Because it was simply too delicious, a delicacy from the mortal realm, finally tasted.
Even if they died immediately after eating it, it would have been worth it.
They comforted themselves with Gu Qingcheng's words: "It would be a waste to let it freeze."
"Thank you so much, I haven't eaten meat in a long time."
Finally full, their reason and upbringing resurfaced. Luo Juan and Wang Daya quickly thanked Gu Qingcheng and the other person.
They didn't hide their destitution, as the others could see it anyway.
Both of their families were once of middle class, running small businesses. They weren't as poor as ordinary farmers and could afford to eat meat from time to time.
Wang Daya's younger brother could still go to school, and Luo Juan's elder brother was a shopkeeper in a pharmacy. However, after their families were all frozen to death by the extreme cold, their lives became difficult.
They had nothing, and didn't know how to run any profitable businesses. They could only live on the meager savings from their families.
With soaring prices in the city, they were running out of food. If Lord Xia stopped distributing porridge, they would starve to death.
Now, going south was their biggest hope for survival.
After eating someone's food, Luo Juan and Wang Daya's attitudes softened considerably.
Furthermore, they discovered that even after accepting their hospitality, the others made no undue demands, and sat at a distance. It seemed they had misunderstood them.
"Two young men, are you out on business, or visiting friends and relatives?" Luo Juan initiated conversation.
These two didn't look like children from ordinary families, but they didn't seem to be from official households either, as they weren't accompanied by any servants.
For young masters like them, if they came from prominent families, wouldn't they bring three to five guards?
Yet, these two were clearly traveling alone.
"We are heading south. What about you two sisters?" Luo Juan and Wang Daya looked older than Gu Qingcheng currently was, around sixteen or seventeen. Thus, Gu Qingcheng directly addressed them as sisters.
The two women were pleased by his politeness.
Wang Daya exclaimed with pleasant surprise, "That's perfect! We're going south too. We heard it's warmer there, and at least we won't freeze. I'm terrified of the cold here."
"Is it not concerning to travel so far south? You don't seem to have much luggage, nor much food and drink," Gu Qingcheng asked slowly, seeing that they had let down their guard.
"Oh, you're not from Jinsha City, are you? If you were, you'd know about the mysterious notes that have recently appeared in Jinsha City, detailing the benefits of going south and even providing route maps with supply points. Since our families are gone and we're starving and freezing in the city, why not try our luck in the south? It might be an opportunity." Luo Juan answered honestly, without concealment.
In this time of famine, anyone willing to share food must not be a bad person, Luo Juan thought.
Gu Qingcheng chuckled and said, "Your choice is definitely correct. The temperature in the south has already warmed up. Going south is a good decision."
"So you think so too! Since we're all going south, how about we travel together?" Wang Daya suggested.
Truthfully, she felt a bit uneasy traveling with just the two of them.
After testing them, she felt Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo were good people and was willing to accompany them. Although they were all young, there were more people, which gave them more courage.
"Alright," Gu Qingcheng readily agreed.
As they were chatting, the temple door suddenly creaked open with a forceful push.
Everyone looked up warily. An middle-aged couple entered.
They were covered in snow and frost. The man supported the woman, who leaned against him. They appeared to be husband and wife.
What made Wang Daya and Luo Juan's eyes light up was that the package the man carried was the same as the ones they had received at the supply points. It seemed they were also guided by the notes to head south.
"Dear friends, it's freezing outside. Please allow us, a couple, to stay here tonight. We hope you don't mind," the man said politely.
When traveling, politeness is never a fault.
"It's alright. When traveling, everyone should help each other," Luo Juan replied with a nod.
Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo remained silent, only nodding.
After entering the temple, the middle-aged man saw that the people inside were young boys and girls, and they radiated no malice or hostility. He immediately felt at ease.
The man helped the woman to sit down.
Wang Daya saw the woman shivering from the cold and proactively invited her to sit closer to the fire.
The man thanked her and quickly went outside the temple again. After a while, he returned with a large bundle of firewood.
Then, he busied himself starting a new bonfire.
This man looked familiar. Gu Qingcheng tried to recall and finally remembered.
This man's surname was Dai, and his name was Dai Fa. He had appeared in her dreams of natural disasters.
Dai Fa was a prominent city lord in the south, commanding great influence. It was unexpected that he was now so down on his luck, needing supplies from her supply points to survive.
Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
A city lord, so distinguished, was now in such a sorry state.
But he must have had some capability, otherwise, he wouldn't have gone from being destitute to a wealthy landowner.
Knowing his future identity, Gu Qingcheng wished to befriend him. She continued grilling some skewers and asked if he needed any.
Dai Fa was initially wary, but then he caught sight of his wife's longing gaze at the grilled meat. His heart melted, and he couldn't refuse, nodding his head.
Dai Fa took a skewer and tried it himself first.
After a while, seeing no adverse reactions, he passed it to his wife.
Gu Qingcheng observed him taking great care of his wife, frequently feeding her hot water and rubbing her hands with cold snow to prevent frostbite.
However, Dai Fa's wife remained listless, passively accepting his actions.
Seeing everyone occasionally looking at his wife, Dai Fa knew they meant no harm. He explained with a wry smile, "My name is Dai Fa, and this is my wife, Zheng Wuniang. She was too deeply affected by the loss of our two sons during the natural disaster and became like this. She might seem a bit foolish now, but she used to be very intelligent, managed the household well, and was diligent, taking excellent care of our home. Alas, my two sons, the elder was sixteen, and the younger was thirteen. Sigh..."
Everyone, having suffered the hardships of natural disasters themselves, felt sympathy for his plight.
Gu Qingcheng, seeing his patient and meticulous care for his wife, thought he truly had admirable qualities.
After learning about each other's backgrounds, they were all victims of the natural disaster. Their shared suffering brought them closer.
Wang Daya and Luo Juan then mentioned that they wanted to go south because of the notes.
Dai Fa was greatly surprised, saying that he too had seen the notes, which led him to bring his wife south in search of a ray of hope.
Life in the city had become desperate for them. Their house was filled with memories of their past life, and his wife was lost in the past, becoming increasingly foolish.