Chapter 13: Abundant Resources.

The territorial soldiers acknowledged the order. Together with the driver, they began carrying the supplies into the villa. The soldier holding the rifle remained standing guard in place, vigilantly watching the surroundings without moving a single step.

Watching bag after bag of supplies being carried inside, Lin Yuxi finally noticed a small, inconspicuous room hidden beside the kitchen. Everything being brought in was neatly placed into that room.

Most of the supplies appeared to be food. There were many small bags that, judging by their shape and weight, were likely flour or similar grains. There were also several larger, bulging bags with noticeable lumps protruding from them. She guessed they were probably potatoes or something similar. In addition, there were stacks of green boxes.

She had only seen these kinds of boxes during the food distributions outside. They contained canned goods.

She swallowed hard. The surface of her mouth was painful and numb, and her throat felt dry and scratchy, as if tiny grains of sand were scraping against the mucous membrane. Her stomach was completely empty, hollow like a wrinkled and torn piece of rag. It twitched and clenched with every breath, sending a cold, starving chill from her chest all the way to her limbs.

Canned food, biscuits, potatoes, flour, rice… These were luxuries she wouldn’t even dare dream about while living outside.

So many supplies were being carried right past her, only a few steps away. Yet it felt as though a burning red-hot iron wall stood between them — scalding, hard, and impossible to cross. She could only watch, without even the right to reach out and touch them.

If she had stayed outside, she probably wouldn’t see this much food again for the rest of her life. Coming here… at least that part was right.

Her gaze remained glued to the supplies being carried inside. The physical and mental exhaustion combined with the pain forced her to comfort herself over and over in her heart.

So hungry.

Really so hungry.

Her stomach cramped wave after wave. The twisting pain from hunger grew clearer and heavier, as if a hand was viciously wringing inside her.

These foods… I should be able to get a little bit later, right?

As long as she could eat even a tiny bit, even just one mouthful, all the beatings, scolding, and abuse she had suffered earlier wouldn’t seem so bad anymore.

“Lordship, all supplies have been moved in.” The territorial soldier lowered his head to report.

Lin Yuxi’s attention was drawn by the voice. She looked toward Jun Linqiu, who had already returned to the sofa at some point and was now looking down at several inventory sheets in her hands. The soldier stood before her with his head bowed.

“You may leave.”

Jun Linqiu didn’t even raise her head. Her gaze remained on the documents as she spoke in a flat tone that still carried unquestionable authority.

“Yes!”

The two territorial soldiers bowed their heads in unison, then turned and left one after another. They even gently closed the door behind them as they went.

As the roar of the vehicle engine outside gradually faded into the distance, the entire villa fell back into dead silence.

Lin Yuxi lowered her head and shrank listlessly into the corner. Her fingers nervously rubbed the hem of her clothes over and over. She didn’t even dare to breathe loudly. The only sound in her ears was the soft rustling of Jun Linqiu turning pages — clear and distinct in the quiet room.

“Ring ring ring—”

A sudden, abrupt phone ring startled her so badly that her whole body jerked. She instinctively looked up. Jun Linqiu frowned slightly, then unhurriedly took out her phone and put it to her ear.

“Speak.”

……

“Alright, I know. Send a car over. I’ll head over shortly.”

Jun Linqiu hung up directly after speaking. Her gaze casually swept in Lin Yuxi’s direction. The brief eye contact made Lin Yuxi quickly lower her head and avert her eyes in panic. Her heart pounded violently.

Fortunately, Jun Linqiu showed no further reaction. Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

She no longer dared to look at Jun Linqiu. Her gaze returned to the floor beneath her feet, staring fixedly at the gaps between the tiles. Exhaustion from both body and mind surged over her like a tide. It was so heavy that she could barely stand and only wanted to find somewhere to sit and rest.

So tired.

It should be okay to sit on the floor and rest for a while, right? It probably wouldn’t cause any problems.

She quietly glanced up and saw that Jun Linqiu’s attention was not on her. Only then did she slightly relax her body. She leaned her back gently against the wall and slowly slid downward, intending to sit down gradually.

“Knock knock—”

Two crisp knocks suddenly sounded beside her.

Her buttocks, which were just about to touch the ground, froze mid-motion. Her whole body felt as if it had been viciously jabbed by an invisible electric current. Her knees reflexively tensed and jerked, causing her body to spring upright uncontrollably. The movement was so fast that even she couldn’t react in time.

In that instant, her heart tightened sharply. Her heartbeat thundered heavily in her chest, pounding painfully against her ribs. She could even clearly hear the thumping in her own ears.

Her back turned ice-cold in an instant. Her scalp went numb. Her breathing instantly became chaotic, and she couldn’t even catch her breath properly.

Ignoring the intense dizziness from suddenly standing up and the waves of blackness flickering before her eyes, she forced herself to look toward Jun Linqiu. Seeing the other’s gaze slowly shift from the door onto her, she hesitated for a split second before immediately understanding what was expected.

Enduring the dizziness from the sudden rush of blood and the uncomfortable darkening of her vision, she supported her weak legs and walked to the door. She reached out, fumbled for the cold doorknob, and twisted it hard.

“Click—”

“Lord… Lordship,” her voice paused. She instantly reacted and called out toward the person on the sofa, just like the territorial soldier who had seen her earlier.

This made her painfully aware of how wretched and disheveled she must look.

“The car you requested has arrived.” A clear female voice came from outside the door. Her vision was badly blurred, and she could hardly see anything. Sensing that Jun Linqiu was walking toward the entrance, she quickly took a few steps back based on her hazy senses and hurriedly made way.

A few seconds later, a faint breeze brushed past her, followed by the soft sound of the door closing. Only then did her extremely tense mind finally relax a little.

Has she left?

Unsure whether Jun Linqiu had actually gone, she remained frozen in place. After a full minute, when her vision gradually cleared, she quickly scanned the surroundings. Confirming that the lord was really gone, she finally let out a long breath.

“Huff—”

The tension in her body and mind suddenly released. The willpower she had been forcing to hold on was instantly overwhelmed by exhaustion. She wanted nothing more than to collapse on the spot, but she still gritted her teeth and shuffled back to her previous corner.

Uuu… I can finally rest for a while.

Leaning against the wall, she slowly closed her eyes. Her knees bent slightly as her body began to slide downward.

“Little Xi.”

?!!

Lan Mo’s voice sounded. She jolted in shock and forcefully pried open her heavy eyelids. Looking toward the direction of the voice, she saw Lan Mo quickly walking toward her.

“Little Mo.”