"I won't make things difficult for you, but I have prepared a game for you. Whoever wins gets these steamed buns."
Drake Easton spoke deliberately, emphasizing the words "steamed buns". It was apparent he was using food to tempt them into an internal conflict.
They had already missed two meals and were starving, but with Easton's rules, it was inevitable that one of them would continue to go hungry.
Flossie Wright slightly lifted her gaze, a sharp glint of light flashed under her hat, followed immediately by a faint smile in her profound eyes. Her brilliance was intimidating and seemed to shine like a star.
"Uh..." Janice Wood looked at Easton in some discomfort, then turned towards Wright, clearly hesitant about these rules.
Seemingly inadvertently, Wright nudged Wood with her elbow. Wood looked over to see a playful smile on Wright's face, illuminated by the dazzling sunshine on her delicate face. The smile appeared even more intense, leaving Wood somewhat dazed, then put her at ease.
"Report!"
Suddenly, Wright raised her voice. Her penetrating voice successfully drew Easton's attention.
"Speak."
"If we tie, how will the steamed buns be divided?" Wright's tone was very calm, calm to the point of making her intentions inscrutable.
Easton eyed her suspiciously for a moment, then finally spoke, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there!"
Having said that, he took the hot white steamed buns and walked to the designated game area. Wright trailed behind him at a leisurely pace, showing no sign of anxiety. Wood, who had been hesitant all along, tilted her head to watch Wright for a moment, then made up her mind and hurried along.
The game Easton had set up was simple: a ring toss game often found at park carnivals, but with a few modifications. The rings to be thrown were made of iron and were several times heavier than the rings typically used for casual play. The targets arrayed on the ground were a collection of pebbles picked up around the area, sitting about seven or eight meters from the throwing spot, making the game quite a bit more challenging.
"Five rings each. Whoever gets more rings on wins."
Easton pointed to the five iron rings set up on each side, speaking casually before casually leaning back, keeping his gaze discreetly on Flossie.
"They're so heavy." As Wood picked up the iron rings, she couldn't help but furrow her brow. These rings were much heavier than those found on the market. Simply being able to throw these iron rings was already quite a feat for an average person. Yet, they had to not only toss them but also accurately land them on the targets.
The game was definitely not as easy as it seemed.
Flossie squatted down and casually picked up an iron ring to test its weight and feel, before calmly accepting the oddities of this game.
"Stop dawdling, who's going first?!" Easton frowned slightly at their actions, looking somewhat impatient. His dark eyebrows furrowed, his face darkened unexpectedly.
Wood subconsciously looked over at Wright, as if asking for her opinion.
"You go first." Wright didn't hesitate and stood up straight after brushing her hands off.
"Oh." Wood obediently nodded, but inwardly, she was still perplexed, not sure whether she should go easy or not...
Ring tossing is mostly a game of sight, requiring some skill. Wood had played this kind of game a few times and basically hit the target every time.
Since the iron rings were too heavy, Wood was in the adaptation stage for the first two times. By the third time, she was able to score. But after scoring twice in a row, she began to worry about Wright's performance and deliberately let her guard down.