Xi Zhongcang's heart skipped a beat. Seeing the fawning manner of the scarred man's younger sister, he knew that this man was one of the Huang brothers who owned the rock drilling rig.
The man had a dark complexion and did indeed look like a construction worker.
The man known as Brother Huang Er was also looking Xi Zhongcang up and down, his eyes revealing disdain.
Seeing this, the short-haired woman turned around, glared at Xi's father, and then said to the construction site man:
"This person isn't even from our organization. I told you long ago that this family looks shifty and doesn't seem like good people. Who would have thought they would actually infiltrate and beg for food!"
Upon hearing this, Xi Zhongcang's expression suddenly hardened, and in an instant, he swallowed back the words of advice he was about to say.
The scarred man is kind at heart, but he cannot remain unscathed in adversity. Having a sister with such a character is enough to exhaust all his good deeds.
While Xi Zhongcang harbored goodwill towards his compatriots, he was by no means a saint who could endure humiliation and hardship. Therefore, he abandoned the idea of giving a warning, lest he nurture a tiger that would become a threat.
Just then, an old man stepped out from the crowd. Upon closer inspection, it was the same skinny old smoker from before.
The old man patted his daughter on the back, winked repeatedly, then rubbed his hands together, stepped forward, bowed to the construction worker, and grinned, saying, "Manager Huang, I think there's probably some misunderstanding here!"
“I recognize this guy. He’s from the organization that took over the hill before!” The old man swallowed, remembering the cigarette Xi Zhongcang had offered him.
"He's so enamored with our organization, he's been talking to me about it for ages! I was thinking of bringing him to see you tomorrow, but I didn't expect him to be so impatient and come all this way now!"
As the old man spoke, he shoved Xi Zhongcang and said urgently in a low voice, "This is our Liaoyuan's second-in-command, Chief Steward Huang! What are you standing there for? You've hit the jackpot! Quickly bow!"
"..." Xi Zhongcang's expression remained calm, but he still managed to reach out and push the old man's hand away from his arm.
"You've misunderstood. We didn't intend to join the organization. It's just that we met by chance, so we've come to say goodbye," Xi Zhongcang said coldly, before finally spotting the scarred man in the crowd.
The scarred man was busy moving something when he saw a large group of people gathered around. Thinking something terrible had happened, he quickly put down his work and ran over in a few strides.
Xi Zhongcang pulled a packet of instant noodles from his pocket and handed it to the bewildered scarred man: "Thank you for the candy, it helped us a lot. This is a return gift. I just heard you were leaving, so I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye!"
The short-haired woman was already resentful that her older brother had given the group of people mints, but when she saw the packet of instant noodles, she finally fell silent.
She thought to herself, "At least he knows what's good for him," and then fixed her gaze directly on the instant noodles.
Resources are scarce in the frigid lands; not only are fruits and vegetables scarce, but even prey is hard to find, and treasure chests are extremely rare. Even if you manage to find some delicious food, it belongs to the public and must be handed over to the organization.
Thinking back, the last time she ate instant noodles was when she was surviving in a tunnel... Thinking of this, the short-haired woman couldn't help but swallow.
Unfortunately, her good fortune didn't last long. The man, surnamed Huang, clearly looked down on the packet of instant noodles. He glanced at her disdainfully and inquired about their plans. The short-haired woman stammered and couldn't answer, then received a barrage of scolding.
The lower-ranking members of the organization were unwilling to get involved, so they dispersed, heads down, carrying their rice porridge, and hid inside the RV.
The old man watched Xi Zhongcang's retreating figure, then spat inwardly with disdain: "I thought he was someone who could be trusted, but he couldn't even bring himself to offer anything of value to Steward Huang. That's all he'll ever be..."
"Dad, what nonsense are you talking about?" The scarred man frowned and looked at his father. "Our organization only requires infirm, sick, weak, women, and children who lack labor to pay an entry fee. This family of three looks perfectly healthy; why would they need to..."
"You really are stupid! No wonder you've been the leader of a scouting team for so long and haven't made a single penny of profit!" The old man shoved his son and glared at him with exasperation.
Xi Zhongcang returned to the car and told his wife and daughter what had happened.
After hearing this, Chu Zhiqin's face turned very ugly. She couldn't help but curse a few times under her breath. Then she calmed down and said, "That's good. Once the neighbors leave, we can release the big RV!"
That night, although the three slept in the car, they didn't sleep well. However, during the midnight sun, everyone drew the curtains to block out the light, so they weren't too nervous. At least they didn't catch a cold, and managed to have a warm and comfortable night.
The next morning, Xi Xi was awakened by a commotion. Her parents had gotten up early, leaving her alone in the RV.
Just as she was yawning, she heard conversations outside the car. When a familiar voice rang in her ears, Xi Xi swallowed back the yawn that was halfway through.
Her body stiffened abruptly, her expression instantly turning serious. She stood up quietly, walked quickly to the window, and pressed her ear tightly against the glass.
"Team Leader Liu, I'll just chat with my sister for a bit here, then I'll be right back to the team to push the cart..." The familiar female voice seemed to be pleading for something.
"So you're relatives?" the scarred man's voice suddenly rang out. "Alright, then hurry up! Our team's car isn't fixed yet; it keeps stalling and taking forever to fix."
The footsteps faded into the distance; it seemed the scarred man had left.
"Zhiqin, I didn't know you were here, otherwise I would have come to find you a long time ago!" The woman's voice carried a hint of longing.
"..." Chu Zhiqin remained silent for a long while before asking, "How did you end up here?"
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