Chapter 55 The person who can't catch the tail is anxious.

Chapter 55 The person who can't catch the tail is anxious.

Jiang Songzhi's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately realized that things were not simple. He nodded calmly and secretly gave Mu Shi and Yun Shi a wink.

Mu held Xiaoxiao, who was still sobbing, with Yun following behind. The three of them followed Jiang Huaiyu, using the abandoned houses as cover, and circled around to the thatched hut.

Upon entering, they were both stunned speechless and wide-eyed when they saw the sliced ​​watermelon on the floor, its bright red flesh glistening with juice.

"This...this is a watermelon?"

Yun's voice trembled. In this drought-stricken place, seeing watermelons was like a dream.

"Don't ask, Mother, eat quickly!" Jiang Yutang picked up a piece of watermelon and handed it to Mu Shi, then handed another piece to Yun Shi. "After you finish eating, wipe your mouth clean before going back. Don't leave any traces. Then call your eldest brother and father over."

Mu quickly handed the watermelon to Xiaoxiao's mouth. The little one was probably very thirsty. She took a small bite, and the cool, sweet juice instantly melted in her mouth, flowing into her throat like a mountain spring for the gods. Her sobbing stopped instantly, leaving only the sound of satisfied swallowing.

Holding the watermelon, Madam Yun sat on the wooden stool beside her, took a bite, and the sweet taste spread from the tip of her tongue to the bottom of her heart. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she choked out, "This is the sweetest watermelon I've ever eaten in my life..."

The three quickly finished eating, wiped the juice from their mouths and hands with a cloth, and left the thatched hut as if nothing had happened.

A short while later, Jiang Songzhi helped Jiang Shengan slowly walk in.

The father and son were equally surprised when they saw the watermelon. Before they could ask where it came from, Jiang Sumin stuffed a piece of watermelon into their hands.

"Eat quickly, and when you're done, call your second brother and sister-in-law over. Be quick and don't attract attention."

Jiang Yutang listened warily to the sounds outside while carefully cutting the watermelon with a folding knife.

The walls of the thatched hut were not thick, and it would be troublesome if passing refugees heard the noise.

In the same way, they finished eating the watermelon with surprise and then returned to the camp as if nothing had happened.

The other refugees assumed that the Jiang family members were taking turns going to the village to relieve themselves and didn't think much of it.

But the more Cheng Lanzhou looked, the more uneasy he felt. When all the members of the Jiang family had finished taking their turn and Jiang Huaiyu came to call him, he first sent Lin Shi and Cheng Dai'er.

The two followed Jiang Huaiyu into the village, staying for a short but not too long time. When they came out, although they pretended to be indifferent, they could not hide a secret sense of satisfaction.

When it was Cheng Lanzhou's turn, he followed Jiang Huaiyu's footsteps and trailed him all the way to the thatched hut.

Turning the corner to the back of the house, he saw watermelon rinds all over the ground and froze on the spot.

How could there be fresh watermelons in a place so arid that even water is hard to find?

Inside the house, Jiang Yutang was squatting on the ground without any regard for her image, enjoying watermelon with Jiang Sumin, with watermelon juice still on the corners of her mouth.

Jiang Yutang looked up and met Cheng Lanzhou's gaze at the door.

His face still carried its usual coldness, but there was a hint of bewilderment hidden in his eyes, clearly not expecting to see such a scene.

"What are you standing there for? Come and eat with us!" Jiang Yutang waved to them, still chewing on watermelon, her words muffled.

Cheng Lanzhou walked over, his gaze sweeping over the watermelon rinds scattered on the ground and the remaining watermelons. After a long while, he finally picked up a piece of watermelon.

He didn't eat it right away, but first took a closer look at the stem of the watermelon.

The cut surface was fresh, still showing a faint green hue, clearly indicating that it had been picked not long ago.

"Where did this watermelon come from?" he asked calmly, yet with an undeniable air of inquiry.

Jiang Yutang was prepared and casually replied, "I found it in a remote cellar in the village. Look at this stem, it's so fresh. Who would have thought that a watermelon could grow in a cellar?"

Cheng Lanzhou certainly didn't believe it. This abandoned village looked like it had been deserted for a long time. Even if there really was a cellar, why didn't the people who passed by before discover it, but she was the one who found it?

But seeing that Jiang Yutang was unwilling to say more, and knowing that further questioning might not yield the truth, he could only sigh helplessly and silently take a bite of watermelon.

The sweet juice melted in his mouth, instantly relieving his thirst of the past few days, but he was filled with frustration.

He had been certain that there was nothing edible in the village, which was why he hadn't come along. However, his judgment was wrong, and he not only missed a good opportunity to monitor Jiang Yutang.

A miscalculation, what a pity.

The four of them quickly finished the remaining watermelon, found a broken shovel, dug a hole in the corner of the room, buried the watermelon rind in the hole, and covered it tightly with soil to make sure there was no trace of it.

Jiang Yutang stepped forward and ruffled the soil a couple of times to make sure there were no traces of melon rind before nodding: "That's enough. Let's hurry back. Leaving for too long will arouse suspicion from others."

She then turned to the other three and instructed them, "When you get back, be sure to act as if nothing happened, and don't give anything away."

As soon as the four of them stepped out of the village, they saw two constables standing at the entrance of the camp checking people, their expressions much more serious than before.

It seems that the previous comments about "drinking blood" had made them somewhat concerned, and they were really afraid that the refugees would kill each other in order to fight for water, so they specially kept watch here.

Upon seeing Jiang Yutang and his group of four return, the fat constable immediately stepped forward, his eyes scanning them with a scrutinizing gaze: "What were you doing in the village just now? I saw your family members going in and out of the village several times. Did you hide something good?"

Jiang Yutang raised her hand to rub her forehead, pretending to be guilty, and softened her voice: "What are you saying? If we had something good, wouldn't we offer it to you four? We... went to relieve ourselves. This village has been abandoned for a long time, and we were worried about the danger, so we always had my brother, who knows a little kung fu, accompany us. We made several trips back and forth, please forgive us."

This sounded reasonable, but the fat constable noticed a water stain on Jiang Yutang's cuff. As if he had thought of something, he revealed a malicious smile.

How does it taste?

Their hearts skipped a beat, and their palms started sweating.

Following the fat constable's gaze, Jiang Yutang noticed that watermelon juice had gotten on her cuff without her noticing. She quickly grabbed her cuff, her mind racing to figure out how to explain.

Fortunately, Jiang Huaiyu reacted quickly, immediately stepping forward and patting the fat constable's arm in a teasing tone.

"Sir, it's so embarrassing for our Tang'er to ask this in public, she's still just a little girl! If you're curious, you can try it yourself, hahaha!"

The group burst into laughter. Fatty Ya immediately realized his question was inappropriate and laughed loudly, "You dare to make fun of me? Alright, you guys should go back now, don't just stand here."

Jiang Yutang belatedly realized that the "taste" the constable asked about wasn't watermelon; he was convinced they were hiding in the village to secretly drink urine.

Her face instantly turned as red as if it were on fire, from her ears to her neck, and her expression changed like a slideshow, switching three times in a second.

From shock to anger and embarrassment, they finally gave up and surrendered, displaying a helpless attitude of "at this point, you can say whatever you want."

Cheng Lanzhou, standing beside him, observed this series of expressive facial expressions.