Following Sha Yi’s pointing gesture and the accompanying explanations, she quickly grasped his meaning.
—At the mouth of this river, there had originally been a giant fallen tree lying across the waterway where they had stopped. Normally, they would use the massive trunk of this tree as a bridge to cross. But now, with the rising water levels and the early onset of heavy rain, the tree had long since floated away due to the buoyancy of the water, leaving them with no way to cross.
Xi Yi’s point was that they had missed the best opportunity to return to the other side of the river. If they still wanted to cross, they would have to travel all the way to the end of the river and go around from there.
Or, swim across.
The detour was too long, and she had no desire to walk that far. Moreover, time didn’t permit them to deviate from their original plan for such a lengthy detour. As for swimming, she couldn’t swim herself, but they did have an oversized wooden bathtub for two. Though the river’s depth and width were considerable, they could probably use the bathtub to cross.
Xi Yi, of course, had no idea what she was thinking. After waiting for her response in vain, he came over and tugged at her, using gestures to ask whether she preferred the detour or swimming. Finally, he made a few more motions, indicating that if they took the detour, he could carry her, and if they swam, he could help her across—reassuring her that she needn’t worry.
Sha Yi smiled and shook her head. Meeting his puzzled gaze, she gestured for him to help push the bathtub into the river.
Xi Yi understood her motion but was visibly surprised. He hesitated, looking between her and the bathtub before firmly shaking his head. He pointed to his chest, then to the bathtub, and waved his hand at her dismissively.
Xi Yi probably thought she wanted him to abandon the bathtub so they could take the detour instead. He clearly disagreed, believing he had the strength to carry both the bathtub and her.
She shook her head again, trying to convey that he had misunderstood. But on this matter, his comprehension seemed unusually lacking—he stubbornly insisted he could manage, refusing to push the bathtub into the water.
At this point, Sha Yi felt utterly powerless. She had no idea how to guide him.
Especially since Xi Yi was being particularly uncooperative this time, as if he had never even seen a boat in his life.
After thinking for a while, Sha Yi still couldn’t come up with a suitable solution. As the sun began to set, she grew impatient. Finally, unable to hold back, she punched him in frustration and pointed at the bathtub on the ground, snapping, “Just push it! Stop wasting time with all this nonsense!”
Xi Yi was momentarily stunned by her punch. When he looked down and saw her displeased expression, he immediately abandoned all resistance. Fearing she might get even angrier, he nervously bent down and pushed the bathtub toward the river.
Sha Yi couldn’t help but laugh.
If she had known violence would work so well, she wouldn’t have bothered explaining at all. A pinch or a kick would have settled things much sooner—why waste so much effort?
Xi Yi was incredibly strong. The oversized wooden bathtub was practically shoved into the river in one motion. However, due to the extreme scarcity of resources in this ancient era, such items were exceptionally rare, and he couldn’t bring himself to let go.
He had braced himself to exert great force to pull it back, but to his surprise, the oddly shaped object seemed to float on its own…
Xi Yi was utterly amazed, while Sha Yi had expected this outcome.
Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Sha Yi felt her mood lift considerably. She walked over and gestured for him to climb into the bathtub.
Xi Yi didn’t understand. He didn’t even move, clinging tightly to the edge of the bathtub while staring at her with disbelief.
Sha Yi decided explanations were pointless. Actions spoke louder than words—maybe seeing it in action would make it click for him.
However, it was still summer, and the riverbank was overgrown with dense aquatic plants. The dark green hues shimmered beneath the shallow water, casting an eerie, shadowy atmosphere.
As Sha Yi hunched over to climb into the bathtub, she caught a glimpse of the murky green beneath the surface and felt a chill run down her spine. Gripping the edge of the bathtub, she sighed inwardly—if only the tub were bigger, she wouldn’t be so unnerved by a few clumps of water plants. But she had no choice. For the sake of a better tomorrow and a peaceful night’s rest, she had to cross the river sooner rather than later.
With that thought, she slowly stepped into the bathtub and stretched out as much as possible to distribute her weight evenly.
Xi Yi was both astonished and bewildered by her climbing into the bathtub. Still holding onto it, he used his other hand to shake the floating tub a few times. When it remained afloat, he couldn’t resist pressing one foot down on one end, causing it to tilt halfway. Sha Yi gasped in alarm and quickly grabbed the sides to steady herself.
Xi Yi burst into laughter, while Sha Yi could only sigh in exasperation. Just as she tried to lie back down, Xi Yi suddenly grabbed her ankle and yanked her toward him, causing the bathtub to rock violently.
Sha Yi panicked but had no idea how to stop this idiot. Whenever something new caught his interest, he would immediately start teasing her, completely disregarding the consequences.
After struggling for a while, she still couldn’t break free from Xi Yi’s grip. His amusement only grew, and he tugged even harder.
Sha Yi felt the bathtub was about to capsize. Frustrated, she blurted out, “Ken… ke lu…”
This nonsensical phrase somehow made Xi Yi release her. Just as she was about to marvel at its effectiveness, the unexpected happened—the bathtub didn’t flip over, but her own struggling momentum sent her sliding off the edge.
The entire process of falling into the water happened in an instant. Sha Yi didn’t even have time to scream before she was completely submerged. The more she flailed, the faster she sank. The soft, slimy plants brushing against her feet made her skin crawl. In her panic, she opened her mouth to call for help, only to swallow a mouthful of water.
Just as she was on the verge of suffocating, a warm arm slipped under her armpit, and a powerful force yanked her back to the surface.
Having held her breath for so long, the sudden return to air left her coughing violently, nearly convulsing. It took her a while to recover. By then, Xi Yi had already pushed her onto the riverbank.
Collapsing onto a patch of soft grass, Sha Yi felt utterly miserable. Her clothes were soaked, clinging uncomfortably to her skin. Her short skirt, lacking any elasticity, restricted her movements, making everything inconvenient.
It was all that troublemaker’s fault. Though he was just as drenched as she was, he was the one who had caused this mess! Not to mention, the bandaging she had done for him earlier was now ruined—not only was the cotton nightgown completely soaked, but his wound had also been thoroughly doused.
The thought of it made her even more frustrated. As she watched him climb onto the bank, she shot him an annoyed glare.
Xi Yi, however, paid no attention to her anger. Wringing out his animal-hide skirt, he strode toward her. Within two steps, Sha Yi noticed his eyes widening, fixed unblinkingly on her.
This time, she didn’t even need to look down to know her wet clothes were the problem. And Xi Yi—lustful by nature—was impossible not to despise!
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