Day Eighty-Seven: They Have Arrived (Part Two)

I never expected Brother Qian to know a thing or two about tides. Since he has a rough idea of the ebb and flow cycle, that is definitely great news for us. We will no longer have to worry about running out of fresh seafood.

However, with more people around now, the demand for food and other supplies is also increasing. Compared to my previous routine, life might become a bit busier. But having so many companions around means I will no longer feel as lonely as before.

Shortly after I returned to the treehouse, I heard Ye Qingchen calling from outside. They must have arrived! Brother Qian immediately rushed out, and I followed right behind him.

The three of them were carrying a huge pile of supplies. The back-baskets on their shoulders surprised me quite a bit; they were clearly woven by themselves using vines, looking much neater, larger, and far more practical than the ones I had made.

"Hey everyone, you've all met Brother Robo. Let's put our things down first and take a break," Brother Qian called out as he ran up to them.

Seeing Ye Qingchen and the others sit down, Brother Qian quickly added, "Little Ye, introduce the guys to Brother Robo. I'll go help Midakang prepare the seafood we brought back."

"Got it, Brother Qian!" Ye Qingchen replied while wiping the sweat from his brow. Seeing how hot they looked, I went back into the treehouse and brought out a few cans of beverages. To them, this could be considered a rather luxurious welcome gift. Sure enough, upon seeing the drinks distributed to them, the expressions of the three were even more astonished than Brother Qian and Midakang had been. Ye Qingchen was quite clever; he merely showed surprise without asking too many questions or revealing any other reactions before starting to enjoy it. However, the skinny fellow next to him was rather foolish. Without even opening his drink yet, he blurted out, "Where did you get this stuff?"

This guy had seen me when I went over the other day, and the questions he asked back then were equally silly. It seemed his personality in daily life was just like this—acting without thinking, or rather, completely lacking a brain. The other big guy spent a bit longer staring in a daze than Ye Qingchen had, but in the end, he didn't ask any questions either and opened his drink to enjoy it.

"Oh, I've already explained it to Brother Qian, we can talk about the details later." I didn't feel like explaining right then and there. Since I put it that way, he didn't press further and started drinking as well.

"Thank you, Brother Robo! You must not have many of these drinks left, right? And yet you're giving them to us, we really appreciate it!" Ye Qingchen said sincerely after finishing his drink.

"It's nothing at all!" I waved my hand dismissively. I have to admit, this kid was really likable; his words sounded extremely pleasant, and he was quite quick-witted. In a civilized society, he would surely be a person of talent.

"Very good. Many thanks, Brother Robo," the muscular man said after finishing his drink. I waved my hand again and told him not to stand on ceremony.

"Brother Robo, let me introduce everyone. This big guy is Zhao Laoyao, nicknamed 'One-Thirty'!" Ye Qingchen said, pointing at the muscular man. I was quite curious about how he got such a nickname... but before I could ask, the skinny guy who was still drinking suddenly spat out a mouthful of liquid, started coughing violently, and laughed while choking: "Haha... cough cough... ha!"

Ye Qingchen also chuckled and said, "Brother Robo, do you know why Brother Zhao has this nickname?" I shook my head—how could I possibly know that? So I waited for him to continue, though Zhao Laoyao, the muscular man off to the side, looked a bit embarrassed.

"Brother Luo, Brother Zhao has to get up in the middle of the night every single day. At first, I had a watch so I could check the time, and every single time he got up to use the restroom, it was exactly one-thirty in the morning! So nowadays, people rarely call him Zhao Laoyao anymore; almost everyone just calls him by his nickname, One-Thirty. Haha!" After Ye Qingchen finished speaking, the rest of them burst into laughter. It seemed their relationships with one another were pretty good in daily life, except for Midakang, who felt rather cold. He was the only one I didn't particularly care for.

After the laughter died down, we grew more familiar with each other, and Ye Qingchen moved on to introduce the less sharp-witted one: "Brother Robo, this is Ying Yuefeng. He knows a lot about plants, and the other day, Brother Ying even discovered some plants in the woods that can be used to make tea..." Hearing this, Ying Yuefeng proudly lifted his chin.

Through this brief interaction, I had gained a preliminary understanding of each of them. Ye Qingchen was relatively sharp and clever, while Zhao Laoyao looked rough and tough on the outside but was actually quite honest and simple-natured. As for Ying Yuefeng, he belonged to the type of person who wasn't good at socializing. He spoke without considering the consequences or the feelings of others. To put it in two words: blunt!

To me, among all these people, the one posing the least threat was probably Ying Yuefeng. With his personality, he couldn't keep secrets at all. The others would conceal things to varying degrees—just like Zhao Laoyao, whose usual honest exterior didn't mean he was brainless...

After the introductions, everyone started chatting casually. Since Brother Qian and Midakang were busy preparing the seafood, it gave me a chance to rest. I must admit that after chatting, I had developed a better understanding of each of them.

Ye Qingchen's specialty was making fire by friction. As long as the materials were given to him, he guaranteed a fire could be started within ten minutes. He said he had tried it many times before coming here; at first it was very hard to succeed, but after coming here, he used it so often that he became increasingly proficient.

Despite his rough and burly appearance, Zhao Laoyao was exceptionally skilled at weaving all sorts of items. He said that back in his hometown, he learned from his grandfather how to make straw sandals, rabbit-skin clothing, bamboo hats, rain capes, and so on. This news came as a huge surprise to me. If he was truly capable of that, we wouldn't have to worry about lacking shoes, clothes, or trousers in the future.

Although Ying Yuefeng seemed a bit slow, he was a top student who had majored in agriculture. After graduation, he had always worked at a scientific experimental base, and he knew a great deal about plant cultivation and breeding. He recognized a large portion of the local plants here, which made me look at him with newfound respect.

Furthermore, Ye Qingchen told me about Brother Qian's strong suit. Brother Qian was a foreman for a small construction team, leading a group of fellow villagers on construction projects for a long time. Among our group, Brother Qian was the oldest, in his forties, while the rest were in their twenties and thirties. Therefore, Brother Qian was well-versed in house building, including all kinds of structures. The circular house they previously lived in had been built under his direction...

As for Midakang's specific strengths, they couldn't quite say, because he rarely spoke. Basically, he just did whatever Brother Qian assigned him to do, and he preferred being alone without talking much. It had been like that for the past few months, so other than his name, they knew very little else about him. Early on, someone named Liu Zichuan had a relatively decent relationship with him, but after Liu Zichuan was bitten to death by a poisonous snake, no one else ever got close to him.

...

This conversation would undoubtedly prove beneficial for our future cooperation.

Also, I still wasn't sure what kind of plant had grown from the drifting bottle in the courtyard; I could just ask Ying Yuefeng to take a look at it...