"Look, isn't she quite pretty?" the man said excitedly.
"Now for just thirty kilos of rice, she can sleep with you once."
He pointed at the woman as if she were a mere commodity.
"Have you no humanity left? Selling your own wife!"
A passing Big Sister who couldn't bear to watch scolded angrily.
The man spat and retorted, "Mind your own business! We can't even afford food now, who cares about humanity? If she doesn't sell herself, should we all starve together?"
The Big Sister wanted to say more, but her companion tugged at her.
"Don't meddle in others' affairs. Let's just take care of ourselves. Don't provoke these kinds of people, you'll only get yourself dirty."
The Big Sister's face was conflicted, but in the end, she said nothing more.
She gave the woman a sympathetic look, sighed, and left with her companion.
After the apocalypse, women, the elderly, and children had all become vulnerable groups.
Their status worsened day by day.
Just as they managed to stand up, reality knocked them down again.
Apart from the Big Sister just now, most of the onlookers were men.
Their gazes were fixed on the woman to varying degrees, shamelessly appraising her and even critiquing her appearance.
"Brother, thirty kilos of rice? You must be joking, right?
Your wife is so skinny, not an ounce of meat on her bones, it'd be uncomfortable to even touch her.
Besides, who knows how many times you've used her already? She's damaged goods.
I'd say she's worth one kilo of rice at most, don't you all agree?" said a Big Beard Man with a lecherous face, clicking his tongue.
"That's right, rice is so precious now. Women are just optional luxuries, how could she be worth thirty kilos of rice?" A Short Man also started to stir things up.
"One kilo of rice? Dream on! At least ten kilos!"
"Brother, for ten kilos I could buy a young virgin. Why would I want your used goods?"
"Exactly, one kilo is about right."
Everyone laughed and jeered. The woman being haggled over kept her head down, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
You could see both her hands at her sides clenched tightly into fists.
At this moment, she must have felt utterly humiliated.
"No way, I won't sell for just one kilo!" the man said angrily.
One kilo per time, with this woman's physique, how many men could she take in a day?
He'd starve to death!
"How about this, brother? I'll give you two kilos per time. That's the most I can offer. If you're still not satisfied, we really won't buy," the Big Beard Man from earlier spoke up again, licking his lips as he stared at the woman.
His eyes were full of lust; anyone could see that his mind was filled with those dirty thoughts.
The man hesitated for only two seconds before nodding.
"Two kilos it is. Give me the goods first."
The man held out his hand to the Big Beard Man.
The Big Beard Man handed a slip of paper to the man, who took it readily.
This was a voucher used for purchasing goods in the base, genuine and reliable.
With this, he could buy grain.
A look of joy spread across his face as he pointed to a simple tent behind him and casually waved his hand.
"Go on in."
The Big Beard Man rubbed his hands together and started to grope inappropriately towards the woman's waist.
The surrounding men whistled or gathered together with looks of anticipation on their faces.
"Don't touch me!"
The woman dodged the Big Beard Man's touch, constantly backing away.
But her behavior didn't evoke any sympathy from others; instead, it triggered a burst of laughter.
Just as the Big Beard Man's hand was about to grab the woman, a vine suddenly lashed out, entwining his hand.
His movement was immediately halted.
Everyone looked at this scene in surprise, following the vine to look behind them.
The crowd automatically moved to both sides.
Several figures with powerful auras slowly appeared in everyone's vision.
Especially the 'little boy' standing at the front.
From everyone's perspective, they couldn't see her face at all; the baseball cap covered most of it.
The shadow of the brim cast on her cherry-red lips gave her an inexplicably shocking aura.
It was inconceivable to feel such a strong presence from a child.
But this was the most direct impression everyone had.
The Big Beard Man was also stunned for a moment.
But he quickly recovered.
He frowned at Yun Xiaoxiao.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Let me go quickly!"
"Hmm? So it's a person. I thought it was a beast just now."
"Pfft~"
Nie Yizhou couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Big Beard Man: !!
He was immediately infuriated and charged fiercely towards Yun Xiaoxiao.
"Bang!"
But before he could get close, he was lifted up by the vine on his wrist and slammed heavily to the ground.
Intense pain swept through his entire body, making him grimace.
Only then did he realize he had provoked someone he shouldn't have.
"I was wrong, please don't kill me," he immediately cowered.
As arrogant as he was before, he was now equally pathetic.
The onlookers also instantly understood that these newcomers were not to be trifled with, and they all stepped back quite a bit.
"Get lost," Yun Xiaoxiao said, not even bothering to look at him.
The Big Beard Man immediately scrambled to his feet, about to run, when he suddenly remembered something and walked up to the man.
"Give it back!" He angrily snatched the voucher from the man's hand and turned to flee.
Seeing the voucher that was in his grasp disappear, the man's brows furrowed into a frown.
But looking at Yun Xiaoxiao and her companions, he didn't dare say anything.
He had already seen what happened to the Big Beard Man, and he didn't want to be beaten like that.
Yun Xiaoxiao walked to the woman's side and, pointing at the man, bluntly said,
"Auntie, why don't you leave this scum?"
The man: ......
The crowd: ......
This was the first time they had seen someone insult another so directly.
Liu Li was also stunned for a moment.
But she quickly understood that Yun Xiaoxiao was trying to enlighten her.
It was laughable when she thought about it; she was such a grown woman, yet she needed a child to point things out to her.
She really was useless.
Liu Li lowered her head, "I can't do anything. I don't know... how to survive."
In her eyes, Yun Xiaoxiao saw confusion and helplessness.
"So staying with him allows you to live well?"
Liu Li was struck dumb by Yun Xiaoxiao's words.
Indeed, could she live well following this man?
Forget about living well, if this 'little brother' hadn't helped today, she might not even have had the courage to go on living.
Being... used like that in front of so many people, how could she have the face to keep living?
"I understand now."
Liu Li's eyes suddenly cleared.
"Thank you, 'little brother'."
Her face was no longer full of sorrow, but instead showed signs of vitality.
She turned to face the man.
"We've been married for so many years, and I've always worked hard for our family. Even if I don't have great achievements, I've at least put in the effort.
But I never imagined you would treat me like this!
From today onwards, we're finished."
