But I don't have a chance to talk to him now, because ever since that day, Wang Ping has been avoiding me, even when we eat. He doesn't even look up, and after finishing his meal, he goes back to his cabin in silence.

Wang Xiaoxiao also had a long face, and even Bai Wei and his group could tell that things weren't going well between us.

Everyone has been quieter lately, and there's not much noise going on.

More than ten days later, all the trees we needed to buy between our camps had been neatly buried, and all the gaps around them had been sealed with small branches. Although our camp could not be said to be impregnable, nothing could easily break in.

That afternoon, Chen Jian was with several male colleagues at the foot of the mountain, clearing the soil that had already been cultivated. He said he wanted to prepare the whole place and keep it so that the rice could be planted there next year at this time.

I also know that our chances of leaving now are very slim, so all preparations must be made before we are sure that we can actually leave.

I sat there blankly on a rock, watching Chen Jian and the others busy themselves. After a while, Chen Jian finally came over to me, looked at me, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Brother Sihai, we’ve almost finished eating all the fruit. Yesterday, I heard Xiao Qiang say that we should go out and pick some more fruit in the near future. I see that our camp is almost ready, so why don’t we pick a day and take more people with us? We’ve already made these wooden carts, so we can bring back more fruit. While the weather is still good, we can make some dried fruit to keep it fresh for longer.”

"Also, everyone has been busy lately and hasn't had a moment to rest. Their physical strength is really not up to par, and our diet is too monotonous. I was thinking, should we go to that grove of trees and dig up some jicama and some short-legged birds to keep in case of emergency?"

Chen Jian said that Liu Jiaojiao's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and now she looks a bit clumsy. Although Wang Xiaoxiao still ignores me, I know that she is busy catching rabbits with Xu Wei and the others every day, and busy looking for something to replace the clothes.

Therefore, we must get everything we can think of done before Liu Jiaojiao gives birth.

Moreover, I feel that the weather has been getting colder and colder lately, so perhaps this place really does have a harsh winter.

If that's really the case, then Liu Jiaojiao might be born in the dead of winter.

We are currently incomplete in everything we have. If that is the case, then some unexpected dangers are inevitable.

What Chen Jian said was all very true, and I nodded at him.

"You can arrange these things. I'll go get some more baskets; they'll come in handy if we need to dry fruit."

Just as I got up to leave, Chen Lian grabbed me: "Brother Sihai, you've never been like this before. Although I know this has hit you pretty hard, you can't just stay depressed like this, can you? Also, I think you should talk to Brother Wang Ping. There's no misunderstanding between you two that can't be resolved, so why are you being so cold to each other? I'm really worried about Liu Jiaojiao's current situation, so I'm thinking that this time you and Wang Ping can go pick fruit, and we can all go find those short-legged birds to dig up some jicama. Anyway, the campsite is all set up now, so even if we go out, these women won't be in any danger staying here. Bai Wei and the others have been quite enthusiastic lately, so why not take advantage of that? Go talk to Wang Ping, we'll go to the woods over there after we eat."

After Chen Jian finished speaking, he patted my shoulder, then turned around and led everyone up the mountain.

Of course I knew Chen Jian was giving me an opportunity to resolve this matter with Wang Ping.

I know that dragging this out any longer will not benefit anyone, but I really don't know how to bring it up.

I took a deep breath. I'm definitely not a coward. Besides, I admit I was wrong at the time, but I never expected that my good intentions would backfire.

If we really have the opportunity to talk about these things, it would be a good thing for all of us.

After lunch, I went to Wang Ping's room in the afternoon. Wang Ping was sitting alone in the wooden house, lost in thought. When he heard a noise, he looked up and saw me, a fleeting look of embarrassment crossing his face.

"Liu Jiaojiao has been really into eating fruit lately, and we don't have much fruit left at our camp. I'm planning to go to that fruit grove in a bit. What do you think if you..."

Before I could finish speaking, Wang Ping nodded: "I'm fine, let's go together then."

After saying that, Wang Ping was the first to leave the wooden house, then he pushed the wooden cart we had been sitting in and went down the mountain.

Wang Ping and I didn't say much. Holding our guns and kitchen knives, we silently made our way to the fruit orchard.

On the way, I finally couldn't help but grab Wang Ping: "Brother, I really didn't know Wang Xiaoxiao would have such thoughts at the time, otherwise I would never have given you such advice. We've been through life and death together, and I absolutely didn't mean to make fun of you two. I didn't think this through, which is why this awkward situation has arisen. I apologize to you."

Wang Ping was stunned for a long time after hearing what I said before he finally curled up the corner of his mouth and said, "Forget it. I've thought it through these past two days. If she doesn't like me, I can't force her. Accountant Wang is indeed a good woman. You should cherish her in the future. We are brothers who have been through thick and thin together. We can't let this little thing cause us to fall apart."

After hearing what Wang Ping said, I nodded. The fact that he said that meant he wouldn't hold a grudge anymore.

I breathed a sigh of relief. We rushed to the fruit grove and chatted for a while, and it felt like we were back to how things were before.

Wang Ping was climbing up the trees in the orchard to pick fruit, while I was picking them up below.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound coming from the woods in the distance. He was startled. Could it be that some wild animal had appeared in there?

I was immediately startled and looked at Wang Ping, whispering, "You stay there and don't move. I'll go check it out."

Wang Ping frowned: "That won't do. If something really appears here, I won't feel comfortable letting you go alone."

After saying that, Wang Ping nimbly jumped down from the tree, cocked his pistol, and the two of us cautiously headed towards the grove of low bushes behind the woods.

My heart was in my throat, because I had no idea what would happen next.

But when Wang Ping and I cautiously walked forward, we discovered that what was behind us were some white-furred animals, who were looking down and seemed to be eating grass.

Wang Ping, who was standing to the side, was also taken aback for a moment. Then, the expression on his face became extremely joyful. He suddenly patted me, and his voice was filled with pleasure.

"Zhao Sihai, is that a wild goat for crying out loud?"