Xu Ke’s eyes grew red, tears filling his eyes as if they could fall at any mont.
Xu Ke smiled and nodded at Lin ngyao, then quickly turned his head. In just a mont, the tears in his eyes vanished, as if they were never there.
"Stop just looking at , you should eat sothing too. Ariel is so sick she won’t be able to walk tomorrow, and you’ll have to carry her then," Lin ngyao suppressed the urge to gag and took a bite of the fish.
This was no ti for being picky; even if it was hard to eat, she had to finish the fish. Otherwise, who knows if they could make it out of the forest. Thinking of this, Lin ngyao took another bite, and even a hint of fierceness appeared in her expression.
Xu Ke picked up the remaining fish and took a big bite. As soon as the first bite entered his mouth, the fishy taste overwheld his entire palate. Xu Ke almost couldn’t help but spit it out, but seeing Lin ngyao eating it one bite after another without a change in her expression, he swallowed it down.
By the third bite, his mouth was completely accustod to the taste, and it no longer seed unpleasant.
As the two were eating, Ariel, who caught a whiff of the fishy sll, was roused awake.
"Who’s killing fish? Get it away from ," Ariel muttered with a frown. She was burning up so badly that she felt she was shouting with all her might, but in reality, her voice wasn’t loud at all. Lin ngyao, standing so distance away, didn’t hear her clearly.
"What do you want?" Lin ngyao scooted over to Ariel and asked.
But Lin ngyao had just finished eating fish, and when she opened her mouth, a strong fishy sll ca out, causing Ariel, who never liked fish, to wrinkle her nose in disgust and weakly lift her hand to block it.
"So stinky."
This ti, Ariel’s muttered complaint reached Lin ngyao’s ears, and her face turned red with embarrassnt. She never expected there’d be a day when soone considered her slly.
Covering her mouth with her hand, Lin ngyao gently shook Ariel and asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want sothing to eat, or are you thirsty?"
This ti Ariel finally opened her eyes, but she couldn’t open them wide. She appeared dazed, her eyes empty as if she heard nothing.
"Are you thirsty? Do you need water? Or do you want to eat sothing?" Lin ngyao asked again.
This ti Ariel responded to Lin ngyao’s question. Her lips moved faintly, saying, "Water, I want water."
Her voice was so soft that Lin ngyao had to lean in close to her lips to hear it.
Upon hearing Ariel’s request, Lin ngyao felt both nervous and excited, quickly turning to Xu Ke to repeat what she heard.
"I’ll go get so water," Xu Ke said, placing the half-eaten fish aside. He stood up, but then rembered sothing and looked at Lin ngyao.
Lin ngyao lightly bit her lip, "Go ahead, Ariel’s awake now and keeping company, I won’t be afraid. Hurry and co back." She waved him on.
As they spoke, Ariel muttered "water" again, softly. Xu Ke didn’t hesitate any longer and quickly headed towards the lake, using a large leaf he picked along the way to carry water back into the forest.
After giving Ariel water, Lin ngyao tried to feed her so fish, but Ariel turned her head away, rejecting it. Lin ngyao fretted, furrowing her brow tightly.
"What should we do? She won’t eat," Lin ngyao looked up at Xu Ke and said.
"If she doesn’t eat, then let it be. She’s sick now, her stomach is fragile, and eating this fish might worsen her condition. If there’s really no other option, let’s not force her to eat," Xu Ke responded calmly.
"You’re right, I forgot. I was just thinking she hadn’t eaten, wanting her to have a bit, but forgot she’s not fit to eat raw stuff right now," Lin ngyao lowered her head and looked regretfully at the raw fish in her hand.
"You only want what’s best for her, right? Don’t bla yourself. Let’s quickly finish and move on," Xu Ke said, patting her head.
Lin ngyao nodded, hastening to finish her al. Shortly, she was done, and by then, night had fully descended. Luckily, the moon was bright enough, making the surroundings feel less daunting.
Xu Ke carried the now deeply asleep Ariel on his back, with Lin ngyao following close behind. The two walked side by side.
After walking who knows how long, Lin ngyao’s legs felt numb, moving only by muscle mory, while Xu Ke’s forehead was dotted with sweat, his breathing heavier than at the start.
Just when they could hardly go on, Xu Ke noticed a light through the forest.
Lin ngyao stopped with Xu Ke, looking in the direction he was staring. Upon seeing the warm orange glow, Lin ngyao was montarily nonplussed. Her brain had slipped into a state of numbness and bewildernt.
She blinked a few tis, unable to tear her gaze away, and after a mont finally realized it wasn’t an illusion, there was indeed a dwelling in the forest.
Lin ngyao, her voice raspy and filled with irrepressible excitent, clutched Xu Ke, "Xu Ke, look there, isn’t that a house? Am I seeing things?"
"No, you’re not seeing things. Let’s go," Xu Ke replied, a rare smile breaking across his face.
The fatigue from before vanished, energy seed to course anew through their bodies as they hurried to the source of the light. Before long, the place revealed itself to them.
It was a small duplex, resembling a bamboo house from China, except the outside was made not of bamboo but of the common trees found in the forest.
Lin ngyao stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a mont, a hoarse voice ca from within, and the door opened a small crack, "Who are you? What do you want?" asked the person inside.
"We’re tourists who fell from a cliff. We walked a long way to find your house. Is it possible for us to rest here for the night? One of our friends is ill, with a severe fever. She needs dicine, water, and so food. Could you help us?" Lin ngyao asked.
The elderly person inside took a mont to look over Xu Ke and Ariel behind Lin ngyao, and then nodded, opening the door fully.
"Co in," the elder moved aside, making way for them.
"What happened to her?" the elder asked, seeing the flushed-faced Ariel placed on a chair by Xu Ke.
"We fell from the mountain into a river, and she was in the water for too long, so she’s feverish. Could you please get her so fever-reducing pills?" Xu Ke requested, looking at the elder.
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