The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

As everyone knows, the most important thing when catching a thief is not to make a big fuss and scare them away.

No shooting, just quietly grab them.

Zun Zun didn't set up any traps or anything, because the thief was a person, not a beast. Usually, people are more intelligent and have better observation skills than beasts. Doing something superfluous would be counterproductive.

He didn't do anything; he just hid himself in the cornfield, planning to wait for the rabbit to come to him.

And so—

An hour passed, two hours passed, three hours passed...

The sun gradually rose, and it was noon.

Not only had Zun Zun not caught the thief, but the stuffy heat of the cornfield made him increasingly irritable. He couldn't help but mutter, "The thief's best skill is to hit and run. Could it be that they're not coming? Wouldn't I be taking a loss for nothing?"

But soon, he heard someone humming in the distance.

Good heavens, you're even singing?

Zun Zun was instantly furious.

Because he was hiding in the cornfield, the lush corn could conceal his small figure, but he also couldn't see what the thief looked like. He could only vaguely see a small figure through the gaps in the corn leaves.

The person came to the edge of the cornfield and looked around, as if looking for someone, before walking to the spot where the corn had been uprooted.

Good, they even scouted the place!

But Zun Zun didn't jump out right away.

He was waiting, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the moment when the thief was focused on pulling up the corn and revealed an opening. Now was the time—

"I've got you!"

Zun Zun decisively burst out of the cornfield, rushing toward the thief who was struggling to pull up a corn stalk. The force of the impact knocked the thief to the ground, and then he used his hands and feet to pin the thief down, preventing them from moving.

"You actually dare to steal my corn, you despicable thief!"

"No, don't! Please don't eat me! I'm very skinny, there's not much meat on me! Please let me go!"

The thief who had been knocked down quickly begged for mercy.

"...Eh?" X2

The two looked at each other.

Then, they fell into a brief silence.

The thief was a girl with the red eyes and black hair characteristic of the Crimson Demon Clan... This was completely redundant; only Crimson Demons could appear in the forbidden area.

What was different was that she was rather petite, shorter than Zun Zun. Her face was cute but somewhat pale and gaunt, looking like she was malnourished.

"T-that... I'm sorry."

For some reason, Zun Zun actually felt a little guilty, and slowly released her slender, delicate wrist.

This damned feeling of guilt.

He was the victim, after all.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, thank you."

The little girl grabbed Zun Zun's outstretched hand, using it to help herself up from the ground, and patted her somewhat dirty skirt.

The two fell silent again.

Then, she looked at Zun Zun, then at the cornfield, and said as if she had realized something:

"Could it be that this cornfield is yours?"

"That's right, I planted it."

Zun Zun snorted softly.

The little girl blinked and lowered her head slightly. "I'm sorry, I thought this cornfield was unclaimed."

"Wait, unclaimed? Did you think corn would grow in the ground by itself?"

"Huh, isn't it?"

She turned to look at the cornfield behind her.

"It's not!"

Zun Zun stamped his foot in frustration and shouted, "What I mean is, did you think corn would grow in the ground for no reason?"

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry for stealing the corn, but my family is very poor, and we probably can't afford to pay for it. If possible, I hope to repay you with labor."

The little girl bowed deeply.

"I'm surprised; I didn't expect you to apologize so readily, but forget about compensation."

"Really?!"

"Looking at you, you probably can't afford to pay, anyway."

When he tackled the little girl, Zun Zun had noticed that her body was surprisingly frail, coupled with her malnourished pale face and mended, worn-out skirt and pants. One could imagine how difficult her life was.

Besides, it was good enough that the little girl knew she was wrong.

If she started crying and shouting, going back to find her parents, and it turned into something like, "Oh, she's still young," "It's just a bit of food," "Don't be so hard on her," then his blood pressure would definitely skyrocket.

"As long as you don't steal my corn again, I won't hold it against you."

"Thank you, young lady."

"Y-young lady?"

"Is that wrong? Or is it better to call you older sister?"

The little girl's innocent eyes pierced Zun Zun's heart. It wasn't his fault he was good-looking. His heart was filled with mixed feelings.

"That... older sister?"

"It's nothing, I just spaced out."

In the end, he decided to be an older sister for once.

"Alright. Now that you know this cornfield is mine, remember not to come stealing again, or I'll really get angry, understand? If you understand, then go."

"Yes."

Although she said that, the little girl looked back every few steps, her reluctant gaze at the cornfield making people feel incredibly sorry for her.

Zun Zun quickly stopped her.

"W-wait, wait. Do you... want to farm with me?"

"Farm?"

"Farming is hard work, but you can be self-sufficient and feed yourself. You can even sell the extra grain to supplement your family's income. Speaking of which, you wouldn't still be thinking of getting something for nothing, would you?"

"No, I don't have such thoughts. On the contrary, I've thought about farming to make a living before, but I don't even have the money to buy seeds."

The little girl spoke of her hardships with a calm expression.

Just how poor is your family?

Zun Zun was dumbfounded.

"Ahem. So, do you want to farm with me? Although you won't get much, at least it can fill your stomach."

"Yes! Please let me farm with you... No, please allow me to farm with you!"

"You don't have to use honorifics..."

The little girl's excessive politeness made Zun Zun feel uneasy.

Of course, letting her farm together wasn't purely out of kindness, but also because he considered that the large plot of land he had cleared hadn't been used yet.

Instead of letting the cleared land go to waste, it would be better to add another person, utilizing the land while also harvesting more grain. The little girl could also take this opportunity to fill her stomach.

It was a win-win situation.

"Speaking of which, why are you in the forbidden area? Your family should have told you that the forbidden area is a very dangerous place."

"Huh, is that so?"

The little girl said strangely, "Mom told me that places that people say 'you can't go in,' 'there's nothing here,' 'don't get close to,' are mostly places where treasures are hidden, so I come here every day."

"I-is that so..."

Zun Zun should have expected it.

Rather, this was already the Crimson Demon Clan's education standard for children. Every Crimson Demon parent hoped that their child would come to the forbidden area to play. Zun Zun knew this all too well.

"So, why did you steal the corn? No, to be precise, why did you steal corn that hasn't ripened yet?"

This was what angered Zun Zun.

He wasn't angry because the corn was stolen, nor was he angry because someone was picking the fruit before harvest, but because the corn was uprooted before it had ripened. He couldn't stand that.

"Mom said that when you encounter food that you can eat and won't die from, the first thing to consider isn't whether it tastes good, but to decisively get it into your hands."

"Forcibly twisting a melon won't make it sweet, but it will quench your thirst?"

Zun Zun was speechless.

"There's definitely something wrong with your mother's education."

"That's what I did. Corn is delicious, and the corncobs, corn leaves, and stalks are also delicious. I gratefully ate them all."

"Hey, no way..."

Every part of the corn is a treasure. Whether it's the corn itself, the cobs, the leaves, or the stalks, they're all edible. However, edible is edible, but as for the taste... This was the first time he had seen someone eat all of the corn.

"You might become a great person in the future."

"The clan leader also said that to me."

That old geezer...

"Speaking of which, I don't seem to know your name yet. I'm Zun Zun, what about you?"

"I'm called Hui Hui."

The little girl announced her name.