"You frightened him," Zhenlan replied, looking back at the child who was now hiding. "And I really, really do not want to think about you and Rouxi like that."
"Prude," sneered Lingyun, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, I was a fantastic role model. I taught him that a smile could be scary and he learned to be scared. That's valuable."
The path narrowed after the ration area, and the ordered parts of the base ended faster than they should have.
Tents and storage crates gave way to tarps, plastic sheeting, crooked poles, and shelters patched together from whatever people had managed to keep. The smell changed too. Less disinfectant and fuel, more smoke, stale water, damp blankets, and too many people trying to live too close together.
Zhenlan kept his pace steady.
Walking too quickly would make them look nervous, and walking too slowly would make them look like they'd come to inspect the poor. Neither situation would help.
