Chapter 37: Is It Going to Rain?

Placing the blunt stone knife into the fire, he prepared to slice the termite mushrooms and grill them on the blade. Although he lacked oil, Xu Yi figured they would taste decent grilled this way. After all, they had no other tools.

Unless, of course, he could fire a clay pot. But after all these days, Xu Yi had not encountered any termite mounds or other suitable clay. Firing pottery remained a mere thought, impossible to put into practice.

Using the front of his tablet—which was made of tempered glass—as a cutting board, Xu Yi began slicing the mushrooms. Soon, he had a small pile ready. By the time he finished, the first batch on the stone knife was already cooked. Xu Yi transferred them into a wooden bowl and handed it to Su Keke.

Su Keke took the bowl and pulled a pair of chopsticks from her satchel. After picking up a piece and blowing on it, she held it out to Xu Yi’s lips.

"Daddy, you're hungry, you eat first. Keke isn't hungry yet."

Su Keke’s gesture warmed Xu Yi’s heart. Having such a thoughtful daughter was truly a blessing.

"Then Daddy will taste one, and you can have the rest." With that, Xu Yi took the grilled termite mushroom into his mouth. It was crisp, juicy, and incredibly delicious.

"It's sweet, very sweet, and crunchy. It’s delicious. Keke, eat up, these will be cooked soon."

Su Keke murmured an acknowledgement and picked up a piece for herself. As she ate, her eyes curved into crescents. Her fan base—comprised of "daddy fans," "mommy fans," "brother fans," and "grandparent fans"—went wild; the screen was so flooded with comments that the text became illegible. Xu Yi didn't need to read them to know that Keke had charmed them all.

While waiting for the mushrooms to cook, Xu Yi untied his hammock from his backpack and took out a bundle of snakeskins to free up space for the rest of the mushrooms. He then moved some hot coals into a wooden bucket. If he finished prepping the bucket, he could carry the mushrooms in it instead of dealing with the cumbersome snakeskins. He knew he had about an hour before they had to depart, so he couldn't afford to waste time.

Xu Yi regretted removing the protective case from his tablet earlier; it would have made a perfect fan to stoke the fire.

"Daddy, the mushrooms are ready, you eat first." Su Keke had already filled a bowl for him.

"Daddy isn't hungry yet. You eat first while I carve the charred wood out of this bowl."

Su Keke nodded, used her long makeshift chopsticks to layer more mushrooms on the stone, and began to eat. After scraping away the charred layer, the wooden bowl turned a yellowish-brown, and its capacity increased slightly.

"Daddy, I'm full." Su Keke was satisfied because she had eaten while Xu Yi was busy working.

"Alright, then you help me grill, and put them in the bowl to cool." Xu Yi handed the processed wooden bowl to Keke, took the one she was holding, and continued working on his own. By the time he finished, Keke had already filled a bowl with grilled mushrooms for him.

"It’s so blissful to eat termite mushrooms like a main course. I’m so jealous!"
"Contestant No. 1 would rather use them as a vegetable side than fill his stomach with them."
"This feels like eating king crab to stave off hunger during a famine. We only feel this way because our lives are better now. If we really had to eat this as a meal every day, we wouldn't think it was so delicious."

"Don't argue, I really do feel happy eating this. Because it honestly tastes that good," Xu Yi said, chatting with the audience as he ate. The wooden bowl was quite large, so the portion was generous. By the time he finished, he was about seventy percent full. He didn't bother cutting the rest of the mushrooms, leaving them in the basket instead.

He untied the hammock and secured it to a tree. "Daddy, are we not traveling today?" the audience wondered, curious as to why he was setting up the hammock so early.

"Daddy is going to sleep for an hour. Can you wake me up then?" Xu Yi hadn't slept enough the night before and wanted to catch a nap during the day.

"Of course, no problem." Su Keke agreed, knowing her father needed the rest since he slept so little.

"It's great to have two people; they can take turns sleeping. The others have to just push through it."
"Even though Keke is young, she’s so sensible and capable, and she knows so much. No. 1 having her along is like having a cheat code."
"Exactly, Keke is No. 1's cheat code. Without her, he definitely wouldn't have lasted until today."
"Hey, everyone likes Keke, but there’s no need to bash her father. His survival skills aren't weak at all. Without him, would Keke be doing this well?"
"Those haters are from 'Seventh Master's' side; they’re just jealous."

Keke ignored the comments, her focus fixed on the jungle. With Xu Yi sleeping, she felt she should act as a scout, keeping an eye on the surroundings and waking him if anything happened.

Mid-nap, a sudden crack of thunder echoed across the sky. Xu Yi jolted awake and sat up.

"Is it going to rain?" Xu Yi glanced at the sky and immediately told Su Keke, "Keke, go gather some firewood. Stay close, where you can still see me."

Xu Yi immediately began pulling at some vines. They were everywhere, and he quickly gathered two, chopping them down. He tied the four corners of the snakeskin to trees to form a slope, then added a second piece to create a rainproof roof. This way, they could keep a fire going beneath it even if it rained. Without a fire, they would have no defense against wild animals. Furthermore, rain would bring a drop in temperature. While the day-night temperature difference was usually small, it would definitely get cold at night if it rained, and the fire would be essential for warmth.

Xu Yi worked quickly, securing the first piece of snakeskin. He then pulled out the second. Just as he tied down the first two corners, the rain began to fall. It wasn't heavy yet, so it didn't hinder his movements. He quickly secured the remaining corners just as a torrential downpour began.