“G-Girl…”
Hearing the young man’s weak voice, Yu Li didn’t slow down and asked as she walked, “What is it?”
The young man weakly replied, “Why don’t… you just put me down?”
“Why?”
“I-I feel like throwing up…”
Yu Li hurriedly set him down, only to see him collapse to the ground, his face pale with a tinge of green, looking as though he was on the verge of passing out.
When she had pulled him out of the pit earlier, although his face had been a bit pale and he had looked somewhat disheveled, he still seemed fairly spirited. Why was it that in just a short while, his face had turned greenish-white, and he looked so weak?
“What’s wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?” Yu Li asked kindly.
After resting for a while, the young man finally looked a little better and said, “You were pressing against my stomach just now…”
Being carried like a sack, with the other person’s shoulder bone directly digging into his stomach—who wouldn’t feel like throwing up? The young man thought that the way she carried him resembled how dock workers carried cargo, with himself being treated as a human-shaped package at her mercy.
Yu Li blinked, then slowly uttered an “oh.”
That’s all you have to say? Just “oh”?
The young man couldn’t help but raise his eyes to look at her, and suddenly realized that she was indeed very thin. With her bony frame, she looked no different from refugees fleeing during a famine year. If not for her clean, well-washed clothes, as well as her tidy hair, neck, and skin that were free of the dirt and grime typical of refugees, she could easily be mistaken for one.
He mused to himself, no wonder his stomach felt so uncomfortable—her bones were so sharp that pressing against his stomach was bound to hurt.
And besides, being so skinny really didn’t make her very attractive.
It was only fortunate that she was young, still a maiden in her prime, so she wasn’t ugly to the point of being frightening.
Carrying didn’t work, so she’d better try piggybacking.
Yu Li squatted down and hoisted him onto her back.
With his long arms and legs, he looked like a bear being carried by a petite girl, his legs nearly dragging on the ground.
For the first time, the young man felt a sense of shame about being so tall and broad, worried that he might accidentally crush this girl.
Clearing his throat, he said, “My surname is Xuan, and my given name is Huaiqing. May I ask how to address you, young lady?”
His words were refined and eloquent, spoken in the standard language rather than the local dialect.
The standard language was the official tongue of the Great Qing Dynasty.
Fortunately, the Yu family had two scholars, and Yu Laoda had once studied under Scholar Chen. Whenever he was home, he often spoke the standard language with the younger family members, so the Yu children could understand and even speak it a little.
“Yu Li,” she politely replied.
Xuan Huaiqing felt that “Yu Li” didn’t sound like a name typical of rural people. Most countryside girls didn’t have formal names; they were usually called something like “First Daughter,” “Second Daughter,” or “Third Daughter” based on their birth order, or nicknames like “First Girl,” “Second Girl,” “Third Girl,” or “Big Ya,” “Second Ya,” “Third Ya.”
“Miss Yu, thank you for saving me this time,” Xuan Huaiqing said gratefully. “I came into the mountains to search for someone but accidentally fell into a pit and broke a leg. If it weren’t for you passing by, I fear I…”
He wasn’t wrong. This area was deep in the mountains, rarely visited by villagers. If it hadn’t been Yu Li today, he likely would have been discovered as a corpse.
Thinking about it, Xuan Huaiqing found it rather strange. He couldn’t understand why a young woman would venture so deep into the mountains.
Yu Li didn’t respond, silently carrying him forward.
Beyond not knowing what to say to a stranger, she also wanted to conserve her strength.
Although she had great strength, this body was still very weak. Earlier, climbing the mountain had already left her exhausted. If not for eating plenty of wild fruits along the way to fill her stomach, she doubted she would have had the energy to leave.
After walking for a while, Yu Li suddenly stopped.
Xuan Huaiqing, seeing her remain silent, didn’t feel it was appropriate to initiate conversation with a young lady. Moreover, after being trapped for an entire day and night, he was both thirsty and hungry, his condition far from ideal, so he too remained quiet.
When she stopped, he mustered some energy and asked, “Miss Yu, what’s the matter?”
Without a word, Yu Li shifted her steps and headed in a different direction.
Xuan Huaiqing was puzzled. He wasn’t familiar with this mountain forest—otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten lost and fallen into a pit. Seeing her change direction, he assumed she knew the way.
Then he heard the sound of running water, and his eyes lit up.
Yu Li carried him to a mountain stream.
At the end of the stream was a small pool, about three meters wide. The water was crystal clear, and he could see fish lazily swaying their tails as they swam.
Seeing the fish in the pool, Yu Li’s eyes brightened.
She set him down, scooped up some water, and took a sip. The water was sweet and refreshing, far better than river water.
On her first day in this world, she had been unbearably thirsty and had found her way to the Fu family’s kitchen to drink water. At the time, she thought that water was the best she’d ever tasted, but now she realized there was something even better.
Meanwhile, Xuan Huaiqing buried his face in the water and drank greedily.
