Chapter 256 Lizard·Extra 1
My senior and his team settled about four or five islands away from Yumo. They named the island Sun Island, symbolizing rebirth. True to its name, the island was empty except for the sun hanging high above. The island had a low peak, and at the foot of it, my senior and his team discovered a yellow, sticky soil. After several people experimented and practiced, they finally built a house that could accommodate several people before winter arrived.
Yu Mo had decorated the cave beautifully and cozily, but living in a cave felt different from living in a house. Before discovering the clay, Yu Mo had even considered returning to the experimental base to steal the bricks. Now, she no longer had to take such a risk. She brought the clay from Sun Island to the front of the cave, finally choosing the perfect spot. Following her senior's instructions, she mixed the clay with water and used stones as the foundation...
Yu Mo didn't bother much with the subsequent work. She shared her idea with Min Xi, and once he understood, he took on the work of building the house. Every day after catching prey and roasting it over the fire, he would grab a piece of wood and mix it with the cement. He even had a very specific measurement method, which must have been instinctive, and the foundation he built was straight and stable.
Yu Mo, on the other hand, focused on crop planting. Winter was about to come, and Min Xi had hunted more and more prey these days, but he had no intention of storing it. He roasted two or three times the usual amount of prey, filling his stomach until it was round. Not only did he eat it himself, he also forced Yu Mo to eat it all!
Yu Mo told him that she really couldn't finish it. Min Xi always stared at her with some sadness, cut the barbecue into pieces, and handed it to her mouth, saying as if coaxing a picky child, "Have another bite!"
Yu Mo kept her mouth shut, and refused to open it no matter how Min Xi scratched her head. She squatted on the ground and observed the sprouts. Min Xi had no choice but to put out the fire, wait a while, heat up the barbecue, and then pass it to her mouth, "It's been a long time, have another bite!"
Yu Mo said with a cold face, "Don't bother me, I don't want to eat."
Min Xi didn't even say a word, and a very sad gurgling sound naturally came out of his throat. He followed her step by step, as if he was not afraid of her cold face at all. From time to time, he looked at the fallen leaves, then looked at Yu Mo's thin arms and legs, sighed loudly, and continued to look for the right opportunity to let her finish eating.
Yu Mo was so stuffed she could feel the food in her throat and the sight of barbecue made her want to vomit. She thought Min Xi might be hibernating, trying to replenish the massive amount of energy his body needed before winter arrived, turning it into fat to be consumed during hibernation. But he could sleep that long, but she couldn't!
She had Min Xi dig two cellars long ago, one for cabbage and one for sweet potatoes. She only grew these two vegetables, which were more than enough to last through the winter. She also sliced and dried a small portion of the sweet potatoes and stored them in the cave for daily consumption. She also had Min Xi hollow out two rocks at the entrance to store water. With food and drink now taken care of, Yu Mo calmed down and waited quietly for winter to arrive.
One night, there was a strong wind outside the cave. The house had been built, but the things inside were not as complete as those in the cave. Yu Mo planned to wait until winter was over before moving into the house. She was planning how to decorate it when Min Xi suddenly held her face and whimpered.
"Do you think I'm pitiful?" Yu Mo raised her eyebrows.
Min Xi touched her face, pinched her wrist along her shoulder, and when his eyes fell on her skinny belly and legs, the sorrow in his eyes almost overflowed. "Winter is long, and there are few prey. What should I do..." He flicked his tail irritably twice and said, "You must eat well and don't be picky!"
No matter how Yu Mo told Min Xi that she didn't need to hibernate, in Min Xi's eyes, even if she didn't hibernate, where would she get food in the winter? Would she starve, or would she only have to eat those tasteless weeds? That's right, he called cabbage, sweet potatoes, and other non-meat things weeds.
Before going to bed, Min Xi took out the hidden barbecue and stuffed it into Yu Mo's mouth. Yu Mo was about to fall asleep, but she was still awakened by the smell of the barbecue, which was still hot. He must have just roasted it on the fire. Afraid that Min Xi would be too sad to sleep, Yu Mo had to open her mouth and eat it. She couldn't finish the last bite, so she fed it into Min Xi's mouth. Min Xi wanted to spit it out, but Yu Mo pinched his mouth tightly and forced the food into his stomach.
Min Xi turned around to get more meat, but Yu Mo turned over and pressed on him, holding him tightly with both hands and pressing him with both legs. Min Xi stiffened instantly, staring at her blankly, his eyes red and his tail wagging shyly. Yu Mo closed her eyes and shouted, "Be quiet, don't move, go to sleep!"
When she woke up the next day, it was white outside the cave and snowflakes were still falling, but there was no sign of Min Xi. Yu Mo shouted loudly several times, but heard no response. She pushed away the stones blocking the front of the cave, and only opened a gap that was big enough for her to squeeze out. As soon as she stepped outside, she shivered in the biting cold wind, and she quickly returned to the cave.
Oops! I forgot to prepare warm clothes...
I didn’t expect winter to come so quickly. The temperature dropped sharply while I was sleeping!
