As they continued upwards, they encountered a problem: above their current position was a rocky mountain covered in moss, with a steep slope. The two of them were stumped.
They explored along the mountainside for a long time, walking back and forth on both sides for more than half an hour, before finally finding an area on the side of the mountain where they could go up.
After walking up the hillside for more than ten minutes, Jiang Xi and her companions saw a wild fruit tree. The tree was two or three meters tall, and the fruit peel was creamy yellow and orange-red with a smooth surface. It looked a bit like a small honeydew melon, and each fruit was as big as her fist. The leaves were as long as a person's forearm.
They had never seen this fruit in their original world and dared not eat it easily. It wasn't until Yan Zheng saw that there were traces of small animals biting on the fallen fruit that Jiang Xi dared to put it in her mouth to try.
It has a slightly sweet taste and a crisp texture. This fruit is very juicy, but it doesn't have a very obvious sweetness, just like a cucumber with a hint of sweetness.
Jiang Xi picked up the fruit that had been pecked by birds on the ground and examined it carefully. She discovered that the redder the color, the more popular it was with small animals, indicating that the fruit was riper. Once it turned completely orange-red, the fruit would ripen and soften on its own before falling to the ground.
Jiang Xi had never eaten this kind of fruit before, and dared not eat too many at once, so she only picked about ten and put them in her bag.
Further up, we found a wild Sichuan pepper tree. This tree must be over a hundred years old, with a thick and strong trunk and a tall canopy.
Jiang Xi and Yan Zheng were both at a loss. In the end, Yan Zheng found a long enough three-pronged tree branch, stuck the peppercorns on the fork of the branch, and then pulled them off with force. Jiang Xi carefully avoided the peppercorn thorns and filled two large handfuls.
Looks like I'll have to make a basketball hoop when I get back, otherwise I'll always have trouble carrying enough space when I go out, which will affect my performance.
They wanted to continue uphill, but then the weather turned bad and a light drizzle started, so the two had to turn back and go down the mountain.
After walking a few dozen meters, the rain got heavier and heavier.
In the desolate wilderness, getting sick from the rain was not worth it, so Yan Zheng found a rock that could barely accommodate two people to take shelter from the rain.
Jiang Xi took out the fish she had prepared that morning from her backpack. After breakfast, seeing that the temperature was cool, she had also grilled the remaining black fish and specially packed it in banana leaves to keep for lunch. They hid in the hollow, listening to the sound of rain in the forest while eating the fish and fruit.
Jiang Xi even thought to herself with a touch of self-deprecation—enjoying the rain and having a picnic in the forest was something she would never have dared to dream of when she was working in a research lab.
The rain lasted for a long time, so long that Jiang Xi didn't remember when she had drifted off to sleep. When she woke up again, the rain outside the cave had turned into a light drizzle.
Yan Zheng leaned against the stone wall with his eyes half-closed. She didn't know when she had leaned against Yan Zheng, her head resting in his arm. No wonder she felt cold at first and then hot in her sleep.
Her shoulders felt a little numb from leaning against the wall for so long, so she sat up slowly, feeling a bit embarrassed, and moved her neck.
Yan Zheng opened his slightly closed eyes: "Awake?"
He released her and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Hmm, how long did I sleep?" Jiang Xi asked.
"I don't remember."
Yan Zheng reached out and tested the rainwater: "The rain has stopped."
He was still a little worried: "The clouds are too thick. There might be another rain later. Let's hurry down the mountain."
The dangers in the mountains and forests increase exponentially on rainy days. Besides wild animals, the muddy mountain paths alone pose a great challenge to Jiang Xi.
So their foraging trip was interrupted by a rainstorm, and they had to return to the cave.
To her delight, the mountain was quite well-stocked. Due to the frequent rains, wild mushrooms were sprouting in the forest, and Jiang Xi picked quite a few as she descended the mountain. In addition, there were fresh tender shepherd's purse, and Yan Zheng even found two Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms under a dead tree.
As they descended the mountain, the sky remained overcast, and the world was shrouded in a gray haze. Unable to discern the sun's position or the exact time, they dared not linger outside.
For safety reasons, after coming down from the mountain, Yan Zheng led him straight to the cave.
The rain caused the river in the valley to swell. The river, which was originally two meters wide, had now risen to three or four meters wide. Yan Zheng had no choice but to hold her and carefully walk back along the mountainside.
Upon reaching the mountainside outside the cave, Jiang Xi was drawn to a creature that looked remarkably like a rabbit. The reason she said it looked like a rabbit was that, apart from walking on only two legs and being slightly larger, its appearance was not much different from the gray rabbits that Jiang Xi had seen before.
Jiang Xi was surprised that Yan Zheng had actually guessed correctly. This lush plain was perfect for these herbivores, but they didn't have the right tools and traps right now. They would have to think about it carefully when they got back.
Jiang Xi didn't feel like she had walked for too long when she went there, but because of the rain, she felt like she had climbed a mountain on the way back, making the journey particularly arduous.
When they set off, they left their clothes and unnecessary belongings in the cave.
After entering the cave, Jiang Xi quickly took off her damp inner layer and underwear and changed into a dry knitted sweater. Her fair back looked particularly warm in the dark cave.
As she turned to get the fleece pants, she saw Yan Zheng standing at the door.
He walked straight in and picked up the black sweater from the banana leaf: "Sorry, I didn't know you were changing."
Jiang Xi was both shy and somewhat annoyed: "It seems we need to install a door as soon as possible."
Yan Zheng chuckled upon hearing this, lifted the hem of his short-sleeved shirt, and began changing his clothes in front of her.
Her face flushed again. She knew what that hum meant. He wanted to mock her. They had slept together all night, and being so particular about these things would only make her seem pretentious.
Jiang Xi felt her face burning and quickly picked up her wet clothes to go outside.
They hadn't expected it to rain today, and since they hadn't prepared any firewood beforehand, they had no way to start a fire.
Jiang Xi sat at the entrance of the front gate, drying her hair, and fell into deep thought as she looked at the murky river water at the gate.
At this time, in this unfamiliar environment, they did not understand the local climate and ecology, and did not know whether it was the dry season or the rainy season. They had always heard that rivers in some southern regions would flood during the rainy season.
It's only been a light rain, but the river at the entrance has already doubled in width. If there were a rainy season here, I wonder if their cave would be able to shelter them then.
If we want to continue living here, we need to prepare more supplies, make two doors to block the openings on both sides, and make a comfortable enough bed.
When Yan Zheng came out, he saw Jiang Xi sitting at the cave entrance, staring blankly at the river. He walked over and sat down beside her: "What are you thinking about?"
Jiang Xi glanced at him, pursed her lips, and said, "I'm thinking about how to live from now on."
"If the weather clears up tomorrow, I'll go chop some wood and install two doors as soon as possible, at least to make this cave a little safer."
Jiang Xi nodded and said, "I want to get more hay so that at least we can have a more comfortable bed. Sleeping on leaves every day isn't a good idea."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "It would be even better if we had a stove; then we wouldn't be afraid of the rain."
"If we hunt a few more other animals, we should have enough nutrition."
Yan Zheng listened as she meticulously outlined her plans and comforted her, saying, "Don't rush, take your time."
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