Chapter 19
The hazelnuts they had picked were thrown into the fire to roast. There were six papayas, and the ripe ones were cut into slices for each person, while the unripe ones were cut and put into the pot to make papaya soup. Chef Xia En had not yet started to stir-fry the banana cores, and everyone surrounded him curiously.
"Does this thing really work?" Su Feichen was the first to ask the question. Looking at the crisp white core, he felt a desire to taste it.
"It's delicious when stir-fried," the little monk replied. "I often stir-fry it in the mountains. It's really delicious."
The little monk emphasized the last few words, wanting to let Xia Entang know that if he didn't cook well, he would definitely face his ridicule.
However, Xia Entang disappointed the little monk. He sliced the meat and stir-fried it in hot oil in a hot pan. His smooth movements were amazing. When the fragrant aroma overflowed from the pan, some people couldn't help swallowing their saliva.
"It's cooked."
Xia En said this with a stern face, his eyes fixed on the pot. Upon hearing this, the others scattered and ran to get bamboo bowls. A banana tree's core isn't much, and with a dozen people sharing it, each person would only get a few pieces. Those holding bamboo bowls were excited, but no one dared to be the first to hold out their bowl.
Chef Xia En didn't say anything, but used chopsticks made of bamboo to pick up the banana core in the pot one by one.
"Why do I feel that the atmosphere at this moment is a bit weird and awkward?"
"Same as above. I was so embarrassed that I almost dug a Great Wall of China out of my toes. I don't know what the people at the scene think."
Even through the screen, the people in the live broadcast room felt awkward, and it would be even more uncomfortable on the scene, but at this time someone finally handed over a bowl to break the awkwardness.
"I want to eat these pieces."
The person who held out the bowl not only broke the awkwardness, but also specified which piece to eat. Everyone looked closely and saw that it was Shao Tai.
Xia Entang didn't reply, but turned to look at Chu Huaiqin, his dark, deep gaze seemingly drawing them in. Chu Huaiqin involuntarily passed the bowl over, and then everyone witnessed a truly incredible scene. Xia Entang's hand quickly reached into the pot, and in a moment, Chu Huaiqin's bowl was full.
Live broadcast room: Are you sure this is enough points?
When Xia En handed the bamboo bowl back to Chu Huaiqin, he had a stern face and his eyes were wandering, but he couldn't help but glance at him. Using the barrage in the live broadcast room at that time, he said: Please praise me.
Chu Huaiqin: ...
"Sister, I want to share with you." Chu Huaiqin broke the weird atmosphere and pulled his sister to the other side.
Xia En's expression instantly turned cold. He put a few pieces into his bowl and stood up. Seeing everyone looking at him, he said, "What? You want me to share?"
Everyone shook their heads: "No." The banana core, though stir-fried, was delicious, soft and sweet. Everyone agreed it was delicious, though the quantity was too small. Meanwhile, the hazelnuts were ripe, and the subtle crackling sound drew everyone's attention. They eagerly picked the hazelnuts out with sticks. They were still hot and spicy, and Lin Yongfu couldn't resist breaking one open and eating it. It was crispy and fragrant, and then soft and sweet after chewing, a very fragrant aroma.
"This is delicious. Nowadays, they are all fried in machines, but I always feel that they lack flavor." Chu Huaiqin took a bite and nodded repeatedly. Just as he was about to eat the second one, a voice came from his ear, "Isn't fried banana tree core delicious?"
Chu Huaiqin, who was almost picking hazelnuts by the fire, turned around and saw Xia En. His eyes were like those of a wolf, as if he would pounce on him and bite him if he said it was not tasty. Chu Huaiqin thought for a moment and nodded, "It is delicious."
Xia En didn't reply. He turned his head slightly, turned his back, and curled the corners of his mouth.
Viewers who saw this scene through a drone: ...
After eating the hazelnuts, everyone drank papaya soup, pitched their tents, and then headed for the stream. Because of the water shortage, no one had showered in a few days. It took more than 20 minutes to get from the camp to the stream, so we split into two groups. By the time we finished showering, it was almost 11 o'clock.
Before going to bed, a problem arises: what should I do with the bridge?
"Cut a few branches, with big leaves." Chu Huaiqin rolled up his sleeves and asked his sister to take out a bell from her sewing box.
Everyone didn't quite understand what Chu Huaiqin was going to do, but they did as he was told. When they saw him pile branches on the bridge and tie bells to it, they finally understood his intention. Now the branches filled the bridge path, and anyone on the other side had to move the branches to cross. Whenever they did, the bells would ring.
It really saves trouble.
With the bridge guarding issue resolved, everyone went to bed, leaving Xia Entang alone. Su Huaichen, the gossipy type, was just as eager as the livestreamers, not going to bed even at dawn, his eyes fixed on Xia Entang's movements. Sure enough, Xia Entang spun around, approached Chu Huaiqin's tent, and said something. A moment later, he went inside.
