Xi Yi gently held her hand, bent down, picked up something at his feet, and handed it to her with a smile.
Now, Sha Yi could see clearly.
The two glowing dots she had spotted were actually a pair of large eyes, set in a small, round head. It was an unknown little creature with oddly oversized ears, a round face, and features and limbs resembling a raccoon. Its body was as small as a hamster’s, but it had an absurdly large, fluffy, and spiky tail that was completely disproportionate to its size. Except for the eerie semi-transparent tip, the rest of its fur was a mix of deep gray and brownish-yellow, making it nearly invisible in dim light.
At the moment, it was crouching in Xi Yi’s palm, staring at her with those big, curious eyes. When it noticed her gaze, it twitched its flat black nose slightly and stretched a tiny paw toward her.
Sha Yi felt utterly enchanted by its cuteness.
Seeing the delight in her eyes, Xi Yi relaxed his brows and pointed at the little creature in his palm, softly saying, “Rong Mo.” Then he extended his hand further toward her.
He was probably telling her the animal’s name. She sensed he wanted her to hold it herself. Hesitant at first, the sight of Rong Mo obediently sitting in his palm made her itch to try. In the end, she couldn’t resist and reached out to take it.
Rong Mo was indeed adorably dopey. After crawling lazily in her palm for a while, it clung to her middle finger and half-closed its eyes.
Sha Yi gently stroked the fluffy little bundle, wondering whether this Rong Mo was an adult or a juvenile.
This was an era that revered size and strength, and Rong Mo’s tiny stature was unusual. Even if it was just a juvenile, it probably wouldn’t grow larger than that ugly bird she had seen. If it could still thrive despite its size, it must have some unique traits. She played with it a bit more.
By now, Rong Mo seemed sleepy. It curled its long tail around itself, shrinking into a tiny ball as if ready for a nap.
Sha Yi chose a low-hanging branch from the giant tree and carefully placed it there.
When she turned back, Xi Yi brushed her cheek with his rough hand before returning to the spot where she had knocked him over earlier.
Curious, Sha Yi followed.
A large leaf she had picked by the lake was spread on the ground, with a few dry twigs and grass stems from the ugly bird’s nest placed on top. Xi Yi was attempting to start a fire by rubbing sticks together. Sha Yi noticed a thick branch beside him, blackened and broken at one end.
Recalling how she had tackled him earlier, she realized this was likely her doing.
It seemed that branch had been on the verge of igniting, but her sudden tackle had ruined it. Yet Xi Yi didn’t blame her—he hadn’t even mentioned it, simply starting over.
Sha Yi suddenly remembered the lighter and matches she had found earlier in the bathtub. She got up, retrieved them, and thought to herself: *Times have changed. In this era, a lighter and matches might be our greatest assets.*
Walking over to Xi Yi, she signaled for him to stop drilling the wood. He looked puzzled and asked her something but obediently halted.
After a moment’s consideration, Sha Yi decided to use the lighter first—more straightforward than matches, which might confuse or even frighten him, leading to unnecessary waste.
She gathered some dry grass stems and thin twigs they had brought from the lake, then opened the box of lighters. Quickly selecting one, she held it beneath the grass and pressed the button.
A soft *click*, and a small flame flickered to life. The grass caught fire instantly, and soon the twigs were burning too.
Xi Yi had already prepared a stone fire pit. Sha Yi stuffed the burning grass, twigs, and a large leaf inside, then turned to ask for his help—only to find him gaping in shock, utterly stunned.
She nudged him, and he snapped out of it, staring at her in bewilderment.
She didn’t plan to explain the lighter just yet. There would be time for that later.
After retrieving the rabbit meat wrapped in animal hide and tossing it to him, she handed him the stainless steel bowl from the ground, miming washing and filling it with water. Xi Yi understood immediately, though he eyed the bowl with curiosity and confusion. Still, he complied, pausing only to glance at the sleeping Rong Mo on the branch before hurrying off.
Sha Yi added a few more dry sticks to the fire, then decided to take stock of her belongings while she waited. These were things they’d definitely need to take with them, and she wanted them organized before nightfall—she didn’t want to encounter any more surprises, nor did she know what other dangers lurked in these woods.
She quickly sorted through her items and, to her surprise, found a pair of scissors. She set aside the toothbrush cup, fruit knife, and bathrobe with the lighter, stuffing everything else back into the bathtub. Then she covered the tub with a few large leaves and secured them with polyethylene rope, wrapping it twice around.
By then, Xi Yi had returned with a leaf-wrapped portion of rabbit meat and half a bowl of water.
Sha Yi cut the meat into small pieces and added them to the bowl, then sliced and tossed in the remaining wild fruits from earlier. She sprinkled some of the spicy fruit powder she had tasted before, placed the bowl on the stones over the fire, and covered it with another leaf. Though the leaf didn’t retain heat well and the bowl was slightly tilted and too close to the flames, it would do.
After three days here, she craved some meat broth. She doubted Xi Yi had ever tried cooking soup before, so she deliberately glanced back at him.
Sure enough, his expression was one of amazement. But now he had nothing left to do, so Sha Yi shooed him off to tend the fire while she spread out a large leaf for them to sit on.
Xi Yi managed the flames well, so it didn’t take long for the broth to boil.
Sha Yi lifted the leaf to check, then tested the meat with the fruit knife. Confirming it was ready, she picked up the cup from the ground, scooped several pieces of rabbit meat into it, and handed it to Xi Yi.
He looked astonished, clumsily accepting the cup and staring at it for a long moment before finally grabbing a piece of meat and popping it into his mouth.
Sha Yi was hungry too. She speared a small piece of meat with the fruit knife and ate slowly.
The broth, flavored with the fruits and spicy powder, was passable. The meat could’ve used more cooking to suit her taste, but overall, the lack of salt made it bland. She didn’t think it tasted better than roasted meat, but boiled food was gentler on the stomach.
Xi Yi ate with relish, quickly finishing the meat in his cup. Sha Yi served him a few more pieces.
Without enough seasoning, the rabbit meat still carried a slight gaminess. Sha Yi couldn’t eat much, so she fished out the boiled fruits and ate those instead, waiting for Xi Yi to finish the meat so she could have some broth.
Soon, Xi Yi emptied his second serving. Only two pieces remained in the bowl. When Sha Yi tried to serve him again, he refused, pointing at himself, muttering something, and shaking his head before gesturing to her.
—
**Note:**
**[Rong Mo]**: The name of the creature, equivalent to “Rong Mo.”
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