Chapter 212: Preparations for the Challenge

Because of Jialuo, she didn’t sleep a wink all night, and halfway through, she started feeling nauseous again. Not just her—even Xi Yi stayed up with her.

By the time everything settled down, it was almost dawn. Xi Yi got up immediately, while Sha Yi dozed off for a bit. However, she dreamed that Xi Yi and Yeli had gotten into a fight. Whether it was due to excessive worry or some kind of subconscious warning, when she woke up, she felt that given their current situation, if they didn’t make some defensive preparations, they might suffer serious consequences.

After all, the people on Xi Yi’s side had never truly engaged in any real conflicts, while Yeli, full of conquest and aggression, was clearly different.

Jialuo’s situation was slightly better than theirs, but even he couldn’t fully grasp everything happening there, let alone her. At most, she could only ask Tuge for information—but she absolutely couldn’t risk alerting the enemy.

Recalling Jialuo’s strange expression when he left the previous night, Sha Yi thought that perhaps, before they could establish a clear advantage or disadvantage against Yeli, even Jialuo’s interactions with Tuge and others on their side made her uneasy. If Jialuo lost his judgment and acted recklessly, things could take a turn for the worse.

Moreover, aside from this, they should probably prepare some traps or trenches. Otherwise, they might be caught off guard. Only by being prepared could they avoid disaster.

However, her morning sickness showed no signs of improvement—if anything, it got worse overnight.

Xi Yi had gone out, and everyone else seemed busy too. Not wanting to bother anyone, she endured it alone. By the time the nausea subsided around noon, Masa came running over with a large bowl of warm water.

According to Masa, Xi Yi had instructed him to boil the water before leaving and bring it to her when she woke up. He had been waiting outside and, since he wasn’t far, quickly noticed she was awake.

Sha Yi was immensely grateful for the warm water. Not only was she hungry, but her stomach was too unsettled to eat anything else. The temperature had dropped significantly, so drinking something warm was comforting.

Initially, Masa had been worried, but seeing her drink the water, he relaxed and couldn’t help but start talking about Xigu and Xi Yi.

Early that morning, Xi Yi had taken Xigu to the shallow waters. Now, nearing lunchtime, they still hadn’t returned, which made Sha Yi a little nervous.

Because things were different now—this area wasn’t just home to them and Saina’s people anymore. At any moment, danger could erupt.

Seeing her concern, Masa quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, they said they’d be back by mealtime. The food isn’t ready yet, so there’s still time.”

Hearing this, Sha Yi felt slightly better. But thinking they might have gone to catch shrimp again, she couldn’t help but ask, “Did they go shrimp hunting again?”

“At first, that’s what they said. But shrimp are really hard to catch. I don’t know what they’ll bring back…” Scratching his head, Masa looked troubled. “In the past, they could catch some, but this winter is colder and came much earlier than usual. Even wild fruits have disappeared early. We used to see strange things in the water around this time, but I don’t know what they were. Someone caught one once—it tasted terrible, was very hard, full of spines, and extremely fishy.”

The most common thing in the water was fish, and if it was fishy, that was probably it. From what she knew, Xi Yi and the others didn’t originally eat shrimp either. The first time she saw him, he had bitten into one raw, and while she was horrified, she also understood why they avoided shrimp—they probably tried it once without removing the shell, making the experience unpleasant.

Similarly, if they complained about fish being hard, spiny, and fishy, it was likely because they didn’t scale or gut them. Just imagining it made her cringe, so she decided not to dwell on it.

Still, if they couldn’t catch shrimp, bringing back some fish would be great. Back at the volcanic crater, she had cooked fish for Xi Yi and the others. Maybe because they were starving at the time, and she had prepared it carefully, they devoured it.

If Xi Yi and Xigu brought back fish this time, she could cook it again—maybe she’d even be able to eat some.

As for the livestock outside, she had completely lost her appetite for them recently.

Beyond food, there was the matter of fortifications.