He was so thirsty his lips were cracked, and his throat felt parched like it was on fire. Earlier, seeing that Yu Li hadn’t brought anything with her, he had almost asked her for some water.
Once Xuan Huaiqing quenched his thirst, he began cleaning himself.
The water appeared to be spring water emerging from underground. Not only was it sweet, but it was also quite cool, offering a refreshing chill in the scorching summer heat. If not for his injured leg, he would have jumped into the pool to soak and cool off.
Just as Xuan Huaiqing finally cleaned himself up to look somewhat presentable, he heard the sound of splashing water.
He looked up and saw that Yu Li had already jumped into the pool.
Xuan Huaiqing: “…”
Before he could say anything, he saw her emerge from the water holding two fish, one in each hand.
Her clothes were soaked, clinging to her body. However, as they were coarse gray linen, they weren’t transparent or revealing, though still…
Xuan Huaiqing turned his face away, blushing. It’s improper to look.
Yu Li tossed the two fish onto the shore and then caught two more.
This pool, deep in the mountains and likely untouched by humans, had plenty of fish. The larger ones weighed about half a kilogram and showed little sense of danger. It took almost no effort to catch them.
Although she wanted to catch more, she didn’t have anything to store the fish in. If she carried them back like this, they’d surely die, and dead fish weren’t as tasty as fresh ones.
The fish tossed onto the shore flopped vigorously for a while, but as they ran out of water, their movements weakened.
Yu Li went ashore to search for tools to secure the fish.
Seeing her tear off a large bundle of vines to tie up the fish, Xuan Huaiqing’s eyelid twitched as he said, “Miss Yu, are you planning to take these fish with you?”
Yu Li glanced at him, feeling his question was redundant.
“You can use grass ropes to thread through their gills. It’s easier to carry that way,” Xuan Huaiqing suggested. There was really no need to tie them up with such thick vines. Seeing those vines reminded him of when she had hauled him out of the pit.
This girl might be thin, but her strength was truly impressive.
In the post-apocalyptic world, normal plants and animals no longer existed. Everything was either polluted or mutated beyond recognition.
This was Yu Li’s first time encountering fish as an animal.
Although she knew about fish from the original owner’s memories, she had no idea how to string them with grass ropes.
Following Xuan Huaiqing’s instructions, Yu Li finally managed to thread the fish onto a grass rope.
However, being unfamiliar with the task and not controlling her strength properly, one fish had its lips torn apart in the process, blood spilling everywhere, dying with its eyes wide open in grievance.
Xuan Huaiqing: “….” W-what terrifying strength!
Tonight, there’d be fish for dinner!
Yu Li was thrilled. Her face unconsciously lit up with a hint of a smile, and even her gaze toward Xuan Huaiqing became much kinder.
The weather was hot, so her clothes dried quickly. In no time, Yu Li’s clothes were dry, and she decided to leave the area.
“Let’s go,” she said to Xuan Huaiqing.
Xuan Huaiqing quickly nodded.
Since she needed to carry him, making it inconvenient to hold the fish, Xuan Huaiqing voluntarily took the string of fish from her.
Looking at the bloodied, torn-lipped fish, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva silently.
Though they were deep in the mountains, Yu Li’s sense of direction was excellent.
She had a wild, instinctual sense of direction, something honed during the apocalypse. No matter where she was thrown, she could always find the correct path and safely return.
Unfortunately, her stamina wasn’t great. After walking for a while, she had to stop and rest again.
Seeing her dripping with sweat, Xuan Huaiqing felt a bit guilty. “Miss Yu, perhaps you should call someone to carry me down the mountain. You could go and—”
This girl might be strong, but her stamina seemed lacking.
Given how thin she was, it was understandable. Most young women didn’t have the stamina of men. The fact that she had managed to carry him such a long way was already remarkable.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Yu Li said, “No need.”
Going back and forth would likely take until nightfall. Leaving a man with a broken leg in the deep mountains would be a waste of the effort to save him if a wild beast appeared.
After resting enough, she continued carrying him onward.
Xuan Huaiqing could hear her labored breathing and felt uncomfortable in his heart.
When she stopped again, he noticed an unhealthy pallor on her face and asked, “Miss Yu, are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m fine,” Yu Li said lightly. “I’ve just been sick recently, but I’ll get better soon.”
So, she was sick!
Xuan Huaiqing suddenly understood and felt a pang of guilt. He, a grown man, was being carried by a young woman who was unwell. It was truly improper.
Just as Xuan Huaiqing was feeling both grateful and guilty, they finally encountered someone.
The other person, seeing Yu Li carrying a young man nearly twice her size—like she was hauling a bear—froze in surprise.
However, Xuan Huaiqing was delighted to see the newcomer and called out, “Uncle Tu!”
The man turned out to be a hunter from Qingshi Village, surnamed Tu. Everyone called him Tu Laoda.
“Young Master Xuan… Huaiqing!” Tu Laoda called out, then looked at Yu Li. “Are you… Li Niang from the second branch of the Yu family?”