The boy's medicine was truly miraculous... From the time RongCheng was saved and brought back by Yan Si until now, seven days had passed, and his injuries were gradually recovering in a positive manner. At present, he could manage to walk a little with some effort; therefore, at the very crack of dawn, he got up to venture into the forest himself to forage for food.
In the early morning as the sun was just rising, RongCheng returned to the cave. At this moment, Yan Si had also just awoken. Faintly catching sight of him walking in, and further noticing the rabbit squirming in his hand, the boy asked haltingly, "You... what do you intend to do?"
RongCheng lifted the rabbit by its ears, holding it up before Yan Si's face, and replied casually, "Butcher it, of course."
"Butcher it?" Yan Si bolted up in a panic to intercede. "No... don't... don't! The little rabbit is very pitiful, don't harm it, hurry up and let it go!"
"You..." RongCheng knitted his brows slightly... To think he had expended so much effort to catch such a plump rabbit, yet the moment he returned, the boy demanded that he let it go!?
Yan Si pointed toward the wolf meat that had been dried, saying, "There is still meat over there; with a little re-preparation it will be usable, why must you eat that little rabbit?"
RongCheng immediately shook his head. "Naturally, it is not for me, but for you."
"For me?" Yan Si truly could not believe his ears anymore; the man had actually gone hunting for a rabbit to bring back for him?
It felt entirely abnormal, absolutely abnormal... whenever anyone initially appeared kind, they would subsequently torment him until he was tattered. At that thought, Yan Si instantly shuddered, shook his head, and said, "No need! I have no need to eat rabbit meat, hurry up and let it go."
RongCheng frowned and asked, "Tell me, what have you been eating over these past many days?"
Yan Si replied haltingly, "I... I have eaten so many things, how could I possibly remember?"
Never expecting Yan Si to answer in such a manner, RongCheng truly had nothing left to say. He said in a cold voice, "Many things? Wasn't it all just leaves and a few wild fruits?"
There were even days when he noticed that the boy did nothing but sleep, eating nothing at all... no wonder his body had shriveled up like that.
Even if he had no parents to look after him, he still should not treat himself so cruelly; his life, after all, belonged to him.
"Well... it is indeed like that, but..." Yan Si stood up and stepped toward RongCheng, catching the hand that was holding the rabbit's ears, and said in a low voice, "That is also enough to be full, can you let it go, please?"
RongCheng suddenly let out a sigh, loosening his grip to give Yan Si the opportunity to snatch it away.
The moment he secured his grasp on the rabbit's ears, Yan Si hurriedly cradled it into his chest to stroke it. "Pitiful little rabbit... it's injured, let me see."
Immediately, he felt around its leg which had been injured by hitting a trap, massaging it gently for a bit, then sat down straight away to pull out medicine and apply it to the creature.
RongCheng sat down beside him and asked, "A pitiful little rabbit? I wonder if it compares to you?"
"I... am pitiful?" How could he be pitiful? At that thought, Yan Si merely shook his head and spoke of another matter to deflect the topic: "Years ago when I was lost in the forest, fortunately there was a wild rabbit that came to keep me warm and accompany me, therefore..."
No matter what, he was absolutely determined not to eat rabbit meat.
Suddenly understanding the matter, RongCheng merely let out a sigh, abruptly feeling pity for the boy's condition of utter hardship while still possessing a benevolent heart, and said, "Fine then, but that wolf meat over there, are you willing to eat it or not?"
Knowing RongCheng's intention, how could Yan Si dare to refuse? He immediately nodded. "Yes! I will eat it right away."
Previously, he had not wanted to eat it for fear that it would quickly run out and he would have to expend effort to go trapping dangerous beasts again; now, in order to save the rabbit, he was forced to comply with the man. While agreeing on the outside, deep down he was thoroughly unresigned, faintly grumbling, "What a bizarre person..."
Unprovoked, the man had gone out of his way to make things difficult for him...
Who would have thought that the situation had completely reversed; now, it was time for RongCheng to discipline and supervise Yan Si.
The wild wolf meat had been sun-dried for many days. Yan Si took it out, sliced it into small pieces, and neatly arranged them on the broad, flat stone slab whose surface was slightly depressed in the center like a shallow basin. He then added water, kindled the fire beneath it to stew the meat, and sprinkled in a handful of coriander to dispel the strong, gamey odor.
Watching Yan Si cook, RongCheng smiled and said, "It appears you also know very well how to cook; why do you not normally do it this way?"
He guessed that the boy only did this because he was here...
Yan Si remained utterly silent; his problem was not a lack of skill, but rather that he no longer possessed any desire. He merely existed with the absolute minimum requirements for living and was extremely averse to eating.
After more than an hour of boiling and stewing, seeing that the meat had softened, Yan Si said, "Very well, try a taste; today I changed it up by putting coriander in, it will probably be better..."
