We waited patiently, but the bear remained motionless.
After a long while, Chen Jian couldn't hold back any longer and ran over to me and started yelling.
"Brother Sihai, I think we should go and take a look. It's the middle of the night and everyone's freezing here. Since this brown bear is already dead, I think we should just catch it and take it back. That way we won't have to keep guarding it here. What if some wild animal comes out of the woods? We won't gain any advantage right now!"
I listened carefully to the sounds coming from Xiong's side, then nodded: "I'll go check it out. You guys stay far away. If anything changes, listen to my signal, then keep smashing!"
Chen Jian nodded and followed Wang Ping to a distance. I carefully moved to the side of the stone.
Peering through the gaps in the tree branches, I could see by the moonlight that the white bear was now covered in blood. Even if it wasn't dead, it must have been seriously injured and had no chance of struggling anymore.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was slapped by it earlier, but now that it has paid for its death, I haven't lost too much.
After calling on Chen Jian and Wang Ping, they worked together to dig open the nearby tree with the shovels they had brought, and then pulled the brown bear out.
Still worried that the bear might recover, Chen Jian took a knife and slashed its neck hard, immediately filling the air with the smell of blood.
Wang Ping sighed, "I feel that the presence of blood here is unlucky, and if there is blood here, it will easily attract more wild animals. We should deal with it quickly and bring it back to the camp!"
Fortunately, when Chen Jian went back to call for reinforcements, quite a few people came, so we all pitched in and managed to kill the bear in less than an hour.
We finally returned home laden with hides and meat, and it was almost dawn when we got back. Wang Xiaoxiao and the others hadn't slept either, and they were all anxiously waiting for us by the campfire at the campsite.
They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw us return.
Xiao Qiang was the first to run forward, looking me up and down. When she saw that I was covered in blood and mud, she couldn't help but show a look of heartache in her eyes.
Wang Xiaoxiao also came over, looking apologetic: "Sihai, it's all my fault. If I hadn't wanted to drink that fish soup, you and Chen Jian wouldn't have gone out in the middle of the night and encountered this thing... Luckily you weren't hurt, otherwise, I would feel really bad."
I patted Wang Xiaoxiao on the shoulder and smiled, "What are you talking about? Maybe my son wants some soup. I may not be good at much else, but catching a couple of fish is no big deal, right? It's almost dawn, and we need to eat something in the morning anyway. You two go and clean the fish and make some soup. It'll taste amazing."
Xiao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that I was indeed alright. She then took Wang Xiaoxiao and the others to clean the fish, while I returned to the camp.
Chen Jian took off my already tattered clothes and examined me. He then discovered a large bruise on my back. It made sense; with such a heavy weight hitting me, I was already very lucky that I hadn't broken any bones.
Chen Jian boiled hot water and used a tattered piece of clothing to apply it to my wounds to help remove blood stasis and improve blood circulation.
I drank fish soup again when it was light in the morning, and returned to my wooden house with a full stomach. I took a nap, and it was a particularly good nap. However, the faint pain in my back made me a little uneasy. I didn't wake up until the afternoon.
I saw Wang Xiaoxiao sitting next to me, looking at me with tears in her eyes.
"I heard everything from Chen Jian. You were injured. Are you still in pain?"
Wang Xiaoxiao has been quite sentimental since she became pregnant. I know that our situation is not good right now. This sudden cold winter is a test for everyone.
I patted Wang Xiaoxiao on the shoulder: "It's okay, nothing serious happened. Besides, men are always going to have some scars!"
Wang Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears, but still looked unhappy. She sighed, "We've been stuck here and can't get back. There's no news from the search and rescue team, and we can't see any passing ships. We finally found out that Yang Rui and his group came here, but even now, we don't know if the rest of the people are still on this island. Now I'm pregnant again, and I'm always uneasy with a child. Sihai, I will never let you take such risks again. I just hope you can stay healthy and safe with me."
As Wang Xiaoxiao spoke, her eyes reddened and tears streamed down her cheeks, which made my heart ache. Mothers always have to think more about what's to come. Actually, I also want to leave this place.
And I really want to know if Yang Rui and his group, including Xiao He, are still here.
If they were here, how would they get through this cold winter? I comforted Wang Xiaoxiao for a long time before she finally smiled. I told her to go and check on Xiao Qiang and the others to see if dinner was ready.
Wang Xiaoxiao sniffed and reluctantly left my wooden house. I stretched and felt that my back still hurt badly, but now was not the time to be sick. I struggled to get up and get out of the wooden house, and saw Chen Jian and the others drinking hot water by the campfire.
Chen Jian discovered a type of leaf in the woods these past two days. The leaves, when steeped in water, have a very refreshing taste. Although he doesn't know what kind of tree it is, it can definitely be used as tea, and it tastes better than plain water.
When they saw me come down, Wang Ping and Chen Jian immediately waved to me. I went up to them and was about to ask them where Yang Rui was when Chen Jian winked at me, as if he had something to say. So I sat down next to him.
I leaned against the wooden stump and hugged the wolf pelt I was wearing. Then I heard Chen Jian whisper, "When we were eating lunch today, I saw Yang Rui sitting by the campsite at the foot of the mountain. He looked like he was holding something in his hand. So I took the opportunity to go down the mountain to get some bird eggs. And guess what I saw?"
Seeing Chen Jian acting so mysteriously, I couldn't help but chuckle: "What, does he have some kind of secret weapon in his hands?"
Chen Jian immediately clicked his tongue, his expression becoming very serious.
"What is it? Stop keeping me in suspense and just tell me."
Chen Jian then lowered his voice and leaned close to me, saying, "I saw that Yang Rui also had one of those cowhide maps that we found in the cave down the mountain before. He looked at it very carefully. Even when I carefully walked behind him, he didn't notice. I just glanced at it and found that there were a lot of things drawn on the map. I just don't know where he got it from."
After Chen Jian finished speaking, he looked puzzled. I was also completely confused. How could Yang Rui also have a leather map?
Is the map showing the same thing as the map I'm talking about?
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