Watching the little stutterer neatly put away the dried food, then lift a small jar and head outside, Yu Hong hurried to follow.
He needed to learn where to find water.
As they stepped outside, Yu Hong was surprised to see that the little stutterer did not go to the well in the village for water.
Instead, she walked out along the gravel path, following an old road.
After about ten minutes of walking, they reached the roadside where they found a low, dilapidated well.
The well was shallow, and with enough light, they could see a pool of deep yellow, foul-smelling water at the bottom.
Without hesitation, the little stutterer tied up the jar with a piece of rope and lowered it into the well to fetch water.
"Why don’t we go to the village well?" Yu Hong couldn’t help but whisper.
"That water is undrinkable!" the little stutterer replied seriously.
She looked up at Yu Hong while drawing the water.
"From now on, we will get our water here!" she said, pointing at the well.
Yu Hong nodded, looking down at the slowly filling jar of foul water, his heart growing heavier.
He helped her seal the jar tightly so it wouldn’t spill.
Instead of returning, they began searching the nearby grass for something to eat.
"We must gather grass to eat!" the little stutterer instructed.
"Otherwise, we’ll get sick and could die!" She gestured with urgency.
Yu Hong nodded, beginning to closely observe which types of grass she was digging up.
This knowledge was invaluable; eating the wrong thing could lead to poisoning or diarrhea.
In such harsh conditions, falling sick could mean weakness or even death.
After a while of gathering, they returned with large bundles of grass.
The little stutterer laid hers out on the windowsill to dry.
Meanwhile, Yu Hong meticulously recorded what he had learned using a piece of charcoal on the newspaper the little stutterer had given him.
He focused on the key points, simplifying them so he could understand later.
"Are the dried meats and mushrooms only available far away?" Yu Hong asked, looking up.
"You can grow them yourself," the little stutterer replied slowly, "but it’s not worth it!"
Yu Hong nodded and wrote it down.
Just as he was about to ask more, a small notebook was handed to him.
The cover was white with a cartoon mouse design in the center, with shaky letters spelling: Survival Handbook - Lin Yiyi.
After a moment of silence, Yu Hong looked up to see the little stutterer smiling at him, showing her big yellow teeth.
"Thank you," he said as he took the notebook and began to flip through it.
Inside, it detailed how to fetch water, where to buy food, the characteristics of some basic wild vegetables, and their locations.
Though not extensive, the information was thorough.
There were also names and contact information for several villagers who could be reached in Baiqiu Village.
Among them was Old Yu, who made dried meats, Doctor Xu who treated illnesses, a woman named Jenny who worked with leather, and someone who made candles.
Besides that, the residences of other villagers were marked, though no names were written, suggesting unfamiliarity.
Finally, there was mention of a post office located in a forest north of Baiqiu Village.
"What’s the post office for?" Yu Hong inquired.
"It’s for contacting the town, sending goods like salt and sugar, and delivering letters," the little stutterer explained with visible effort, flailing her arms to emphasize her point.
"You must master a skill and trade for materials with others."
"I understand. I really do. But I think the most crucial issue we need to tackle first is safety," Yu Hong said earnestly.
"We've already had two encounters with impostors while you were away. It’s too dangerous."
His mind raced with thoughts on how to protect himself using his unique black mark to ensure maximum safety.
"It's hopeless," the little stutterer said, clearly frustrated by the situation.
"The Dark Shadows can’t be stopped by anything. The bugs can crawl through any gap."
"They can even go through walls!" she gestured dramatically.
Through walls??
Yu Hong fell into contemplation as he examined the walls of the house. ‘This place is too shabby, with too many gaps and holes for protection,’ he thought.
He recalled how the black bugs had crawled in through the cracks in the door and windows.
This meant they likely couldn’t penetrate the walls.
After asking the little stutterer, he confirmed his thoughts.
Upon inspecting the house further, he concluded that the place had extremely poor protection.
"I’m planning to move out on my own and find another place," he said softly.
Living alone would mean he wouldn’t have to worry about impostors as long as everyone kept their doors closed.
The little stutterer was taken aback.
While she had saved many people before, those people always wanted to stay longer to learn more skills before leaving.
But this man, Yu Hong, had only just felt better, yet wanted to go off alone?
What a strange man.
She blinked at him, curious.
"Aren’t you afraid?"
"I am, but your house is just too unsafe," Yu Hong replied as he understood more details from the notebook.
"The threats we face are mainly the monster bugs and the Dark Shadows. While the Dark Shadows can pass through walls, we can use glowing stones to scatter and drive them away. The monster bugs can be blocked by doors and walls, as long as we close the gaps at the right moment. This means if we have enough glowing stones and a well-sealed room, we can assure basic safety, right?"
