The next morning, Jiang Xi felt that she had probably strained a muscle. Her entire back was twisted, and her tailbone and shoulders ached terribly.
These past few days I've been sleeping on hard stone slabs with only two banana leaves on top. When I wake up, not only do I not feel refreshed, but I also have muscle soreness. If I stretch out my hand or kick my leg and bump into something, the bruises won't go away for a day or two.
I need to get a decent bed made as soon as possible.
When she got up in the morning, she first went to check the rattan fibers hanging outside. The fibers were dehydrating faster than Jiang Xi had expected. After being exposed to the sun all afternoon yesterday, the fibers had become dry and stiff to the touch.
Jiang Xi filled a pot with water and poured it directly onto the top of the fibers, moving carefully and slowly to ensure that each fiber was fully saturated with water.
The next step is to wait for the fibers to dry and dehydrate again, then bring them back into the cave in the afternoon. Repeat this process for five to six days until the fibers become soft and elastic after degumming.
After having a simple breakfast of fruit and duck eggs, Jiang Xi couldn't bear to continue sleeping on the stone slab. After breakfast, she dragged Yan Zheng straight to the valley behind the cave and began making a new mattress.
Her plan was to cut fresh foxtail grass, dry it into hay, and then use weaving or binding techniques to make a comfortable straw mattress.
Jiang Xi originally thought that cutting grass was very simple. When she was a child, she watched the uncles and elders in the village cutting rice and wheat. They were fast and neat. She was too young to understand the hardship involved. Now that she was working in the fields and had become like them, she truly understood the hardship and difficulty involved.
Mowing lawns is a skilled job, especially when the tools aren't quite right. Holding a curved dagger, whether squatting or bending over, was extremely tiring.
At noon, the sun was scorching and the grass on the ground looked sick, drooping listlessly. Jiang Xi made a simple hat out of banana leaves, but it couldn't withstand the high temperature. The heat wave mixed with the dry wind blew through the valley, and her neck, shoulders and back were covered in sweat.
The two of them worked hard all morning, bending over, and only managed to cut two stacks of grass. After harvesting, Jiang Xi spread them out on the grass to dry naturally in the sun.
Jiang Xi couldn't take it anymore. The sun overhead felt like needles pricking her head, and the sweat dripping from her forehead stung her eyes. She quickly ran to the river to cool herself down with the cool water. The water flowing down from the mountain splashed on her face, and the coolness immediately spread throughout her body, making her feel refreshed in an instant.
Just as she was about to call Yan Zheng over, her foot slipped on something, she cried out in surprise, lost her balance, and fell straight into the river.
Yan Zheng reacted quickly. Upon hearing her voice, he strode over and grabbed Jiang Xi's arm. Before Jiang Xi could regain her balance, she was suddenly pulled by the arm, and she slipped on something, causing her and Yan Zheng to fall sideways into the water.
Fortunately, the river wasn't deep. Jiang Xi grabbed Yan Zheng's arm with one hand and braced herself against a rock in the water with the other. She coughed and hurriedly sat up in the water. Yan Zheng wiped the water off his face and helped her up.
Jiang Xi finally opened her eyes, which were blurred by water, and saw a man who was soaked to the bone. His slightly long hair was curled up and wet, sticking to his forehead and temples, with water still dripping from the ends. He looked quite disheveled. Suddenly, she thought of something and laughed.
Yan Zheng was furious when he saw her grinning foolishly. He scolded her with a hint of anger on his face, "You can't even wash your face without falling into the river. Can't you be more careful?"
Jiang Xi just smiled at him without saying a word. Who would have thought that the once high and mighty young fencing prodigy would now be humiliated and soaked in this unfamiliar world for her sake? She admitted that she felt a sense of vindictive pleasure and a little smugness.
At this moment, Jiang Xi was unaware of the danger that was right in front of her. The banana leaves wrapped around her body had become loose and tattered from being pulled, her long black hair was curled and stuck to her body, water droplets flowed down the curves of her body, and her beautiful eyes became misty because of the water.
Yan Zheng heard the smugness and mockery in her laughter. He chuckled and looked at her with an almost dangerous gaze. A burning passion seeped from the depths of his eyes, which were like a deep pool. He suddenly tore off the banana leaf covering his body and leaned over her.
