Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

But looking at Li Zhenhua's open yet somewhat unyielding gaze, and smelling the irresistible aroma of meat, she hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth slightly and carefully took a small bite from Li Zhenhua's hand.

The chicken meat has a slightly crispy outer layer with a hint of lotus leaf fragrance, while the inside is indescribably tender and juicy. The savory and fragrant secret sauce has completely permeated every fiber of the meat, yet it perfectly preserves the wild and delicious flavor of the pheasant itself.

This rugged yet delicate texture was a delicious taste she had never experienced before.

"Mmm...delicious!"

Lin Taotao chewed, her eyes narrowing happily, and exclaimed sincerely, forgetting their ambiguous posture at the moment.

Seeing her satisfied expression, Li Zhenhua's smile deepened.

Just then, he noticed a small piece of charcoal ash that had somehow gotten on Lin Taotao's right cheek, standing out starkly against her fair skin.

Without thinking, he naturally reached out his left hand and gently brushed Lin Taotao's cheek with the pad of his thumb, wiping away the ash mark with a light and quick motion.

"Your face has some dust on it."

He explained in a soft voice, as casually as if he were saying, "The weather is nice."

But his sudden intimate gesture made Lin Taotao freeze!

With chicken still in her mouth, her eyes wide open, she felt the brief but clear touch on her face. A surge of heat rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and her cheeks, ears, and even her neck instantly became burning hot!

My heart started pounding like a drum, my mind went blank, and I even forgot to chew.

Meanwhile, Da Feng, who was preparing to tear the chicken apart herself, happened to witness this whole scene.

The chicken wing she had just torn off fell to the ground with a "thud." Her mouth was agape, her doll-like face filled with extreme shock and a sense of bewilderment, as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.

She looked at Li Zhenhua, whose actions were intimate and natural, and then at Lin Taotao, whose face was as red as a ripe apple and who was dumbfounded. She was stunned for several seconds.

Then, Da Feng suddenly came to her senses, her face showing a complex expression of both disgust and an irrepressible urge to laugh. She exaggeratedly covered her eyes with her hands, turned around, and loudly "sighed" in a muffled voice.

"Hey you two! This is the middle of nowhere... at least try to be discreet! I was eating chicken and almost choked on your saccharine sweetness! Can't you be a little more considerate? I'm all alone here, it's really upsetting to watch!"

Da Feng's blunt and teasing words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Lin Tao Tao, waking her up.

She snapped out of her daze, feeling utterly ashamed. She snatched the remaining chicken leg from Li Zhenhua's hand, lowered her head, and wished she could bury her face in the chicken meat. Her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

Li Zhenhua was amused by Da Feng's words. Looking at Lin Tao Tao's cute appearance of being both embarrassed and annoyed, he not only didn't feel awkward, but was in a great mood.

He laughed and said to Da Feng.

"Okay, okay, it's our fault. We'll keep it from you, we'll keep it from you."

As he spoke, he tore off another chicken leg and took a big bite. The delicious taste of the meat made him squint his eyes in satisfaction.

The atmosphere in the mountain valley was somewhat subtle. Lin Taotao blushed and lowered her head to gnaw on a chicken leg, Da Feng winked and grinned mischievously, while Li Zhenhua looked completely at ease, enjoying this rare moment of wild fun.

However, this brief tranquility was soon broken by a flurry of footsteps and vulgar clamor.

"Hey! No wonder it smells so good! Turns out someone's cooking a special meal here!"

"Damn, this smells so good! It's even more tempting than Widow Wang's stewed meat!"

Six men, dressed in tattered cotton-padded jackets and with sallow complexions, emerged from behind the bushes on the hillside.

They were carrying sticks and machetes, and the two men in their thirties who were in the lead each held an old single-barreled shotgun, the muzzles of which were casually pointed at the ground, but their eyes were like those of hungry wolves, fixed on Li Zhenhua and his two companions...

More accurately, they were eyeing the beggar's chicken in their hands and the leftover meat skewers on the grill next to them.

These six men were clearly idle thugs from nearby villages. In this famine-stricken year, they were obviously starving and wanted to try their luck in the mountains to see if they could hunt some wild game. They were lured over by the aroma of roasted chicken.

The two men with guns in the lead had a scar on their face and fierce eyes, while the other was a man with a gap in his teeth, grinning to reveal yellowed teeth. Their eyes swept back and forth between Lin Taotao and Dafeng, filled with undisguised greed and evil.

"Wow! There are two such beautiful women!"

The man with the gap-toothed tooth's eyes lit up, and he almost drooled. He raised the gun barrel and spoke in an extremely flippant tone.

"A city girl, huh? So fair-skinned and delicate, coming all this way to meet some wild man in the middle of nowhere? And bringing so much good food, she really knows how to enjoy life!"

Scarface chuckled strangely and pointed his shotgun at Li Zhenhua.

"Kid, you're in luck with the ladies! How about I have one of these two girls? And leave the food behind, if we're in a good mood, we might let you go!"

They completely ignored Li Zhenhua, who was carrying a large backpack and looked like a "follower," focusing all their attention on the food and the women.

Lin Taotao and Da Feng had never suffered such an insult before, and their faces instantly darkened.

Lin Taotao slowly put down the chicken leg, her eyes as cold as knives, while Da Feng clenched her fists, her baby face full of anger. She hated it most when people talked about her figure and appearance.

Li Zhenhua's heart sank; he knew he was in trouble.

These six desperate, starving men, armed with guns, were definitely not to be trifled with.

He quietly moved his feet, blocking the two women, but forced a seemingly fearful smile on his face and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Gentlemen, it's a misunderstanding! We're just from the city, out hunting with friends, just trying to get something to eat. We're all struggling financially. Here, we still have a chicken and some meat. If you don't mind, could you take it to fill your stomachs and make some friends?"

As he spoke, he pointed to another beggar's chicken on the ground whose mud shell had not yet been cracked open, and some raw meat slices left in the oil paper package next to the grill, trying to temporarily appease the other party with food.

He needs time to observe and find a solution.

A direct confrontation would definitely put us at a disadvantage; the opponent has two guns, and the distance is too close.

Upon hearing this, the man with the gap-toothed tooth spat.

"Pah! Who can eat one chicken? Are you trying to feed a beggar? And you two young women, keep us company and have some fun, that's better than eating chicken!"

As he spoke, he walked towards Lin Taotao with a lewd grin and reached out to touch her face.

At this critical moment!

"Bang!"

A muffled gunshot suddenly shattered the silence of the mountains!

It wasn't those two thugs who fired the shot, it was Li Zhenhua!

Just as the man with the missing teeth reached out, Li Zhenhua moved with lightning speed, sidestepping, reaching out, grabbing the gun, loading it, and pulling the trigger in one fluid motion!