Day Eighty-Five: Going Home (Part Two)

Noticing my glance, Brother Qian likely sensed my confusion and offered an embarrassed explanation: "Just as Brother Lobo said, it really seems completely safe here."

Shaking my head, I continued to lead the way. Of course, I didn't believe his explanation, but since we were almost home and I was still worrying about Blackie and Lightning, I quickened my pace. We were already very close to the treehouse, and the sky had grown completely dark.

...

"Brother, watch out!" Brother Qian suddenly grabbed my arm, trying to pull me behind him. Beside him, Ye Qingchen instantly shifted into a state of combat readiness, raising his stone axe high.

"It's fine, it's fine!" I immediately shook off Brother Qian's grip and, at the same time, pressed down Ye Qingchen's raised stone axe.

"This is my companion, Blackie." As soon as the words left my mouth, Blackie bounded over to my side and stood up on its hind legs. Of course, now wasn't the time to play, so I patted its head, signaling Blackie to drop back down to the ground.

Even so, Brother Qian and Ye Qingchen still wore expressions of astonishment. Naturally, Blackie kept its eyes locked on the two of them, sizing them up continuously. Blackie wasn't the kind of foolish dog that would bark wildly or put on a threatening display at the sight of strangers. It didn't do that; seeing that these two were with me, it merely looked a bit perplexed. Instead of approaching them, it pressed close against my leg, watching them with heightened vigilance.

How did I know Blackie was being vigilant? I could tell by its tail. It wasn't wagging; instead, it was held quite stiffly—typically a sign that a dog was angry or on high alert. If it were angry, it would also emit a low growl from its throat. But there was no growl, so it was undoubtedly just wary of these two unfamiliar people.

The two of them must have felt somewhat uneasy as well, perhaps startled by the sudden appearance of Blackie. When I glanced back, I caught them exchanging a quick look, and Ye Qingchen even lifted his stone axe slightly.

"Brother Luo, how is there a dog out here?" Before stepping inside, Brother Qian finally couldn't hold it in anymore and blurted out the question.

"It arrived here even earlier than we did. When I first encountered it, it had clearly been living here for quite some time." Without turning around, I pushed open the treehouse door and replied.

The campfire had nearly burned out, with only scattered embers still glowing faintly. I hurriedly grabbed some dry leaves and twigs from the corner and rekindled the fire. Only then did Brother Qian and Ye Qingchen step inside.

I could understand their hesitation; after all, not knowing whether anyone else might be inside, following blindly could be quite dangerous. Interestingly, before the two of them entered, Blackie had squatted right by the doorway, staring fixedly at them. Even after they came in, it continued to watch them intently. From the look of it, had either of them made any sudden movements, Blackie would have lunged at them instantly.

"Brother Luo, your place is really nice. Is it two-story?" Brother Qian asked with a hint of envy.

"Yes, this way the upper level stays drier, making it more comfortable to live in, and there are fewer bugs and pests."

"Brother Luo, what are these?" "Brother Luo, what about all this stuff?" Ye Qingchen's and Brother Qian's questions rang out simultaneously!

Ever since they stepped inside, neither of them had sat down; to them, everything here was a mystery. Ye Qingchen was pointing at the sacks of grain, while Brother Qian was gesturing toward the pots, pans, and the table nearby.

"You two don't need to rush. Let me fix us something to eat first, and we can chat while we eat. Besides, it's still early, isn't it?" I didn't intend to explain everything right away—these matters couldn't be summed up in a few simple words.

After a moment's thought, the two of them nodded, deciding to wait for my explanation while eating, and took a seat on the long wooden bench.

Suddenly, a loud "clatter" echoed as something dropped down from the upper level, startling Brother Qian and Ye Qingchen so badly that they leaped straight into the air, instantly grabbing their stone axes and spinning around to face the source of the noise.

To be honest, even I had been startled by the sudden sound, though certainly not to the exaggerated extent they were. For a second, I even wondered if they were using it as a pretext to launch a sudden attack on me, and my hand had already instinctively reached for the pistol at my back.

"Ouch, gave me a start! Turns out it's just a little guy." Brother Qian walked forward a bit, finally spotting the culprit, his voice laced with relief.

"Ah!" At his words, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't seen Lightning yet. Rushing over to check, I realized it was indeed Lightning. The little fellow must have been so desperately hungry that it didn't even have the strength to make a sound.

Seeing Lightning in this state broke my heart. I scooped it up into my arms and gently stroked its head. The rice porridge had just come to a boil; after setting Lightning aside for a moment, I scooped out some rice broth, mixed in some arrowroot powder, and fed it to Lightning. Once fed, its hunger was finally alleviated, and having starved all day, Lightning promptly fell fast asleep... Good thing I came back in time, or Lightning really might have starved to death... I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

As the porridge neared completion, I sliced up some cured meat and added meat sausages as well. Because the two of them were here, I used a whole block of cured meat this time. I figured wild boar meat wasn't something they got to eat very often.

Sure enough, seeing that I had meat and sausages, the two of them could no longer stay seated and stood right up, walking over to get a closer look.

*Gulp, gulp, grumble...* The former sound came from them swallowing their saliva, while the latter came from their rumbling stomachs. The look in their eyes right now was as fixed and unblinking as if they were gazing upon celestial beauties.

Perhaps fearing I would laugh at them, they tried their best to suppress the sound of their swallowing, but the rapid up-and-down movement of their Adam's apples clearly betrayed the frequency of their gulping...

The porridge was finally done. I divided the large pot into four portions. Although they had eaten some food back at Brother Qian's shelter, the irresistible pull of a familiar staple food was beyond imagination.

They ate at lightning speed. Even Blackie, usually the fastest eater among us, had only finished half its bowl by the time both of them had completely emptied theirs. "Hah, *burp*," Brother Qian exhaled, letting out a satisfied burp.

The plan to chat while eating had long since been forgotten. Faced with such food, who remembered to ask questions? They simply devoured everything voraciously.

Only after they truly finished eating did we sit down together to start chatting. Naturally, I didn't reveal every single detail, offering only a general overview: I had discovered a boat without any living people on board, managed to salvage these supplies... and shortly afterward, a typhoon swept the ship away...

The two of them listened with absolute focus... Time slipped away amidst the answering of various questions...

Unawares, the moon was sinking low toward the horizon...