Having caught no fish, I plan to try my luck at the place where I found turtle eggs last time, to see if I can find some more turtle eggs to take back.
But today it seems even the heavens are against me. When I arrived at that sandy area, the raised sand had clearly been loosened, and I could still vaguely see a little bit of white inside.
I had a bad feeling about today, and that's what I was thinking. I still dug through a pile of sand with my hands, and sure enough, there were turtle eggs inside.
However, the inside had now turned into an eggshell, and judging from the integrity of the eggshell, it was probably not stolen by other animals.
These turtle eggs have naturally hatched into baby turtles, and the newly hatched babies are very fond of water. Yesterday there was another heavy rain, and they must have drifted into the lake with the current.
I sighed deeply; it seemed like nothing was going right today. After wandering around for a while, I found nothing. I could only dig up some wild vegetables to console myself.
When I returned to camp, the monkey had already come back before me. Judging from its rosy complexion, it must have returned from the mountains with a lot of goodies.
The monkey didn't rush up the tree; instead, it sat down in the shed we had set up and waited for me. It knew my schedule and always came here when I returned.
When it saw me return with a somewhat empty basket on my back and a branch entangled with a longline, it seemed a little puzzled. Didn't this kid usually bring back a lot of fish?
But it came out to greet me very quickly. It jumped onto my shoulder and kept pulling me, while pointing towards the shed.
It was urging me to hurry up; Top couldn't wait to show me its spoils. I gave a wry smile; I never expected to be mocked by a monkey today.
Top led me to where it kept its basket, and the first thing I saw was a basket full of wild fruit.
Most of the fruit here is a type of fruit that resembles an apple, but is much smaller. It has a sweet and sour taste and is the type of fruit that Top brought back the most for me.
There are also some fruits here that I've never seen before, such as a golden-yellow fruit that is about the same size as a wild peach, but much rounder in appearance.
The monkey seemed quite pleased with my expression. I don't know if monkeys have vanity, but I feel that this tool-wielding monkey next to me does have some.
Top hopped over to the basket and began rummaging through the fruit. After a while, it pulled out a few bright yellow fruits and handed them to me.
As if afraid I wouldn't praise it, it deliberately picked one up and kept putting it to its mouth, meaning it wanted me to try it quickly.
I tried taking a bite and found that this fruit was indeed delicious. Its soft, chewy texture and refreshing, not-too-sweet flavor filled my taste buds, making it much tastier than those small, apple-like wild fruits.
I smiled and nodded at the monkey, pointed to the yellow fruit, and then pointed to myself to show that I really liked the taste.
The monkey was overjoyed and let out a strange cry while doing a somersault.
It seemed to enjoy the feeling of being recognized, perhaps because my excellent cooking skills gave it that feeling, so it was eager to prove its worth to me.
What an interesting little guy!
This afternoon I planned to finish the unfinished roof, but it seems like the heavens are conspiring against me. The sky is getting dark again, and it looks like it's going to rain.
I had no choice but to gather firewood first, because if it rained heavily later, I might not even have any firewood left to cook.
After gathering firewood in the shed, I went to wash the wild vegetables I had dug up and put them in my newly woven bamboo basket to drain.
There's no sun today, so we still have to start a fire using plowshares. I've prepared plenty of tinder and kindling, and yesterday I dried a lot of wet branches over a fire.
We'll use them to start a fire and get it burning brightly, so the firewood we collect won't get wet.
This time, the fire was started smoothly. With the fire, the surrounding temperature rose a bit. If the three walls of the shed could be enclosed, the insulation effect would be even better.
The rain arrived as expected, and Top and I still had dinner together. This time, it generously contributed the fruit it had collected. I washed some of the fruit, put it in a bamboo basket, and placed it by the fire.
We ate a hot fish and wild vegetable soup, and the fruit that Top brought back.
It all felt so unreal. Someone who had been in the wilderness for so long would have already suffered a mental breakdown, gone mad, or been devoured by wild beasts.
And now I can enjoy a hot pot with a monkey in a shelter that keeps out the rain, with clean fruit available to eat, and the fruit tastes just as good as the ones sold in supermarkets.
Is this still a destitute person in the wilderness?
At that moment, a somewhat absurd thought popped into my head. Who would have imagined that in the wilderness, one could not only be full, but also have such a comprehensive and abundant meal?
It seems that God has been quite kind to me. Not only did He not let me go hungry, but He also sent a monkey to keep me company, so I wasn't so lonely.
I slept too long during the day, and with the rain pouring down non-stop, I wasn't sleepy at all.
Top, on the other hand, had just returned from a run in the mountains today. Now, having eaten and drunk his fill, and with a warm fire beside him, he was sitting by the fire, dozing off.
It's too early to go to bed now, and I have nothing else to do anyway. I retrieved some materials to repair the longline fishing rod that was damaged by the mysterious creature.
I don't know whether to thank them or hate them. If my longline hadn't been bitten, I really don't know how I would have gotten through this long night.
As I repaired the longline fishing rod in my hands, I pondered what I could do next.
Judging from the weather these past few days, it seems this area is about to enter the rainy season. After the rainy season, the temperature should continue to rise for a while.
As temperatures rise, some of my food sources will become less reliable, such as the fish in the lake.
There are many fish here, but that doesn't mean you'll have such a good catch all year round.
Fish also have specific feeding windows. When the temperature is highest in July and August, fish will significantly reduce their feeding activity and will not start feeding again until the end of September.
I feel I need to set aside some more time to go to that willow grove and collect more willow branches, or bring back more bamboo.
This way, even on rainy days, I can use my spare time to weave large baskets and other containers in this shed to store fish and meat in the future.
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