In the evening, we cooked a big pot of mutton soup, adding some of the warming herbs that Xiao Qiang had picked earlier, and we all drank some.
Liu Jiaojiao's belly had grown considerably larger than before, and Chen Jian was very happy to see us.
When they learned that I was injured, they kept complaining that my colleagues hadn't taken good care of me.
Looking at Chen Jian's appearance, I couldn't help but laugh: "I'm not a young lady, why would I need someone to take my picture? It's just that this incident happened so suddenly that I was a little flustered, but thankfully, I wasn't seriously injured. And this time, I really have to thank you for arranging our camp and our female colleagues so well."
Everyone was exhausted, which made the mutton and mutton soup taste especially delicious, but everyone was listless.
After they finished eating, they went back to their own wooden houses to sleep without even having time to clean up the table.
Before Yang Rui went back to their wooden house to sleep, he came to my side and said he wanted to look for Xiao He and the others.
I was a little confused when I heard Yang Rui say that.
"You were shot and rescued by us. Later, you joined our camp. I remember you once said that the gunshot wound on your body was caused by Xiao He and his gang. So why are you still looking for them now? Do you want revenge?"
After hearing my story, Yang Rui shook his head: "I don't want revenge. I'm just a little worried about what happened when the tsunami hit. Although the tsunami wasn't very big this time, you saw it too. We almost died in the crevice of that cave. I don't know what kind of place Xiao He and the others will end up in."
"Although they have been unkind to me, I cannot be unjust to them. After all, they are our companions. Moreover, on this deserted island, if they do not have a reliable place to stay, then the indigenous people would be an even greater danger to them."
"I think maybe I should find them so I can ask if their ship still exists. If it does, do we have a chance to go back to the city with their ship?"
"If that ship is gone, and if we can win over Xiao He and his group, our firepower here will increase several times over, because they brought a lot of heavy weapons with them when they came. This deserted island is full of dangers, and those heavy weapons are lifesavers for us."
Wang Ping stood by and listened to every word Yang Rui said. After Yang Rui finished speaking, Wang Ping looked at Yang Rui and nodded solemnly.
“I think your suggestion is very good. I didn’t expect you to be such a loyal and righteous person. But it’s already so late. Looking at the sky, there’s no moon. I don’t know if it will rain tomorrow. So let’s rest first and get our energy ready before we can do what you said.”
Yang Rui probably didn't expect Wang Ping to agree so readily, because even I didn't think Wang Ping would agree to Yang Rui's request.
Yang Rui thanked Wang Ping gratefully again and again before turning around and returning to his wooden house.
After Yang Rui had completely entered the house, Wang Ping looked at me and chuckled coldly.
“You see, I’ve always felt that Yang Rui is not normal. How could he just happen to appear in that low grove of trees that Chen Jian and the others went to last time? And how could he become friends with Chen Jian and the others so quickly and come back here? After interacting with him these past few days, I’ve found that he is a very persuasive person. We should be careful.”
"Then why did you agree to go and find Xiao He and the others?"
Wang Ping chuckled: "Of course we're not really looking for them. But didn't he say that if Xiao He's boat is still there, we can leave? He wants to use us, but aren't we using them too? We're just being extra careful. Besides, we've had contact with Xiao He and his group before. They have their purposes, and we have ours. And these two purposes don't conflict at all; we can even help each other."
I was confused by Wang Ping's words, but I was too tired to continue the discussion. I patted him on the shoulder and told him to get some rest.
Wang Ping has been in that small cave for the past two days.
My leg, which had been almost fully healed from its injury, has flared up again these past two days. It always starts to hurt when I walk a long distance. I told him to go and rest early, and I specially got him the biggest piece of lynx skin to cover his leg, in case he gets some kind of rheumatism or something, which would be troublesome.
After thanking me, Wang Ping turned around and went back to his wooden house.
As I turned around, intending to go back, I saw Wang Xiaoxiao standing behind me at some point.
She looked at me without saying a word, but her eyes were fixed on me. The sight of her injured leg and red-rimmed eyes made me feel a pang of heartache.
I limped over and was about to grab Wang Xiaoxiao's hand when she turned away and I missed her.
Then she turned her head and wiped away her tears.
“When we were in that jade mine, I kept thinking, if something really happened to you, would I be able to bear the consequences? I’ve been having these wild thoughts for days. Now that I see you’re safe and sound, I can finally rest easy. Alright, I’ve lit the fish oil lamp in the room for you. Let me help you upstairs to rest.”
Seeing Wang Xiaoxiao like this made me even more uncomfortable. I grabbed her hand and whispered, "Don't treat me like this. It hurts me to see you like this. I know you feel wronged, but I told you, if you really want to be with me, I will never let you suffer. Don't worry, I will always keep you in my heart!"
After listening to me for a while, Wang Xiaoxiao frowned and then gently shook her head.
"Forget it. If my actions cause unhappiness for everyone, it's better to keep it to yourself forever. I know you care about me, and that's enough."
After saying that, she stopped talking, grabbed me and went upstairs. After I lay down in the room, Wang Xiaoxiao carefully applied the medicine again before blowing out the fish oil lamp and turning back to her cubicle.
As I lay on the wooden bed, thinking about what Wang Xiaoxiao had said, I felt more and more that I might have really wronged them.
It wasn't just Wang Xiaoxiao who felt wronged following me; Xiao Qiang and Xu Wei felt wronged as well.
Thinking about it this way, I've actually become a bit of a jerk, which is a fact that I simply can't accept.
I lay there in a daze all night, feeling very tired, half asleep and half awake.
Just as dawn broke the next day, I heard Chen Jian's voice chattering around the camp. Upon closer listening, I realized they were talking about footprints.
I struggled to sit up, and just as I was about to go out and see what was going on, I saw Wang Ping rushing up to me. When he saw that I was awake, he suddenly grabbed me and looked very anxious.
My legs were hurting so badly that I couldn't walk fast at all, so I quickly grabbed Wang Ping and asked what was wrong.
Wang Ping, however, told me with a serious expression that he had found many footprints on the outer edge of our camp.
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