The tent moved, and after a while, Xia En came out with a red face.
"Ahhh, drone, you incompetent thing."
"A bad review, it has to be a bad review. I didn't see or watch anything. Director Huang, do you still want the ratings?"
"Wow wow wow wow, mom doesn't agree with this marriage."
"What the hell, there were too many dramas before. It's obvious that Xia Entanglement is looking for Chu Huaiqin to apply medicine."
"Good night, you guys play and go to sleep."
Someone in the livestream room couldn't help but yawn when they saw Chu Huaiqin and the others sleeping. In the blink of an eye, more than half the people in the room were gone. The drone was still flying. After more than an hour, the backstage records of the livestream room showed that there were still people watching, but there weren't many comments. I guess they were just doing other things while the livestream room was running.
The silent night did not last until dawn. At around two in the morning, Shao Tai was the first to have problems, with vomiting and diarrhea. The doctor in the group said that it was due to eating bananas on an empty stomach after examining Shao Tai. Xia Entang had just prescribed medicine, but before he could take it, he developed a high fever and his whole body was itchy. He reached out to scratch himself, but was caught by Chu Huaiqin.
The doctor rushed over to check him out and asked to send him to the hospital.
The doctor was worried. "That ant might be poisonous. We need to go to the hospital for a checkup."
"I, I won't go." Xia En's hands were held by Chu. His eyes were burning red like a ghost, making people feel creepy, but his voice was weak. "Just give me some allergy medicine."
"No, I can't prescribe you any medicine in your condition." The doctor shook his head.
"Anyway, I'm not going." Xia En turned his head away, closed his eyes and ignored the doctor, but his body was itchy again. He kept moving around and making uncomfortable humming sounds.
The doctor was also confused and looked at Chu Huaiqin, "How about you try to persuade him?"
The doctor saw Chu Huaiqin holding Xia En's hand to prevent him from scratching it, and thought that the two were very familiar with each other.
"You don't need him to persuade you. Tell Director Huang that if I go to the hospital it won't be considered as quitting, so I will go." Xia Entang was unhappy when he heard the doctor involve Chu Huaiqin. He sat up and glared at the doctor angrily.
Doctor: You have big eyes.
The sub-director was also anxious. Xia Entropy was no ordinary person. If something went wrong, his brother would definitely overthrow the production team. After thinking about it, the sub-director called Director Huang to ask his opinion.
"That won't do. In this competition, as long as you leave the competition area, you will be considered withdrawing."
The voice came from the hands-free phone, and everyone present could hear it clearly, including Xia Entropy.
"In that case, I won't quit." Xia Entang spoke again. He struggled a bit in Chu Huaiqin's grip, but was pinned down. He raised his head and met Chu Huaiqin's furrowed brows. "Don't make a sound. Don't try to persuade me. Do you hear me?"
After saying this, Xia En laid down in a restless state. Chu Huaiqin let go of his hand just in time, and Xia En pulled the blanket over his face.
In the middle of the night, the camp became lively. People gradually appeared in the live broadcast room, all of them looked confused and didn't know what was going on. Someone pointed out the screenshots of the wilderness survival series of the Night Owl UP host, and then they understood what was going on.
Xia En was making a big fuss and refused to go to the hospital. Director Huang thought about it and called his eldest brother. He said in one sentence: if he stayed, the doctor would prescribe medicine for him. If he didn't stay, he would be carried back.
"Let him!" Inside a mansion in the imperial capital, the eldest son of the Xia family sat in a suit and tie in the lobby, answering the phone. On the opposite wall was a live broadcast room for wilderness survival. After discussing Xia Entropy's issue with Director Huang, he didn't hang up immediately. Instead, he asked in a deep voice, "Isn't there a shortage of footage for Su Huaichen?"
Director Huang: …
After hearing what the Xia family's eldest brother said, Director Huang no longer wanted to care about Xia Entang. Even the eldest brother in the Xia family who could manage him didn't want to pay attention to him, so he was even less capable of doing so. He had a doctor give him a thorough examination and a simple blood toxin test, confirming that his condition was under control. He then gave Xia Entang a small amount of Procaca and some anti-allergy medication. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that his itching had subsided.
No one slept well that night. After dawn, they were relieved to see that the two people were fine.
However, just as they woke up, they received some news that was neither good nor bad: two more people from Group A2 were eliminated, and their team was dispersed.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment as they began their food search. There were still plenty of hazelnuts where we'd found them yesterday, so one group would go and gather them while the others searched for food elsewhere. They'd walked further, bringing back some cassava and papaya, but it was barely enough for today. It was then that everyone realized it was impossible to conserve food for the journey.
