Chapter 237 Lizard 7
Rain began to fall in the forest, lasting for several days. Min Xi led Yu Mo to their new cave. It was surrounded by stone walls, and the entrance was blocked by a huge rock he had pushed. This place was definitely more comfortable than a cave. After all, the cave dug in the ground had a strong earthy smell, and sometimes mud would fall down while they slept.
Yu Mo could barely stand the smell. A mixture of blood, earth, and sweat. She hadn't really cared much at first; after all, when survival was uncertain, everything else could be put aside. But Min Xi, seemingly the most unkempt of the lot, always returned from hunting looking refreshed, exuding the scent of mint.
It's hard to express the meaning of a bath. When Yu Mo exaggeratedly expressed her desire to clean up after smelling Min Xi's scent, Min Xi didn't understand her at all, but he pretended to understand and turned away from her. When Yu Mo turned to him, forcing him to meet her gaze, she noticed that his sun-tanned skin had turned a rare shade of red.
Yu Mo tried to tell him she wanted to shower. But because it was raining, he would always grab her before she could even leave the cave. The smell on her body was getting stronger and stronger. She couldn't take off her clothes and tell him what she was thinking, could she?
After enduring this for a few days, Yu Mo's foot injury healed and the rain stopped. Min Xi moved the huge rock blocking the cave entrance and pointed outside with a brand new white glove: "Food, wait for me!"
"Don't go yet." Yu Mo stopped him and said, "I want to take a shower. Do you know where there's water nearby? You always smell like mint when you come back. Where did you find that? I need it too."
Speaking of bathing, she plucked leaves from the branches that stretched outside the cave, sprinkled the water droplets on herself, then picked up his clothes and put them to her nose to sniff, saying emphatically, "It smells good! I want to take a bath. Can you help me find water?"
Min Xi stared at her with wide eyes. The moment their gaze met, he hesitated and turned his head to the side, even pulling his neck closer to his collar to avoid her noticing his scales. But he couldn't stop himself from staring at her. He carefully analyzed the meaning of her movements. Just when he finally understood what she meant, she suddenly moved closer to him, sniffing his scent intently.
The recently grown tail stubble near his neatly severed coccyx twitched involuntarily. He regretted chopping off his tail; otherwise, he would have used it to get close to her. It was his most important organ for expressing his feelings. But he didn't regret it. If he had a tail, Yu Mo wouldn't have allowed him to get close.
Yu Mo saw Min Xi nod. His nod was stiff, rigid and formulaic, as if he had studied it deliberately, but it was clear that the results of his study were not very satisfactory. She ignored this detail. Following Min Xi through the jungle, when they passed through thorny bushes, Min Xi pulled her into his arms. With his broad frame, he could easily hold Yu Mo completely in his arms without getting hurt.
Yu Mo couldn't get out of his arms. Because behind the thorn bush, the road ahead was blocked by a cliff. Min Xi made a whimpering sound. Yu Mo didn't understand what he meant and pushed his arm: "Put me down."
Min Xi didn't listen and directly grabbed her arm and put it around the back of his neck. Then, amid Yu Mo's restrained screams, he suddenly jumped up and climbed onto the stone wall.
The sudden ascent made Yu Mo instinctively hug him tightly. She didn't even bother to feel the strange touch on her palm. He jumped to a considerable height. Yu Mo didn't dare look down. If she fell, she would be seriously injured or even killed. She clung to his chest, not caring about his exceptionally tough skin.
"Don't make a fuss. You'll die if you fall! I don't need your help anymore. I can handle my own problems. Thank you for your kindness. Let me down!"
Min Xi didn't understand what she meant at all. As she became increasingly irritable, he increased his speed of climbing because he was worried about Yu Mo's condition. In the blink of an eye, he was holding Yu Mo at the mountainside.
Yu Mo's limbs were limp, and she hung on him. Min Xi naturally couldn't put her down, so he held her legs.
Walking forward, Yu Mo heard the sound of running water, and she realized she had wronged Min Xi. Just now, she thought Min Xi was teasing her, or that he might have misunderstood her. Because she didn't know what he was going to do, she was very worried. Then she saw the clear water in the depression.
Min Xi squatted beside her. Yu Mo reached out and splashed the water: "Is it warm? It's a hot spring!" When her eyes met Min Xi's staring eyes at her, guilt spread. Although her speculation prevented her from complaining to Min Xi, she still felt guilty for the doubts she had had about him.
Yu Mo: "You wash first."
Min Xi’s answer was to turn around and cover his eyes to show that he would not peek.
Yu Mo wasn't sure if he would actually see her, but she still said, "No need to do that, I trust you." After confirming that Min Xi was covering his eyes, she walked into the hot spring and began bathing without taking off her clothes. Later, she felt that this wasn't a clean bath, so she took off her clothes in the water, washed them, and hung them on the stone wall. She sank into the water, sighing with comfort.
At first, Yu Mo observed Min Xi out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't taken a bath for several days, and the feeling of soaking in the hot spring was so comfortable that she lay down on the stone wall and actually dozed off.
Perhaps it was the sense of security that Min Xi gave her, so in the past, Yu Mo would always remain sober in unfamiliar environments.
Min Xi leaned against the tree, twisting his body and gnawing at his tailbone with his teeth. His spine was very flexible, and he twisted himself completely backward. New bone gradually grew where his tail had been severed, bringing a tingling itch like ants gnawing at it. His purpose in biting wasn't just to relieve the itch, but to prevent the tail from growing any more.
He didn't want to be seen as an outsider in Yu Mo's eyes. He wanted to pursue her, and this idea had taken root in his heart since the first time he saw her. Later, the grilled fish he gave her was given to someone else by her. If he hadn't known in advance that her behavior didn't contain any special meaning, he would have torn those who ate her grilled fish into pieces. And then she didn't want the flowers he gave her.
