Sha Yi woke up to find the sky already darkening. Xi Yi was carrying the tub she was in with both hands, walking toward the shore. Noticing she was awake, he set the tub down and affectionately smoothed her disheveled hair from sleep before gently stroking her cheek.
His complexion looked much better—not as vibrant as usual, but nowhere near as distressed as it had been in that low cave. Sha Yi felt her mood lighten considerably. Taking advantage of his hand still on her face, she pulled his arm down and hugged it against her chest, nuzzling her cheek against it.
At this small gesture, Xi Yi chuckled softly and bent down, seemingly intending to tease her further. But just then, an urgent voice called out, and he immediately stopped, swiftly turning around.
Sha Yi had also heard the call, though she couldn’t quite make out the words. The hoarse voice was hard to distinguish as male or female, but the pronunciation vaguely resembled Xi Yi’s name.
Curious, Sha Yi craned her neck to see what was happening, but Xi Yi’s tall frame blocked her view. After several failed attempts, she tried to climb out of the tub, only to realize her legs had gone numb from sleeping in an awkward position. After a few unsuccessful tries to swing her legs over the edge, she gave up and sat back down, waiting for the numbness to fade.
Hearing her struggle, Xi Yi glanced back and reached out to help her. But just then, a figure came sprinting toward them, interrupting him again.
It was a woman with skin tone similar to Xi Yi’s, though much shorter and stockier. Her attire was identical to his—just a piece of animal hide wrapped around her waist, leaving her upper body bare. Her slightly drooping, modest breasts made Sha Yi feel somewhat embarrassed, but the woman herself seemed entirely unbothered, as if it were completely normal. Instead, she tiptoed up, threw her arms around Xi Yi’s neck, and began chattering rapidly.
The woman spoke so fast, and with Xi Yi in the way, Sha Yi could barely make out any words. Straining her ears, she eventually gave up, only sensing from the woman’s tone that she was deeply concerned about Xi Yi.
While the woman continued her rapid-fire speech, Sha Yi resumed rubbing her legs. Suddenly, a strange, rough male voice let out a surprised “Huh?” and the woman abruptly stopped talking.
In an instant, Sha Yi felt multiple pairs of eyes on her. Looking up, she saw the stocky woman and an unfamiliar man peering at her curiously. Xi Yi, still held by the woman, couldn’t immediately turn to help her.
Feeling awkward, Sha Yi offered them a hesitant smile, then froze, unsure what to do next.
Fortunately, the woman recovered first, tugging Xi Yi around and pointing at Sha Yi while asking him something, her face alight with excitement.
As the woman bombarded him with questions, Xi Yi nodded repeatedly, glancing at Sha Yi a few times in between. Occasionally, he scratched his head, looking slightly bashful, but his gaze remained warm. Even the unfamiliar man beside them began to look delighted as their conversation progressed.
The woman was likely discussing Sha Yi with Xi Yi—she even caught the pronunciation of her own name in Xi Yi’s replies. The woman kept studying her with a joyful expression, her gaze almost like a modern mother-in-law utterly pleased with her daughter-in-law.
Sha Yi, however, was baffled. Why was this woman so invested in Xi Yi’s relationship with her? Primitive societies shouldn’t care about such things. Besides, though the woman looked much older than Xi Yi, she couldn’t possibly be his mother. Were they siblings?
Glancing at the man beside the woman, who was grinning to himself, Sha Yi grew even more confused.
Their conversation went on for a long time. When they finally paused, Sha Yi assumed they were done—only for the woman to suddenly step forward, bend down, and press firmly on her stomach. After a pause, she pressed a few more times.
The action was identical to what Xi Yi had done the first night they slept together.
Sha Yi still didn’t understand what it meant, and now, startled and unsettled, she instinctively flinched back.
But the woman wasn’t done. She tried to press again, only for Xi Yi to grab her wrist. The woman looked puzzled, turning to ask him something. Xi Yi first nodded, said something, then shook his head.
Only then did the woman relent, cheerfully abandoning her stomach-pressing mission—though her eyes still sparkled with amusement as she reached out to grab Sha Yi’s hand instead. Sha Yi braced herself, heart pounding.
Luckily, Xi Yi noticed her unease and quickly stepped in, blocking the woman’s attempt. The woman’s excitement briefly turned to disappointment, but she soon recovered, slapping her own chest proudly and declaring, “Xi Gu!”
Having learned from Xi Yi’s earlier self-introduction, Sha Yi immediately understood. Still, the woman’s dramatic gesture and her name—which sounded suspiciously like “watermelon” or “butt”—left Sha Yi inwardly cringing.
Before she could respond, Xi Gu yanked the man beside her—slightly shorter than Xi Yi—forward and gave his chest a hearty slap, announcing seriously, “Ma Rui!”
The man looked a little embarrassed but smiled at her nonetheless. Xi Gu, however, was unfazed, watching Sha Yi with eager anticipation.
By now, Sha Yi fully grasped Xi Gu’s blunt, unrestrained personality. Realizing it was just her nature and nothing personal, Sha Yi relaxed and offered them a polite smile in return. Pointing at herself, she enunciated slowly, “Sha Yi.”
She had overestimated them. Even with her careful pronunciation, Xi Gu and Ma Rui—like Xi Yi—struggled with the unfamiliar sounds due to their ancient language and speech habits. Their attempts came out garbled, as if they had a lisp.
Still, Sha Yi was relieved. At least they didn’t butcher her name as badly as Xi Yi had, turning it into something like “Silly.” For that, she was grateful.
Once introductions were over, Xi Yi urged Xi Gu to leave. She nodded, waving for Ma Rui to help carry things—but then paused, as if remembering something. Turning back, she scanned the riverbank and asked Xi Yi, “Xi Mang ke na?” (Is Xi Mang here?)
Xi Yi’s smile vanished instantly, pain flashing in his eyes. His lips moved, but no words came out.
Noticing his reaction, Xi Gu frowned. After a hesitant pause, she asked again, uncertainly, “Xi Mang… ke na?”
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