After checking her child over, tears still streaming down her face, the woman's expression suddenly changed.
Her face turned fierce, and she slapped Zhang Jiale's back with a loud thud.
I felt a twitch in my eye, the force was that strong.
As Zhang Jiale cried, the woman scolded, her voice choked with tears.
"You silly boy! How many times have I told you not to open other people's doors?! What are your ears for?!"
With each repeated phrase, she slapped Zhang Jiale's back again, and eventually, she grabbed his ear and shook it back and forth.
Her anger escalated, and she was about to take off her shoe to spank Zhang Jiale when I quickly stepped in and pulled the child behind me.
"Big sister, don't do that. The child is still traumatized; we can't hit him now."
The woman wiped her nose and said, "If I don't hit him, will he learn? He only listens when he's beaten. If I don't discipline him, what if one day he...?"
She paused, her tone softening slightly.
"I'd regret it for the rest of my life if anything happened to him."
Zhang Jiale stood behind me, sobbing.
I frowned, feeling uncomfortable.
I've always been against physical punishment for children, but many parents mistakenly believe that hitting them is a form of discipline.
Their self-righteous attitude made me wonder if they had forgotten their own childhood memories.
Did they think their parents were being kind to them when they were beaten as kids?
I smiled wryly. "You can talk to him nicely. After this experience, he'll definitely be more careful. There's no need to hit him; he's still just a child."
Shen Xue chimed in, "Yeah, Auntie, it's not like I'm saying you're wrong, but the child made a mistake because there were so many people around who didn't keep an eye on him. You can't blame the kid entirely."
The woman sniffled but didn't say anything, her gaze drifting to Zhang Jiale, who was hiding behind me and crying.
I saw a flash of tenderness in her eyes and quickly took the opportunity to pull Zhang Jiale forward and push him gently towards her.
"Jia Le, go apologize to your mom."
Zhang Jiale stubbornly refused to apologize, still crying and looking up at his mom with a mix of fear and defiance.
Just as the woman's hand was about to rise again, the bespectacled man suddenly spoke up, "Okay, Mom, take Jia Le home. We have things to discuss here."
It was clear they were family.
The woman was taken aback, looked back at Zhang Hongsheng, and didn't say anything else.
She glared at Zhang Jiale and dragged him away.
Halfway through, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at me before saying to Zhang Hongsheng, "Hongsheng, I think this girl seems nice. If they want to stay, let's let them stay for two days. After all, the village is empty, and it's more lively with people around."
I glanced at Zhang Hongsheng.
So, his name was Zhang Hongsheng.
"Lively? That's exactly what I'm worried about. If it gets too lively, we'll attract walkers, and we'll all end up like those in the pit. What are you thinking, Sister Zhang? Do you want to get us all killed?" A man with a twisted face and holding a kitchen knife spoke up in a mocking tone.
The woman glanced at him with disgust and raised her voice.
"Wang Waizui, you'd be better off keeping your mouth shut; it's not like you'll choke on your own saliva!"
"That's enough, Mom. You go back first," Zhang Hongsheng said, turning to his mother.
The woman glared at him, muttered curses at Wang Waizui, and dragged Zhang Jiale away.
As they left, she slapped Zhang Jiale on the head again.
I seemed to recall that there was someone called Wai Zui in Li Jianguo's team.
He was bitten and died, which left a bit of an impression on me.
But even so, if I had to compare, the previous Wai Zui was much more likable than this one, even though the last time I saw him, he was already in a terrible state.
Zhang Hongsheng didn't focus on Suo Tian this time, instead turning to Shen Xue and me.
Out of respect for the ladies, his tone was softer.
"Where are you from, and where are you headed?"
I glanced back at Suo Tian, who was still silent with his lips pursed.
I figured Zhang Hongsheng was asking me and Shen Xue because we seemed more approachable.
"If you've been following the news, you should know where we're from. The news reported the walker hordes passing through that area."
Zhang Hongsheng's eyes widened. "You're from there?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"And where are you headed?"
"Aren't there supposed to be shelters set up in each area? We're trying to get to one," I replied, glancing briefly at Suo Tian, trying to read his expression.
But his face remained unchanged, giving away nothing.
I felt a bit disappointed and turned back to Zhang Hongsheng.
Zhang Hongsheng nodded and finally got to the point of our current standoff.
"How long do you plan to stay here?"
I replied, "Not for long. We'll leave as soon as the snow clears up and the roads are safe."
Zhang Hongsheng's question was clear in its implication: "Since you've managed to travel from such a faraway place without incident, you must know how to avoid those walkers, right?"
He was essentially asking if we could guarantee not to attract any walkers and cause trouble for them.
This was a good sign, indicating that he was open to the idea of letting us stay.
At least it meant we could avoid unnecessary conflicts and trouble.
"Of course, we know what to do."
I added, pointing to the group of black-clad individuals behind me, "We can even take responsibility for your safety during our stay."
Zhang Hongsheng glanced at them, his eyes lingering on Suo Tian before turning back to Shen Xue and me.
"You guys weren't originally together, were you?"
Shen Xue responded with a straight face, "What makes you ask that? We've always been together."
Her tone was so convincing that even I almost believed her.
Just as Zhang Hongsheng was about to respond, a sudden whimpering sound broke the silence.
Zhang Hongsheng was taken aback, and I was too.
I felt a commotion in my arms and suddenly remembered - oh no, Yiyi!
I quickly pulled out the little dog, which was limp and almost lifeless.
I cradled it in my arms, feeling apologetic.
I wondered if I had suffocated it by squatting for too long.
How did it not move for so long?
Zhang Hongsheng's expression was comical as he clearly hadn't expected me to pull out a dog from my clothes.
I smiled and said, "The little thing got chilled, and I forgot about it when I put it in my clothes to warm it up."
"What's the point of keeping it? Women are always so sentimental," Wang Waizui sneered.
I glared at him, and Zhang Hongsheng seemed to be ignoring him.
He just looked at us and asked, "You have time to care for a pet on the road?"
"We're not raising it, we're just bringing it along for a child," Shen Xue said.
"It's a companion for her so she won't be lonely."
"A child?" Zhang Hongsheng's expression froze, and the murmurs around him quieted down. "You're traveling with a child?"
"Yes, younger than the little boy we just met," Shen Xue said, seamlessly portraying Rongrong as her daughter.
Zhang Hongsheng didn't respond immediately.
He turned to the two older men standing beside him and whispered something, and I only caught a few words - "child," "timid," and "pitiful."
The rest was inaudible.
After a moment, he turned back to us.
"You can stay in the village for now, but remember... try not to wander around outside. If you get into trouble, you'll just be asking for it. Attracting walkers is no joke. I'm sure you know that."
Shen Xue and I exchanged a surprised and relieved glance.
This was the second time Rongrong had inadvertently helped us out big time.
"Don't worry, we've been running around outside for days. We've learned to be careful."
Zhang Hongsheng nodded, emphasizing again, "Don't go wandering around unless absolutely necessary."
I didn't need Zhang Hongsheng to tell me that.
Our group, with its understanding of the world and resilience, was far more capable than theirs.
However, to reassure him and secure our stay, I made some promises, guaranteeing that we wouldn't cause trouble or wander around.
Compared to Li Jianguo's group, these people were much more likable.
They still had a sense of kindness and compassion, which emerged when they learned about the child and responded positively to our friendly gestures.
This kindness temporarily overshadowed their hostility towards us.
However, I caught a glimpse of Wang Waizui's displeased expression, and my curiosity was piqued.
What did he mean by that "pit" earlier?
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