I walked very carefully, no matter where I was, I had a reason to go back. My younger sister was waiting for me at home; she needed me.
The advantage of walking along waterways is that you can control your body temperature, and the frequent soaking in water greatly reduces the chance of heatstroke.
After walking for a while, I came to a bend in the stream. The water flow here was noticeably smaller than downstream. However, as the terrain rose, the current became increasingly rapid.
Every now and then you can see water cascading down from the rocks, which are a meter or two high, making the bluestone below wet and slippery with a layer of moss.
This terrain is very dangerous; if you fall and get injured here without receiving medical treatment, you'll just have to wait to die.
I must treat myself like a cautious wild beast, and any plan that threatens my safety must be nipped in the bud.
Thus, I had to temporarily detour around the waterway and instead walk along the dense thicket of thatch beside it.
After walking for a while, I discovered a group of bright red wild fruits, about the size of large raisins, growing on a small earthen embankment near the water.
I recognize this wild fruit; we call it "half a jin" where I'm from. Take a leaf from a nearby aquatic plant, fold it along the edge to form a small triangle, and pinch it with your hand to make a water cup.
A few small sticks were strung together to form a small triangle, which then became a makeshift box for collecting wild fruits. I remember hearing from the old folks when I was herding cattle that if you filled this box with these wild fruits, it would weigh exactly half a jin (250 grams), which is how the phrase "half a jin" came about.
I haven't verified this claim, but half a pound of wild fruit wrapped in larger leaves would probably be enough.
I was starving, and these wild fruits, rich in vitamins and fructose, were perfectly fine to eat raw. I proudly displayed the bright red berries while collecting these rare wild fruits in cups made from water hyacinth leaves.
After replenishing my body with a large amount of wild fruit, I did feel full and less weak than before. I sped up my gathering, and soon my diet included seven or eight bags of wild fruit.
To better preserve these wild fruits, I specially made a lid with leaves for each bag so that they wouldn't fall out no matter how much they were jostled.
As for how to get these wild fruits, the fin knot will definitely not be needed this time, but a simple vase knot can easily solve this problem.
The vase knot can be used like a net that can be changed size at will to hold bags of wild fruits. Then, just like tying crabs together, you can string them together for easy carrying.
At this moment, I have to admire the wisdom of the ancients. They were able to solve so many problems that we modern people wouldn't even dare to think about using just these simple materials.
What's even more fortunate is that I come from the countryside, and these things that seem outdated to outsiders have actually helped me a lot.
Gathering wild berries took me quite a while, but thankfully this time I had enough to eat. By then, I felt the sun wasn't so intense anymore.
I didn't have a watch or any other timekeeping device at the moment. I raised one palm, intending to use an old method taught to me by my elders to judge how long it would take for the sun to completely set.
The specific method is to put your index, middle, and ring fingers together, then align the edge of your index finger with the lower end of the sun, and then move it downwards, each movement being about three finger-widths, until your ring finger touches the horizon.
During this period, the distance of three fingers is considered a standard unit. That is, it takes approximately one hour for the sun to move three fingers' distance. The number of units your three fingers move corresponds to the time it takes for the sun to set.
I roughly estimated that I had at most two and a half hours left to move around. After that, it would be completely dark, and it would be impossible to travel in the night without torches and amidst the dangers.
It seems impossible to reach the high ground today. I need to speed things up and collect more firewood and branches.
While collecting firewood and other materials, I unexpectedly discovered some willow branches. This tree isn't very tall, but its branches are quite flexible, making it a good alternative to palm leaves.
I used a flat stone with a slight angle at the front to smash the base of these willow branches, which allowed me to collect a sufficient number of branches with maximum efficiency.
I quickly gathered a large bundle of willow branches. Using the traditional method of bundling firewood in the countryside, I wrapped a few branches around the bundle twice to create a reverse knot. Then, I threaded the branches through the knot and tightened it. I stuffed the excess branches into the tightly bound hoop, and I was done.
I shouldered the bundle of willow branches, with a string of crabs and several bunches of wild berries I had just picked hanging from my body, and headed toward a slightly higher grove of trees.
If someone saw me now, they would probably think I'd encountered a savage. The only difference between me and a savage is that my skin isn't as dark yet.
I found a relatively flat spot in the woods, put down the willow branches, wild fruits, crabs, and other things I had, and then carried the firewood I had collected earlier to this spot.
This firewood should be enough to burn for one night, but now another problem lies before me. I have firewood and food, but like most people, I'm used to using a lighter and never thought of this unexpected situation.
Of course I know about things like rubbing sticks together to make fire, but it's not like in the movies where you can just rub them together a couple of times and a fire will come out.
This method requires a high level of skill and expertise in material selection. The rotor must be made of hardwood, and the padding must be made of softwood.
The rotor should not be sharpened too much, and the ignition groove should be carved to the right size, generally a little more than one-third of the drilled hole.
Even cork cushions shouldn't be too thick or too thin. If they're too thick, the temperature won't rise easily, and if they're too thin, the heat might dissipate before it even gets going.
However, this idea is just wishful thinking, because the foundation for all of this is that you at least need a knife. Right now, I can say I have nothing. At most, I can chip a hole with a stone, but as for a tinderbox, I can't do that for now.
At this point, I planned to use the fire-making method of the Yi or Bai ethnic groups. Their fire-making method is similar to fire-making by friction, but their method is simpler and more direct.
Among the Bai people, they would use two long-legged stools with the seat turned upside down, and then wrap dried pine needles or dried mugwort floss with a little wood ash inside using strips of cloth or palm fibers.
Then, use the stool on top to quickly roll back and forth until it starts to smoke. Only then do you take it out, put it inside the ignition source, and blow on it until the sparks ignite the ignition source.
I'm penniless right now, I can't even get a little bit of wood ash. But I still managed to pluck some fluffy, fuzzy stuff from those tall thatch bushes.
These fluffy substances are somewhat similar to the downy hairs of dandelions, both using wind to disperse seeds. They also serve as excellent tinder in rural areas.
I didn't have a flat plank like a bench; all I had were a few crooked, dried pieces of wood.
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