Tavern.

It was already noon as they roamed the whole place. She enjoyed the sight of the greeneries, the small hills; they also passed by some local people who were busy looking out for their cattle.

Sheng Ruming was not very familiar with this area but he was going randomly without a clear sense of direction. He thought to himself that he had a mobile so when the time to return would come, he could just turn on the GPS. 

 Luo Lixi enjoyed the ride as she remained quiet but whenever she saw an interesting thing, she would ask Sheng Ruming. It's not as if he was unwilling and explained to her as much as he could.

The weather wasn't good as the sky was turning dark again slowly. Luo Lixi anxiously glanced at the dark sky. She was worried that they would become sick if they were to become wet in the icy rainwater. After all, the car did not have a roof.

"Ruming, how much time will it take to go back to the villa?" She asked him without knowing the other person also didn't know about it.

"Wait. Let me check." He answered as he turned on the GPS of the car and set the destination at his villa. 

Luo Lixi looked at him from the sideline with an amusing expression. She didn't know he was unaware of it either.

"Umm... So, it will take 3 hours." He answered awkwardly as he glanced at her.

"I can see it indeed. I am not a blind woman." She chuckled as she turned her head away from him and gazed around the place. It did not need to be said that he was unfamiliar with this place as well.

Suddenly a tiny raindrop fell on her nose. She raised her forefinger and felt the moisture of the liquid when she saw it and then started to rain.

Pitter-patter...

Rain began to fall slowly while suddenly lightning began to flash in the sky as if the whole grey sky became alive. They heard loud sounds of thunder after witnessing that mesmerising phenomenon. 

Luo Lixi was silent and began to panic as she glanced at the deserted place around them. She turned towards him as she grasped his left hand.

"Ruming, what to do? We would be sick if we went in the rain. Also, this area looks very dangerous." She feared the thunder, what if it struck down on them. 

The man hurriedly took out an umbrella which was in the car and gave it to her. Then he began to drive at full speed.

The rain was becoming heavy as she sneezed. She was feeling happy in the beginning but after the temperature dropped, she started feeling cold.

'I nearly forgot!' The man recalled that this car had automatic functions.

Sheng Ruming clicked a button as some mechanisms were activated. The car's rooftop unrevealed itself from the backside and positioned it on top of them. After it was done, Sheng Ruming closed all the windows so that the chilly weather couldn't make Luo Lixi sick. But it was too late to do it. 

The woman put down the umbrella and thought in amusement, 'Why give it when you can do this?'

After being exposed to the heavy wind, she felt her nose become blocked when she tried to breathe. Then, she realised her nose was runny and a little uncomfortable. He looked at her pale complexion and began to drive faster.

Sheng Ruming was driving nearly for ten minutes, he heard a vague sound of growling and it came from her. 

"You are hungry?" He asked as he looked at her silhouette. 

"Well, it's noon." Luo Lixi chuckled. 

He was really out of his mind to come travelling without any proper preparation. It was already two o'clock when he was driving the car on the bumpy road.

"Just focus ahead. Don't just glance at me from time to time. You will cause an accident!" She replied with concern. 

Sheng Ruming drove the car and wanted to find people living there. After ten minutes, he found an old tavern beside the roadside. In the whole vicinity, it was a lonely and out of the place thing.

"Let's go there and see if there is something for you to eat." He drove the car slowly and stopped it beside the entrance.

Afterwards he got down and ran towards her side. He opened the door and took her hand as they hastily went into the tavern. The place was dark and old; giving a rather eerie feeling. There was a light in a corner but it was going on and off.

Luo Lixi was a little nervous as she clasped her hand with his hand tightly. Sheng Ruming smiled freely as he focused on their joined hand while his heart beamed in joy. They looked around the tavern and found some water bottles in a corner.

He took one and uncapped it to give to Luo Lixi. She drank in big gulps and finished half of the bottle. Afterwards, she passed it to him. He took in a mouthful of water and closed the bottle.

When he remembered she was starving, he didn't waste time and called out for someone.

"Hello, is anybody here?" The place was desolate as his voice echoed in the whole room.

Suddenly they heard a rough sound and it came from inside. They walked there and discovered the whole tavern was divided into many small rooms. There was a vast plain area in the back yard and an old woman in fifty or sixty was throwing water with a bowl from a corner of a particularly small room. 

They noticed there was a hole in the rooftop and water was leaking from it endlessly.

'Poor soul.' Luo Lixi thought as she stared at her.

"Cough! Hello, we have come to your tavern to buy something edible." He said in an earnest voice. 

The old woman stopped and turned her head towards them. There were clear signs of age on her face and it contained many wrinkles.

Luo Lixi thought something as she spoke out hurriedly, "We will pay you for it." 

She waited for the old woman's reply.