RPS – Chapter 36 Surprise? Shock?

“Li Feng?” Li quickly scooped Li Feng into his arms. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Li was truly panicked—Baby hadn’t recovered yet, and now Li Feng had fallen ill.

“I’m fine, probably just a little tired. I’ll be okay after some rest.” Li Feng rubbed his temples. This body was just too weak. Staying up for one night had almost made him faint.

Sigh… Actually, it wasn’t purely that the body was weak. Although it was a bit frail, it shouldn’t have been so bad that he couldn’t pull through a single night.

The real issue was that Li Feng had been mentally and emotionally drained all night long. The intense stress had pushed his body’s limits to the breaking point. Now that he finally relaxed, it was like a taut string suddenly going slack.

“Then hurry and get some rest. I’ll take care of Baby,” Li said, quickly placing Li Feng onto the bed and covering him with a beast hide, urging him to sleep.

Li Feng resisted. “It’s really fine. Let’s wait until Baby’s a little better first.” Li Feng was stubborn too—there was no way he could sleep peacefully while Baby still wasn’t fully out of danger.

“You should rest a bit first. When you wake up, you can switch with us,” Bu suggested. Nuo also needed rest. The two of them had been up all night, stressed and frightened, and they were clearly exhausted.

Li Feng looked at Nuo, whose eyes were bloodshot and ringed with dark circles. After hesitating for a moment, he finally agreed. If he didn’t rest, Nuo probably wouldn’t either.

“Alright… but remember to wake me up, especially if anything happens with Baby. Promise me you’ll call me.” Li Feng was very uneasy and repeatedly reminded them.

“We will, for sure. Now sleep!” Li patted his back, encouraging him to rest quickly.

Nuo also climbed into bed and lay down beside him, planning to switch shifts with Bu and the others once they woke up, to quickly regain their strength.

Li Feng lay in bed with his eyes closed, but his mind wandered wildly—sometimes thinking about his past life, sometimes about Baby, sometimes about Li. He was initially too worried to fall asleep, but after a night of torture, he eventually drifted off into a fitful, dream-filled sleep.

When Li Feng woke up, judging from the sunlight outside, it was almost noon. He quickly sat up, moving too fast and feeling a bit dizzy, but he couldn’t afford to care. Turning his head, he let out a breath of relief—Baby was still lying safely next to him, and Nuo was still asleep beside them. Bu was resting against the wall, and Li wasn’t in sight. Just as he was wondering where Li had gone, Li walked in carrying a bowl. Inside was a cornmeal vegetable porridge, and another bowl filled with milk—seemed like Li had freshly milked it today.

Li Feng quickly checked Baby’s forehead—his temperature had returned to normal! Wonderful. As long as they continued careful care, Baby would recover slowly. His body was still a bit weak and occasionally coughed once or twice, but Li Feng was already deeply satisfied. Baby had safely passed the danger period.

Bu had opened his eyes the moment Li Feng sat up. Seeing how Li Feng, without even noticing him, immediately turned to check Baby, he couldn’t help but smile. They had already tested Baby’s temperature earlier using the method Li Feng taught them the night before. That’s why they hadn’t woken him up immediately—they knew he wouldn’t feel reassured until he checked personally.

“Li Feng, you’re awake. Are you hungry? Want to eat something first?” Li placed the bowl of milk on the stone table by the bed, then handed the cornmeal porridge to Li Feng.

Baby was still asleep. Today, Li and the others had spoken with the chief and gotten permission not to go hunting. Thankfully, they still had traps set up to catch prey. Otherwise, no matter what, the chief would never allow them to skip hunting—the tribe’s food supply was always the top priority.

“Did you guys eat already?” Li Feng glanced at them—both Li and Bu looked utterly exhausted.

“Not yet. We had just brought the food in when you woke up.”

“Then you and Bu go eat something first and get some rest. I’ll take care of Baby.” Li Feng took a sip of the porridge as he spoke—hmm, it was good. Not too salty, not too bland.

