent over and approached Lu Shiyan and his group's camp silently.
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