Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 20: Let Me Tell You, I’m Super Mean!

The breeze was light, the forest still, and the leaves rustled gently. The slices of smoked meat were charred, and a burnt smell wafted through the air, but Xia Ye had no time to clean it up; holding his crossbow, he walked over warily. “A bear?” Through the dense trees, Xia Ye spotted a plump little ball of fur lying on the ground; judging by its fur, it appeared to be a black bear. Instead of rushing to shoot it, he quickly scanned the surroundings. A little black bear couldn’t possibly be out on its own—there had to be a full-grown bear nearby! “I hope its fangs are big!” A hint of excitement and anticipation flashed across Xia Ye’s face. The tribe had a tradition of crafting bracelets and necklaces from the teeth of fierce beasts they’d hunted with their own hands, wearing them to showcase their bravery and fearlessness. Not having a single piece of jewelry would be a source of shame—he wouldn’t even be able to find a wife. “I’ll also get four bear paws!” Xia Ye licked his lips, but after waiting a full five minutes, there wasn’t even the slightest sound. “What’s going on?” Speechless, Xia Ye circled the area. After confirming there were no signs of a large black bear, he walked toward the cub—could this be a lost one? Rustle! The little bear inched forward. Gurgle! Hearing that sound, Xia Ye felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. Could that be its stomach growling from hunger? “Fine, I’ll let you off the hook!” Looking at the little black bear, less than a meter long, Xia Ye put away his crossbow and turned back toward the campfire. Hunting a cub just didn’t sit right with him. “Ah-woo!” The little black bear let out a cry. “Here, this is for you!” Xia Ye turned back and tossed a piece of smoked ham its way. Thud! The bacon hit the ground. Sniff! The little black bear, drawn by the scent of meat, sprang to life, darted out, pounced on the smoked ham, and began gnawing on it voraciously. “Uh, a person?” Xia Ye furrowed his brow and took a few more steps forward. This time, he saw clearly that it was a small child wrapped in the little black bear’s pelt. The black bear pelt had been skinned so neatly—with only an opening at the abdomen—and combined with the dim light and the fact that the child was crawling on the ground, barely moving, he hadn’t realized it at first. “Ah-woo!” Noticing Xia Ye approaching, the grubby-faced little rascal clutched the smoked meat with both hands, glared at Xia Ye, and let out a low growl from his throat. “Don’t you dare take my food!” The little rascal threatened in a babyish voice, “I’m telling you, I’m super mean!” Gurgle, gurgle! Another thunderous rumble came from his stomach. “It seems like I was the one who threw that food to you!” Xia Ye couldn’t help but chuckle: “Besides, saying you’re ‘super mean’ while your stomach’s growling—that’s not very convincing!” The little rascal fell silent for a moment, then turned his head and pretended to look around at the scenery! “Ha, you must be feeling awkward now, right?” Xia Ye chuckled softly. “Hmph, just so you know, I’m super fierce!” As if to add weight to his claim, the little rascal reached out his tiny hand and grabbed something: “Don’t even think about using a piece of meat to trick… burp… trick me… burp… out of my treasure!” “Eat slower!” Xia Ye shook his head and turned to leave, while the little rascal kept talking and tearing into the smoked meat with gusto, shoving it into his mouth as if it would only be safe once it was down his throat. Back at camp, after scraping the charred meat off the bronze plate, Xia Ye started grilling again. The water had come to a boil, so he tossed a piece of brown sugar into it. “Once we’ve got a place of our own, I’ll invent paper!” Watching the lotus leaf wrapping the pancake tear open, with bits of pancake falling everywhere, Xia Ye sighed. These days, everything was “all-natural, pollution-free, and super healthy.” If he hadn’t found a huge patch of wild peanuts, he wouldn’t even have any recycled cooking oil to eat right now. The aroma of grilled meat wafted through the air! The little black bear shuffled over with a rustling sound, crouched down not far from