In the early morning, the sunlight was warm, and a gentle breeze blew.
Sha Yi slowly woke up.
Since arriving in this world, this had been the most peaceful and serene night, allowing her to sleep soundly without even a single dream.
Stretching lazily, she lay comfortably for a while longer before finally sitting up.
As soon as she got up, she caught a whiff of a delicious aroma, and her stomach growled right on cue. When she craned her neck to look around, Xi Yi happened to emerge from the low bushes, carrying a bundle of dry branches.
Spotting her peeking out from the hanging vine net, Xi Yi called her name from a distance.
Sha Yi responded with a bright smile, then found a protruding knot on the tree trunk to step on as she climbed down.
The vine net wasn’t hung too high, and Sha Yi thought she could descend using just her hands. She didn’t want to trouble Xi Yi, but after only moving down two steps, her foot slipped, and she plummeted straight down.
Fortunately, Xi Yi reacted swiftly. He dropped the branches, dashed over in a few strides, and caught her with one hand, sparing her the embarrassment of a face-first fall.
Holding onto Xi Yi’s neck, Sha Yi suddenly noticed that he was completely drenched. Partly from gathering dry branches, his face and body were covered in dust, and his slightly curly hair was tangled with bits of grass and dirt, leaving him looking grimy all over.
Her heart ached for him. She picked some debris from his hair and wiped his face, but the dust had already stuck to his damp skin, making it impossible to clean off no matter how many times she tried.
Xi Yi, however, didn’t seem to mind the dirt at all. He simply enjoyed the soothing touch of her fingers against his face, eventually closing his eyes and smiling.
Remembering the toiletries in the bathtub, Sha Yi jumped out of his arms and ran toward it.
Xi Yi picked up the scattered branches again and followed her at a leisurely pace.
The fire from the previous night had been rekindled. Before she woke up, Xi Yi had already started it by rubbing sticks together. Now, the stainless steel pot was placed over the flames, filled with what looked like wild greens and some wild fruits—the source of the enticing aroma she had smelled from the vine net.
While rummaging through the bathtub’s contents, Sha Yi found a few unidentified bird eggs. After a moment’s thought, she added them to the pot and covered it with a large, dried leaf to speed up the cooking.
Xi Yi was busy tending to the fire, indifferent to her additions to the pot. Occasionally, he glanced at her, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Sha Yi soon found the toiletries, including a toothbrush and toothpaste. Luck was on her side—there were two toothbrushes. She hadn’t brushed her teeth in five days. Though she rinsed with water each time, it was far from the thorough cleaning proper tools provided. Still, she had no choice. As the old saying went, modern supplies were finite, and she had to conserve them while searching for alternatives.
She wondered how Xi Yi’s wounds were doing. If they had scabbed over, a little water wouldn’t hurt. But since he had already been in the water several times the day before, she guessed his injuries hadn’t fully healed. Even so, cleaning up would be beneficial, making the journey ahead more comfortable.
With that in mind, she gestured to ask when they would set off. After repeating the motion a few times, Xi Yi finally understood. He first pointed at the rising sun in the east, then moved his finger to the top of his head, rapidly uttering a string of incomprehensible syllables before shaking his head and smiling.
His words were beyond her, but his gestures were decipherable. Sha Yi interpreted his meaning as waiting until the sun reached its zenith—midday—before continuing their journey.
As for the head shake and smile, she took it as a sign that there was no rush, which suited her just fine. It gave her ample time to help him clean up.
The past few days of trekking had been grueling. The journey itself was exhausting, and the unexpected encounters had left both of them disheveled. Though she had managed to wash once and even fell into the water once, Xi Yi had only taken a plunge—and with his injuries, now covered in mud and debris, he must have been uncomfortable.
Before she could finish her thoughts, steam began rising from the pot. Thanks to the strong fire, the contents cooked quickly. When she lifted the large leaf, the bird eggs had sunk to the bottom, indicating they were done.
For now, breakfast was the priority.
Sha Yi took out the unused fruit knife, picked a few eggs onto a leaf, and handed them to Xi Yi. Then, she scooped some wild greens into a cup and snapped two thin twigs to use as makeshift chopsticks.
Xi Yi, hungry, devoured several eggs before noticing her using the small sticks to pick up greens. Intrigued, he grabbed her hand, examining it closely before snatching the “weapons” to try for himself.
Sha Yi wasn’t optimistic about his attempt. It was a universal truth that first-time chopstick users struggled, let alone with twigs that were even harder to handle. Still, she didn’t stop him, instead watching with amusement, certain it would be hilarious.
Sure enough, Xi Yi first tried mimicking her one-handed technique. But not only did he fail to pick up even a single leaf, he nearly overturned the entire pot with his brute force. Frustrated, he switched to using both hands—with no better results. Soon after, two crisp snaps echoed.
The twigs had snapped under the strain.
Defeated, Xi Yi returned the broken remnants to her, wearing a sullen expression before sulkily going back to peeling eggs.
Watching him peel eggs with such resignation, Sha Yi couldn’t help but chuckle. Using the makeshift chopsticks, she scooped some greens and held them out to him.
Xi Yi stared at her, wide-eyed and flustered, as if surprised by her gesture. After a long pause, he finally opened his mouth and bit down—including the sticks.
Realizing he was chewing on the wood, Sha Yi quickly tapped his cheek, signaling him to spit it out. But he seemed to recall something else, urgently pulling her up and pointing toward a shallow pit near the fire.
Only when she stepped closer did Sha Yi notice it was filled with the same kind of shrimp Pan Kuo had brought the night before. They sat motionless in the shallow water, their long antennae occasionally twitching as the only sign of life.
She had intended to ask him to catch some shrimp, but before she could even mention it, he had already done so?
At this moment, Sha Yi couldn’t help but admire Xi Yi’s ability to read her mind—it was nothing short of miraculous!
Then again, his drenched and muddy state was likely from shrimp-catching, followed by gathering firewood. The grass and dirt clinging to him had turned into a grimy mess when mixed with water.
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