She felt it was absolutely necessary to educate the group about basic defenses—digging trenches or setting traps, like the ones they occasionally used for hunting. While brute force might guarantee victory, it would also lead to heavy losses, so minimizing risks was crucial.

With that in mind, she took Masa outside the brick house.

The air was still cold, though warmer than at night. The sudden temperature drop, combined with the lack of modern winter clothing, made her shiver slightly in her primitive fur garments. Still, winters in this era weren’t colder than modern ones, so she didn’t dwell on it.

A light breeze, clear skies.

None of their people had gone hunting today—everyone was busy cooking, just as Masa had said. The atmosphere was lively, including over at Tuge’s side.

They were essentially living together now. Though they occupied separate dwellings and maintained some distance, the relationship was harmonious.

Sha Yi noticed two women among Tuge’s group.

They were the same ones who had shared a cave with her in the old settlement—the ones who had kicked her while she was down when Jialuo first captured her.

Now, they were bustling about, cooking as if fully integrated into Tuge’s group. But over the past while, they hadn’t dared to act out—in fact, she rarely even saw them.

Sha Yi figured they either felt guilty or were afraid of being exiled from the group and thus avoided her.

After all, everyone knew Jialuo favored her.

She didn’t dwell on it. As long as those women were genuinely loyal to their new group, she had no complaints.

What happened in the past was in the past.

Snapping out of her thoughts, the scent of roasting meat wafted over, and Sha Yi instinctively covered her nose.

She didn’t dare inhale the aroma too deeply. Though it smelled delicious and she craved it, her current condition was unpredictable, so she had to restrain herself.

She had no experience with pregnancy and wasn’t entirely sure what precautions to take. But based on what she’d seen in TV dramas, she knew she had to be careful in the early stages.

Seeing her discomfort, Masa considerately led her toward a quieter area, chattering cheerfully about the livestock to distract her: “The wild chickens seem to have gotten used to being penned up. And the sheep—at first, they kept ramming the fences and even gnawed on them. The rabbits dug holes too, but I kept feeding them grass, and now they’ve settled down. They’re all behaving well.”

“What about Squinty and the foals?” Masa’s cheerful demeanor lifted Sha Yi’s mood, so she played along. “Where did you put them?”

“Squinty and the three foals are doing great! I keep them in the stone cave. They stay together, but the foals graze on their own. Squinty doesn’t—whenever he’s hungry, he chases me and yowls until I share some roasted meat with him. He’s even grown teeth now!” Masa beamed.

“Should we go see them?” Sha Yi perked up.

“Yeah!” Masa’s enthusiasm flared, but then he hesitated. “Actually… maybe not?”

“Why not?” Sha Yi tilted her head, ruffling his hair. “Did the foals go grazing again?”

“No.” Masa shook his head, lowering his voice. “The foals and Squinty have grown a lot, and they’ve been really rowdy lately. Squinty loves pouncing on people—the moment he sees me from afar, he leaps at me. Mother said you’re carrying Xi Yi’s baby now, so you shouldn’t even help with cooking. So I think you shouldn’t go near Squinty either.”

With that, Masa shook his head firmly, refusing to take her.

Sha Yi couldn’t help but laugh, deeply touched.

Xi Yi and Xigu had always been devoted to her, and now even Masa was looking out for her. It warmed her heart.

For someone as young as Masa to reason things out and make such a decision was remarkable.

Maybe ancient people matured early, or maybe it was learned behavior. Xi Yi was a sweetheart, and Masa would probably grow up to be one too—if not even more considerate!

Absently resting a hand on her still-flat stomach, Sha Yi found herself imagining her child.

Even though life in this era was harsh, with effort, they could build a better future. This world was far more honest than the modern one—what you put in was what you got. And with everyone on equal footing, Xi Yi’s presence gave her the security to face whatever came next without fear.

If her child was a boy, she hoped he’d be like Xi Yi—warm, gentle, and brave. If it was a girl… well, she’d prefer her not to be like Xigu. Not that Xigu was bad, but she was a handful. And definitely not like herself—she was far too useless. She’d suffered enough because of that at the start!