Yu Hong analyzed the situation calmly.
His serious expression left the little stutterer stunned.
"Should we try blocking the gaps and see if the bugs can still get in? If they can, we’ll figure out how big of a hole we can allow for ventilation?" he suggested.
"Also, how are the glowing stones made? Can you teach me?" he asked earnestly.
The little stutterer stared at him and nodded absentmindedly.
In that moment, she seemed to see a familiar shadow from deep within her memories, someone she had deeply missed.
Once they’d agreed, the two immediately began to prepare.
The little stutterer rummaged for tools: a hammer, a saw, discarded planks, an axe, long nails—everything was scattered about.
Yu Hong, still weak from his recent illness, directed the little stutterer on what to do.
He noticed she was incredibly strong—much stronger than he would be in normal circumstances.
Even though she had slept on the ground while he took the bed, she hadn’t fallen ill.
According to the notebook, the black bugs officially named "Blood Tide" had a strange name considering they were black bugs, but Yu Hong didn’t bother with that.
He was only focused on understanding the bugs and Dark Shadows better.
The two worked hard throughout the day, apparently because Yu Hong was feeling better, they weren’t disturbed by any Dark Shadows.
As night fell, there were no attacks from the Blood Tide either.
According to the little stutterer, the Blood Tide generally came every three to five days.
Only with sufficient light could they fend off all the bugs.
The Blood Tide depended on light while the Dark Shadows feared the glowing stones.
This was the survival rule for the people living here.
The next day, they continued Yu Hong’s plan, sawing wood to create movable seals, completely blocking any remaining gaps in the doors and windows.
The seals could be opened during the day and lowered at night.
It was a simple setup, just an experiment from Yu Hong.
The more he learned about the dangers and difficulties they faced, the more he wanted to build a base of safety for himself—a safe house, if you will.
The little stutterer's home didn’t meet those requirements at all.
Not to mention the Dark Shadows and bugs, even the mold covering the corners of the house, and the stuffy, filthy air could shorten a person's life living there for long.
Moreover, the water quality was another major issue.
He worried that if he kept drinking that dirty water, he couldn’t last much longer.
That night, inside the house, the little stutterer and Yu Hong stood together.
The little stutterer raised her right hand, holding a candle high, the flickering flame pushing back the surrounding darkness.
The faint sounds of crawling could be heard outside the doors and windows, but thanks to the seals, the gaps had become much smaller than before.
The black bugs couldn’t get inside at all.
"It works!" Yu Hong smiled, surprised that his simple attempt had truly succeeded.
The little stutterer was also happily grinning, realizing that no black bugs had entered.
Even if a few managed to sneak in, they were quickly melted away by the candlelight.
This way, the candle’s use slowed down, meaning she wouldn’t need to visit the candle shop frequently, saving her resources.
Just as both felt a sense of accomplishment, a cracking sound suddenly came from outside the sealed boards.
The seals on the gaps, the doors, and windows began making the same gnawing sound.
"Wait! If those bugs can’t get in, why are they trying to gnaw at the doors and windows now?!" Yu Hong realized.
He picked up a wooden stick and rushed to the door, prying up the bottom seal with a swift motion.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed as numerous black bugs surged in like a tidal wave, rushing toward both of them.
Hiss.
As the black bugs entered the candlelight, they were quickly dissolved and evaporated into nothing.
However, the candle began to burn down rapidly.
In the pale yellow light, Yu Hong looked at the scene unfolding before him, his earlier joy gradually fading.
"If they can’t get in, they’ll just eat away at the outside walls?"
Now, he finally understood why the little stutterer’s parents chose not to seal the place, even knowing about the black bugs.
"Have we failed?" the little stutterer cautiously asked from behind.
"Not entirely," Yu Hong shook his head.
That night fell silent.
The next morning, Yu Hong decided to leave the village and venture to the forest at the foot of the hills.
He walked around the trees in the forest, constantly hammering here and there.
Meanwhile, the little stutterer, having nothing else to do, began gathering a few herbs she recognized and some plants used for making ink.
The glowing stones she relied on for trading were those she had marked with symbols.
According to her, these marked glowing stones were far more effective than ordinary ones.
The sun was shining brightly as the little stutterer collected her materials, occasionally glancing at Yu Hong, who was performing strange actions.
"What are you doing?" she finally spoke up after watching for a while.
"I’m selecting wood and a location to build my own safe house," Yu Hong replied.
"Build a house yourself?" The little stutterer couldn’t understand.
Could a house he built be stronger than a stone brick house?
(End of Chapter)