the campfire, and craned its neck to look at the grilled meat on the bronze plate. The hollowed-out bear-head hat had slipped down his back, revealing his head: short hair, well-defined features, and a youthful innocence. Wrapped in a thick black bear pelt, the little rascal looked chubby, Gulp! Watching Xia Ye eat that fragrant smoked meat, the little bear swallowed hard, but it was no use—shiny drool still trickled down the corner of his mouth. “Want some?” Xia Ye picked up a piece with his chopsticks and held it out to the little rascal. The little rascal nodded vigorously, then shook his head, staring warily at Xia Ye. “What’s your name?” Xia Ye picked up the bronze lunchbox and took a sip. Mmm, he never would have thought that simply brewing some brown sugar would taste so delicious. Warm and sweet, the flavor lingered on his taste buds, and all the chill and fatigue of the day melted away. Seeing the look of pure enjoyment on Xia Ye’s face, the little rascal decided to tell him his name: “My name is…” “Delicious!” Xia Ye exclaimed, exhaling a puff of hot breath scented with meat. “My name isn’t ‘Delicious’—it’s Song Guo!” The little rascal crossed her arms over her chest and pouted: “You guessed wrong!” “Uh!” Xia Ye rubbed the bridge of his nose: “All right, here’s a pastry for you—consider it my apology!” “Hehe!” Song Guo flashed a toothy grin, darted over, crouched by the campfire, took the flatbread, and began munching on it while staring at the roasted meat on the bronze griddle. “What a beautiful set of white teeth!” Xia Ye waited quietly. Sure enough, after a few bites, Song Guo looked down at the flatbread in shock. What was that red stuff inside? It’s so sweet! “Do you like it?” Xia Ye teased. “Mmm-hmm!” Song Guo nodded vigorously, like a woodpecker. “Want some more?” Xia Ye pulled out another piece. “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm!” Song Guo shoved the cookie in her hand into her mouth and reached out to grab another. Xia Ye pulled his hand back to dodge, and took the opportunity to take a bite. “Ah-woo!” Looking at the bite mark on the cookie, Little Pinecone pouted in protest: “Just so you know, I’m really mean!” “Haha, are you about to cry?” Xia Ye was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. But when he saw Song Guo’s eyes glistening with tears, on the verge of crying, he stopped teasing her and handed her a fresh cookie: “Here you go. Count yourself lucky—you’re the third person in this era to taste a red bean paste cookie!” “Hehe!” Song Guo’s tears turned to a smile. This time, she wasn’t in a hurry to eat; she held the red bean paste cookie between her teeth, crouched by the campfire, and watched the roasting meat. Little Song Guo was actually very well-mannered. Although the grilled meat was within arm’s reach, she didn’t reach for it without Xia Ye’s invitation; she just kept breathing in the aroma. “Go ahead, have some!” The little rascal seemed to be a girl, about four or five years old. As for wandering alone in the forest, Xia Ye had long since grown accustomed to such sights. The harsh conditions of survival made children mature much faster. Unable to adapt? In the face of nature’s cruelty and ruthlessness, they’d be weeded out in no time! “Thanks!” As soon as Song Guo finished speaking, she eagerly reached for the grilled meat, only to burn her finger. She held it up to her mouth and blew on it vigorously. “Careful, it’s hot!” Xia Ye handed her a pair of chopsticks. Little Song Guo’s speech was a bit slurred, but she must have meant “thank you”! “Mmm!” Song Guo finally got to eat the grilled meat; the fragrant fat glided over her tongue, filling her little face with pure delight. The campfire was warm, the moonlight was bright, and the chirping of insects filled the air—it was the very essence of camping. “Want a bite?” Something this good shouldn’t be enjoyed alone. “Yes!” Little Song Guo cupped the lunchbox in both hands, took a sip, and immediately widened her eyes as wide as they would go—this sweetness was different from honey! “Brown sugar water.” Xia Ye took off her knee-high boots to give her toes a rest. Slurp! Song Guo savored it carefully. After taking a few sips, even though she wasn’t quite ready to stop, she still