After Top and I ate something, I still felt a little dizzy, probably due to the cold.

I picked some dandelions and plantains from the vegetable garden, boiled them into a soup, and drank it. After eating, I felt my eyelids were very heavy, and I drowsily climbed onto the tree bed and fell asleep as soon as I lay down.

I completely relaxed after that sleep. Now I don't have to worry about any creature attacking me. I slept soundly until dawn the next day.

Today I still feel very dizzy and nauseous. My stomach also feels uncomfortable; I wonder if it's because I ate those ants yesterday.

I groggily climbed down the tree, went to the vegetable garden, found some plantain, boiled it into water, and drank it. I don't have any medicine on hand right now, so I can only try to find some wild vegetables with medicinal properties to consume.

But by noon, my symptoms had not improved; instead, my stomach started spasming intermittently.

The excruciating pain left me clutching my stomach and struggling on the ground. Top was horrified when he saw this. He didn't know what was happening to me, and the whole monkey was at a loss.

Top brought me water one minute, and some wild vegetables the next. I couldn't eat anything right now; I just drank a little water and then ran to the latrine I dug to have diarrhea.

I haven't eaten much to begin with, and now I'm feeling very weak. Plus, the diarrhea is making me severely dehydrated.

Now that I'm out of sugar, if I want to replenish some electrolytes, I can only go to the kitchen and find some salt. I don't think ants would eat salt.

I got some salt from the kitchen, dissolved it in water and drank it, then simply sat down in the shed to rest.

Top stayed by my side the whole time, bringing me water to drink from time to time.

That night I found my body was very hot, especially my forehead. Despite not having eaten much, I had developed a high fever.

Have I reached my limit?

I lay in bed, my mind racing, wondering how much longer I could hold on. In this desolate place with little medical care, without a strong immune system, death was practically inevitable.

But I was still unwilling to give up. I prayed silently to God, hoping to get through this ordeal.

It snowed lightly again that night, and I felt like my forehead was big enough to fry an egg on. I also had severe dizziness.

My consciousness could blur at any moment, and I could very well die in this daze, just as I inexplicably came into this world and quietly departed.

Perhaps sensing that I was sick, Top hasn't gone back to its den these past two days, and has instead moved in at the foot of my bed.

Upon noticing my movement, the monkey immediately ran to my side, grasped my hand, and looked at me with concern, like an old friend.

I smiled slightly at the monkey in front of me and patted its paw. Come to think of it, we've known each other for quite a while now.

The first time it tried to steal my food, I poked its rear with a wooden spear and injured it, but it didn't hold a grudge at all. Later, after I killed the leopard, it tried to befriend me with wild fruits.

This clever monkey has always considered me a friend, and I don't want to keep holding it back. Looking at Top in front of me, I couldn't help but speak weakly.

"Top, I think I'm about to die. Why don't you go back to your tribe and live a good life? After all, I don't belong to this place."

Top didn't respond, but continued to hold my hand with his warm hand, his face full of worry.

I felt my breathing becoming heavier and heavier, my consciousness becoming blurred, and the world spinning before my eyes.

I feel very hot and thirsty. In a daze, I reached out and grabbed a handful of snow, putting it in my mouth.

Only then could I feel a little cooler. Then I put the remaining handful of snow on my burning forehead, and my consciousness gradually and uncontrollably plunged into darkness.

The next day, the snow had stopped. A ray of sunlight shone through the branches onto the doorway of my treehouse. My eyes moved, and I felt something bright guiding me to open them.

My forehead was no longer burning; instead, it felt icy cold.

I opened my eyes with all my might, and the first thing I saw was Top, who was dozing off next to me, holding a handful of snow that was almost completely melted.

I reached up and touched my forehead; it was damp, and there was still a lot of snow that hadn't completely melted.

I know that the snow from yesterday couldn't have lasted this long. It must have been that Top, seeing that I had passed out, had no choice but to imitate me and put the snow on my forehead, hoping to wake me up with the cold.

Unexpectedly, this method worked in the right direction, helping to lower my body temperature. Otherwise, given my condition yesterday, I definitely wouldn't have made it to dawn the next day.

I smiled at Top and took its hand. It must have been it that kept bringing snow in and putting it on my forehead yesterday.

Top sensed my movement and immediately woke up. Seeing me smiling at it, Top grinned at me.

At that moment, Top somehow found a few chestnuts and handed them all to me without eating any himself.

Aren't you going to eat, Top?

I held the chestnut, intending to return it to Top. But Top refused, and instead kept stuffing chestnuts into my mouth.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it myself."

I took the chestnut from Top and bit open the skin. The flesh inside was a bit dried out. After peeling off the outer membrane, the chestnut tasted very sweet.

Top touched my head with his hand, and then pretended to look me over all over like a doctor, which made me laugh.

I don't know if it's because of the high fever, but I feel better today than yesterday. I don't feel as bad, but my head is still dizzy.

Seeing that I was alright, Top ran out of my dwelling and headed up the mountain, but soon returned to my dwelling.

Then Top had some unknown tree bark in his hand, and I noticed that the monkey had even washed the bark with water.

I soon found out what was going on. Top handed me the bark and gestured for me to eat it.

No wonder it washes the bark; it's preparing food for me!

I picked up the bark and smelled it; it had a medicinal scent. I knew monkeys could find herbs to treat themselves, or perhaps Top knew how to cure my illness?

Anyway, things couldn't get any worse. This friend of mine is a sworn brother, so what's there to hesitate about?

I put that handful of bark in my mouth and chewed it slowly. The bark tasted very bitter, but I still swallowed it after chewing it a few times.