Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Sulking

The wild fruits were fragrant and full of moisture. Although Tong Xiangyu had red rashes on her fingers, it didn’t affect her dexterity in the slightest. She plucked one, peeled it, and ate it herself first; sure enough, the texture was even better than the previous ones. Unable to wait, she peeled another and held it in front of Song Ge.

Song Ge gave her a glance.

Tong Xiangyu urged, “Hurry up and taste it—the fruit of your labor.”

Song Ge felt a bit helpless but opened her mouth and ate it.

Tong Xiangyu asked expectantly, “How is it? How is it?”

Song Ge: “Not much.”

“Nonsense, it’s clearly delicious. I’ll peel another for you!” Tong Xiangyu excitedly plucked another one to peel.

The wild fruits were high in water content and quite filling. Song Ge had broken off four branches in total, and by the end of the day, they had only finished the fruit from one branch. Since the branches were inconvenient to carry, Tong Xiangyu plucked the fruits cluster by cluster, wrapped them simply in large leaves to put in the backpack, and held the ones that wouldn’t fit in her hands to eat.

It wasn’t until after six in the evening that the sun finally showed signs of setting in the west. Song Ge led Tong Xiangyu down the mountain.

Walking back and forth like this, the red rashes on Tong Xiangyu’s body had been chafed into a terrible state. When she took off her shirt and trousers, the tips of the rashes had broken skin, fluid was oozing out frequently, and the wounds were even faintly seeping blood.

Song Ge frowned at the sight. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

Tong Xiangyu was also somewhat annoyed with herself. “Because it only itched a little and hurt a little, I thought it was fine.” In reality, she had been too busy peeling fruit to feed Song Ge at the time…

At night, the rashes began to itch again, so they continued to repeatedly wash them with the herbal juice of the Tougu grass. It was another sleepless night. It wasn’t until the latter half of the night that Tong Xiangyu finally drifted into a light sleep.

Watching the young lady’s still-furrowed brows in her sleep, Song Ge thought to herself that this couldn’t continue. It would be best to find a pharmacy to get oral anti-allergy medicine and external anti-itch ointment.

However, when Tong Xiangyu woke up the next day, her allergy symptoms had improved quite a bit. The bright red, swollen rashes had turned dark and developed thin scabs.

But they still couldn’t travel. If she moved too much and rubbed off the scabs, the skin would still break and bleed.

Song Ge didn’t take Tong Xiangyu back up the mountain to avoid the heat. She arranged for her to hide temporarily in the shadow of the SUV while she went to check the terrain nearby.

After more than a day of scorching sun, the high-water, rushing stream was gone, though the creek bed was clearly much higher than before. Plenty of mud, stones, and branches were left on the farmland, and the two small bridges they had seen on the road earlier had long been washed away.

The terrain on the opposite bank of the stream was a bit higher; many fields were undamaged, and since it was in the shadow of the mountain where the sun couldn’t reach, it would be more suitable for resting. Besides that, there was a small path near the mountain that seemed to go in the same direction as the provincial road; they should be able to take that detour.

Song Ge went back and told Tong Xiangyu about this.

Yue Yao, who was sitting in the shadow of another car, heard it too and said, “The nearest city upstream is Taiyun. It should be over a hundred kilometers away. Usually, it takes an hour and a half by car.”

The two of them looked over.

Yue Yao was instantly a bit stiff, but she continued, “If we walk, it should take three or four days.”

Tong Xiangyu asked, “Yaoyao, do you know the way?”

Yue Yao: “Yes, there’s only one way up this provincial road. Oh, when you get close to Taiyun, there’s a fork to the right; just keep left then.”

Tong Xiangyu shot a look at Song Ge. Song Ge didn’t say anything.

Tong Xiangyu immediately winked at Yue Yao. “Yaoyao, are you also going to Taiyun next?”

Receiving the hint, Yue Yao subconsciously checked Song Ge’s expression. Seeing that the other party remained cold and expressionless, she nervously clawed at the ground with her fingers and said, “Yes, I… I’m going too…”

Tong Xiangyu replied happily, “That’s great! Let’s go together!”

Song Ge stood up. Yue Yao jumped in fright, her heart leaping into her throat, not daring to respond to Tong Xiangyu.

Tong Xiangyu looked up at Song Ge.

Song Ge reached out her hand to her and said, “Get up. We’re going to the other side of the river first.”

Tong Xiangyu frowned. “Huh? But with my condition…” How was she supposed to walk over?