If she knew he was different, there would be no hope of pursuing her, Min Xi thought with some disappointment. Ever since meeting Yu Mo, he had become sentimental. After resolving his tail problem, he noticed flowers blooming nearby, vibrant in color and intricate in shape, reminiscent of how he felt when he met Yu Mo.
Whether she wanted it or not, he would give it to her. Even if it was just to decorate her side. Min Xi jumped to the pile of flowers and picked the most beautiful ones. He held the bright and gorgeous flowers in his palms, and his broad and strong hands gently touched the bouquet, with a strength that was afraid to hurt them. When he was satisfied, he held the flowers and walked to the hot spring.
Yu Mo woke up, and what caught her eye was a bunch of flowers. Min Xi was lying next to her. When he saw her open her eyes, he squatted down and pushed the flowers towards her. He murmured something, and then he said slowly: "Gei...gei, ni."
Before Yu Mo came, Min Xi knew about humans. Occasionally, when he was bored, he would observe them. After observing them for a long time, some of the things he learned would be subtly memorized.
Knowing that Min Xi was beside her and that he often stuffed things into her hands, the shock of seeing flowers filling her vision the moment she opened her eyes gradually faded away, and was followed by a feeling of shame. She glanced at the water, which was sparkling and the sunlight shining on the water looked like it was sprinkled with bright gold foil.
Yu Mo: "Thank you for the flowers, they are beautiful. But I need to get dressed, please turn around."
Min Xi turned around with the flowers, feeling slightly disappointed, and prepared to decorate the cave. She had been so happy when she saw the flowers, so was she rejecting them just because he had given them to her? Was she still refusing to accept him? Min Xi fell into deep thought.
She was so exhausted that the hot springs washed away her fatigue. Before she knew it, she had slept for a long time. Her clothes were still a little damp, but that was no problem. She put on her clothes, walked to Min Xi's side, and bent down to take the flowers he was holding.
"I like it very much. Thank you, Min Xi." Ever since she knew Min Xi lived away from human groups, she knew he had no name. Min Xi had been given the name by accident. She was the one who gave him the name. The special feeling in this made Yu Mo's heart soften.
It's like encountering a stray dog on the street. When you're just passing by, your feelings for it grow slowly, perhaps just pity. But when you personally give it a name, and the name becomes a connection, and it responds to that name, it feels like a hidden connection has formed, and the feelings between them grow over time.
She had previously refused to accept things given by Min Xi because she was not familiar with him. But now, when she saw beautiful flowers, she was willing to accept them because Min Xi would not ask her for a price for accepting them.
She held the beautiful flowers, sniffing their rich aroma, and then noticed Min Xi's grinning mouth. He seemed very excited. But as before, his mouth only opened slightly and quickly closed, like a brief and reserved smile.
Even though there was only a small fragment of bone in his tailbone, it was shaking slightly. He carried Yu Mo and returned to the cave along the way they came.
It was when night fell that Yu Mo's theory about flowers was overturned. It turned out that his flowers were not free. She needed to pay more than the value of the flowers themselves.
…
Yu Mo hung the flowers she brought back next to her bed. She tied the bouquet together with vines and stuck it in the cracks of the stone wall. She looked at the flowers, taking in their vibrant colors. The gloom of the past few days seemed to be dispelled by this bright color.
The stone bed was covered with a soft blanket, which was contributed by Min Xi. He gave the stone bed in the cave to Yu Mo, and he curled up at her feet. Yu Mo was in a good mood after soaking in the hot spring, and she even said good night to Min Xi.
During these days in the cave, she did not give up the satellite phone. Just before going to sleep, she heard the buzzing sound of the phone. This was good news, but apart from the buzzing sound, there was no other sound. Yu Mo was not discouraged.
She was thinking about tomorrow's work and how to contact the research institute, but her thoughts were soon disturbed by Min Xi's actions and she was forced to stop. First, she felt the soles of her feet being rubbed by sharp spikes. It was Min Xi who did it.
The weapon used was his tongue. Yu Mo's soles were covered in blisters. Min Xi hadn't figured out how to break them, and then he licked them, like animals trying to comfort each other. Yu Mo's weak spot was exposed, and she rolled over on the stone bed, letting out a resounding laugh. She angrily tried to stop Min Xi's actions: "Stop! Stop!"
She wanted to get up and push Min Xi away, but he turned over and came to the stone bed, holding her arm with one hand. Her foot was finally freed, but her leg was trapped. The forest was silent at night, and the gurgling sound of Min Xi was filled in the cave.
As if trying to please.
In the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the rocks, Yu Mo saw Min Xi's silhouette. His broad chest and sturdy limbs resembled a ferocious beast poised to devour its prey. She froze in shock from the sudden, outward pressure.
Her ankles were wet and a little numb. It felt like something soft and prickly had been slid across them. Her calves were thoroughly cleaned, and next came her thighs. Holding back her laughter, Yu Mo raised her voice and shouted, "Min Xi! Stop it... I'm getting mad!"
The gurgling sound stopped abruptly. Min Xi left, kneeling beside her, and shifted the battle to her abdomen. He could smell Yu Mo's scent, which was almost stained with his. He glanced triumphantly at the flowers hanging prominently nearby.
"Beautiful!" Min Xi recalled what she said when she took the flowers from his hand. His round pupils shrank with excitement, and the scales hidden in his suit opened slightly, then closed again. More joyful laughter rolled out of his throat.
He pressed her down.
"Xihuan. Yu Mo xihuan..."
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