Bu nodded and went off to serve himself some food. He hadn’t eaten since morning, after all.  Nuo was still asleep. He could eat once he woke up—he was just too worn out. Li initially didn’t want to leave, but Li Feng gave him such a fierce glare that he reluctantly went to eat too. Even Xiao Mo, the little one, followed along to eat. Kids needed to keep up their strength.

Baby’s fever had worried the whole family immensely. Thankfully, he was finally out of danger. No one knew whether it was the medicine, Li Feng and the others’ meticulous care, or Baby’s own strength pulling him through. But no matter the reason, after a few days of careful nursing, Baby fully recovered, returning to his lively, adorable self—only now his once chubby cheeks were a little thinner.

Li Feng had now decided that he must find all kinds of herbs he knew to be edible and medicinal. After all, working at a gourmet magazine had left him with at least basic knowledge. Without proper medical care, even a minor illness could be fatal. Besides, he also had to brew alcohol — not just for drinking, but because it could be used for disinfection, wiping the body for physical cooling, and even to warm the body during cold weather by improving blood circulation. It seemed he absolutely needed to find time to work on it. Previously, he hadn’t paid much attention — mainly focused on food — and who would have thought about brewing alcohol in such a situation? But after this scare with the baby falling ill, he had changed his mind.

The problem was that the raw materials for brewing were crucial. Corn, for example, he didn’t know how to use for brewing. There might be a slight chance with wheat or rice wine since the older generations used to make some for their own consumption, but now the biggest problem was — there were no ingredients. Without raw materials, it was all just empty talk.

While Li Feng was fully focused on taking care of the baby, Ka had already set out with ten strong men from the tribe, heading toward his old tribe to bring them into the alliance. The chief had repeatedly urged them to be extremely cautious and to make sure they all came back alive. Although they knew it was dangerous, the chief still decided to let them go because it concerned the future development of their tribe and the survival of Ka’s tribe.

The group of eleven men set off in high spirits, retracing the path Ka had taken before. Of course, Ka led them past unnecessary detours, saving them a lot of time. Although tired, the journey went relatively smoothly. Apart from encountering a few wolves and a spotted leopard one night, they faced no major dangers.

At night, they built large campfires on open ground and took turns standing guard. Though wild beasts lurked nearby, the flames kept them at bay, and the group’s taut nerves finally relaxed when dawn broke and the animals retreated. Luckily, they had gathered enough dry wood; otherwise, it would have been truly dangerous.

The jungle, of course, was never without snakes. Some were poisonous, some weren’t — but for these experienced hunters, snakes were easier to deal with than larger beasts. They used sticks to probe the path ahead, constantly scanning all around. If they found a snake, they caught it for an extra meal; if not, even better. They carried cured meat and salt with them and could roast fresh game with a sprinkle of salt and ginger juice — absolutely delicious.

Ka was extremely curious about their cured meat, salt, and ginger. After tasting the roasted meat seasoned with salt and ginger juice, he realized it was a flavor he had never experienced before — truly amazing. This time, among the ten men, the leader was Qi.

“Qi, does your tribe always eat like this?” Ka asked, very intrigued.

“Yes, we always eat like this,” Qi replied.

Along the way, they also dug up quite a few sweet potatoes and taro to roast and eat — flavors that were just as good as roasted meat. Ka was even more amazed watching them. Their tribe had already developed this far, able to find so much food. Although his own tribe had some of these foods too, the variety was far less. Still, the women were very capable.

Ka led them for nearly ten days before they finally reached his tribe. It was very small, and everyone lived in caves. When they arrived, the men had already gone out hunting, leaving only women and children busy with some tasks that Qi didn’t recognize.

Qi was known for being steady and reliable, which was why Zheng had appointed him as the leader for this mission — someone who could handle matters properly. Ka brought Qi and the others into the tribe. When the people there first saw the newcomers, they were startled, but recognizing Ka, they immediately gathered around, chattering noisily. Qi didn’t stop them; he simply smiled and observed the tribe’s situation. It seemed similar to their own beginnings — only without houses and courtyards. As for other differences, he couldn’t tell at a glance.

