Chapter 40
"You're too heavy."
Xia Entang and the little monk pulled the man up and sat down on the ground, gasping for breath. He felt that going up and down the cliff ten times was easier than it was now.
"Thank you!" Su Huaichen smiled weakly, closed his eyes, and fell down.
"Uncle Doctor."
Lin Zhinan screamed and hurried to help the man. Chu Huaiqin, who had just come up, held her back and told her not to move. The doctor came over quickly, opened the medical kit and quickly helped him check.
It was a chaotic scene upstairs, and no one noticed that Tong Tao hadn't come up yet. Instead, the staff looked frustrated, watching him sitting there motionless. After hesitating for a moment, they went up to him and asked, "Tong Tao, how was your rest?"
Tong Tao did not reply to the staff, but turned her head to look up. Su Huaichen was not in good condition. The doctor was treating him. Chu Huaiqin and others were caring for him, but no one paid attention to Tong Tao's condition.
"I'll go now." Tong Tao gritted his teeth and looked at the empty cliff, feeling much more at ease. At least he was not afraid that someone would take the opportunity to harm him.
"How's it going?" Chu Huaiqin placed his hand on Su Huaichen's forehead to warm it. Xia En, with a stern face, and the young monk held up banana leaves to shield him from the rain. Lin Zhinan had recovered and was resting against a tree. Bingxiang, Fengshan, and Lin Yongfu had already left.
"He has a recurring fever, is tired and weak, and is malnourished. He will wake up after a rest." After saying that, the doctor packed up his things and left.
Chu Huaiqin thought for a moment and carried Su Huaichen, who had fallen asleep hunched over, to lie down next to Lin Zhinan. It was still raining, and since there had been no thunder and lightning, they'd taken shelter under a tree, but even then, the rain couldn't stop. Su Huaichen had a fever, and getting caught in the rain was dangerous. It wasn't appropriate to take out dry clothes to keep him warm, so Chu Huaiqin was in a dilemma.
The little monk also noticed the problem, so he covered Su Huaichen with his straw raincoat and then took off his straw rain hat to cover his face. Very good, perfect.
Chu Huaiqin: ...
Chu Huaiqin sighed and put the straw hat off Su Huaichen's face on Lin Zhinan. Then he took out two banana leaves and asked Lin Zhinan to hold them to protect him from the rain. After arranging the people, Chu Huaiqin asked Xia En and the little monk to build a tent and rest outside.
Director Huang: …
Didn’t I say that we can’t stick together anymore?
A vein on his forehead throbbed. Director Huang took the intercom and was about to speak when Anthony stopped him. "I know you want to pick out the five strongest people from these people. The little girl and Su are obviously dependent on others, or you want to eliminate them. But Huang, you have to know that care and teamwork are sometimes more important than strength in the conditions of survival in the wild."
Director Huang blushed, touched his nose, and said, "Mr. Anthony, you may have misunderstood. I just want them to abide by the rules of the competition."
Anthony shook his head and smiled, "I know Austin challenged you to a bet. He's such a belligerent guy, but I heard you haven't agreed yet."
"Yes, but..."
"But this time you are ready to fight."
Director Huang looked at Anthony in surprise, then realized that perhaps he'd been too hasty recently, which had caused him to notice. He was obsessed with it, and with a change of heart, he relaxed a bit. "Mr. Anthony, what do you think of them?"
Anthony was stunned, turned to look at the live broadcast screen and shook his head.
Director Huang's heart sank instantly. He also knew that domestic competitions in other countries were more rigorous than theirs. This year, he had deliberately increased the difficulty level, but he didn't expect that in the eyes of Director Anthony, it was still unqualified.
However, Director Huang was mentally prepared. There are several videos of survival in the wild that have gone viral on websites outside the Great Firewall, including those from Russia, India, etc., and they are quite popular. Some people in China have also posted videos of Chu Huaiqin flying snakes, hugging leopards, and shooting tigers, but they didn't make much of a splash, which is infuriating just thinking about it.
Coach Huang rubbed his head in frustration. Had he gone easy on them again this time? He should have stepped up his game, but it was too late to change. Or perhaps after the competition was over, the five winners could use the two-week break to give them some extra training?
"Aju!"
Chu Huaiqin and others who were chopping wood sneezed at the same time and looked at each other.
"Let's fix the shed first! Don't let anyone catch a cold." Chu Huaiqin was still wearing the banana leaf hat that Xia En gave him yesterday. Although he didn't let the rain fall directly on his face, his clothes were still all wet.
"Brother, I'll make a green hat too!" The little monk had a bald head, and it really hurt when the rain hit his head. When he saw Chu Huaiqin's hat, he happily ran to find a banana leaf.
When Xia En, who was standing next to him, heard the little monk's words, he froze as if struck by lightning, and then his eyes stopped on Chu Huaiqin's head. After a long while, he walked towards Chu Huaiqin, took off his green hat, walked towards Lin Zhinan, took off the straw raincoat on her head, replaced it with a green hat for her, and brought the straw raincoat back to cover Chu Huaiqin's head.
