Chapter 186 - 81: Departure (Part 3)
Chen Zhou had long expected the scene on the beach, and he sighed. Though he accepted it in his heart, the thought of work made him feel cumbersome and tired.
He put down the bag, unfastened the Iron Blade from his waist, threw the Long-handled Axe onto the beach to lighten his load, and began the task of rebuilding the cutting site.
Moving back and forth between the seaside forest and the beach, Chen Zhou found that many pieces of wood had been washed ashore along the coast.
These waterlogged boards and planks were remnants from the slave ship dragged into the sea. Aside from drying and burning as firewood later, they were almost useless.
Near the planks, Chen Zhou also saw a large fish, one and a half meters long, its body turned white and foul-smelling.
The fish might have been stranded on the beach after the earthquake, and after dying, it was pecked by seabirds, leaving a shriveled hollow in its eye socket, with bones exposed and already decaying.
Besides the conspicuous big fish, there were bigger-than-usual broken seaweed, bits of seagrass, starfish, various shellfish, and small fish and shrimps, crabs, and similar creatures on the beach.
Most of them were dead, and those still alive had little energy, not even knowing to flee when approached.
If only he knew better about the situation, Chen Zhou really wanted to set up his little pot on the beach, boil water, and cook some seafood to eat.
...
Busy and bustling, it wasn't until the afternoon when the sun was dipping westward that Chen Zhou had finished sorting out all the wood and stone walls.
In this process, he dismantled the rain shelter—it was the dry season anyway, and it would require continuous maintenance if left; it seemed unnecessary, easier to simply dismantle it.
After finishing the work on the beach, he seriously considered whether to return to the kiln to sleep for a while and go out to explore tomorrow morning.
Ultimately, he decided to stick to his original plan and head directly inland along the river until he reached the end of the river or found the River Valley Plain.
...
As he traveled through the forest, the sky gradually darkened.
The ground was uneven, every step was uncertain, the grass was tall and dense, and fearing snakes, Chen Zhou was forced to halt his progress.
He cut down a branch, swept the grass around flat, dug a pit in the ground, and while gathering firewood by feel, he realized he seemed to have forgotten to bring lighting tools.
In such dimness, if only he had an oil lamp, it would be convenient to light a fire and cook.
He now had a lighter; lighting a lamp would only take a second, no longer requiring him to clang a flint, and the convenience of an oil lamp would be improved by a notch.
But having come this far, there was no point regretting, and he couldn't very well go back home just for an oil lamp.
Casually gathering some half-dry and half-wet leaves, Chen Zhou generously took out his lighter, and in no time, he had a campfire going.
Seated on the ground, the wild grass around him formed a low wall, encircling him and Lai Fu.
The firelight grew brighter, accompanied by the smoke.
He made a simple tripod with branches and carved a pair of chopsticks for later use.
He hung up the can pot and poured half a bottle of water into it.
Once the water boiled, he used his Dagger to slice some pieces of meat into it, added some salt, and cooked a pot of meat soup.
He broke a piece of flatbread, soaked it in the meat soup until it was soft to eat, occasionally feeding the nearby eager Lai Fu.
After a day of non-stop activity since breakfast, he finally took a break at this moment.
Eating some warm meals now, savoring a couple of pieces of seal meat that retained some chewiness after being boiled, his stomach and heart were both satisfied.
The flames illuminated Chen Zhou's face, dyeing his tousled hair and stubble red.
Though outdoors, he did not feel cold.
Lai Fu stood on the grass, its tail slightly wagging, watching the dark forest—it was more vigilant than usual.
The trees stood tall, and the Milky Way sparkled in the sky.
After eating, he rubbed his belly, leaned against a tree trunk, added more firewood to the campfire, and as the flying insects fearlessly flung themselves into the flames, Chen Zhou gradually felt tired.
He didn't take off his clothes, turned his body slightly, placed the axe at hand, rested his head on the bag, and slowly closed his eyes, soon snoring.
Lai Fu turned his head to look at his master who had fallen asleep, its posture still upright.
The firelight reflected in its eyes made it seem even more spirited.
Its bushy tail proudly perked up behind its body, taking light steps as it began patrolling around the area flattened by Chen Zhou with a stick.
The unattended campfire grew dimmer, and the darkness in the forest thickened. Nocturnal birds and animals began to stir.
The rustling sound replaced the crackling of burning wood, becoming the new melody.
From a bird's-eye view, amidst the silhouettes of tree canopies leaning against each other, there was just a small dot of firelight and a faint shade of yellow beside it.