While Qi and the others had reached Ka’s old tribe, back home, Li Feng was a little disappointed after hearing that they had already left. He had originally wanted to go out with them and see if he could find anything good. But unfortunately, the baby’s illness had kept him at home. Even if he hadn’t been delayed, no one would have agreed to let him go. With dangers unknown, they didn’t want to take a physically weak person along and risk slowing down the group. Besides, Li would never have allowed it either.

Still, it was just a fleeting thought for Li Feng. The baby was so small — he couldn’t bear to leave him anyway.

By now, all the corn and soybeans had been harvested. The courtyard was filled with golden-yellow corn and plump soybeans laid out to dry. With nothing else to do at home, Li Feng spent his time shelling dried corn kernels into baskets, making sure not to feed any to rats. He piled stones around and under the baskets, and eventually even built a small stone granary inside the kitchen, safe from rats. Luckily, the kitchen was large enough, leaving space for firewood and food storage without making it cramped.

In fact, they also had a large thatched shelter for livestock nearby, where most of the firewood was stored, keeping it safe from the rain.

As for the caves, Li Feng felt they were too damp, and storing food there would risk mold. So now the caves were only used for storing baskets, tools, and stoneware — things that didn’t matter if they got a little damp.

Li Feng carefully shelled and stored the corn kernels, and placed the corn cobs in the thatched shelter. If the animals didn’t eat them, they could always be used as firewood — they burned quite well.

Since the area had clay, Li Feng had earlier molded a small, triangular clay stove with three legs and a round opening at the top — similar in design to a modern clay pot. It was very convenient for cooking, as he had made it intentionally similar to a modern sandpot or pressure cooker. He could simply set a clay pot directly on the stove to cook rice, and he also had a thin stone pan for stir-frying. This way, there was no need to prop up a wooden rack for roasting and cooking, and using corn cobs for fuel was very efficient.

One day, while Li Feng was using corn cobs to cook, he suddenly heard Xiao Mo, who was outside playing with the baby, shouting and running toward the house.

“Uncle Li Feng! Uncle Li Feng!”

Hearing the panic from afar, Li Feng immediately kicked away the firewood in front of the stove to avoid a fire accident — fortunately, he was still mindful that there was a burning pot on the stove — and rushed out.

“What’s the matter, you brat? What happened?” Li Feng called out as he ran.

He saw Mo clutching the baby tightly, not daring to run too fast, his little face flushed red — whether from anxiety or exertion, Li Feng couldn’t tell.

“Uncle Li Feng, they’re back…” Mo stopped to catch his breath.

Seeing that both Mo and the baby were fine, Li Feng gave Mo a light knock on the head. “You little rascal, I still have rice cooking on the stove!” He hurried back inside — he didn’t want it to burn.

Mo rubbed his head and grinned, not feeling any pain. Hugging the giggling baby, he quickly followed. “Uncle Qi and the others brought people from Ka’s tribe back with them. It looks like a lot of people!” Worried that Li Feng hadn’t heard clearly, he explained again carefully.

“Oh, so they’re back. What’s the big fuss about?” Li Feng stirred the fire. They had been gone for almost a month; it was about time they returned. “So, was anyone injured?”

“Well…” Li Feng could tell from his hesitation that he didn’t know. Sure enough—

“Hehe, I was so eager to come tell you, Uncle Li Feng, I forgot to ask. They had just arrived when I ran back to tell you!” Mo hugged the baby and laughed foolishly.

“Alright then, you go play. Maybe I should hold the baby instead?” Since the baby had gotten sick, Li Feng had been taking care of him almost entirely by himself, only handing him to Mo when he was busy cooking or really had no time.

“No need, I’ll keep carrying him. Uncle Li Feng, you go cook! I’ll go take another look and come back to tell you more, okay?” With that, he ran off carrying the baby. He could only hold the baby for a little while each day, and he wasn’t about to give him back so quickly.

That evening, when Li and the others returned, they also heard about this. As they were eating, the chief arrived, bringing along two boys around seven or eight years old. They were dressed in animal hides, skinny and small, with sun-darkened skin, looking a lot like how Mo used to look — though back then, Mo had been even younger.