Chu Huaiqin: ...
"Hurry up and set up the shed." Chu Huaiqin glanced at Xia En, wondering what the hell was going on with the hat-changing game.
"Oh!" Xia En responded and buried his head in tying up the tree trunks. Now the shed had taken shape. He had almost finished tying up the tree trunks and covering them with banana leaves.
"Xia Entang, I got two and I'll give you one." The little monk came back wearing a green hat and generously helped Xia Entang put it on.
Xia Shang, who was busy working, said: ...
The shed was simple and quick to build. It was a small space, about 2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. First, they laid a layer of banana leaves on top, then cut grass and laid another layer, then another layer of banana leaves and branches. When the three of them had finished, Tong Tao also came up, and they just faced each other.
Tong Tiao looked at Chu Huaiqin and the others' shed, then at Su Huaichen, who was resting against a tree, his face dark. He walked over a few steps, looking menacing. Seeing Lin Zhinan's fear, the little monk quickly ran over to block Tong Tiao's way, glaring at him fiercely.
"What do you want to do?"
"Tell Su Huaichen that since you two are so close that you've become a team, there's no need for us to form a team anymore."
After saying this, he left with his things on his back.
"Brother, what does he mean?" the little monk asked curiously.
"We're not a team," Xia En said. "I also have a share in this shed. Why can't I live here?"
After saying this, he walked into the shed carrying his things.
"Yes, he wants to trap..." The little monk quickly covered his mouth and ran into the shed with his things. "I also helped build this shed, so why can't I live in it? I'm not in the team, so why are you talking nonsense?"
Director Huang: …
Chu Huaiqin watched the two actors directing and acting in their own play, glanced at the drone flying around, and was about to pick up Su Huaichen when he woke up.
"Huaiqin, I still have meat to eat with you!"
"What do you want to say?"
"I'm hungry."
"Get up, there's food." Chu Huaiqin helped the man up, holding the backpack in one hand, and invited Lin Zhinan into the shed.
The heavy rain was still falling. Fortunately, the mountain range chosen by Director Huang was home to birch trees. So Director Anthony saw Chu Huaiqin and others chopping wet wood for fire and nodded, indicating that they still had basic survival skills.
There wasn't much food in Chu Huaiqin's bag, and the little monk and Xia En had nothing to eat either. But none of that mattered. What mattered was ginger or other herbs. They had to drink something to cure their colds.
"Don't we have cold medicine?" the little monk asked curiously.
Chu Huaiqin replied: "That's for treating colds. We're not sick yet. If we wait until we get sick to take it, we don't know if it will heal in a short time."
It has rained in recent days. Just look at Su Huaichen. Even after taking medicine, his fever came back after being caught in the rain.
Chu Huaiqin asked Lin Zhinan and Su Huaichen to pack their clothes, and they stayed in the shed. Su Huaichen continued to rest while Lin Zhinan cooked some cassava, which Xia Entang had found earlier. There weren't many, just two sticks. Before setting off, Chu Huaiqin had placed several pots outside and rolled banana leaves into a cone to allow the water to drain. Then the three of them went out to find something to eat.
"Didn't Director Huang say they'd release the poultry? Aside from that chicken, I didn't see anything else." The little monk muttered, thinking Director Huang must be lying. He swung his stick against the grass, and the rain pattered against his shoulders, feeling cool and comfortable, though his clothes were too tight, making it a little uncomfortable.
Director Huang: There have always been poultry. Will you blame me if you encounter them?
"Well, it's indeed rare." Chu Huaiqin agreed.
"Director Huang is a very cunning person." Xia En confirmed with his stamp.
Food is not easy to find on rainy days. The three of them walked a long way in the rain before they picked a few handfuls of goose meat. According to Chu Huaiqin, this can prevent and cure colds.
"Brother, how did you know him?"
"This is one of the herbs that the card is looking for."
"Brother, do you remember everything?"
"Well, not many, only sixteen. Very simple."
The little monk felt that it was not easy at all, and he could not remember a single thing. He touched his neck and felt very hungry, but remembering that there were only two small cassava sticks in the shed, he had to cheer up and continue walking.
The woods were wet from the rain. After the three of them walked for a while, Chu Huaiqin felt a little exhausted. Besides being tired, he was also hungry. He licked his lips, and the rain water sank into the tip of his tongue, making Chu Huaiqin even hungrier.
Chu Huaiqin asked, "What time is it?"
"It's three o'clock in the afternoon." Xia Entang noticed that Chu Huaiqin was not feeling well. He had been hanging on the cliff with Lin Zhinan for such a long time today, and the energy he had expended was unimaginable. "Let's go back first, eat something and rest before coming out."
"Okay." Chu Huaiqin didn't object. Hunger made his blood sugar a little low, and his hands and feet were shaking uncontrollably. He had been in the rain for too long and could hardly bear it anymore.
