At this moment, she was deeply moved.
It had nothing to do with his initial feelings for her, only gratitude—not everyone would be willing to do this.
Especially when attempting something with unknown outcomes, not being in dire straits nor absolutely necessary, many wouldn’t take the risk. Like the time they searched for mineral salt, especially after one failure that brought many negative consequences.
Now, even among this gathered group, she wasn’t entirely sure of their commitment. Yet, he was always willing to accompany her all the way, without even asking about the consequences.
Her feelings, perhaps only he truly understood.
Sha Yi suddenly realized that meeting someone, growing close, and falling in love wasn’t an impossible challenge. Even across races, across eras, across tens of thousands of years—as long as there was sincerity, there would be no barriers, no obstacles.
Though it was still early, a long time had passed since breakfast. During her period, she couldn’t eat cold food, and her stomach was growling with hunger. Sha Yi had no choice but to wait for Xi Yi to gather a large bundle of branches before following him back to the newly tidied cave.
Not wanting to waste anything, she left the bamboo basket’s gelatinous sap untouched, planning to retrieve it once the raft materials were ready. On the way back, she stopped by Pan Kuo’s cave. The plump, ugly bird was still stuck at the entrance, flailing its stubby legs helplessly. Unable to bear it, she tried nudging it through with her foot, but to no avail. In the end, she gave up on the bird and instead tore off half of the mosquito-repelling banana-like leaf to carry with her.
Xi Yi laughed heartily from a distance. When she returned to his side, he reached out to hold her hand, and the two walked back to the cave together.
Inside, Xi Gu had already gathered a group to roast meat.
After a night of exhaustion, an early breakfast, and the group’s strenuous swim with their belongings, their energy was thoroughly drained. Moreover, they might need to hunt in the remaining afternoon hours, so preparations had been made early.
However, the cave’s lighting was dismal on this overcast day. Without the fire’s glow, it would have been pitch black.
Thankfully, Xi Yi was there. Following him, she moved with ease. Only when they reached the bathtub did her eyes gradually adjust to the darkness. At that moment, Xi Yi took the large leaf from her hands, then lifted her onto a tall rock.
He knew she valued cleanliness, so he began tidying their sleeping area for the night—and he made it clear he didn’t want her help.
Truthfully, she was too lazy to move. If he told her to sit, she wouldn’t stand. After all, her period was merciless. Watching him work, she felt a warmth in her heart.
Unfortunately, her makeshift menstrual pad soon betrayed her. She could no longer focus on his tidying and urgently called out, “Xi Yi, I need to get down…”
The man immediately responded, turning swiftly to lift her down with gentle care. With his other hand, he rummaged through their belongings and handed her something, quickly adding, “Bring me the soiled one later. I’ll wash it—don’t touch cold water.”
Her face flushed crimson, but her heart swelled with sweetness.
Hearing such words from him was undeniably embarrassing. Yet, if they grew even closer, perhaps such things wouldn’t matter as much. Sha Yi thought that, no matter what, it couldn’t be more awkward than now.
When she didn’t respond, Xi Yi grew uneasy. He tossed aside the leaf, grabbed her hand, and insisted, “I’ll go with you.”
Sha Yi was mortified.
This situation was still awkward, no matter how she rationalized it. Though she’d imagined it wouldn’t be so difficult, they hadn’t crossed that final threshold yet—especially after the morning’s incident. She didn’t want a repeat.
Yet Xi Yi ignored her embarrassment entirely. Bending down, he scooped her up in his arms.
“Xi Yi… put me down. Everyone’s watching…” Glancing at the suggestive looks around them, Sha Yi felt overwhelmed and struggled weakly. “I’ll go by myself. I promise not to touch cold water…”
He ignored her.
Sha Yi began to feel utterly helpless and poked his chest in protest.
“Sha Yi…” he suddenly called her name.
Glaring at him with frustration, she snapped, “What?”
The man paused. “I think you… peed on my hand.”
“……”
Sha Yi wanted to vanish.
It was her second day—heavy flow. She had indeed stained her skirt and shorts, and now his hand was smeared red. But if he hadn’t insisted on carrying her, her makeshift pad wouldn’t have failed!
Yet he mistook her murderous glare for affection. The more she glared, the wider he grinned, as if delighted!
Resigned, Sha Yi stopped arguing. After changing her pad, he didn’t hurry back. Instead, he held her clean hand with his own, strolling leisurely toward the river, the soiled pad dangling from his other hand.
For the second time, she squatted by the riverbank, watching him wash her menstrual cloth.
Just like before, his expression was one of contentment and joy—utterly devoid of disgust.
Sha Yi couldn’t understand it.
But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. He finished quickly, then turned and gestured for her to remove her skirt so he could wash that too.
Speechless and unable to refuse, she slowly took it off. But when Xi Yi noticed her shorts were also stained, he pointed at them, demanding she remove those as well.
This time, Sha Yi flat-out refused. If she took off her shorts, the hideously makeshift pad would leave her mortified beyond recovery—especially in front of Xi Yi, the man she’d spend her life with!
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Xi Yi assumed she was just shy. Coaxing her, he reached for her shorts. Sha Yi, exasperated, finally relented—but only after bargaining for a large leaf to fashion into a makeshift skirt. Once she’d wrapped it around herself, she hastily tossed him the shorts, and he finally let it go.
Sometimes, Xi Yi was hopelessly oblivious—endearingly warm yet utterly exasperating.
The damp, chilly air made her shiver in just her underwear. The earlier struggle over her shorts had distracted her, but now, in the quiet, goosebumps rose across her skin.
Luckily, Xi Yi finished washing quickly. Noticing her discomfort, he scooped her up again. This time, she didn’t resist, letting him carry her back to the cave. Once there, she hastily pulled on a dry skirt and wrapped herself in a nearly-dried hide.
Xi Yi chuckled the entire time but didn’t tease her further.
Dinner was, as usual, roasted meat. But with all the fires lit, a pot of broth was also prepared. Xi Gu shamelessly poured most of it into bowls for her and Xi Yi. Fortunately, broth wasn’t a staple for them—water sufficed—so the others didn’t mind.
After the meal, the group rested briefly before setting out to hunt. The women busied themselves cleaning up.
Xi Yi stayed behind, helping her tidy the bathtub.
She shared her idea of using wooden planks for bedding and repurposing the tub for bathing. He agreed enthusiastically, though without ready-made wood, he first spread the mosquito-repelling leaves across the floor, placed the tub atop them, and rigged thick vines around it—some draped with hides for privacy, others hung with her washed clothes. The remaining items were tucked into the tub’s corners.
The leaves couldn’t eliminate the dampness, but they made the space feel cozier and slightly drier. With the rainy season lingering, they needed solutions fast.
Once everything was arranged, Sha Yi gestured for him to take the unused reddish vines outside and hang them on medium-sized trees farther from the cave. Without hesitation, he left to do just that.
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