The compressed biscuits were hard to swallow, and because they were both preoccupied with their own thoughts, the meal tasted like cardboard to them. Jiang Xi chewed slowly, her thoughts swirling around the events that had just occurred.

How should I put it? What did she do wrong? Although I was the one who initiated the breakup, she shouldn't be blamed for everything.

At this moment, she recalled the words Yan Zheng's father had said in the past, and she kept thinking about them silently.

Perhaps it was her silence and reaction that angered Yan Zheng, and the atmosphere between the two of them dropped to freezing point, with the man's face tense.

After a long pause, he glanced at her and said expressionlessly, "The most urgent thing is to find a water source as soon as possible. We only have one bottle of water left. If we travel thirsty tomorrow, our situation will probably only get worse."

Jiang Xi was a beat slow to react when her thoughts were abruptly interrupted. She nodded after realizing what was happening, feeling relieved. Although his attitude wasn't great, at least he still had some humanity and hadn't abandoned her.

She knew the seriousness of Yan Zheng's words: their water was running out, the temperature was high, and they had to be wary of mosquitoes and wild animals. Without water, they would have no strength.

Humans have lived near water since ancient times. As long as you find a water source, you can find a village by following the river downstream. It is right to hurry up and find water.

Moreover, rationally speaking, Jiang Xi understood that she had no choice at the moment. Her being stranded in the wilderness was a fait accompli. At this moment, it was nothing short of a pipe dream for a weak woman like her who had never even attended a summer camp. She had to follow him and try her best not to be a burden to him.

The man before me no longer bore any resemblance to his former self. The boy in my memory was like the warm winter sun, both humble and gentle.

Now, looking at this person again feels like a lifetime ago.

Although he was still the same person, he had become very sharp, with a faint indifference hidden in his eyes, and his personality was somewhat unpredictable.

What exactly happened during the years they were separated?

Jiang Xi was filled with doubts. Most importantly, judging from his attitude just now, this man still held a grudge about what happened in the past, which made her uneasy and even more hesitant to take any risks.

He's only thinking of himself now, but what about later? If they don't find water and their strength reaches its limit, what will happen to him? Will he be abandoned?

She dared not think about it, nor did she want to challenge human nature.

Moreover, he is agile and has rich experience in wilderness survival, so the chances of survival are greater with him around.

After making up her mind, Jiang Xi hurriedly swallowed the last bite of dry food and got up to pack her things.

The temperature in the jungle rose higher and higher, and the sun became even more scorching in the afternoon.

Many wild plants choose to bloom at this time, with colorful and varied flowers, including bell-shaped corydalis, pink dandelions, and many other flowers and grasses that Jiang Xi could not recognize. These flowers swayed in the breeze and emitted a faint fragrance.

They looked both familiar and strange, which created a sense of disconnect for Jiang Xi, a feeling of unreality about the space she was in. Squirrels occasionally leaped among the branches around her, and she thought that if this were on the outskirts of the city, it would surely be bustling with people on weekends.

But now she was behaving herself, avoiding the brightly colored flowers as much as possible. Yan Zheng had specifically warned her that these wildflowers might emit a poisonous odor and hide many unknown dangers; one could easily fall into a "beautiful trap."

After leaving the dense forest, where the slippery moss was gone, they walked for about three more hours. The terrain was not as complicated as before, but they were exhausted along the way. Jiang Xi's legs were sore and swollen, feeling as heavy as if they were wearing sandbags.

Yan Zheng had been clearing the way with his axe, and he seemed to have reached his limit. His entire upper body was soaked in sweat, and the muscle lines on his arms were particularly clear in the sunlight. The sun overhead was scorching, and every swing of his arm seemed to stir up waves of heat.

There is no way forward, and no hope in sight.

Just as Jiang Xi felt she was about to faint and ascend to heaven, Yan Zheng's savior-like message came from ahead: "The grass here is light in color, there must be a water source nearby. If we find water, we'll set up camp here tonight."

He waved his axe ahead and said to Jiang Xi, "Hang on a little longer, we're almost there."

Perhaps his moves worked, and Jiang Xi, quenching her thirst with the sight of plums, actually felt that she could challenge her limits.

After walking for about another hour or two, we saw a large hillside ahead, covered with grass as tall as our calves. It looked like foxtail grass, but the fluffy seeds on the flowers were yellow, which was slightly different from what we had seen before.