Before Jiang Xi could react, her laughter was drowned out by a sudden kiss. They sat in the water, Yan Zheng holding her waist with one hand and supporting the back of her neck with the other. Jiang Xi was dizzy from the kiss, and the water beneath her waist made her bob up and down. She felt like she was going to drift away with the current.
She didn't know how long they had been kissing when they changed positions in the water. The man was sitting in the water, and she was sitting on his lap, the two of them pressed tightly together. Yan Zheng released her lips, and Jiang Xi, sitting on the high seat, held his head, her eyes still slightly red.
Yan Zheng looked at her, his face still wet with tears, swallowed hard, and asked in a hoarse voice, "You're so happy to see me make a fool of myself, huh?"
The last "hmm" was deliberately altered in tone, spoken with both emotion and profound meaning. Jiang Xi's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, but her eyes did not flinch. Heaven knows that at this moment, her heart was like a burning firework.
In this place, no one will know what happens. Maybe they'll go their separate ways once they leave. So what if she's an ex-boyfriend? They're in the north and the south, so they won't have much contact anymore.
Moreover, if it's this person in front of her, she wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Thinking this, she stared at his moist lips and kissed him again.
When it comes to kissing, one's state of mind is always very important. Trapped in the wilderness, with so many dangers and troubles, she still found a moment of carefree ease and comfort in this warm embrace.
After a long while, Jiang Xi, exhausted, sat up a little straighter. Suddenly, she groaned, let go of him, and reached out to cover her left calf.
Yan Zheng noticed her expression was off and immediately realized what was wrong. He moved his arm, which had been around her waist, to her back to support her, and gently lifted her calf with his right hand.
It turned out that during the struggle, Jiang Xi's ankle was cut by a sharp stone. Because of the water flow, the wound was not visible, and only a few drops of blood could be seen seeping out. Before she could react, Yan Zheng lifted her thighs with his strong arms and carried her to the shore. Jiang Xi hung on his chest like a kangaroo, and fearing that she would fall, she had to tightly hug his neck with both arms.
After putting her down, he knelt on one knee to examine her wound. It didn't seem too serious, but the air in the jungle was hot and humid, and he was most afraid of infection. He took two herbs that he had found while cutting grass that morning, rubbed them in his palm to extract the juice, and slowly applied them to the wound.
"Have you thought about the outcome?" His voice was still slightly breathless.
Jiang Xi didn't react for a moment, or rather, she knew what he was asking, but then a mischievous thought crossed her mind, and she asked in a teasing tone, "What was the result?"
Yan Zheng paused in his actions: "Did you think about the consequences of what you just did?"
He asked seriously, and Jiang Xi opened her mouth, but the words didn't come out. Her desire to continue teasing him also dissipated. Whatever the consequences, it was all her own initiative, and she could accept whatever the consequences might be.
There was no future between them three years ago, so what consequences could she not bear now?
At first, she thought that given her situation, all she wanted was for the two of them to get out safely without angering him.
The relationship, which had ended long ago, had developed to this point, something she had never imagined, nor dared to imagine. But her heart was already set on it, and being anxious about gains and losses was never her style.
Saying "live for the moment" is too frivolous, but Jiang Xi didn't want to leave too many regrets. Now that she was here, she didn't want to let go, neither in person nor in heart.
Not getting the answer he wanted, Yan Zheng asked again, "Do you want a casual fling with me?"
He wrapped a banana leaf around his ankle to secure the herbal medicine in the wound before speaking again: "You'd better think it through. Some things, once they happen, there's no going back."
Jiang Xi naturally understood what he meant. She was an adult and had the ability to take responsibility for herself. She knew perfectly well what would happen between an adult woman and an adult man.
Thinking of this, she tightened her grip on Yan Zheng's shoulder: "I never regret what I've done."
Jiang Xi looked closely at his features, her voice growing clearer: "Yan Zheng, what about you?"
She has always been a decisive person, just like when they broke up.
Yan Zheng looked up at her, his eyes filled with emotions she couldn't understand. After a long while, he released her leg and said calmly, "Your foot is fine, not too serious, but try not to get it wet for the next few days. The temperature here is high and it's easy to get infected."
After saying that, he didn't look at her again and turned to pick up the withered grass on the ground.
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