Yu Mo folded her arms, wrapped in a blanket, and huddled by the fire. She wondered where Min Xi had gone. Lately, she'd been catching fewer and fewer prey, and now with the heavy snow, it was even harder. She hoped he'd come back soon. The vegetables in the cellar would be enough to last her through the winter, even if Min Xi wanted to eat them.
There was a sound outside the cave, but Yu Mo didn't rush out to greet it. Instead, she leaned against the stone wall. The stone blocking the cave entrance was moved, revealing a familiar, strong brown figure. Yu Mo cheered, ran to Min Xi, grabbed his hand and dragged him into the cave, "Where have you been!"
Min Xi became very strong. Yu Mo was almost at his chest. His scales became harder and thicker, as if armor covered his body. His emerald eyes reflected a faint cold light. When his gaze fell on Yu Mo's face, the ice and snow melted, and a soft and harmless smile instantly appeared. He pushed Yu Mo's hand away and took a few steps back, fearing that the coldness around him would invade her. He raised the ice cube he was holding, "Mo, eat this! It's a lot. Eat more and eat your fill!"
He held a plump, tender fish in his hand, still dripping with water. Behind him was a bamboo basket woven with leaves, filled with fish and shrimp. The rich smell of the sea filled the air. Min Xi was soaked, and where he stood, a shallow puddle formed. He must have gone to the deep sea to catch it. Yu Mo was deeply moved. Regardless of the chill around him, she took his hand and led him into the cave. "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Come in and warm yourself by the fire."
The small cave next door contained the firewood and hay Min Xi had prepared long ago, so there was no need to worry about fuel. As Yu Mo lit the fire, Min Xi had already quickly filled a basin with cold water and rinsed himself outside to wash away the fishy smell. Then he took out a sea fish, scaled it, and gutted it, cleaning it and handing it to Yu Mo.
He is good at barbecue, but Yu Mo is better at making fish soup.
Yu Mo first ate barbecue for a long time, then dried purple sweet potatoes. The moment she saw the fish and shrimp, her stomach started to growl. "Cabbage is delicious. I'll make a dish you've never eaten before. I guarantee you'll like it!"
She took out a cabbage and cooked a cabbage and shrimp soup. The seasoning was given by her senior brothers and sisters. They found many plants nearby that could be used as seasonings. The oil was made by frying wild boar meat. She did not make fish soup, but fried fish. The only drawback was that there was no vinegar. It would definitely taste better if some vinegar was added.
Min Xi made a lot of preparations before winter, but he seemed to have a poor appetite compared to before. Because Yu Mo didn't eat much and was still very thin, he was so worried that he couldn't eat. Although he was much stronger, if Yu Mo had seen the body shape of his other lizardmen in winter, she would know how thin Min Xi was!
Min Xi tasted a few bites and praised, "Delicious!" Then he pushed all the food in front of Yu Mo. He patted his stomach and said, "I'm full, not hungry. Mo, eat more and finish it all!"
Yu Mo naturally disagreed, but no matter what she said, Min Xi kept his mouth shut. She finally understood the helplessness of Min Xi forcing her to eat before, but she had many ways. She would eat a bite herself first, and then give the next bite to Min Xi. If he didn't eat, she would put down her chopsticks and lie on the bed, forcing Min Xi to frown and sigh beside her. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and had to open his mouth and swallow it when Yu Mo put the food into his mouth.
The fish and shrimp in the bamboo basket froze into ice. Yu Mo placed them by the door, making soup when she craved meat. She was bored most of the time, and Min Xi was always asleep. But whenever she made a sound, he would open his eyes, see that she was still awake, and hold her in his arms, his broad palms against her lower back, gently patting her, and making a gurgling sound in his throat. He obviously knew that this sound would bring comfort to Yu Mo.
She dozed off for a long time and woke up from the cold. Animals hibernate with low body temperatures to prevent them from consuming too much energy. Min Xi's body was covered in scales, and the scales against her skin felt like ice and snow. Yu Mo's face was numb from the cold. She stirred slightly, leaving Min Xi's embrace and huddling over the fire, wrapped in the blanket.
Outside the cave was already a world of ice and snow. Even through the cracks, one could feel the biting cold. The coldest time had arrived! Yu Mo sniffed and fell asleep with her head against the stone wall. When she opened her eyes again, she was lying in Min Xi's arms. Unlike the coldness before, his body temperature was very high and very comfortable. Yu Mo rubbed the warmed scales and continued to sleep in his arms.
"Gurgle--" accompanied by a soft and slightly hoarse sound, he slept very deeply and soundly.
Min Xi looked at Yu Mo gently as she lay in his arms, his tail swinging slowly back and forth, occasionally touching her limbs to test the temperature. After closing his eyes for a while, he suddenly opened them again and gently placed Yu Mo on the bed covered with quilts. He then ran to the fire and got very close, letting the flames touch his scales until they were hot. He felt a little exhausted from the high temperature, so he ran to the cave entrance to drink some water. When the temperature was right, he held Yu Mo in his arms again. Seeing her nestled comfortably in his arms, he felt like his heart was about to melt.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with hurting his body. He wanted to hug Yu Mo, but his body temperature was very cold, so he had to wait until it warmed up before hugging her. He slowly closed his eyes and spent the cold winter with Yu Mo in the warm cave.
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