Shaking the thick vine in his hand, Xi Yi reluctantly climbed down from the tree, grabbed the remaining two thick vines on the ground, and prepared to dismantle the already formed net to reweave it.
After understanding his intention, Sha Yi immediately stopped him from continuing to dismantle the vine net.
Xi Yi was puzzled and stared at her in confusion for a while. He muttered something while gesturing for her to look up at the darkening night sky, then waved the vine net in his hand and pointed to a nearby grove, shaking his head at her.
Sha Yi barely understood his words to begin with, and his muttering only made it harder for her to grasp his meaning. From his gestures, she gathered that he might be saying it was getting late, the net needed to be rewoven, and that the nearby grove was either off-limits or dangerous. She guessed he wanted to quickly fix the net and hang it back in the tree.
If her interpretation was correct, adding a section of thick vine and tying a secure knot would be much faster than her method. However, since she had been with him, they had never slept outdoors at night. If they were to sleep in the vine net tonight… would they encounter snakes?
Unable to resist asking him this question, she made a wriggling motion with her arm. But her gesture was too stiff, and Xi Yi couldn’t understand it. She then thought of pointing at the marmoset, but the little creature had disappeared into some nook, and she couldn’t find it no matter how hard she searched. Frustrated, she could only stare at him helplessly.
Seeing her agitation, Xi Yi smiled and walked over, gently touching her face to reassure her that he would finish weaving the net quickly. He pulled her down to sit beside him and reached out to continue dismantling the vine net.
In that brief moment, Sha Yi recalled what he had said earlier in the tree hollow while pointing at the marmoset. After saying it, he had shoved the little creature out of the hollow. She hadn’t fully understood his words at the time, but now she suspected they must have included something about snakes. Regardless of the exact meaning, she just needed him to understand her question.
With that in mind, Sha Yi quickly pressed her hand over his, decisively stopping him from dismantling the net a second time. Stumbling over her words, she blurted out, “Nei… nei se… nei er se lu…” After speaking, she looked at him hopefully.
At first, Xi Yi’s expression was strange upon hearing her jumbled words, but soon he broke into a delighted smile.
Though the phrase seemed abrupt in this context and Xi Yi might not have grasped her ultimate intention, his reaction suggested she hadn’t mislearned it. Seizing the opportunity, Sha Yi repeated the wriggling motion she had made earlier.
This time, Xi Yi fully understood her question. He immediately shook his head, pulled her toward the river, and pointed to the grassy field on the opposite bank, saying softly, “Ku nei.” ([“Ku nei”: There are snakes.])
Then, he turned her back around, gestured to their surroundings, and added gently, “Ang nei, na er.” ([“Ang nei, na er”: No snakes, really.])
His tone was firm and resolute.
Sha Yi was a bit confused. While she had begun to grasp a small portion of his ancient language, breaking it down and reconstructing it left her dizzy. Fully understanding him would require deeper thought, but time likely wouldn’t allow her to ponder further.
Meanwhile, Xi Yi, having spent a while explaining, grew equally frustrated when he saw her bewildered expression. He didn’t know how to make her fully comprehend his meaning and found himself stuck in the same dilemma.
Watching Xi Yi’s helpless expression, Sha Yi wrestled with the problem until a sudden idea struck her—she could draw!
The moment the thought occurred to her, she reflexively pulled her hand free from his.
Startled, Xi Yi reached out to grab her, but she had already darted to the fire pit. Picking up a stick charred black at one end, she began drawing on the ground.
By the time Xi Yi approached, she had finished sketching a coiled snake. The smoky black charcoal contrasted sharply against the gray-brown earth under the firelight, making the image strikingly vivid. Xi Yi’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Sha Yi knew that early humans had long used drawings to record events, so she didn’t doubt his ability to understand her sketch. However, his stunned expression puzzled her.
After some thought, Sha Yi concluded he wasn’t actually looking at the snake she had drawn. She attributed his reaction to the half-charred stick instead.
Handing the stick to Xi Yi, he eagerly took it, turning it over and examining it multiple times. Finally, mimicking her, he dragged the stick across the ground. When the same smoky black marks appeared, his face lit up with joy.
Sha Yi felt the entire focus of the conversation had derailed. Amused and exasperated, she crouched and watched him enthusiastically play with the burnt stick, unsure what to say. She picked up the stainless steel bowl nearby and began gathering the scattered remnants from their roasted meat meal.
It took Xi Yi a long while to notice her silence. With an embarrassed “ah,” he set the stick down and tentatively reached out to stroke her back, his gesture full of appeasement.
His nervous attempt to placate her made Sha Yi laugh. Turning around, she ruffled his hair, which instantly excited him. His strong arm yanked her toward him, but the sudden motion threw her off balance, sending her crashing into him and knocking them both to the ground.
The impact was strong, and with injuries on both his chest and back, Sha Yi worriedly tried to get up. But he pressed her firmly against his chest, wrapping his other arm tightly around her, locking them in a close embrace.
This time felt different. Sha Yi faintly sensed something hard beneath the animal hide pressed against her thigh. At first, she was confused, but when the scorching heat registered, realization struck like thunder. Her delicate face flushed crimson, and she instinctively struggled free.
Sha Yi quickly broke free from Xi Yi’s hold. In truth, her strength was negligible compared to his, yet she escaped effortlessly—clearly, he had no intention of forcing her. It seemed the accidental contact had truly been just that.
Except… when she climbed off him, she heard his resigned sigh.
Too embarrassed to look at him, she was surprised when he simply sat up and gently pulled her into a comforting hug, nuzzling her cheek playfully. The ticklish scrape of his stubble made her laugh, dissolving the awkwardness in an instant.
Perhaps ancient people didn’t overcomplicate things the way modern humans did. At this moment, Xi Yi seemed warm and serene in a way she had never seen before.
Sha Yi thought Xi Yi might look younger and more handsome if he shaved. Though his stubble wasn’t long, it was thick, obscuring much of his face. She realized she still didn’t know his age—or even what he truly looked like. But his nose and eyes were striking, and she guessed his overall appearance must be pleasing.
－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－
Notes:
[“Ku nei”: There are snakes.]
[“Ang nei”: No snakes.]
[“Na er”: Really.]
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