Yan Zheng used a wooden stick to make a clothes hanger, took off his shirt and hung it on the hanger. A patch of the back of the shirt was torn and tattered from the vigorous friction, and stained with blood.
Then he asked Jiang Xi for a lighter, to which Jiang Xi replied irritably, "It's on that guy."
Seeing her angry expression, Yan Zheng gently patted her head to comfort her, then took out a lighter from "that guy's" pocket.
He lit the straw that was used as a bed to keep the two of them warm and dry their clothes.
Jiang Xi then took off her soaked knitwear and undershirt, leaving only a small garment. Her skin was already fair, and coupled with the lack of food and clothing she had been wearing for the past few days, the flickering firelight made her look even thinner. Yan Zheng quietly pulled the clothes rack closer to her, covering her figure.
When Yan Zheng sat down to warm himself by the fire, Jiang Xi finally noticed that he had a large abrasion on his back. As his back muscles rippled, layers of old scabs appeared, spreading into fine lines.
There were two claw marks on the tendons of his right arm, and the herbs applied to them had dried up, leaving only some green juice. Fortunately, the wounds had begun to heal.
Jiang Xi felt a lump in her throat, and she became even angrier at the person lying on the ground, thinking that he should just be left to fend for himself.
Yan Zheng didn't feel any pain, perhaps because he was already numb.
Jiang Xi cleaned the blood off Yan Zheng, then carefully applied a mixture of herbs and anti-inflammatory medicine to his back and wounds, and smeared the remaining medicine on her own ankle, which was already starting to swell.
After treating his wounds, Yan Zheng's face began to show signs of exhaustion. He hadn't slept for two days and two nights, afraid that if he fell asleep, he wouldn't know when he would wake up.
Jiang Xi patted her thigh: "Go to sleep for a while, I'm still energetic, I'll stay here and keep watch."
Yan Zheng thought that he might have to go out to find water and food later, so he didn't refuse and lay down on the spot, using her lap as a pillow, and fell asleep.
Jiang Xi placed her hand on his head and stroked it unconsciously again and again. Suddenly, her hand stopped and she trembled as she parted Yan Zheng's hair.
At the roots of the hair, there are dense strands of white hair.
Her heart clenched suddenly, and she was stunned for a long time. It turned out that one's hair really could turn white overnight.
How can there be someone like him in this world?
She tilted her head back, afraid that her tears would wake him.
**
As dusk approached, the heavy rain finally stopped, and the afterglow of the rain was exceptionally brilliant, casting a rosy glow over the forest.
The instigator was left to rest in the cave, while Jiang Xi and Yan Zheng went into the mountains to forage for food. Yan Zheng had injured his arm and could not use a bow and arrow. There were no lakes here, so fishing was out of the question. Yan Zheng could only dig up some sweet potatoes.
Jiang Xi gathered some wild fruits and raspberries. Autumn is the raspberry season in this jungle. They are yellow, wine red, and blueberry-like purplish-black, each with its own unique flavor, some sweet and some sour.
To Jiang Xi's surprise, most apricots in her original world ripened in spring, and she had never seen apricots in late autumn.
Not far from the cave where they were staying, there was a wild apricot tree. The apricots were bright yellow with some red on the bark, but the taste was sour and not sweet enough.
Most of them had already been eaten by birds, and Jiang Xi only managed to find about ten intact ones after a lot of effort.
When we went to wash the fruit and potatoes in the mountain stream, we found scallops the size of bowls in the river and picked up a few more to take back with us.
Yan Zheng then collected some dry branches from under some protruding rocks.
Before the sun completely disappeared, the two returned to the cave.
Unexpectedly, when they returned, the person in the cave had already woken up. Seeing them return with one carrying firewood and the other carrying water, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
Jiang Xi and Yan Zheng ignored him. Yan Zheng was in charge of starting the fire, while Jiang Xi divided the raspberries and wild apricots they had brought back into three portions on banana leaves. Of course, anyone with eyes could see that the portion on the far side was smaller and less numerous.
Both of the ceramic bowls they brought were broken, so Jiang Xi had to use scallop shells to hold the sweet potatoes.
Yan Zheng handed the sweet potato and fruit to the man, and a hint of emotion began to appear in his eyes.
He asked Yan Zheng, "Why did you save me?"
Yan Zheng ate his meal without looking up, and asked him, "How did you get here?"
The man was surprised by the question Yan Zheng raised.
Yan Zheng continued, "How did you know we were here, and how did you find us?"
He replied nonchalantly, "Dreams, I can dream of certain scenes, and then at certain times, I just go there uncontrollably."
Yan Zheng asked, "So you can't get out either?"
"I never intended to go out."
Jiang Xi picked out the red raspberries from her portion of fruit; they were too sour for her.
She said, "I advise you not to do anything futile. Once I leave this world, I still can't escape death."
"You should give up the idea of fighting Yan Zheng to the death and just live your own life."
The man listened without speaking. He thought for a moment and then began eating the food Yan Zheng had given him. He swallowed it whole, then clutched his shoulder and left the cave.
Jiang Xi said, "Look, they don't appreciate your kindness at all. They left without even saying thank you."
Yan Zheng laughed: "We didn't save him just to get a thank you from her."
Jiang Xi grabbed a few untouched wild apricots from in front of the man and put them into Yan Zheng's pile of fruit.
"Eat, don't waste food."
Yan Zheng sighed helplessly as he watched her short temper; his girlfriend really did have a strong personality.
Jiang Xi thought he wouldn't come back, but a little while later, the man returned to the cave with his backpack.
Yan Zheng glanced at his backpack warily. Although he didn't say anything, he didn't dare to fall into a deep sleep that night.
The next day, as dawn broke, after eating the remaining wild fruit, the two began packing their things.
The man was still asleep, and no one thought to greet him. Before leaving, Yan Zheng left two anti-inflammatory pills on a banana leaf.
Jiang Xi saw this but didn't say anything.
Wrapped in banana leaves, the two embarked on their journey home.
Yan Zheng estimated that it would take the two of them two days to get back. Jiang Xi had an injury on her foot, so he wasn't in a hurry and safety was the priority.
Jiang Xi remained silent the whole way. She had originally thought there was still a chance to go back, but now she was afraid that they would never be able to go back.
Thinking of my parents still makes me a little sad. They only have one daughter, and now they are facing a natural disaster, so I will not be able to fulfill my filial duties before they pass away.
I felt an indescribable sense of frustration and sadness, and even my legs felt heavy when I walked.
Suddenly, the people around me stopped.
Yan Zheng shouted, "Come out!"
Jiang Xi was a little confused and just as she was wondering what was going on, someone jumped down from the tree behind her. It was the person they had left in the cave.
Yan Zheng frowned: "Why are you following us?"
The man casually replied, "I have nowhere to go."
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