Chapter 142 Starting a Fire: No Need to Be Soft-Hearted
"Li Nanke, what are you doing?"
Princess Zhaoning noticed that Li Nanke was sitting motionless and quietly approached him.
She was so scared that she didn't dare to sit alone, so she could only pretend to talk and get close to Li Nanke.
Li Nanke snapped out of her daze and glanced at the two stones in her hand.
"Go and gather some dry grass."
Princess Zhaoning's eyes widened as she pointed to her own nose.
"You want me to gather hay? Li Nanke, I'm a princess! How dare you order me around?"
Li Nanke suddenly looked up and glared at him.
"If you don't go and pick it up, don't come over to warm yourself by the fire once I've started a fire!"
"Fine, I won't grill it then. Why are you being so fierce?"
Princess Zhaoning blurted out the words, only realizing the meaning behind Li Nanke's words after they had been spoken.
His eyes suddenly lit up, and his voice trembled with excitement.
"Li Nanke, you know how to start a fire?"
"Whether it works or not, you have to try. You could have gathered up all the grass by the time you've been rambling on here."
Li Nanke carefully tucked the two stones into his clothes, then got up and went to the edge of the woods to gather firewood.
Princess Zhaoning quickly got up and followed behind her, muttering to herself.
"Why are you being so fierce? I didn't say I wouldn't pick it up."
The woods were pitch black, and the two dared not venture in, but fortunately there were some branches nearby.
Li Nanke quickly gathered a small bundle, and Princess Zhaoning also gathered two handfuls of dry grass and withered leaves.
The two walked to the crooked elm tree and put down the firewood and hay.
Li Nanke rubbed the hay and withered leaves in his palm to fluff them up, then piled them into the shape of a bird's nest and placed them on the ground.
He took out the two black stones from his pocket, holding one in each hand, and used the sharp edge of one stone to forcefully strike the other stone, which had a dent.
The first two impacts only produced a few scattered fragments.
Princess Zhaoning leaned against her, watching her every move with curiosity.
"Li Nanke, you think you can start a fire like this? This princess has never heard of stones colliding to produce fire."
Li Nanke pursed his lips and ignored her, sweat dripping down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging and painful.
She was truly exhausted; her arms, gripping the stone, were sore and aching, and trembling uncontrollably.
She gritted her teeth, adjusted her angle, and put her strength back on, this time increasing her speed.
Clusters of tiny sparks flew out as the stones rubbed together, falling into the dry grass and withered leaves.
A wisp of white smoke rose, and the edges of the hay turned a dark red.
"Quick, blow it!"
She urged Princess Zhaoning urgently.
Princess Zhaoning was stunned for a moment, then immediately bent down and blew hard, while Li Nanke increased the speed of the stone's friction.
The dark red color gradually expanded into a red slab of light from the hay, but a wisp of eerie blue flame also rose up in an instant.
Li Nanke let out a long breath, immediately put down the stone in his hand, picked up the dry grass next to him and put it on, and then added some small twigs.
With crackling sounds, the flames rose higher and higher.
Li Nanke was so exhausted that he collapsed onto the ground.
"Wow, we actually made a fire! We can make a fire! We're amazing!"
Princess Zhaoning stared wide-eyed at the bonfire before her in astonishment, clapping her hands excitedly.
This little princess, who has lived a life of luxury since childhood, was experiencing this new life for the first time, and was so excited that she almost forgot about her near-drowning.
Li Nanke pursed his lips, leaned closer to the fire, and took off his short jacket, which was now only a stub, while using his hands to warm it.
She didn't forget to tease Princess Zhaoning, saying, "I started the fire! I'm really something!"
Princess Zhaoning puffed out her cheeks in protest.
"I helped too, okay? I... I helped blow on the fire."
Li Nanke scoffed.
With the fire, he felt much warmer, and his gloomy mood improved somewhat, so he became too lazy to argue with Princess Zhaoning anymore.
Princess Zhaoning was still immersed in the excitement of starting the fire.
"I didn't expect starting a fire to be so simple. I'll be able to do it next time. It's nothing special."
Li Nanke continued to dry her clothes in silence, thinking to herself: it would be almost impossible for an eight-year-old child like her to rub an ordinary stone together to start a fire.
The reason they were able to start a fire so easily was, of course, because those two stones were extraordinary.
Of course, there was no need to tell Princess Zhaoning these things.
Princess Zhaoning stared intently at Li Nanke, watching as he put on the half-dry jacket and then took off his shoes to dry them.
She also learned to put on a quilt and take off her shoes to dry.
The reddish firelight reflected on Li Nanke's small face, making her look even warmer.
Princess Zhaoning thought to herself that Li Nanke didn't seem so bad after all; at least she had saved her from the water.
They pulled her out of the water again, preventing her from being bitten by the water snake.
If only she weren't so fierce!
"Gurgle, gurgle!"
Suddenly, a series of gurgling sounds came from my stomach.
Princess Zhaoning couldn't help but clutch her stomach and look at Li Nanke.
"Li Nanke, I'm hungry."
As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn't help but pout, "I know you're going to tell me to just bear with it, aren't you?"
This time, Li Nanke remained silent, put on his shoes which were already half-dried from the heat, and walked towards the tree next to him.
Princess Zhaoning stood up in a panic, "What are you doing, feeding me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Nanke used his small hands to pry open the raised lines on the bark, then jumped up and hugged the trunk.
Then, he clamped his legs around the tree trunk, used the soles of his shoes to press against the tree's bumps, and climbed up the tree in no time.
After a moment, he slid down the tree trunk again, this time with a handful of red dates in his hand.
Princess Zhaoning stared in disbelief, her mouth agape so wide it could almost fit an egg.
"You...you can climb trees?"
Li Nanke patted the grass clippings off his clothes and hummed softly.
"I know a lot more than that."
He then sat back down by the fire and continued to roast the soles of his shoes.
He wiped the dates he had picked from the tree on his clothes and happily began to eat them.
She was so hungry!
Princess Zhaoning saw that she was eating with great relish and couldn't help but swallow several mouthfuls of saliva.
Li Nanke is so stingy; he picked the dates but didn't share any with her.
She glared angrily at Li Nanke, but to her surprise, Li Nanke ate even more heartily.
Seeing that there were only a few dates left in the bunch, Princess Zhaoning couldn't resist any longer.
He shouted loudly, "Li Nanke, I want to eat dates too!"
"Pick them yourself if you want to eat them!"
"I...I'm a princess. If you dare not give me food, I'll..."
"You can have your father beat me to death!"
Li Nanke rolled her eyes impatiently, "Can you use a fresh word? It's just the two of us in the middle of nowhere."
Even if you get your father to kill me, that's a matter for tomorrow. Let's wait until your father's men find us first.
Princess Zhaoning pouted, tears welling up in her eyes.
If she threatened someone like that, they would have been scared out of their wits long ago.
Why wasn't Li Nanke afraid?
There was silence on the other end. Li Nanke looked up and saw Princess Zhaoning staring at the dates in her hand, drooling and crying at the same time.
They looked so pitiful.
She was completely different from the Princess Zhaoning who whipped her in her dream!
Don't be soft-hearted! Li Nanke.
She silently warned herself!
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