"We searched for food as we went along."
Chu Huaiqin suggested. Hazelnuts were still roasting in the fire, making a crackling sound. Everyone was eating while holding a meeting. When they heard Chu Huaiqin's words, they nodded in agreement.
Previously, they had focused on hurrying on their way because they wanted to distance themselves from these 'assassins'. Now that they had been caught up, they couldn't increase the distance either. This was the best solution.
"But there are so many of us, and we will catch them all at once." Bingxiang was most worried about this.
"Go in batches?" Feng Shan thought this was a good idea. If they gathered together, there wouldn't be enough food to go around.
"Then we'll break up at the third intersection." Chu Huaiqin spread out the map and pointed his finger at it.
The map showed a mountainous area, and further down was a body of water. Everyone nodded in agreement and then discussed how to retreat. They all agreed to retreat secretly. Chu Huaiqin meant that everyone should set out early tomorrow morning, but they had to pretend that everyone was still there.
"Scarecrow." The little monk's eyes lit up and he immediately thought of this.
"Smart, just a scarecrow." Chu Huaiqin gave a thumbs up to the little monk.
"But will the director team tell them?" Su Huaichen was worried about this.
"No, right, Director Huang? You have to abide by the rules of the game." Chu Huaiqin looked at the drone and smiled at the camera.
Director Huang: …
Since we'd decided to leave tomorrow morning, we had to make a scarecrow tonight. It was actually a tree figure, made of branches tied into a cross, leaves pressed against its torso. I put on a T-shirt contributed by Lin Yongfu and Bingxiang, and a straw hat. Standing it upright, it looked quite convincing, though a bit scary if you accidentally glimpsed it late at night.
The people who had just entered the live broadcast room were startled, and only relaxed after everyone explained. Since they had to travel early the next morning, they had to save some food for breakfast. Everyone just ate a little to fill their stomachs before going to bed, and their stomachs rumbled all night.
The next morning everyone got up, washed up, had breakfast and prepared to set off.
The little monk deliberately spoke loudly, "Sister, I'm going to find something to eat. You guard the bridge!"
My sister nodded repeatedly, but then she remembered that the bridge entrance had been blocked by branches the night before, and they couldn't see the situation clearly. She raised her voice and replied, "You guys go ahead, I'll guard it."
Chu Huaiqin found it funny, but he had to remind her, "It's far away, and there's the sound of the stream, they can't hear it."
My sister blushed.
Everyone retreated in batches, deliberately choosing areas with dense bushes so that the other side couldn't see them carrying their luggage. My sister and An Shunan were the last to leave. The two tree men stood upright, and from a distance, they really looked like two people standing there.
Everyone ran away from the camp. The assassin team waited until noon before they realized something was wrong. Someone reminded them that the two men were standing still.
A word woke everyone up from their dream. Everyone packed up their things and crossed the bridge. They moved the branches away from the bridge and found that there was no one there except two tree men standing there.
Group A3 recovered a lot of their strength after two days of rest. They looked for food while walking and found a lot of common animals in the mountains. Everyone enjoyed them. When Su Huaichen saw a pheasant, he jumped for joy.
There were so many sad tears in the live broadcast room. It was only a few days, and I could hardly walk after seeing the chickens.
"Director Huang, it's time to release the chickens, ducks, and geese." Chu Huaiqin wiped the sweat from his forehead, leaned on his crutches, and panted as he walked, muttering, "It feels like the more I walk, the easier it is. It seems my body has become accustomed to walking on mountain roads."
He looked quite proud.
Live broadcast room: Please look back and see who is lifting your backpack with their hands.
Everyone in the live broadcast room laughed, but Shao Tai, who was following behind the two of them, had a gloomy expression on his face. His straw hat completely concealed his expression, and no one noticed.
The A3 group chatted as they walked, feeling a bit like they were on a sightseeing trip. They were even happier thinking they would have enough to eat, drink and sleep well tonight. However, around 4pm, a gunshot shattered everyone's cheerful mood.
Everyone turned around and saw from afar several men in camouflage uniforms holding colorful guns and firing at them. The muzzles of the guns were clearly pointed at Shao Tai, who was at the back. Chu Huaiqin happened to be standing in front of Shao Tai and reached out to pull him over to avoid the gunfire. What no one expected was that when Shao Tai grabbed Chu Huaiqin's hand, he didn't move towards him, but instead pulled Chu Huaiqin towards him. The accident happened at that moment. Chu Huaiqin, who was "squeamish" in the hot weather, couldn't withstand Shao Tai's pull. His lower body was unstable, his feet slipped, and he fell forward. Shao Tai screamed, suddenly retracted his hand and turned sideways. Chu Huaiqin missed and rolled down the mountain in front of everyone's horrified eyes...
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