They really had no choice but to spend the night here. Think about it: Shen Yibin and his group had set out from the store early in the morning. The drive to the foot of the mountain hadn’t taken long, but the climb itself had consud the better part of the day. By the ti they arrived at this spot, it was already afternoon. If they tried to head back now, they likely wouldn’t make it out of the mountains before dark and would still have to spend the night in the wilderness. Since that was the case, why bother with the extra trip?
It was better to rest here for the night. They could continue their search for the unknown pet at dawn. If they could find and catch it before noon tomorrow, they might still have ti to bring it back to the store.
’The only question now is whether Sylvie can handle this,’ he thought. ’She’s not scared of spending the night in the forest, is she?’ Hah’Er and Cheeky, on the other hand, seed to love it here. The two of them were already roughhousing happily nearby.
"This is fantastic! I don’t have to worry about reporters sneaking pictures, or about all the boring etiquette! Boss, what are you standing around for? Let’s pitch the tent!" Apparently, Sylvie didn’t mind the situation at all. She imdiately and excitedly began to scout for a suitable spot to rest.
There was an art to choosing a suitable place to pitch a tent in the mountains. First, you needed to be far from any cliffs to prevent accidents. Second, you had to pick a spot sheltered from the wind so it wouldn’t get too cold at night. It was also important to be near a water source for convenience. If it were sumr, you’d also need to consider lightning protection, but that wasn’t an issue at the mont.
"Under that big tree up ahead should be good." As expected of soone trained in a mountain unit, Sylvie quickly found a campsite that t all the requirents. It was a relatively flat patch of grass with few shrubs, more than large enough for the tent. It was about thirty ters from the cliff, and a small stream, perfect for fetching water, was fifty ters to their left.
’Hey, I only brought one small tent, you know. Aren’t you worried at all?’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but wander over to the stream to look at his reflection. ’Do I really look that trustworthy?’
"Boss, what are you doing over there? Hurry up and help!" Just as he was mulling it over, Sylvie called out, urging him on. Shen Yibin had no choice but to abandon his self-reflection and go help her.
First, they cleared the rocks and other debris from the grassy area. Then, they laid down a moisture-proof groundsheet, secured the four corners of the tent, and hamred in the stakes. Next, they took out the tent poles, connected them section by section, and raised the tent. Finally, they sprinkled so insect repellent around the periter to keep mosquitoes, centipedes, and other bugs from crawling inside.
The tent was barely up before Sylvie slipped right inside, even before Shen Yibin had a chance to stand. Lying down, she poked her head out of the opening. "The fresh mountain air, the absence of city noise, the sound of birds chirping every now and then... This life is just too wonderful. I almost don’t want to go back down."
’If you don’t go down, should I go back and report you as a missing person? I bet the entire Yunzhong City police force would be mobilized. The Princess of Sokovia has gone missing in the mountains outside Yunzhong City. Just thinking about that headline gives chills.’
"But I only brought one day’s worth of rations. If we don’t head back tomorrow, you’ll starve," Shen Yibin said, rcilessly shattering her fantasy. He walked over to the stream and called out, "Hah’Er! Cheeky! Stop playing and co eat!"
"Yo, tired already? You young people really need to get more exercise," Cheeky said, his tone pompous and world-weary. He’d had the easiest ti of it, after all, leisurely flying over and occasionally stopping to snack on fruit. He was far better off than Shen Yibin and Sylvie, who had to climb with heavy packs on their backs.
Hah’Er was now covered in grass clippings and leaves, but he didn’t seem to mind one bit. He just grinned foolishly, looking utterly delighted. His appearance made Sylvie’s heart lt all over again, and she started snapping photos of him nonstop. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
"We can’t start a fire in the forest, so let’s just eat so dry rations to tide us over. I’ll make you all sothing delicious when we get back tomorrow." ’Sigh. I hope we can find that pet without any trouble,’ Shen Yibin thought as he handed out compressed biscuits.
"Ugh, I think I’ll go find my own al. You guys eat... whatever that is." Cheeky flew over, took a sniff, and then flew away with a look of utter disgust. Although this environnt was vastly different from the Amazon rainforest, finding sothing to eat wasn’t a problem for him. Amazon parrots don’t just eat fruit; their diet also includes tender shoots and flowers.
"Wow, I haven’t eaten these in two years!" Sylvie, on the other hand, was quite interested in the ration. She took one, tore open the package, carefully saved the wrapper, and then began to nibble on the biscuit in small bites.
Hah’Er took the biscuit and scratched his head, seeming to wonder if such a small portion could possibly fill his stomach. He devoured it in just a few bites and then held out a paw to Shen Yibin, apparently asking for more.
"Don’t let the small size fool you. They expand in your stomach once you drink so water, so you can’t eat too many. Here, let pour you a beer instead." And just like that, with beer in the picture, Hah’Er promptly forgot all about food.
"I’ll have a can, too." Seeing that there was beer, Sylvie also held out her hand.
’Hey, there’s only one tent here! Aren’t you afraid of things getting... ssy after a few drinks?’ he thought. ’Girl, you’ve really got so nerve.’ Shen Yibin wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t argue with Sylvie’s insistence and had no choice but to hand her a can.
After they finished eating, the sun went down. It was still too early for bed, though, so the group sat on the grass outside the tent. They hung a portable lamp from a tree branch and sipped their beers, admiring the mountain forest bathed in moonlight.
Sylvie began to sing a Sokovian folk song, and Cheeky started humming along. Hah’Er, who was already feeling the effects of the alcohol, wobbled to his feet and began to sway his body to the rhythm.
"Haha! Hah’Er, you’re just too cute! Co, I’ll dance with you!" With that, Sylvie happily got to her feet. She continued to hum as she took Hah’Er’s paw and began to spin in circles with him.
Sylvie had clearly been trained in dance. Her waist was incredibly flexible, and her every movent was natural and graceful. The contrast with Hah’Er’s clumsy shuffling was especially amusing to watch.
The song, carried by the mountain breeze, drifted down from the cliff and reached the ears of a cute little creature below. It crawled out of a cardboard box that had a hole in it, pricked up its ears, and beca Sylvie’s audience. Gradually captivated by her voice, it too began to twist and twirl to the rhythm of the music.
After more than half an hour of boisterous fun, Sylvie was finally getting tired. Panting, she ca back and sat down, then picked up her beer can and chugged it down. GULP, GULP, GULP. Shen Yibin watched her, his heart pounding in alarm. ’Lady, please don’t get drunk!’
"Give the flashlight. I need to step away for a minute," Sylvie said, her face flushed. The beer seed to be taking effect. Shen Yibin was about to ask what she needed it for, but she shot him a glare that silenced him. He could only watch as her figure disappeared into the bushes.
"Aah! A ghost!" Suddenly, a terrified scream from Sylvie rang out from the bushes.
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