More than half a month passed, during which we spent all our time collecting food.
Moreover, during this period, Chen Jian, Wang Ping, Yang Rui, and I also made quite a few clay stoves together.
Then they began frantically collecting firewood.
During this time, Wang Xiaoxiao and her team preserved all the eggs laid by the short-legged birds with sea salt.
The only problem is that we didn't collect much brown rice before, and Liu Jiaojiao is about to give birth. We have to be prepared at all times. We originally saved the brown rice to make soup, but now all of it has been given to Liu Jiaojiao.
That half-bucket was enough for her to eat.
Wang Xiaoxiao and the others used to be very timid and delicate girls, but now, in order to survive, they have no choice but to get their hands dirty with blood.
Liu Jiaojiao, Wang Xiaoxiao, and Xu Wei, along with several other female colleagues, went to the woods every day to look for animal traps. Fortunately, they had a good harvest, catching more than 20 rabbits in just over ten days.
They kept the rabbits with minor injuries in our backyard, while the more seriously injured ones were skinned and the rest were smoked and dried into jerky.
Mushrooms and wild vegetables are also gradually becoming scarce. Mushrooms can be dried and stored for later consumption, but wild vegetables cannot be preserved at all. Once dried, they are no longer usable.
In the end, Wang Xiaoxiao and her friends used mud to pickle all the wild vegetables, adding shrimp powder and some crab.
If there's really no food left to eat in winter, these things can still fill our stomachs.
In addition to searching for wild boar herds, the male colleagues also went into the mountains several times in an attempt to find wolf packs.
Although capturing wolves is extremely dangerous, they are also of vital importance to us in the current situation.
Fortunately, we did not find those strange footprints or any indigenous people during this period.
Yang Rui tried several times to go out and look for Xiao He and the others, but various things delayed him.
That night, a few of us went to the beach and caught a lot of fish and seashells, filling six or seven carts to the brim.
The female colleagues were busy at the campsite on the mountaintop, cleaning and drying all these items for later use.
Wang Xiaoxiao was cleaning the fish when she suddenly turned pale and ran to the side, where she began to gag.
Xu Wei, who was standing closest to Wang Xiaoxiao, was initially alarmed when she saw Wang Xiaoxiao like this. She immediately ran over and asked anxiously, "Sister Xiaoxiao, what's wrong? Did you catch a cold because the weather has been cold these past few days and you weren't wearing enough clothes?"
As he spoke, he reached out and touched Wang Xiaoxiao's forehead.
Wang Xiaoxiao's face was pale, and she was obviously not feeling well. I quickly went over to her and saw her sway. I immediately reached out to support her and realized that she had lost a lot of weight recently.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Don't push yourself, let me help you inside to rest for a while."
Wang Xiaoxiao looked up at me, her eyes slightly red. After a long while, she sighed and shook her head, then let Xu Weifu go into the house.
For two days in a row, Wang Xiaoxiao remained in this state, with little appetite, excessive sleepiness, a pale complexion, and general weakness.
Based on her symptoms, it's clear that she has heatstroke.
But now, the weather is getting colder and colder, and even the rocks on the mountain are covered with a thin layer of frost every morning. It's definitely not the time to suffer from heatstroke.
Xiao Qiang was sorting the shellfish meat, arranging them one by one on the rock wall to dry. After they were dry, she would pick them up again and store them in a mud jar.
Seeing my worried expression, she leaned closer and said with a furrowed brow, "I suspect Wang Xiaoxiao might be pregnant, because Liu Jiaojiao was in the same situation when she was pregnant, but we don't know if it's a child... or whose child it is?"
When I heard Xiao Qiang say that, my mind exploded.
If Wang Xiaoxiao is really pregnant, then this child is 100% mine!
Thinking back to when we last had sex, it's been almost two months now. It's normal for her to have these pregnancy symptoms now, but I just can't accept it right now. If Wang Xiaoxiao is really pregnant, then this child...
Thinking of this, my heart tightened suddenly, and I didn't have time to pay attention to Xiao Qiang anymore before returning to the treehouse.
Wang Xiaoxiao was sleeping in her cubicle at this moment, covered with a wolf skin, her brows furrowed, clearly not sleeping soundly.
I walked over and touched Wang Xiaoxiao's forehead.
My forehead is very cold, which means I'm not sick. It's probably because I'm suffering from severe morning sickness, not eating well, and living in constant fear.
My noise woke Wang Xiaoxiao. She opened her eyes, looked at me sleepily, and then instinctively pulled up the wolf skin and covered herself with it, as if to cover something up.
Seeing her like this, I understood even more clearly that she probably already knew she was pregnant... but she just hadn't told me...
I stared at Wang Xiaoxiao for a long time, unsure of what to say, but I felt increasingly guilty towards her.
"Xiaoxiao, tell me the truth, are you pregnant?"
When Wang Xiaoxiao heard me ask that question, she frowned, then bit her lip and remained silent for a long time.
Seeing her like this, I became even more certain that she knew she was pregnant. My heart suddenly ached, and I immediately took her hand.
"Don't be afraid, I will take responsibility for you. I will take good care of you and let you give birth to our child. He is my first child, and I will cherish him very much!"
When Wang Xiaoxiao saw what I said, her eyes suddenly reddened. Then, she sobbed twice and couldn't hold back anymore, sobbing in my arms.
Seeing her like that made my heart ache even more, but after the initial sadness subsided, I couldn't help but feel grateful. Heaven has been incredibly kind to me, allowing me to have three women who love me so much, and now I have my first child...
I patted Wang Xiaoxiao's back to reassure her that I would handle the matter.
Wang Xiaoxiao was still a bit tired, and coupled with her emotional state, she quickly fell asleep after I comforted her.
I had just come out of Wang Xiaoxiao's cubicle when I saw Xiao Qiang holding a net frame woven from vines, looking at me with disbelief, confusion, collapse, and despair in her eyes.
I knew I would have to face these things sooner or later.
After watching Xiao Qiang remain silent for a long time, he finally pulled her down the mountain.
I told her the whole story of what happened between me and Wang Xiaoxiao.
"I may have overlooked the fact that Wang Xiaoxiao likes me before, but now she's carrying my child. Xiao Qiang, I hope you, I hope you can accept her..."
At this point, I don't know how to continue.
Xiao Qiang didn't say a word, silently turned around and went up the mountain. Looking at her somewhat thin figure, I felt increasingly uncomfortable.
Sighing, I didn't know what to do.
Just then, I saw a person emerge from the cliff behind the waterfall; it was Wang Ping.
Wang Ping stood there blankly, still holding one of the new animal traps they had made.
After seeing me, Wang remained calm for a while. Finally, he silently walked to my side, patted my shoulder, and gave me a rare, unpleasant smile: "Sihai, I know Wang Xiaoxiao likes you. Since you two are together, I have nothing to say. I just hope you can treat her well in the future. We're still brothers. Congratulations to you!"
After Wang Ping finished speaking, he silently went up the mountain, leaving me alone at the foot of the mountain.
I'm so stressed out. It seems this is going to be much more difficult than I imagined.
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