peers
Stewed rabbit without enough spices and a thorough cooking process isn't really that delicious, and it has a slightly earthy taste. But for people who rarely eat meat, the savory meat flavor is enough to make up for all the shortcomings, not to mention the slightly spicy and sweet aftertaste of perilla.
Both of them ate very attentively.
After the meal, Zhou Lexing took out a waterproof cloth that he usually used to dry goods and spread it on the ground, indicating to Gu Jiansheng that he should go to sleep first: "I will keep watch for the first half of the night, and you keep watch for the second half."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jiansheng no longer hesitated and obediently lay down, patiently letting Zhou Lexing roll him up with a touch of mischievousness: "Hahaha, seaweed rice ball!"
Gu Jiansheng thrashed about twice, swelling up like a caterpillar.
The two of them had another childish squabble before finally going to sleep peacefully.
With his eyes closed, Gu Jiansheng felt the warmth from the campfire and Zhou Lexing's shadow on his face. He couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. It took him a long time to fall into a half-dreaming, half-awake state, but his mind was still replaying every moment he had spent with Zhou Lexing that day.
'Seaweed Rice Balls!'
Zhou Lexing's pre-sleep banter was like a lightning bolt piercing the night sky, abruptly pulling Gu Jiansheng back from his half-awake state.
In this remote mountain village, there is no such thing as seaweed rice balls.
Although this place is located in the south, it is not near the sea, and seaweed is a rare dried product, so the price is not low.
Even when people buy seaweed, it's mostly for making soup. It's not that they don't know how to make it, but rather that the villagers simply don't think of or appreciate this way of eating it.
Gu Jiansheng only had the opportunity to experience the local delicacies after he followed He Huaizhi into the city and then to the coastal city that was developing rapidly with the new policies. But how did Zhou Lexing know about this?
It's not yet time for Zhou Lexing to follow He Huaizhi around doing dirty work, or perhaps, without his knowledge, Zhou Lexing has already hooked up with He Huaizhi.
This casual thought startled Gu Jiansheng, sending a chill down his spine.
Hearing his disordered and rapid breathing, Zhou Lexing turned his head and saw Gu Jiansheng staring at him with wide, unfocused eyes, looking at him with a look of terror: "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Zhou Lexing sat down in front of Gu Jiansheng, shielding him from the campfire light. Turning his head, he saw that Gu Jiansheng was sweating, so he pulled the waterproof cloth off him a little wider and reached out to wipe the cold sweat from Gu Jiansheng's forehead: "It's okay, three pats won't scare you."
As Zhou Lexing spoke, he patted Gu Jiansheng's rolled-up clothes, which he had used as a pillow, in a seemingly serious manner.
"I'm right here, nothing can hurt you."
Zhou Lexing gently coaxed Gu Jiansheng, patting his arm softly.
Gu Jiansheng suddenly felt his eyes burning and quickly closed them again.
Beside the campfire, besides the occasional crackling of firewood, a low, gentle melody echoed slowly in harmony with the sound of the wind, reverberating in the small clearing.
As Zhou Lexing patted Gu Jiansheng, he hummed a lullaby from his memory, recalling his past life as if it were just yesterday.
When he first arrived, he tried to struggle and find a way to go back, but he gave up after only a couple of attempts.
After all, compared to his previous life, the only advantage for him was that the technology was advanced enough and the standard of living was high. However, his mother's anxious attitude and his younger brother's complete adoration for him easily tripped him up. Now, Zhou Lexing undoubtedly had many more entanglements, but he felt much more relaxed than in his previous life.
Zhou Lexing shook his head and smiled as he thought of the few underlings he was about to recruit. He slowly stopped patting Gu Jiansheng's hand. Seeing that Gu Jiansheng did not react and his breathing had become steady, he picked up some dry firewood and added it to the campfire.
As night deepened, Gu Jiansheng drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep. When he opened his eyes again, it was already broad daylight.
He was stunned for a moment, then sprang to his feet.
