章 9: Chapter 9: Dependent on Each Other for Survival
Looking at Yi Luo Xiang, who had passed out in his arms, Xin Yun let out a long sigh. Although he longed to hold her gently like this forever, reality did not allow him to do so.
After carefully propping Yi Luo Xiang up against the well wall, Xin Yun stood up, dragging the bodies of the four boys to the opposite side of the well and began stripping their clothes off.
It might have been cruel, but in order to survive, Xin Yun had no other choice. Besides... these four had committed too many sins; now it was time for them to repay.
Soon, the four were left wearing only their underwear. Xin Yun stacked the bodies against the well wall, covering them with a thick layer of mud to form a bed that was two meters long, one meter wide, and half a meter high. Lacking any material down the well, he used the bodies as bricks and mud, constructing a makeshift bed for Yi Luo Xiang.
By the time the makeshift bed was ready, it was already noon. The sun hung high above the well mouth, illuminating the interior and casting warm rays upon the bed of mud, quickly drying the sticky mixture. Once the mud was completely dry, Yi Luo Xiang would have a comfortable place to rest, free from dampness and mire.
Taking advantage of the ample light, Xin Yun sorted out various items, among them two gold and four silver padlocks. In his previous life, facing so many dead bodies, Xin Yun would have been terrified to even touch them, but having experienced a harsh military career, he was now fearless and thought more about the future.
Having been reborn, Xin Yun naturally would not follow the same path as before, working as a child laborer for wealthy families. He planned to leave on his own. Since that was the decision, it was essential to have money. The saying goes, "Money makes the world go round" and without it, one cannot even take a step. Indeed, a single coin could thwart a hero!
From the bodies of the four boys and two girls, Xin Yun collected a total of six life-preserving plaques. These plaques, similar to the longevity locks on Earth, were rectangular pieces of pure gold or silver engraved with exquisite patterns and adorned with several gold bells, a must-have for every child.
Of course, depending on the family's wealth, the plaques varied; affluent families used gold, while the rest usually had silver. Even among the gold plaques, size and weight differed, reflecting the family's circumstances.
Among the six plaques, there were two of gold, one large and one small. The bigger one was the size of a cigarette pack, heavy in hand and with six bells dangling below—though not very thick, it was undoubtedly valuable. As for the smaller plaque, though not comparable to the larger one, it was about the size of a matchbox.
Besides the six life-preserving plaques, Xin Yun found no other valuables. After all, these were children who wouldn't be carrying anything expensive, except for the necessary plaques; nothing else caught Xin Yun's interest.
After wrapping the six plaques in cloth and securing them in his bosom, Xin Yun stood up. By then... the sun had moved away from the well, and the clay bed he had constructed was almost completely dry. Although it wasn't entirely dry, there was nothing that could be done about it.
Xin Yun carefully laid out the boys' clothes on the clay bed and then... he frowned. Although only a child himself, he was reluctant to let Yi Luo Xiang lie directly on the clothes worn by those four. If anyone should lie on his clothes, it should be he—haha...
He took off his jacket and meticulously spread it on top of the bed. At last... a comfortable clay bed was officially completed!
Having hastily put on one of the boys' clothes, Xin Yun walked over, picked Yi Luo Xiang up, and laid her on the clay bed, delicately placing her head upon the purposely piled-up earth pillow. Looking at her rosy cheeks and her sweet, sleeping expression, Xin Yun finally smiled.
As for the bodies of the two girls, Xin Yun removed only their life-preserving plaques and left the rest untouched, burying them carefully. They had already suffered enough misfortune; he did not wish them to be further disturbed in death.
After finishing all the work, Xin Yun was tired too. Sitting on the edge of the clay bed, he watched Yi Luo Xiang, who was still in a faint, the scene he had once dreamed of now a reality.
As he greedily admired her, Xin Yun suddenly felt something was amiss! Yi Luo Xiang had really suffered a lot these days, looking haggard and worn out, but now her cheeks were flushed—this...
Carefully reaching out, Xiu gently placed the back of his hand on Yi Luo Xiang's forehead... Damn it! Yi Luo Xiang had developed a fever! Her head was burning hot.
In their current situation, in such a harsh environment, a child with a frail body would almost certainly succumb once they fell ill, and they still had to stay in the well for at least ten more days before they could escape. Given Yi Luo Xiang's condition, could she really hold out for ten days under these circumstances?
After frantically pacing back and forth a few times, Xin Yun suddenly remembered something. He grabbed a piece of cloth, wrapped up a chunk of moist mud, and placed it on Yi Luo Xiang's forehead to help reduce her body temperature.
The cold mud pack seemed to have some effect, slowly... Yi Luo Xiang opened her eyes and looked at Xin Yun in agony, saying, "I feel so terrible, save me...".
Seeing Yi Luo Xiang in pain, Xin Yun felt his heart break. He sat askew on the bed, lifting her upper body, and encouraged her, "You must hold on. I know... Yi Luo Xiang is the greatest; this little illness won't beat you!"
Hearing Xin Yun's words, Yi Luo Xiang pursed her dry lips, looked steadily at him for a while, and then stretched out her arms, hugging his waist tightly.
Feeling Yi Luo Xiang's trembling body, Xin Yun knew she had not awakened from the nightmare. However... he could no longer afford to think about that now. Yi Luo Xiang was sick, and although there was no medicine here to treat her, she had to eat something. Only with sufficient nutrients could there be a chance to fight off the illness.
Xin Yun passed her a piece of moist, emerald green moss that he had prepared earlier, gently placing it by Yi Luo Xiang's mouth, saying, "Come on, eat something. Only by filling your stomach can you get better quickly."
Seeing the lush green moss in Xin Yun's hand, Yi Luo Xiang looked at him gratefully, then gently opened her rosy small mouth and took the piece of moss inside, chewing feebly.
This moss had been wrapped in cloth and buried in mud by Xin Yun, so it was very moist and fresh. Although it tasted slightly bitter at first, after a bit of chewing, an indescribably sweet taste surged from under the tongue, delicious beyond words.
Of course, not all mosses are like this. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of types of mosses in the world, some of which are even toxic. Only the moss from this place had such qualities.
In his previous life, after leaving the well, Xin Yun had searched for many kinds of moss but never found one like this again. Reminiscing about the hardships and sweetness of the old days, Xin Yun even returned here several times to collect this moss, just to relive the feelings of those days.
Soon, Yi Luo Xiang had completely chewed the moss and reluctantly swallowed it, but quickly, Xin Yun passed her a second piece.
Yi Luo Xiang shook her head and said, "Don't just feed me, eat as well...".
Xin Yun sighed in admiration, feeding the moss to Yi Luo Xiang while shaking his head, "Don't worry about me; you just eat."
As she took the second piece of moss into her mouth, Yi Luo Xiang looked deeply at Xin Yun and said, "I will remember this, and in the future... I will repay you many times over."
Xin Yun smiled and reached out, stroking her hair gently while watching Yi Luo Xiang. He wanted to eat too, and was actually famished, but there really wasn't much moss, especially now that Yi Luo Xiang was ill; she needed to be satisfied first, lest her condition worsen if the food supply fell short.
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