However, the issue of Luo A'man not being able to let people get close to her was a bit troublesome. After all, if she were to be a soldier, they would have to train and go on missions together.
Fortunately, it was safe as long as they stayed three feet away. Three feet was about a meter, which was within an acceptable range.
Luo A'man hesitated for a moment before adding, "This also seems to have a little to do with my likes and dislikes of people. For example, my parents and brother usually only suffer minor injuries. I'm not entirely clear on the specifics myself."
Speaking of which, she only discovered this after Luo Jian moved into her house, because the injuries Luo Jian and the others sustained were much more severe.
Jiang Jin felt even more reassured. "Alright."
Seeing Jiang Jin agree, the Luo siblings were overjoyed.
Especially Luo Ah-di, who believed that Jiang Jin wanted him because he ran fast.
For the first time, he felt that having a jinx for a sister was quite good; it had trained his running speed.
When his sister was young and knew nothing, she would always run over and ask for hugs. He was also small then and didn't understand much either.
But after many times, he instinctively knew that once he hugged this sister, he would always get hurt. So, every time he saw his sister coming, he would run away. This running lasted for over a decade.
Their parents also noticed his sister's peculiarity. Afraid that she would be killed as a monster if others found out, they told him to never speak of it. He had kept his mouth shut about it for over a decade as well.
He understood and agreed with his sister bringing this matter up at this time. Their family was starving to death, and finding a way to survive was right, but they couldn't harm people for no reason, especially their benefactor.
Jiang Jin said to the three of them, "Alright, come back tomorrow."
Luo A'man and the other two were incredibly happy. They even forgot about their hunger and excitedly returned to the village.
Luo Shan and his wife were already waiting in front of the courtyard. The more time passed, the more panicked they felt.
Li Qing's face was full of worry. "Do you think something happened to them?"
Luo Shan was also panicking, but he still comforted her, "No, it's just some herbs. It's not anything valuable, so it's not worth killing anyone over, right?"
Li Qing squatted down, panting. She was truly weak from hunger. "Why don't we go over and take a look? I feel a bit uneasy."
Luo Shan looked at the completely dark sky and nodded. "I'll go. You just stay at home."
Just as the two were talking, there was a commotion in the distance.
Li Qing stood up excitedly, almost stumbling and falling. Luo Shan quickly supported her.
"A'man, is that you?" Li Qing called out.
Luo A'man was very excited. "Father, Mother, why are you here? Let's go home, there's good news."
Luo Zhong hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Why not go to my house?"
His herbs were only sold because Luo A'man helped introduce them. He originally planned to share some grain with them as a reward.
However, since they could leave with the group tomorrow, and the young lady said she could ensure they had enough to eat, the grain didn't seem as important anymore.
Therefore, he wanted to invite their family for dinner.
Besides, they needed to eat their fill tonight; otherwise, they would hold everyone back tomorrow.
Luo Shan's family had helped him a lot over the years. He couldn't let them fall behind the group on the very first day and cause the young lady to dislike them.
Before Luo Shan could speak, Luo A'man agreed, "Alright, let's go to Great-Uncle's house."
With those two families at her house right now, it indeed wasn't very convenient to talk.
When cooking dinner, Luo Zhong still couldn't help but be a bit stingy. He was truly terrified of going hungry. Considering that everyone hadn't had a full meal in a long time, he decided to make porridge.
Luo Shan felt very apologetic. "We've made you spend money, Uncle."
Luo Zhong waved his hand. "We're all family. Besides, if it weren't for A'man and her brother, we wouldn't have run into such a good thing today."
Luo A'man excitedly told them about how she and her brother were going to be guards.
Luo Shan and Li Qing were both happy and worried.
They were happy that their children could eat their fill and wouldn't starve to death.
They were worried because being a guard in this world was not an easy job. Even if it wasn't a near-death experience, it was still quite dangerous.