"Hmm? You're awake?" Zhou Lexing wrapped his hands with the hem of his clothes and took the metal lunchbox off the fire. "Perfect, let's have some porridge."
It's called porridge, but it's actually just steamed buns and wild vegetables chopped up and mixed together, with a little salt added.
To be honest, it tastes pretty good.
Zhou Lexing blew on the cooled liquid and then put a spoonful into the bewildered Gu Jiansheng's mouth.
Gu Jiansheng smacked his lips in a daze, then his eyes lit up.
Zhou Lexing couldn't help but laugh: "Hurry up and eat. There's not enough water. We'll go to the stream to wash up later."
There's no way to worry about these things when you're in the wild.
Gu Jiansheng understood, but he felt a little uncomfortable in front of Zhou Lexing. He tidied his spiky hair, wiped his face, and then sat down by the fire.
Watching him move, Zhou Lexing inexplicably felt that he looked like a kitten washing its face, which was rather cute.
The two shared a lunchbox of vegetables, steamed buns, and porridge, then packed up their things, put out the fire, covered it with soil, and then leisurely left.
Zhou Lexing considered himself to have a good sense of direction. He remembered the directions that the older members of the team had pointed out to him, and led Gu Jiansheng along the way, picking wild vegetables they found by the roadside.
Gu Jiansheng was finally fully awake and a little embarrassed: "Didn't you wake me up last night?" Or was he sleeping too soundly to get up?
Just thinking about how Zhou Lexing called him last night but he didn't wake up makes him feel an indescribable embarrassment that runs up from the soles of his feet.
Zhou Lexing glanced at Gu Jiansheng and could tell from his expression that he was overthinking things again.
People with sensitive minds often have a tough life.
Zhou Lexing sighed inwardly, but the mischievousness that ignited in him when he was with someone close to him did not diminish at all; on the contrary, it surged up even more: "He called out, huh?"
He answered casually, and that was the end of his answer.
Gu Jiansheng was so curious and conflicted that he was itching to think of the right words while looking down at his feet.
Seeing Gu Jiansheng's overly focused expression and trembling eyes, Zhou Lexing could almost hear the sound of his little brain working hard from afar, so he quickly turned his head away to avoid laughing out loud and giving himself away.
"Then, when did you call me..."
Gu Jiansheng huffed and puffed as he tried to come up with words, but he never expected the question to be so dry and uninteresting.
Zhou Lexing almost lost his composure, looking ahead without daring to turn around, and replied briefly again: "Just last night."
Gu Jiansheng frowned, and various thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
Should I apologize?
Wouldn't this be too unfamiliar?
No, that's not right. He and Zhou Lexing weren't that familiar with each other...
Are we really not that familiar with each other?
But Zhou Lexing is so good to him, wouldn't it be too cruel to think like this? But Zhou Lexing seems to be nice to everyone, could it be that he's just imagining things?
Wait a minute, is Zhou Lexing angry?
Why didn't you turn around and look at him?
How can he say it in a way that sounds apologetic without being too polite, and that he doesn't mean to stay up to keep watch without sounding like he's making excuses?
Zhou Lexing climbed up a small hill, turned around to pull Gu Jiansheng, only to find that he was really sweating, and his little eyes were full of anxiety as he looked at him. He was immediately at a loss for words, and his mischievousness was instantly extinguished. He couldn't bear to torment him anymore.
"I was calling your name in my heart, maybe you didn't hear me."
Zhou Lexing casually said something, pulled the person up, and then helped Gu Jiansheng down.
By not going around the embankment, the two could save a significant amount of time.
Gu Jiansheng heard his words and repeated them in his mind several times before he understood what he meant. He was a little annoyed for a moment, but he was also inexplicably happy.
He himself was also confused about his own emotions, so he silently followed Zhou Le without saying a word.
After walking along the rugged path, Zhou Le nudged Gu Jiansheng with his shoulder and asked, "Are you angry?"
Gu Jiansheng: "No."
Zhou Lexing: "No, and he still has a pouty duck beak? I don't believe it."