“The sun is about to be directly overhead; we can’t hide here anymore.” Song Ge said, “Get up, I’ll carry you.”

Tong Xiangyu grasped her hand. “But I’m a bit heavy, you know?”

Song Ge used her other hand to support her back. “I know.”

Tong Xiangyu: “?”

Tong Xiangyu looked at her and said huffily, “Shouldn’t you say ‘You’re not heavy at all’ at a time like this?”

“Is that so?” Song Ge replied, “I’ll keep it in mind for next time.”

Beside them, Yue Yao also hurriedly pushed herself off the ground. Watching the two of them talk as if no one else were there, she felt very envious. She stole a glance at Song Ge; Song Ge’s expression was still indifferent, but when facing Tong Xiangyu, she lacked that coldness that kept people a thousand miles away.

Yue Yao lowered her head. Over the past two days, she constantly remembered that it was Song Ge who saved her. At that moment when her life hung by a thread, it was Song Ge who braved the torrential rain and risked her life to save her…

Yue Yao really wanted to prove she was useful, because she didn’t want to be afraid every night that she would wake up and find Song Ge and Tong Xiangyu gone. Her life was saved by Song Ge, and she didn’t know where else she could go if she didn’t follow her…

Song Ge hoisted Tong Xiangyu onto her back. “Does this feel uncomfortable on your body?”

“It’s okay.” Leaning on Song Ge’s back, Tong Xiangyu could feel how thin she was, but she wasn’t worried about falling. She knew Song Ge was very strong and definitely wouldn’t let her fall.

However, the sensation was quite novel. Tong Xiangyu said, “From when I was little until now, only my father has ever carried me.”

Song Ge supported her buttocks with both hands. “I don’t mind if you want to call me ‘Dad’.”

“How is that possible!” Tong Xiangyu said immediately, “In your dreams!”

Song Ge chuckled. She carried Tong Xiangyu step by step down from the provincial road. Because of the flood, the weeds on the path had been buried by stones and silt, making the walkable path clear at a glance, though the many stones made it difficult to walk on.

Song Ge carried Tong Xiangyu, paying attention to every step. Yue Yao followed behind at a moderate distance, carrying the pot and the stainless steel basin. She really wanted to help Tong Xiangyu carry that backpack to lighten Song Ge’s burden a bit, but she felt she didn’t have the right. She hesitated the whole way and, in the end, couldn’t bring herself to speak up.

The sun overhead was very strong. Tong Xiangyu raised her hand to shade Song Ge. Her fair hand, though covered in red rashes, blocked the stinging sun; the effect was better than nothing. Seeing the sweat on Song Ge’s forehead, Tong Xiangyu said in a low, sulky voice, “It would have been better if we hadn’t thrown away that hat from before. Even though it withered, it could still be used.”

Song Ge said, “Next time there’s a palm tree, I’ll weave another one for you.”

Tong Xiangyu moved her lips, wanting to explain that she meant Song Ge could wear it, but she closed her mouth and only gave a soft “Mhm.” They didn’t speak again for the rest of the way.

It wasn’t until they approached the creek. Because she could see further, Tong Xiangyu cried out in surprise, “Wow, the water has all dried up!”

“The riverbed rose.” Song Ge looked over as well. Between the piled stones, there was only a narrow stream flowing. The water was clear, whereas before the rainstorm, Tong Xiangyu had even bathed in the lower reaches of this very creek.

Next, they had to go uphill. Tong Xiangyu said, “Song Ge, put me down and let me walk. This little bit of distance is fine.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“…Oh.”

It was much cooler once they reached the mountain shadow. Tong Xiangyu sat on the embankment of the field. Song Ge stood by the side; observing from across vs. observing on the spot definitely had differences. Since it was all farmland, the small paths would be much harder to walk as they twisted and turned up and down, but it did indeed follow the upstream path.

They could go this way for the next part of their journey. Once they left the collapsed section of the provincial road, they could see what their luck was like and if they could find something to ride.

Tong Xiangyu opened the backpack and took out the wild fruit. Song Ge, on the other hand, went back down to the creek, flipped over a few stones with her bare hands, and scooped up a handful of water from a shallow pit.

The water was shallow; the creek didn’t have a hint of coolness. It felt warm, even hot to the touch. Song Ge washed her face and then began to flip over the stones nearby.

Yue Yao stood above and watched for a while. Once she was sure what Song Ge was doing, she also went down and proactively helped move the stones. Song Ge noticed but didn’t say anything, only moving her own. It wasn’t until the puddle got larger and larger that Song Ge dug out the sand and stones deposited at the bottom and threw them aside.