"Then let's go back quickly!" The little monk didn't want to get wet in the rain anymore, so he turned around and wanted to pull Chu Huaiqin away. Unexpectedly, Xia Entang was faster than him. He pulled him and strode back.
The little monk was so angry that he stuck out his tongue at Xia En's back. He wanted to catch up, but when he glanced around, he saw a figure in the cracks of a pile of rocks. The little monk's world suddenly brightened up, his heart pounding. He wanted to shout, but stopped himself before he could make a sound, and called out in a low voice, "Brother, brother, brother, chicken, there's a chicken..."
The little monk had to suppress his excitement and keep his voice low. When he spoke, his face was ferocious, which scared many people in the live broadcast room.
In the heavy rain, Chu Huaiqin and Xia Entang also had sharp ears. When they heard the little monk's words, they immediately turned around and trotted back to the little monk. They looked in the direction of his gaze and saw a chicken with its back to them, its head tucked into the crevice of the rock, its butt sticking out, and clucking.
"Chicken, chicken, there's chicken to eat, brother, I want to eat roasted chicken legs." The little monk excitedly pulled Chu Huaiqin's hand and shook it, his little feet paced back and forth, his stomach rumbling, and even the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard.
The live broadcast room was also very happy:
"Wow, there's chicken to eat! They've had a little bit of food this morning and haven't eaten anything since then. They've been in the rain all day, so they finally have a good meal."
"Haha, the little monk was just scolding Director Huang, and now he sees the poultry. It seems he wants to eat meat. He has to scold Director Huang first."
"No, do chickens have white feathers? These feathers are dotted with grey. Is it really a chicken?"
"Of course it is. If it's not a chicken, then it must be a fairy!"
"Quiet, they're going to catch it."
Bending over, the three of them formed a triangle and slowly approached. The little monk couldn't control his growling stomach, earning several glares from Xia Entang. The sound of rain drowned out the three's footsteps. As they approached, the creature remained motionless, trembling. Chu Huaiqin reached into the crevice and lifted it out. It didn't struggle, but simply trembled.
After it was taken out, the appearance of this "chicken" could be seen clearly. It had a crest on its head, the feathers on its wings were reddish-brown instead of gray, and its beak was orange-yellow. It looked very similar to a chicken, but it was not a chicken.
"It's a heron crane, a protected species."
"Oh my God, do Chu Huaiqin and the others know? It will be troublesome if they eat it."
"You won't let me eat it, Director Huang is watching!"
"Hahaha, roasted chicken, roasted chicken, roasted chicken," the little monk was so excited that he jumped up and down, his hands spinning in circles like a flying chicken. "The roasted chicken skin has to be roasted until it's crispy. My sister will have one drumstick. Su Huaichen is sick, so he'll have one drumstick too. My brother will have one wing, and I'll have one wing..."
"What about me?" Xia Entang was unhappy. Why didn't he have a share?
"You, uh, chicken head," seeing Xia En's face turn cold, he quickly added, "and two chicken feet!"
After the little monk finished speaking, seeing that Xia Entang was still dissatisfied, he angrily said, "Are you going to snatch the chicken leg from your sister?"
Xia Entropy, silent.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, the little monk raised his chin and asked, "Are you going to snatch the chicken leg from the sick Su Huaichen?"
Xia Entropy, silent.
The little monk was very proud, "Do you want to steal my wings?"
Xia Entropy, silent.
The little monk laughed and said, "Do you want to snatch the wings from me, the one who found this chicken?"
Xia Entang was no longer silent. Just as he was about to speak, the little monk got scared and shouted, "You can't rob me. If you dare to touch my wings, I'll hit you."
Live broadcast room: What can be done? The little monk has already divided up the "chicken". When he knows the truth, he will really shed tears.
"This isn't a chicken," Chu Huaiqin saw the little monk was so excited, and he didn't have the heart to discourage him. But this thing really couldn't be eaten. "It's a heron, a protected species. Its wing is a little injured here, probably scratched by a branch."
The little monk looked at Chu Huaiqin blankly as if he had been struck by lightning.
"Let's go, we'll take it back and apply some medicine to it." Seeing that the little monk was still in a daze and hadn't reacted, Chu Huaiqin held the egret crane in one hand and pulled the man back.
"Brother, chicken."
The little monk's voice was choked with sobs.
"Be good, I'll find it for you."
Chu Huaiqin was helpless, the child was hit hard.
"Brother, my cock."
"This is a heron crane."
The three of them walked a little further when the little monk suddenly stopped. Chu Huaiqin turned around and was stunned. The child really started crying, howling, "Brother, who replaced my chicken..."
Everyone: ...
The young monk was devastated and returned to the shed in a sullen mood. Su Huaichen, crouching by the water pile, tears streaming down his face from the smoke, nearly jumped for joy when he saw Chu Huaiqin return with a 'chicken'. However, when he learned it was a heron crane, another person in the shed became even more depressed.
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