Chapter 8: A Brief Rest

It was almost dark, and the Beishan forest, which was no different from a primeval forest, was frequently haunted by large wild beasts.

Firewood could scare away most beasts, so they had to prepare enough to burn through the night.

The severe drought had caused a shortage of water, leaving many of the large trees in the forest withered and highly flammable. While guarding against beasts, they also had to be careful not to start a forest fire. The couple was so busy they didn't have a moment to stop and rest.

Xu Da chopped wood, while Wang-shi built a firebreak around the rock wall. By the time it was completely dark, the whole family had huddled into the rock wall.

This rock wall was a large, protruding boulder that intersected with a slope, forming a natural little mountain hollow.

The hollow was about three meters deep, with small slopes on the left and right sides, providing just enough of a simple shelter for Xu Yue’s family.

After a day of traveling, they finally had a moment of rest. Everyone except Xu Yue was practically exhausted to the point of collapse.

Although Xu Yue was small, she could still manage the task of heating water and food.

The pottery pot they brought from home was too large to be used in the narrow rock wall. Fortunately, the area was surrounded by mountain rocks, and Xu Yue easily found a stone with a flat surface.

She placed the stone into the fire until it was scorching hot, pulled it out with a branch, and set a bamboo tube filled with water on top of it. The water inside heated up quickly.

She did the same for the rice balls and roasted meat, though she placed two leaves underneath to prevent them from burning directly or getting covered in ash.

The green snake that Wang-shi had torn apart was non-venomous and was supposed to be an extra meal for tonight. However, Wang-shi had accidentally ruptured the snake gall, and Xu Da and Xu Erniang were so disgusted that they refused to touch it, so it luckily remained intact.

With hot water and warm food in their bellies, the family’s spirits recovered, even though the rice balls were as unpalatable as ever; the roasted meat helped improve the taste.

Wang-shi sat in front of the fire, polishing the branches she had just cut. She intended to make small walking sticks for Xu Erniang and Xu Yue, and while she was at it, she polished the few wooden arrowheads in her hand.

Given the Xu family’s standard of living, they couldn't get iron arrowheads. The arrows in Wang-shi’s hand were simply straight, slender, pure wooden shafts.

Such arrows looked like children’s toys, and Xu Da had even secretly mocked them at the time.

But after witnessing Wang-shi’s precision and strength, Xu Da had shut his mouth.

Such an arrow might be a toy in someone else’s hands, but in Wang-shi’s, it was a lethal weapon.

This woman’s hands were steady and accurate. By throwing the arrow by hand, she could strike the eye of a running prey directly, usually killing it in one hit.

And that was just with a wooden arrow; if it were replaced with a real one, how astonishing would the lethality be?

Xu Da shook his head, unable to imagine what that scene would look like yet.

Looking at the meager amount of water and food left in the basket, he felt a headache coming on.

Food was manageable; he had followed Wang-shi to this mountain twice before, and there were plenty of animals active in the forest. With his and Wang-shi’s strength, getting prey wasn't difficult.

But there were only two tubes of water left, which was being consumed faster than they had originally anticipated.

It was a helpless reality. They had traveled in a hurry today, and the sun was intense; Erniang alone had drunk more than half a tube of water.

Wang-shi was very generous with the children, giving them water whenever they said they were thirsty. After such unbridled consumption, Xu Da felt it was a miracle that two tubes remained.

He tilted his head to look at Wang-shi. She was polishing the arrows by the firelight. A large portion of her long hair had been cut off, and the rest was coiled on top of her head, secured with a sharpened twig. Her thin cheeks were tightly set, looking earnest and focused.

The firelight softened the sharp angles of her jaw caused by hunger, giving her an air of quiet gentleness.

"Is there water nearby?" Xu Da lowered his voice unconsciously, afraid of breaking this rare peace.

Wang-shi didn't even look up, just nodded slightly. "If we go deeper, there is a natural pond."

Hearing this, the heart Xu Da had been holding finally settled halfway. As long as there was water, it was fine.

But remembering the situation at the foot of the mountain, he tentatively asked, "There is water and prey here. If the situation at the foot of the mountain is bad, why don't we live in the mountains for a while?"

Wang-shi’s hand paused. She looked up at him, knowing he meant well, and didn't discourage him directly, explaining patiently

"The pond here isn't deep; no one knows when it will dry up. Besides, there are no caves suitable for living here. When winter comes and the temperature drops, the situation will definitely be worse than we imagine."

This was a completely unknown new world, and all the information they had came from the memories left behind by the original owners of their bodies.

And in those memories, winter was a terrifying season—the kind where people died!

Therefore, they had to find a safe place to settle before winter.

Xu Da looked down at his patched linen clothes, then at the grass sandals on his feet that were on the verge of falling apart, and fell silent.

After a while, he returned to the mountain hollow, took two fish-shaped stones he had specifically picked up from his chest pocket, cleared a small patch of ground by pushing away the weeds with his feet, and began to divine.

When in doubt, look to metaphysics!

Xu Yue couldn't remember how long it had been since she washed her hair; her head was itching terribly. She stared at her cheap father playing with superstition for a long time without any results, then withdrew her gaze and called out to Wang-shi outside the cave

"Mother, I want to shave my head!"

Seeing her scratching her head in discomfort, Wang-shi beckoned Xu Yue to come to her side. She loosened her hair bun, helped her scratch, and coaxed, "There will be water to wash your hair tomorrow. Just bear with it a little longer. Little girls look cuter with braids, so let’s not shave your head, okay?"

Facing Xu Yue’s little bun-like face, Wang-shi subconsciously forgot that she wasn't a real baby and treated her like a child, with the utmost patience.

Xu Yue didn't really want to be bald, and since her mother’s help with scratching provided relief, she nodded and gave up on the idea of shaving.

Xu Dalang couldn't bear to be away from his sister for even a moment. Seeing Xu Yue spend a little too much time with Wang-shi, he began to let out irritable growls in his throat.

Seeing this, Xu Yue gave her mother a helpless look, stood up, and returned to the hollow.

As soon as Xu Dalang saw her, he scooped her up with his long arms and made faces to amuse her.

Xu Yue remained expressionless and grabbed his hand, placing it on her head. "Brother, scratch the itch."

Xu Dalang smiled innocently, scratched her head, and then looked at her. Xu Yue gave him an encouraging nod.

Seeing his sister’s smile, Xu Dalang knew he had done it right. He let out excited chuckles and scratched her head diligently.

At first, he couldn't control his strength well and hurt Xu Yue a few times, but he became more and more skilled as he went on.

While enjoying the scratching, Xu Yue didn't forget to point at the surrounding stones, grass, and trees, teaching her brother to speak human language word by word, earnestly.

Xu Erniang sat in the corner, picking at the blisters on her feet with a sharp needle. Her technique wasn't very skilled, and she accidentally pricked herself, nearly crying in frustration.

After finally managing to clear the blisters on her feet, her gaze involuntarily fell back onto her tattered grass sandals.

Thinking that she would have to wear these shoes to walk the mountain paths tomorrow, Xu Erniang almost vomited blood.

No!

For the sake of her feet, she had to do something!