The creek water finally began to look a bit like its original self. Beside her, Yue Yao suddenly said in surprise, “There are actually river snails!”

Song Ge shot a glance over. Yue Yao immediately realized she was too loud and looked a bit self-conscious, but she still plucked the snail that was clinging to a rock.

“River snails?” On the embankment, Tong Xiangyu asked curiously, “The kind of snails you can eat?”

“Yes.” Yue Yao looked up, squinting her eyes slightly because of the sun. “Usually, they’re stir-fried with chili, but they can also be used for soup—it’s very fresh. Oh right! They can also detoxify and reduce swelling; maybe they’ll be good for your rashes!”

Tong Xiangyu: “But we have no way to stir-fry them.”

“What do you mean ‘no way’? We have chilies growing in the fields.”

“Don’t we need oil?”

“If there’s no oil, boiling them is fine too.” Yue Yao’s skin tone was originally very healthy, and now, standing under the scorching sun, her face was flushed red, showing the enthusiasm and honesty of a farm girl. “First, put them in the stainless steel basin with water to let them spit out the sand, then clip off their tails, and then we can cook them.”

Tong Xiangyu’s eyes lit up, and she stood up, eager to try. “Great! Then I want to come down and catch snails too!”

Song Ge frowned at her. “Stay still.”

Tong Xiangyu immediately stood still, feeling a bit wronged.

Song Ge looked at the snail in Yue Yao’s hand. Noticing this, Yue Yao hesitantly tried to hand the snail to Song Ge. Song Ge wasn’t polite; she took it to observe.

A hint of joy flickered in Yue Yao’s heart, and she hurriedly explained, “There’s also a kind of pointed snail in the creek—black, long and thin like a screw. Those aren’t edible. Only these round, plump, grayish-brown ones can be eaten.”

Song Ge gave a small response and handed it back to her.

Because Song Ge had responded to her, Yue Yao became even more excited and happy. She said, “You can keep it as a sample. I recognize them, but after the flood, I thought there wouldn’t be any snails left. How come they didn’t get washed away?”

Song Ge didn’t join the conversation; she just bent over to flip stones. Yue Yao excitedly searched by her side, soon saying she found another one and walking over to Song Ge to hand it to her.

Standing on the field embankment watching this scene, Tong Xiangyu felt inexplicably sour. She sat down, her hand propping up her face, watching the two of them search for snails all the way upstream.

Tong Xiangyu gave a light “hmpf” and looked away.

The sky was high and the land was vast; everywhere was unfamiliar. Tong Xiangyu was suddenly enveloped by a sense of loneliness. She withdrew her gaze, watching as Song Ge’s figure gradually drifted further away, though she could still hear Yue Yao’s enthusiastic voice.

Tong Xiangyu lowered her eyes and pulled up a stalk of wild grass, thinking randomly: Actually, it’s also good that Song Ge doesn’t want to take Yue Yao along… After realizing what she was thinking, Tong Xiangyu was suddenly startled. Heavens, how could she think like that?!

Song Ge didn’t go too far. First, the weather was too hot, and second, the person beside her was truly noisy. She soon turned back, only to see the young lady bowing her head and using a grass stalk to poke at the red bumps on her legs. The rashes had turned dark, making those legs look even more like dazzling white jade.

“Trying to find ways to cause me trouble again,” Song Ge said.

Tong Xiangyu looked up in surprise, but when she saw Yue Yao following closely behind Song Ge, she muttered and lowered her head again. “You guys are back…”

Yue Yao said, “Yuyu, I even picked some chilies! Look!”

Tong Xiangyu looked over; in Yue Yao’s hand was a handful of bright red and green pointed chilies. Tong Xiangyu gave a response and smiled. “That’s nice.”

“Right? Didn’t have to run far. We usually plant them on the edges of the fields. For things like chilies, you just scatter some seeds and a lot will grow.” Yue Yao took the stainless steel basin down to scoop up half a basin of water. With sweat on the tip of her nose, she said excitedly, “It turns out Song Ge was digging out stones to collect creek water; I didn’t even know before.”

Tong Xiangyu listened to Yue Yao chatter incessantly.

Song Ge took a mineral water bottle out of the bag; inside was the green Tougu herbal juice. “You seem quite free. Want to rub it on yourself?”

Tong Xiangyu thought to herself: You only went out once with Yue Yao, and now you won’t even help me apply the medicine?

Tong Xiangyu sulkily took the bottle and whispered, “I’ll do it myself then.”

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