Everyone happily took the porridge, shouting that the people from the Hua Mansion were living immortals. Shen Li, seemingly never tired, stood by all the time, closely watching everything.
Soon the line came to an end, with only a few stragglers left. By then, all the porridge and steamed buns in the warehouse were gone. A servant gave the last steamed bun to a dirty little girl.
He looked apologetically at the remaining people. "Sorry, we've run out of food. The last little girl can only get one steamed bun. Please leave. Try to find other ways."
A strong but gaunt - faced man walked up to the servant. He glared angrily at the servant. "Didn't you say everyone would get something? Why is there nothing left for me? I don't care. The Hua Mansion must give me an explanation!"
The servant could only keep explaining that there were too many people and not enough food. But the man refused to let it go. He even incited the other people who hadn't received any food to make a fuss with the servants from the Hua Mansion.
The strong man grabbed the servant by the collar. "Call your steward here. Let's see if you'll give it or not. If not, I'll beat every single servant here. I don't believe you'd rather get beaten than give me a bite to eat!"
Moonlight cursed under her breath. "Such a shameless man!" Shen Li frowned. "Where's the steward who's been watching over the servants? I don't see him now."
Shen Li looked around in disbelief and indeed found that the steward's figure had disappeared. Moonlight replied rather indignantly. "As soon as the steward saw that man charging over menacingly, he hid in the warehouse. He even claimed he had something to do. Humph!"
Shen Li frowned. If this man joined forces with other refugees to cause trouble, it would be hard to control the situation. Moonlight suddenly volunteered. "Let me pretend to be the steward, Miss. You stay here. I won't let them hurt you at all."
Thinking that Moonlight was quite good at martial arts, Shen Li felt more at ease and nodded.
The servant being grabbed by the collar was rather thin and frail. Cold sweat was pouring down his forehead. Since the steward didn't show up, he didn't dare to order the other guards to act. If something went wrong, he couldn't take the responsibility.
Moonlight imitated the steward quite well. She walked over smiling. "Why are you getting violent? I think it's been made clear. There's only so much porridge. It's only natural that there isn't enough today because there are more people. It's something no one could have predicted..."
But the strong man showed no sign of being reasonable. He even tried to slap the servant. He stared menacingly at Moonlight. "Will you give me the porridge and steamed buns or not? If not, I'll start with this servant and then come for you."
The servant pleaded tremblingly. "Steward, just give him the steamed buns and porridge. You can just deduct it from my monthly allowance."
Obviously, this servant was really scared, but Moonlight wasn't willing to give in. If she gave in to this one, more people would use this method to threaten them. She definitely couldn't set such a precedent.
So Moonlight decided to go all the way. She looked at the strong man coldly. "Our rule in the Hua Mansion is to open the granary and distribute food. Once the food is gone, we won't give any more. We're not a charity. It's already kind of us to do this."
The strong man suddenly sized Moonlight up and down. He was skeptical. "You're just a young and weak woman. Are you really the steward of the Hua Mansion? That's a joke, isn't it?"
Moonlight's face changed instantly. She suppressed her anger and sneered. "I may not be the official steward of the Hua Mansion, but I can still handle some things. At least, I can decide about your matter."
The strong man thought for a while and rolled his eyes. This woman in front of him could handle some things and seemed easier to control than his servant. He suddenly decided to change his mind.
"Let's talk alone. Call the others aside. I'll let this servant go. I've said I don't ask for much."
Moonlight's expression tightened. She knew what this man was up to, but still nodded in agreement.
Sure enough, as soon as the servant was released, the strong man struck out with a palm, aiming straight at her neck.
What the strong man didn't expect was that Moonlight knew martial arts and was very good at it! She easily dodged and kicked him to the ground.
Moonlight looked at him coldly. "Do you still dare to cause trouble? If you do, I'll maim you." Moonlight had been holding back because she was worried about the servant's safety.
The strong man lay on the ground, spitting blood. Finally, he crawled away like a pathetic dog. Moonlight looked at Shen Li, seeking praise. "See, I've solved the problem. For things like this in the future, just come to me. One punch for each, and I'll see who dares to cause trouble!"
Shen Li just smiled without saying a word. She always felt that things weren't that simple. So she motioned for Moonlight to follow the strong man.
Moonlight looked puzzled. "This man is spitting blood and crawling on the ground. Do you think he can still cause any trouble?"
Shen Li pointed at the refugees who had been gathered around. They had all dispersed.
"Don't you notice that those refugees were all following him? Moreover, could you beat someone that badly with one kick? And this man can be seen to be a martial artist."
Moonlight fell silent and had to admit that Shen Li thought more than she did. Sure enough, after winding through several alleys, they came to a lane and found the strong man looking lecherously at a little girl.
"I'm doing you a favor by taking a fancy to you. Hand over the food first. I'll give it back to you after I'm satisfied. Look at the others. My men have already snatched their food."
His men chimed in. "Yes, boss. Hurry up and finish it. Don't waste time with her. Let's go find others to rob. We don't seem to have enough to eat."
The strong man just glared at the talkative one. "Did I tell you to speak? I just got punched, but luckily I know how to pretend. Otherwise, I couldn't have got out. We have to lie low for a few days. We've robbed enough people today."
His men all fell silent. Moonlight was furious. She clenched her fists and wanted to rush out immediately. She couldn't stand seeing others bully weak women.
But Shen Li shook her head. "Wait a bit longer. There are too many people now. It'll be dangerous if we rush out."
Moonlight could only bite her lips tightly and hide behind the wall with Shen Li. After all, protecting Shen Li's safety was the top priority.
No matter how much the weak girl pleaded, the strong man wouldn't let her go. He even started groping her. The strong man couldn't help swallowing and shouted at the people around him. "Get out of the way. Do you want to watch me?"