However, looking at the soaring expressions of joy on their children's faces, the couple said nothing.
As the few of them talked, their faces showed a yearning for the future, and the atmosphere was uncharacteristically relaxed.
It didn't take long for dinner to be ready. Everyone ate bite by bite, chewing slowly and swallowing carefully, cherishing the food immensely.
"It's so delicious, so fragrant, so sweet. It turns out rice porridge is sweet." The one speaking was Luo Zhong's granddaughter, Luo Xiaoxi.
In her memory, she had never eaten rice porridge. Even if there was rice, it was always cooked together with other coarse grains or wild vegetables.
Looking at his granddaughter's satisfied smile, Luo Zhong's eyes reddened. He lowered his head, not wanting anyone to see his discomposure.
Luo A'man was still in a state of excitement. "Xiaoxi, we'll be able to eat our fill from now on. Let me tell you, that young lady is a good person. In the future, you and Great-Uncle can help her process herbs together."
Luo Xiaoxi smiled shyly. "Mhm, I will definitely work hard."
Because of Luo Zhong's stinginess, everyone only ate until they were half full.
But everyone was very satisfied!
After dinner, Luo Zhong hesitantly asked, "Are we not going to tell the other families?"
There were more than just their two households living in this village; there were a few others, though they were a bit of a distance from their homes.
Everyone fell silent.
After a long while, Luo A'man spoke up, "Let's just say our goodbyes. We won't say exactly where we're going, so as not to cause trouble for the young lady."
She was worried that if the other families found out, they would want to follow Jiang Jin too. Those families all had many dependents, unlike their own simple households.
When Luo Shan's family of four returned to their own courtyard, they heard a faint, mournful voice: "A'man, are you blaming us for staying at your house? Boo-hoo..."
Under the hazy moonlight, Zhang Yue and Luo Jian stood in the courtyard, looking at the four members of Luo Shan's family.
Luo A'man secretly rolled her eyes. "I happen to have something to tell you. We're leaving tomorrow, so it won't be appropriate for you to stay in this house anymore. You should move out tomorrow."
Zhang Yue and Luo Jian were startled. "Wh-what did you say? Leaving?"
Luo A'man felt a little smug. "You better hurry up and figure out where you're going to live."
Zhang Yue grew anxious and took a step forward. "A'man, don't be angry. Cousin Luo and I really have nothing going on. Please don't throw a tantrum, okay? I... I just won't talk to my cousin anymore, boo-hoo..."
Hearing her words, Luo Jian also thought that Luo A'man was jealous. He felt annoyed yet smug inwardly, thinking that women were just troublesome, and only someone like A'yue was reasonable.
"A'man, stop throwing tantrums. I already told you that Sister A'yue and I are completely innocent. I only see her as a sister."
Luo Ah-di, having just eaten until he was half full, felt full of energy at this moment. He figured that his sister no longer needed them to ward off disasters, and if he didn't beat him up now, he wouldn't get the chance later. Truth be told, he had been holding it in for a long time.
He stepped forward and punched Luo Jian in the face, cursing, "You scumbag, I've wanted to beat you up for a long time. How is a coward like you worthy of my sister?"
Luo Jian didn't expect him to attack without warning. Moreover, with one of his arms broken, he was no match for Luo Ah-di and was beaten back several steps.
Luo Ah-di wasn't going to let him off easily. He stepped forward and gave him a severe beating, specifically aiming for his face.
"Damn it, you adulterous pair of dogs. Did you think others didn't know you two were already hooking up like wild dogs? Calling each other brother and sister every day, who are you trying to disgust?"
"In the past, I held back for my sister's sake. But today I'm in a good mood, and if I don't beat you up, it would be a disservice to my good mood!"
"Let me make this officially clear to you all: the engagement is off. From this day forward, you and my sister have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Go ahead and marry your pampered little bitch of a sister. I wish you both an eternity together, and may you die childless."
