A Jiu was sweating.
Her father had such a bad reputation in the past, but after all, father had become better now:
"Big Brother, why don't you come with us? We have a carriage and watermelons, so we won't starve you. Don't run anymore."
This was A Jiu's last resort. If her big brother still refused, she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't just pretend she didn't have a big brother.
"What? Watermelons?" the women echoed in unison.
"Yes, A Jiu just mentioned watermelons," httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"What did you say?" Meng Nanxing's mouth was already cracked and dry.
Hearing the word "watermelon," his Adam's apple bobbed. "Sister, is what you're saying true? Is there watermelon?"
"Mhm." A Jiu nodded seriously.
Meng Shaode, standing nearby, stretched his neck to look over, hoping for a turning point.
He wasn't desperate to join the army, but the misunderstandings from everyone else made him feel stifled.
The eight-foot-tall man was so troubled that he was on the verge of tears, his mouth full of words but unable to explain himself.
"Yes, yes, yes, I have watermelon here..." Meng Shaode, as if grabbing a lifeline, quickly dashed into the carriage and pulled out a watermelon, patting it with a resounding thud.
"Look, they're all ripe."
"You guys see." As he spoke, Meng Shaode smashed it directly onto his knee, and the watermelon immediately split open.
The juice flowed down Meng Shaode's knee and onto his trousers.
Ma Dabiao and Song Fengshou, who were leading the group, exchanged a sharp glance.
"Fengshou, what do we do? We really need water."
"But would Meng Shaode be this kind?" Song Fengshou was still suspicious, but his Adam's apple was moving rapidly.
"Let's try it first, kind or not. Don't forget our wives and children haven't had water in two days."
Ma Dabiao was parched with thirst. He glanced back. The women, children, and elderly behind him were all staring at the large watermelon in Meng Shaode's hands.
"Since... since Brother Meng is so kind, then we gratefully accept."
As soon as Ma Dabiao said this, A Jiu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Big Brother, you go have some too," A Jiu said to her brother behind her.
There was no response. When she turned back, his figure had already disappeared into the woods, vanished without a trace.
"Big Brother..." A Jiu chased after him a few steps.
What was going on? Didn't her big brother feel thirsty? They were family, not the government, nor were they vagrant soldiers. Were they that frightening?
The group behind them had already divided and eaten the watermelon.
Meng Shaode smiled with great sincerity, the scar on his face seeming to hide honey.
"It's so sweet."
"Yes, after drinking these two mouthfuls, my throat doesn't hurt anymore."
"Brother Meng, where did you get these watermelons from?"
"Why ask so many questions? If Master De is willing to give us watermelons, it's a kind gesture."
Amidst the murmurs, Meng Shaode felt that one watermelon had washed away all his bad deeds.
But A Jiu couldn't understand why her big brother ran away again.
"Little Sister A Jiu, your big brother seems a bit off," Tuoba Yan said, standing by A Jiu's side.
A Jiu shook her head tiredly. "I don't know."
"Miss A Jiu, my master and I just saw his eyes were very red. Could he have caught a contagious disease, and that's why he ran?" Zhao Kun interjected.
This was also what Tuoba Yan wanted to say.
"His eyes were very red?" A Jiu hadn't noticed. When he was about to leave, A Jiu had thrown herself forward and grabbed his leg. If she had looked, she would have only seen her big brother's leg at most.
"Yes, yes, yes. Very red." Tuoba Yan and Zhao Kun nodded vigorously in unison.
A Jiu looked thoughtfully in the direction her big brother had run. She lacked experience and didn't understand what a red eye meant. The only thing she could relate it to was the dry heat from lack of water.
"Eat slowly, Aunt Zhang, don't rush," Meng Shaode said with a kind smile.
After speaking, Meng Shaode looked towards A Jiu.
He also noticed that Meng Nanxing was gone. "Where's your brother?"
"He ran." A Jiu lowered her head and pointed in the direction Meng Nanxing had fled.
"That scoundrel."
Meng Shaode, enraged, grabbed his whip and chased after him. "If I catch him, I'll break his legs. I'll make him run his heart out."