Having a campfire makes all the difference; maybe the monkeys got a bit wet from the rain earlier.
Now it sits obediently by the fire, watching me fiddle with the two bamboo pots, just like before. It knows that it won't be long before it's time to eat.
During this time, it would occasionally mimic me by stretching out its paws and warming itself by the fire.
Fortunately, we have these dry fire-starting materials today. I have to give myself a pat on the back for being cautious.
Being prepared is a good quality even in the wilderness; you may not need it for the time being, but you can't be without it.
Because when you encounter a crisis, these things that usually seem insignificant may help you, or even save your life.
We enjoyed a satisfying dinner by the warm campfire. After dinner, as usual, we went up into the trees to rest.
Not only is it safer up there, but with my modifications, the dome above is woven with banana leaves like stacked tiles, creating several layers.
Even if it rains at night, I don't have to worry about raindrops getting on my body.
Ever since Top learned that banana leaves could be used to keep out the rain, he has kept a few banana leaves in his own hut for when he needs them.
On rainless days, Top would also use these banana leaves to shield himself from the glaring sunlight, making his afternoon nap more comfortable.
This clever monkey learns everything very quickly; it truly deserves its reputation as the primate closest to humans. I think if given more time, it might even be able to recognize words.
Every night before I go to sleep, I carve a mark on my wooden spear. These marks represent the number of days I have been here.
The longing for loved ones burns like a bright fire in this dark jungle, illuminating the road ahead.
This is also what keeps me going. I hope that one day I can return to my own world.
The night passed peacefully, and the next day arrived as scheduled.
But the weather today didn't seem very nice either; the sky was already overcast early in the morning. Before I could even get down from the tree, a torrential downpour struck again.
Being unable to do any work and being confined to my tree bed made me extremely bored.
Top was squeaking around, indicating he didn't like the damp weather. I know monkeys aren't afraid of rain, but this guy was used to dry, comfortable environments.
Just like people, when there's nothing to eat, tree bark can be peeled off to fill your stomach. When food is plentiful and varied, naturally there are many more choices.
I think Top probably wants to use the basket I wove for it to go to the mountains to gather some wild fruits, since it can eat its fill.
However, it's impossible to bring back more wild fruits, so a tool that can hold things becomes especially important.
This way, it can collect several days' worth of food at once and store it, just like I do, without having to travel back and forth in the mountains every day.
As I suspected, the monkey had indeed learned to gather and store food. In doing so, it even spearheaded an industrial revolution within the troop, in which I, of course, played a part.
The heavy rain continued to fall, and the fire below had long since been extinguished by the rain.
At this moment, I only feel that my buttocks and waist are a little numb from lying down. When I used to work in the factory, I always dreamed of having a good rest for a day and a good night's sleep.
But when I actually had plenty of time to sleep, I couldn't fall asleep. Time without work passed by so slowly and was incredibly boring.
I don't need to worry about food for now; it's all cooked jerky that I can eat directly. The water problem has also been solved with the bamboo.
Anyway, I made several more water jugs afterward, and I filled them with water and hung them next to my tree bed so that I could drink water anytime without even getting out of bed.
I'm not doing this because I'm too lazy. As I said before, caution and planning ahead are the keys to long-term survival in the wild.
The rain finally stopped around noon, and the first one to lose patience was Top. Clearly, the rainy day had made this hardworking monkey restless.
Its form disappeared into the mountains and fields still shrouded in a thin white veil after the rain.
I rolled over and stretched, thinking that this long sleep was going to break my back.
Yesterday, because of the rain, I didn't retrieve the longline fishing rod I left by the lake. I need to check on it today, otherwise the big fish might break free of the hook after struggling repeatedly.
I arrived at the lakeside, where the water was slightly murky. This was probably because a heavy rain had just fallen, washing some of the nearby soil into the lake.
Looking at the limp rope, he couldn't help but frown. In just one night, even if some fish had escaped, it shouldn't be like this, right?
I started to reel in the main rope, and unsurprisingly, I didn't feel any pulling force from the fish struggling at all.
After I had gathered all the main ropes, I realized what was going on.
Fish were indeed caught on the rope, but at this moment, many of the hooks only had fish heads left, and some even had their leader lines tied to the main rope broken by unknown creatures.
Clearly, without checking overnight, these guys had stolen my catch. Judging from the situation, it seems to be a group of them working together.
Judging from the fine tooth marks left on the heads of these fish, they were not left by large aquatic animals, but rather by rodents.
After thinking about it carefully, I realized that there really is one type of rodent that can do that.
The first thing that comes to mind is the otter.
This animal is commonly found on the banks of rivers and streams, or in burrows dug on dikes. Some also live in crevices and caves near water.
Their diet consists mainly of fish, shrimp, crab, and shellfish, and they sometimes also eat waterfowl, frogs, and insects.
Otters are skilled swimmers, able to swim quickly and nimbly, and can also close their nostrils and ears tightly with small round flaps, silently swimming close to the surface of the water for long distances. It is said that they can swim underwater for 6 to 8 minutes at a time, and then stick their nostrils out of the water to breathe.
I think my fish were most likely stolen by them, because these creatures are timid and elusive, so it's normal that I haven't seen them for so long.
I sighed helplessly; I'd learned another lesson today. Nature is never short of competitors; I was careless again.
Many of these longline fishing rods were damaged and need to be taken back and repaired before they can be used again.
I could only find a tree branch to gather the main line and hang the remaining intact hooks on it. As for the fish heads, I threw them into the lake; if they didn't want them, I didn't want them either.
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