The lush vegetation, bathed in sunlight, makes the hillside appear as if it's coated with a layer of golden velvet. Under the glow of the setting sun, this land seems exceptionally romantic and vibrant.

The two walked towards the lush grass, and sure enough, they heard the sound of the spring before they saw it. Following the tinkling sound, they found a small stream, about 30 to 40 centimeters long, in the middle of the grass. The stream was so clear that the bottom could be seen, and there were fish fry about one or two centimeters long swimming in it.

Jiang Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Having a water source meant that her life was temporarily saved; God had been kind to her.

Yan Zheng unloaded his backpack and handed her a water bottle. He then stepped onto a large rock at a high vantage point, gazing into the distance as he pondered how to spend the night.

The terrain here is relatively high, making it an ideal campsite. It is surrounded by mountains on the east and west sides, and the grassland and streams are located at the bend of the mountains. Looking out, there is more than one stream. The streams coming down from the mountainside are like a net woven by nature, winding and covering the entire hillside, which is quite spectacular.

The trees weren't very dense, and there were few shrubs, so if any dangerous animals approached, the two of them could see them clearly.

However, there must be animals near the water source, so he didn't choose to camp by the stream. Instead, he chose a tall tree about 30 or 40 meters from the water, with a diameter of about one meter. He observed the area around the tree for about ten meters but didn't find any signs of large animals. He said to Jiang Xi, "I'm going to cut some wood to build a frame. It'll be around here. Call me if you need anything, but don't go too far."

Jiang Xi was exhausted. She stared at the grass by the water, waved to him to indicate that she understood, and then plucked a leaf hidden among the grass, a plant that looked like celery.

She bent down to smell it, then bit off half a leaf and tasted it. She guessed right; it was indeed water celery. After looking around, she found a clump of water mint not far away. She was overjoyed; their dinner was sorted.

Jiang Xi spent half of her childhood in the countryside. Her maternal grandmother's house had a large persimmon tree. Every autumn, she and her friend Da Hu would climb the tree to pick the bright red persimmons to eat. Some of them would even fall down on their own when they were ripe.

In my grandmother's backyard, there was a narrow irrigation ditch used for watering the fields, with a constant flow of water. Clumps of water celery and coriander grew along the banks. In the summer, my grandmother would use these wild vegetables to cook noodles or steam them and make a cold salad.

Half a pack of compressed biscuits had long been digested. Jiang Xi recalled the taste from her memory. Even in civilized society, as animals, hunger is never absent. So, she mustered her strength and took out a pot from her backpack to prepare to cook.

They found a few large pebbles by the water and arranged them in a circle on a flat piece of ground in front of the big tree Yan Zheng had found. They then fiddled with them to make sure the pot could be placed on them and kept level and stable.

I boiled most of a pot of water, then opened a packet of beef-flavored instant noodles and put it in. I ran over and picked a handful of water celery from the bushes, washed it clean in the stream, and broke off a branch of even thickness from a low shrub nearby to use as chopsticks.

Then I put the vegetables and noodles into the pot together, and when they were almost cooked, I sprinkled some instant noodle seasoning.

Jiang Xi didn't know how much longer they would have to get out, or when they would be rescued. The seasoning packets in these two packets of instant noodles were their only source of salt, so they used them very carefully, adding only a third of the seasoning to increase the saltiness.

I carefully repackaged the remaining seasoning packets into the bag, folding them several times before putting them into my backpack.

A pot full of noodles and water celery was cooked. Although it didn't have much color, the aroma wafted far and wide. Jiang Xi's mouth watered at the smell, and she hurriedly called Yan Zheng back to eat.

Yan Zheng had chopped down two trees as thick as an ankle, then cut them in half. Hearing Jiang Xi call him, he put away his axe and turned to look for her.

A pot full of noodles and vegetables, with golden oil floating on top, filled the camp with the aroma of beef soup. The two of them hadn't had a proper meal with any flavor in the past few days. Jiang Xi picked up the chopsticks she had made earlier, used the pot lid as a bowl, took out her portion, and left the rest for Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng didn't stand on ceremony. The noodles were smooth and the water celery was not only crisp but also had a unique aroma. The soup, mixed with the flavor of beef, was a rare delicacy in this environment, even though not much salt was added.

Although there was only one packet of noodles, there were plenty of vegetables. After finishing the pot of noodle soup and vegetables, they managed to eat their fill.