After sitting down, the chief said to Li Feng and the others, “These two children are from Ka’s tribe. They were brought back today. Tonight, they’ll stay here with you. Tomorrow, after we gather the tribe, we’ll discuss what to do. For tonight, please take care of them.” He brought the two boys over and introduced them, “They are brothers. The taller one is called Ju, and the smaller one is Hao.”

Li Feng and the others nodded and agreed. It was just for one night — not a big deal. They had enough spare rooms, or Li could sleep with them, and Li Feng could sleep with the baby and Mo. Later, when Li Feng heard their names, he couldn’t help but laugh — “Ju” and “Hao” (meaning “period” together). Such adorable names! He wondered if there was anyone named “Comma” too.

Everyone else looked at him strangely, seeing him laughing for no reason. “Hey, what are you laughing at?” Nuo patted his shoulder.

“Nothing. Just suddenly felt that everything is good.” Li Feng wasn’t mocking them; he simply found the names familiar, like something from a comedy skit, and it made him chuckle.

Seeing that it really was nothing serious, everyone turned their attention back to the chief. The chief gave Li a glare — why didn’t he discipline him? Then he finished introducing the brothers and left. There were still others he needed to settle.

The two boys were a little nervous now. It had been fine when they were with the other tribe members, but now being alone made them anxious.

Li Feng and the others noticed their nervousness. Nuo quickly pulled them to sit down and eat. Usually, kids relaxed a bit after eating. Li Feng scooped some corn and sweet potato porridge for them — the sweet potatoes were chopped into small pieces and mixed into the porridge, making it fragrant, soft, and sweet. The kids loved it.

The two boys were clearly very hungry. Although they had never seen this kind of food before, the smell was irresistible. They hadn’t eaten much that day and were starving. Now, seeing the bowls in front of them, they forgot all about their fear and slurped it down, even licking their bowls clean afterward, still looking unsatisfied. Nuo got them another two bowls and added some meat and wild vegetables from the table, which, eaten with the porridge, tasted even better — sweet, savory, and hearty. The only pity was that they had no real rice.

After eating, the boys relaxed a little. They weren’t as wary of Li Feng and the others, though they still looked confused. They had never seen or tasted food like this.

“What is this?” asked the taller boy.

Nuo laughed as he answered, and his cheerful attitude helped them relax even more. “Uh, it’s very tasty,” they said. They didn’t know how to say “thank you” yet; they didn’t even know the word.

“Hehe, you’re so cute. No need to be polite,” Li said, patting their heads. They were really obedient. Kids in the wild matured fast, forced by nature to grow up early and follow their fathers hunting. Generally, by ten years old, boys would be taken out to hunt. These two still seemed innocent, as if they hadn’t yet experienced that brutal part of life.

Mo then came over, wanting to hold the baby again. He ran to Ju and Hao with the baby in his arms, observing them curiously. Ju and Hao watched him approach — a good-looking boy carrying a very white, chubby baby. They had never seen such a pale and plump baby before. In their tribe, babies were always skinny, with dry, yellowish or dark skin, and thin, yellow hair. This little baby was so beautiful!

They reached out to touch, but Mo immediately glared at them and pulled the baby away. Ju and Hao stiffened, looking at their own dark hands and then at the baby’s tender white cheeks, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

“What are you holding so tightly?” Nuo quickly changed the subject, and the others were curious too. Since arriving, the boys hadn’t let go of a small animal-hide pouch they carried.

“Uh, it’s our food,” the two boys answered at once.

“Roast meat? You should take it out quickly or it’ll spoil,” Li Feng said.

“It’s not meat… it’s grass seeds,” they answered, a little ashamed. That was all they had to eat — hunting prey was too difficult.

“Good boys, it’s okay. Things will get better,” Li Feng comforted them and opened the pouch to see what kind of seeds they had collected. As he looked inside, his expression immediately changed — was it joy, was it shock? Even Li Feng himself wasn’t sure.