APTnovel Chapter 4: If you're sad, just cry it out, it's okay.
Chapter 4: If you're sad, just cry it out, it's okay.
The cave was not carved out temporarily; it has existed for many years and has been inhabited by many people.
Jiang Luoluo saw many traces etched by time.
The cave has a very simple structure. At the very back is a huge stone bed that looks rather exaggerated. It's hard to imagine how such a large stone was moved in. Perhaps it was just something that was found in the cave.
The surface was covered with some dry grass and a few pieces of animal hide; these were the newest items in the entire cave.
Besides that, opposite the stone bed was an old stone water vat with many chips along the edges, covered with a rattan winnowing basket, which looked quite dilapidated.
In the middle of the cave was a fire pit, probably used for cooking, and also an important means of keeping warm in winter... In winter, Jiang Luoluo couldn't imagine how cold it would be inside the cave.
There were some firewood scattered around the stone water tank, most of which looked a bit damp, with only the top part being relatively dry.
Not far away, there were several pieces of meat tied up with grass leaves and ropes. Since there was no shelf or anything to put them on, they could only be left on the ground.
Put it on the ground?! Jiang Luoluo screamed inwardly. Things with such a strong smell attract all sorts of filth, like insects, flies, and cockroaches!
Can you still eat it if you leave it on the ground?!
After a few quick jogs, Jiang Luoluo lifted up a few pieces of meat and found that they were surprisingly clean inside, with no insects or anything like that.
No, Jiang Luoluo looked around the cave again. Although the boy Ge had cleaned it, there was still a lot of dust and thick spider webs in some corners.
Given the dark and damp environment inside the cave, it was not surprising that Jiang Luoluo would not be surprised if something like a bat jumped out, even if it wasn't swarming with mosquitoes.
But no, the cave was even cleaner than the home of the spiders and flies that she cleaned regularly!
This doesn't make sense! Jiang Luoluo couldn't understand it.
Young Ge didn't know what Jiang Luoluo was thinking. He only saw the cub suddenly run to the food and assumed that she was hungry, so he came over to prepare to cook.
...If simply cooking meat is considered cooking, then...
"Are you hungry? Luo, I'll prepare some food for you right away." As he spoke, the young man, Ge, reached out to take a piece of meat.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Luoluo looked up at the young man Ge, somewhat puzzled. Was this all the meat they would have to eat from now on? Was there nothing else to eat?
The young shaman has so many herbs, there must be many edible plants among them—otherwise, how would he have discovered that herbs can cure diseases?
Touching her still-feverish stomach, Jiang Luoluo grabbed the young man Ge's arm and shook her head.
She raised her hand and gestured, though she didn't know if young Ge could understand what she meant.
"Luo, you mean, the little bug?" Young Ge actually understood!
Jiang Luoluo nodded repeatedly.
“Don’t worry, Luo, the tribe’s fire protects us. Neither insects nor anything else will get close to the fire,” the young man said, pointing to the fire in the middle of the cave.
No, what exactly is the fire? Jiang Luoluo stared wide-eyed at the fire, but didn't find anything special about it.
Perhaps the firewood inside is more heat-resistant? What kind of wood is this? How come it hasn't changed after burning for so long?
Seeing that the cubs were drawn to the fire, young Ge also got up and began tidying up the things in the cave.
There's really nothing to clean up. All those things from before have been burned to ashes. There's nothing left here... only him and her.
"Luo, you stay at home. I'll go get some things." Young Ge put away the herbs the young shaman had given him, carefully instructed Jiang Luoluo by the fire, then picked up a piece of meat and turned to leave the cave.
Without money, do we barter? Jiang Luolu pondered, thinking how backward the times were.
She wasn't idle either. After all, this was a home she would be living in for a long time, so she had to put in her own effort and couldn't rely entirely on that sixteen-year-old boy.
In the pile of firewood, he picked out a rather haphazard broom—a very simple broom made by binding together some thin branches.
Jiang Luoluo cleaned up some nooks and crannies that the boy had overlooked during his cleaning. Because the area was small and the tools were simple, she couldn't clean it very thoroughly, so it didn't take her long.
Then Jiang Luoluo cleaned up the firewood pile, placing the dry firewood on another relatively dry patch of ground, while placing the damp firewood next to the fire to dry it with the heat of the flames.
Turning her head, she saw that the pieces of meat were still on the ground. Jiang Luoluo tried to resist, but she couldn't stand this way of placing them. She selected some firewood of similar length and thickness and stacked them in a "well" shape to make a small wooden platform.
Even though it's only a dozen centimeters off the ground, it's still off the ground!
Jiang Luoluo felt much more comfortable after placing the meat on the wooden table—that's what obsessive-compulsive disorder is like.
At this moment, the young man, Ge, who had been away for a long time, returned, carrying many things in his arms.
Jiang Luoluo went to greet him, wanting to help the boy with something, when she suddenly noticed that he was still carrying the piece of meat he had taken out earlier.
Isn't it supposed to be a barter system? Jiang Luolu blinked, looked at the boy Ge's inexplicably reddened eyes, and suddenly realized.
Those clansmen probably didn't want it. Although they couldn't adopt a poor child who had lost his parents, they could still offer some help within their means.
Several pieces of animal skin clothing, some worn and patched, but very clean.
Some tools are damaged and old, but still usable.
And a pile of dried vegetables that had been dried, with even a few crisp red fruits among them.
……
Jiang Luoluo remembered that when the young shaman was talking to the leader, Jing, he mentioned that he had been unconscious for more than ten days.
For the past ten days or so, young Ge has probably lived alone in this cave. However, due to his guilt and self-blame, he did not take the initiative to contact the people around him, nor did he think about making any arrangements. He simply maintained the most basic living conditions.
Perhaps he will resent himself for being able to eat and sleep here, and for being the only one still alive.
He only wanted to exchange goods with his clansmen to provide Jiang Luoluo with a better life because of her.
That's why he finally realized the concern and care his clansmen had for him.
Jiang Luoluo gently pulled the boy's arm, causing the boy with red eyes to squat down with her help.
Young Ge did as instructed, bewildered.
The cub, whose face was covered in dust, gently hugged the boy's head and made soft "ah ah" sounds, though she couldn't speak.
If you're sad, just cry it out, it's okay.
"I'm sorry, Luo, I'm sorry..." The boy sobbed uncontrollably in that small embrace.