Chapter 4

Just as Mu Qing was hesitating to leave, she saw the man ing back from behind a tree. He was holding a pile of firewood and a few things wrapped up with large leaves. After putting the things down, he dug a hole in the ground with his hands, and put the things wrapped in the large leaves  into the hole, covered it with a thin layer of soil, before stacking the firewood into a cross shape on top of it. When all was ready, he extended his hand towards the tree hole behind and pulled out a handful of dry moss-alike thing. He made a pile of it in the hollow of the crossed firewood, before using his hands to strike two pieces of flint stone against one another. Sparks splashed everywhere, and after striking a dozen times, the pile of moss-alike thing caught on fire with a “whoosh”.

The man bent his head and carefully blew on the fire, and very quickly the small fire became raging. After the fire was lit for about ten minutes, she then saw him moving the fire to the side with a branch and opening up the hole. When it turned a little cooler, he pushed the few wraps of baked goods in front of Mu Qing.

Mu Qing smelled the charred smell of meat. But she did not have any appetite at all.

The pile of things in front of her, it was a bunch of burned black chunks, on the surface there was even a layer of burnt hair, looking like a bunch of caterpillars.

Mu Qing just wanted to drink water.

She looked up and saw that the man was staring intently at her.

Mu Qing mustered up courage and made a gesture to imitate a drinking motion.

The man slightly froze, before quickly getting up. When he came back, there were a few extra rounded things in his hands.

It looked like coconuts, but she was certain these were not coconuts.

The man, with force, broke it off with his hands, the thing cracked and was left open with a slit. He then handed it to her.

Mu Qing hurriedly took it and sucked with big gulps the juice flowing from the crack, it was slightly green and astringent, but it did not matter.

She was so thirsty that she drank three or four mouthfuls in one breath, and only then did she let out a long sigh.

The man pointed to the few piles of things in front of her and gestured for her to eat.

Mu Qing did not care about burning her hands, took a small piece of the roasted meat-like thing, put it into her mouth and slowly munched it, even though she had no desire to eat.

Fortunately, pared to the earlier feeling of dying of thirst, now it felt like she could swallow anything.

The man looked like he was satisfied, and then picked up the remaining chunks of meat in front of him and ate it all very quickly. Then, he held a pile of roasted bugs and presented them in front of her mouth.

Mu Qing hurriedly shook her head and pointed to her stomach, indicating that she was full.

The man looked at her, and did not force her, tilting his head, he gulped down the pile in a few seconds. Getting up, he then put out the fire.

Mu Qing was a bit apprehensive, not knowing what he was going to do next.

But she very soon knew.

The man threw her one more time onto his back, climbed the trunk of that big tree on all fours, and reached up to the wooden house very quickly as if he was flying.

Once again, Mu Qing was thrown on the ground, into a pile of dry grass and leaves.

Inside the wooden house, it was very dark, at the moment, Mu Qing could only see the man silhouette.

He seemed a little curious about her, kneeling in front of her, he kept staring at her for a long time.

Mu Qing held her breath, not moving a muscle.

He finally stopped looking and used a rope to tie her hands and feet up, before laying down on the outside part of the wooden house.

A snoring sound was heard very quickly.

Mu Qing finally breathed a long sigh of relief, while her back was soaked in cold sweat.