Gu Jiansheng: "...I'm not pouting." And how does he look like a duck!
Gu Jiansheng originally intended to tease him back, but he broke down as soon as he started.
Zhou Lexing saw that his face was flushed, whether from the heat or from anger, and his mood was brighter than the morning sun. He thought that this new little brother was particularly fun and interesting, and could be easily teased. Being with him made him feel much more relaxed, and he might even live to be ninety-nine years old if he stayed with him.
While Zhou Lexing was envisioning their life together in their old age, he still couldn't resist saying, "Really not? Am I seeing things? Come on, let me pinch it flat."
As Zhou Lexing spoke, his dusty hands, which had just climbed over the hillside, reached out to wipe his face.
Gu Jiansheng immediately dodged and ran away, not forgetting to reach out and strike back at Zhou Lexing who was chasing after him: "No way! I said no, so I didn't!"
"Don't run!"
The two of them kept bickering.
When they reached the stream, the two of them touched each other and rubbed against each other, barely managing to stop.
Gu Jian, panting, looked down, about to wash his face, when he saw his blurry outline reflected in the clear stream. The smile on his face overflowed from his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth, a happiness that was completely unfamiliar to him.
He paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
Zhou Lexing's head popped up next to him: "What? Did you find gold?"
Gu Jiansheng glanced at him.
Zhou Lexing found her reproachful expression quite amusing: "Could it be that she's captivated by my handsome looks?"
Zhou Lexing clicked his tongue and looked down at the two people in the water: "I understand you. I look in the mirror every day and I'm also obsessed with my own handsomeness."
Gu Jiansheng also bumped him with his shoulder, saying, "Narcissist!"
Zhou Lexing gently nudged him with his shoulder: "Great minds think alike."
Gu Jiansheng burst out laughing again.
After washing up by the stream, the two started a fire. They boiled water in the metal lunchbox, then soaked it in the water to cool it for a while before filling the empty aluminum kettle and setting off again.
They first tried to walk along the path up the mountain, hoping to see if Gu Jiansheng's bamboo basket, which he had left behind, was still there, and if they might encounter their lost companions. They were startled when they heard rustling sounds coming from the bushes halfway up the mountain.
Zhou Lexing's large cleaver almost fell, but luckily he heard the voices of the group first. He parted the tall weeds and looked inside, and sure enough, he saw his companions emerge.
The others were taken aback when they saw them: "Heh! I didn't expect you two to be so naive. You're quite capable!"
The speaker was Zhou Baoshan, the old hunter's son who was by his side. Although he was a generation younger than the old hunter, he was almost forty years old.
However, he and the old hunter were both frequent mountain dwellers, and were even more agile than the young men. They had no trouble finding their way around, and were now trying to find the lost people, but mainly searching around the familiar path.
If they arrive at their original destination and still can't find the person, then there's nothing they can do.
They only planned to stay in the mountains for two days, and they didn't bring much food. If they couldn't find anyone by the afternoon, they would have to go down the mountain to find help.
Zhou Lexing checked the situation with them and nodded in agreement: "Okay, let's go up together."
The group of six traveled together.
On the way, Zhou Lexing first asked about the large snake.
"We don't know where it crawled to. In that situation, we didn't even dare to look back!" The person who spoke was one of the four people who went to relieve themselves and were so frightened by the giant snake that they ran back screaming.
"That snake is so big, I wonder how long it's lived. It's incredibly agile! Be careful!"
"That's right, I wonder if they've ever eaten human flesh."
"How could I not have eaten it! You didn't see it, that snake was incredibly cunning, like it was possessed. I don't know how long it lurked in that tree, just waiting for a chance to attack us! If I hadn't been sharp-eyed and shouted, we might have been in trouble right then and there!"
Everyone felt a pang of sympathy.
Several grown men rubbed the goosebumps rising on their arms, their hands wielding the large machetes they were using to clear the way with even more vigor.
Zhou Baoshan also fumigated a bundle of herbs, the contents of which were unknown. The fumes made several people squint and cough occasionally, but they dared not complain.
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