RPS – Chapter 4 Hibiscus and Baskets

The baby was only a few days old, tiny and fragile. These past few days, he had only been eating a mango-like fruit, which was apparently called a “yellow fruit”—probably because of its color?

Li Feng had complicated feelings about this skinny, small baby who looked like a little red monkey. Although the baby had been born from this body he now inhabited, his soul hadn’t experienced the long ten months of pregnancy or the deep anticipation of the baby’s arrival. Still, since he had taken over this body, he was determined to fulfill all the responsibilities that came with it.

And even if the baby wasn’t his biological child, he would still care for him dearly. Having grown up in an orphanage, he had seen many babies left at the orphanage gate every year. As he got older, he often helped take care of the younger ones. He treated them like family—maybe because he felt a shared fate with them. He truly liked children; they were adorable, soft little dumplings.

Li Feng felt that his self-control was quite impressive, staying calm even after realizing he’d given birth to a baby upon being reborn. Especially since he hadn’t fully understood what was happening before the little dumpling had already arrived. But there was one thing that completely unsettled him—something he just couldn’t get used to: there was a man nearby who constantly stared at him with that kind of hungry, lecherous gaze. And the worst part was, he couldn’t hit or scold him.

Why? Because that man was this body’s partner. They’d gone through a ceremonial marriage together. So of course, it was only natural for the man to want to get close! But seriously, why did he have to reincarnate into a man who already had a husband? No, wait—he was a man to begin with. Reincarnating as a man wasn’t weird. The weird part was that even in such a primitive society, there were still male-male relationships? Apparently, this tendency must have started way back with the apes.

Turns out, same-sex love had existed since ancient times—since the very beginning of civilization.

He was a perfectly normal man! Sure, he had never had a girlfriend, but he’d never thought about getting a boyfriend either. And now? He’d skipped right over falling in love and gone straight to having a baby! It was terrifying.

One thing he was very thankful for, though, was that he could now hold the little dumpling all day, leaving that man with nothing but longing stares. Sure, the man managed to sneak a few touches now and then, but overall, Li Feng considered himself pretty clever. Having the baby around gave him a serious sense of security. Finally, he didn’t have to deal with being mentally undressed every day.

To be fair, the primitive man was surprisingly respectful—he could tell Li Feng was unwilling and didn’t force anything. Of course, maybe it was because of the baby. After all, if the “mother” got sick, who would take care of the child?

Li Feng hadn’t gone outside the cave much these past few days. First, he didn’t want the baby catching a chill. Second, he was still unfamiliar with the area. Even though he had inherited the original owner’s memories, he still felt like he was watching a movie rather than truly experiencing it. And third—it was just too hot out there. He didn’t want to go out and risk heatstroke. He was a homebody to begin with, not a fan of going outside. Even without a computer, he had a baby to take care of. His only free time was when the little dumpling was asleep.

When the baby had just been born, he looked like a tiny red monkey—or a little old man—with wrinkled skin and all. But by the second day, things improved. By the third or fourth day, the wrinkles were mostly gone. Now his skin was fair and tender, with big dark eyes. His features resembled Li Feng’s a lot—he even looked a bit like a mixed-race child. He was absolutely beautiful.

Maybe it was a blood bond, but Li Feng felt increasingly attached to the baby. Sometimes he even convinced himself the baby really was his, that he’d gone through the entire pregnancy himself. And the baby clung to him, too—crying whenever Li Feng wasn’t around. A few times, Li Feng had stepped out nearby to scout the surroundings or relieve himself, only for the baby to wake up and burst into tears when he didn’t see him. The sight of fat tears rolling down that chubby face tugged hard at Li Feng’s heart. So now he tried not to leave at all. Even when the baby was asleep, he’d stay nearby and find something to do.

So what was Li Feng doing when he had nothing else to do? That’s easy. Based on the memories from the body’s original owner, he knew the tribe they lived in wasn’t too big or too small—about three or four hundred people total, counting men, women, and children. Their main food source was hunting. The men hunted animals, while the women gathered wild fruits.

And then Li Feng noticed something: they didn’t have any weaving skills. There were no baskets or containers. People just carried fruit in bundles of animal hide—which didn’t hold much and were hard to carry.

Even though he’d only been here for four days, he realized that the natural environment was quite decent. The forest was lush, and the place they lived was near the mountains—towering, endless mountains that could rival famous modern ones. But the scenery and environment here were far better than anything in the modern world.

The people were simple, the views beautiful. But in terms of tools and technology, they were far behind. Most of what they used were crude stone tools and wooden spears. At first, it hadn’t occurred to him to make baskets. But one day, while looking for a spot to relieve himself (there were no toilets here—he decided that once he had a bit of time, building one would be a top priority), he stumbled upon a large patch of very familiar plants—not far from the cave—hibiscus.

And they were in full bloom. The sight excited him so much he almost forgot why he came out in the first place. After quickly handling his business, he began picking flowers. The weather was hot, and besides a loincloth and some underwear, he wasn’t wearing much—especially since he’d only come out to pee.

There were a lot of hibiscus flowers, and he picked quite a few. Unfortunately, they were hard to carry, so he had to make several trips back and forth to bring them all to the cave. That’s when he truly realized how inconvenient life was without plastic bags. Near the hibiscus, he also found a number of thin, hibiscus-like plants that didn’t flower. They were soft and flexible—great for weaving baskets and containers. Hibiscus could be used too, but these small plants were even more pliable and easier to work with. So he decided to weave some baskets to use. As for the flowers, he planned to use them later to make hibiscus stew. He’d been eating nothing but meat these past few days, with only the occasional fruit. Even though he only ate one or two meals a day, the greasy and monotonous flavor was already giving him constipation.

Li Feng didn’t actually know how to weave baskets. But he had once seen someone do it during one of his food-hunting trips around rural areas. Back then, curiosity had led him to watch and even learn a few moves. He only knew the theory and had never tried it himself, so he wasn’t confident he could do it well. But then he thought: what’s the big deal? No one else here knows either. If it didn’t work out, he’d just try again. After all, baskets were invented by people, weren’t they?