put the lunchbox back. This little gesture put Xia Ye in a great mood. “Ah-woo!” Song Guo rummaged around inside the bearskin, then her eyes lit up as she pulled out a leaf wrapper. She opened it, took out a pill, and handed it to Xia Ye. “What’s this?” Xia Ye furrowed his brow. The cherry-sized meatball looked like it had been kneaded together from a whole bunch of things—shredded meat, flower petals, and even grass roots. “Eat it—it’s food!” Xiao Song Guo said, popping another one into her own mouth. Xia Ye’s mouth twitched; on the pellet, he spotted the hind legs of some kind of insect, and what looked like dragonfly wings. “Yum!” Song Guo pulled out another mushroom and stuffed it into her mouth. Seeing the little girl’s expectant smile—as if she were presenting a treasure—Xia Ye gritted his teeth, popped the meatball into his mouth, and swallowed it whole without chewing. “Tasty, right? I added honey!” Song Guo chewed the mushroom over and over—it was her snack. “Mmm!” Xia Ye nodded. “Here, they’re all yours!” The little girl held out her big hand and generously handed him the leaf-wrapped package. Xia Ye’s mouth twitched. He swore he’d never lie again, but as soon as he swallowed the meatball, a warm sensation began to flow through his stomach. “What’s this made of?” Xia Ye decided to ask for clarification, because he found himself feeling excited, his body growing warm, and a light sweat breaking out. “Huh?” Song Guo scratched her head; she couldn’t remember the name, but that was okay—she quickly came up with a solution. She picked up a twig and began drawing shapes in the dirt. “Forget it!” Xia Ye gave up. There was nothing he could do—the little girl was another Picasso; no one could make heads or tails of what she drew. After eating and drinking her fill, Xiao Song Guo lay down on the ground to let her food settle. Xia Ye practiced the “Dragon-Taming Return” incantation. Since it was only the first level, he wasn’t worried about the little girl seeing it. Whether it was because of the pills he’d eaten or the effect of this witchcraft, he felt in top form—his body was healthier than ever before. Early the next morning, Xia Ye crawled out of the tent and discovered that Little Song Guo was already gone. He checked around and found that nothing was missing. By the campfire lay a pile of pills; judging by the number, this must have been the little girl’s entire stash. After a simple breakfast, he packed up his things, extinguished the embers, and set off. He’d thought it was just a one-night encounter, but half a day later, the little girl caught up with him. Little Song Guo was still wrapped in her little black bear pelt. “It’s you?” Xia Ye’s eyelid twitched slightly, for on the little girl’s back was a stone hammer taller than she was. That thing was worth at least a hundred shi, yet to the eye, Song Guo looked as if she were carrying nothing more than a bundle of straw. Hanging from the stone hammer was a small bundle woven from vines and grass. “Ah-woo!” Little Song Guo scampered over on her stubby little legs, her face beaming with joy. “Do you want to come with me?” Xia Ye crouched down and ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Mm-hmm!” Xiao Song Guo nodded vigorously. “Where’s your family?” Xia Ye asked. “Ah-woo!” The little girl lowered her head, pouted, and looked sad, but then lifted her little face again, blinking her big, bright eyes full of longing as she looked at Xia Ye. “I’m sorry!” Xia Ye shook his head and turned to leave. Waaah! The sound of stifled sobbing echoed through the dense forest. Taking in a little girl of unknown origin was very risky, but as Xia Ye listened to her heartbroken sobs and turned to see her crouched in the damp forest—as helpless as an abandoned cub—his heart melted. “Would you like a sugar-coated hawthorn?” Xia Ye chuckled softly. “Yes!” Song Guo’s tears turned to a smile; she giggled, spread her arms wide, and ran over as fast as she could, throwing herself into Xia Ye’s arms. Sunlight filtering through the gaps in the tree canopy fell upon that smile—not imposing, not domineering, but in Little Song Guo’s eyes, it was so warm it banished the chill of the cold night! In this black-and-white world, a splash of color suddenly appeared!