RongCheng gazed silently at the stone pot, sweat faintly pouring down... Dried wild wolf meat was like a nightmare; no matter how it was prepared, it was always very difficult to swallow... Indeed, Yan Si's aversion to it was probably for this reason.
Seeing that he hesitated and refused to eat, Yan Si asked, "What is the matter with you?"
RongCheng shook his head faintly: "It is nothing!"
The boy himself, despite bearing an injury on his leg, still tried very hard to change the method of preparation multiple times, all because he wished to help him nourish his body and achieve a speedy recovery... Understanding this, how could RongCheng disappoint the boy's kindness? He immediately picked up a piece into his bowl to eat.
After a few bites, he looked at Yan Si and asked, "You as well, hurry up and eat!"
Being reminded, Yan Si broke into a sweat, and a long while later, he asked in a low voice, "May I go into the forest to pluck fruits to eat instead?"
RongCheng glared at him and said decisively, "Fine! Then I will go catch the rabbit to roast it!"
"Please don't!" Yan Si instantly became frantic to stop him: "Don't! I will eat, that will do!"
The meal, full of heaviness and dread, passed; indeed, no matter what herb was changed, the taste was still exceedingly terrible.
That day, having been given the rabbit, he was constantly clinging to it, and at night, he even took advantage of its presence to hug it to sleep.
The rabbit's fur was soft and holding it was very warm, so Yan Si truly liked it very much... Just for a few days; he would absolutely release it back into the forest the moment its leg was fully healed.
The next morning, RongCheng once again left the cave to go hunting for beasts.
Returning at noon, he went straight to Yan Si's spot and asked, "Have you eaten anything this morning?"
The boy had already gotten up by now and was currently feeding the little rabbit some grass.
Hearing the question, Yan Si immediately nodded, intending to deceive RongCheng to smooth the matter over, yet unexpectedly the man suddenly curled his finger and flicked him gently on the forehead, scolding softly, "You still dare to lie?"
Even up to now, was he still afraid that he would take the rabbit away to butcher it? RongCheng brought a wild pheasant before Yan Si's face and said, "Look!"
Yan Si opened his eyes wide to look at the man with an expression full of astonishment... He... truly was very capable, but...
"Your injuries are still not healed, why are you exerting yourself so much?" In case it tore open again, his effort would be wasted.
RongCheng laughed heartily and replied, "Exerting oneself more is precisely how injuries heal quickly."
Hearing this, Yan Si faintly shook his head with a snort...
Afterward, he simply ignored him and continued to caress the little rabbit, truly cherishing it bit by bit.
"Ah, that's right..." Suddenly remembering something, RongCheng took several wild apples out from the breast of his robe, placed them into Yan Si's hands, and said, "Just now I saw these apples looked very delicious, so I plucked and brought them back here for you."
Yan Si scrutinized the apples in his hands and then looked at RongCheng, his eyes suddenly flashing with many indescribable emotions... Pondering in hesitation for a long time, he only then asked diffidently, "For me... truly?"
RongCheng nodded gently: "Truly, hurry up and eat."
Hearing this, Yan Si no longer hesitated and took a bite... Instantly, his eyes sparkled brightly...
This apple was both sweet and crisp-cool, carrying a very unique sensation when eaten... Yan Si asked in astonishment, "Where did you pluck this fruit?"
Yan Si never expected that RongCheng would actually even know how to pluck wild fruits...
Seeing the boy take an interest in something for the first time, RongCheng smiled and said, "Do you like it? Tomorrow I will take you to pluck them; there are still very many there."
Hearing this, Yan Si immediately nodded: "Very well!"
Knowing of such an apple tree, he would have less to worry about regarding foraging for food in the future.
RongCheng looked at Yan Si once more, then shook his head with a smile and turned away.
Yan Si followed the man with his gaze for a long time, then looked back at the apples in his hands, feeling that he should only eat one more; he still had to save them...
More than an hour later, RongCheng returned, additionally carrying a large packet of leaves that was billowing with dense steam. He stepped to his side and said, "Put the little rabbit down quickly, and spread your hands out."
"Why?" Yan Si did not understand for the moment, nor did he want to comply. Seeing that he was a bit stubborn, RongCheng glared and said, "Come... spread both hands out quickly!"
The man's words carried a hint of intimidation that made Yan Si feel afraid; he immediately put the rabbit down and simultaneously spread both hands out, waiting.
RongCheng swiftly placed that large leaf packet into Yan Si's hands and said, "For you."
"Again... for me!?" How strange; even though dense steam was billowing from the leaf packet, when Yan Si held it, he did not find it hot at all, feeling on the contrary only a pleasant warmth... The moment he opened it, he realized it was precisely a fragrant roasted chicken.
Astonished by RongCheng's action, Yan Si asked haltingly, "Why... why give it to me? Aren't you the one who needs to nourish your strength?"
RongCheng shook his head and said firmly, "Who said I need to nourish my strength? You are the one who must recuperate heavily; hurry up and taste it to see if it is delicious."
Throughout the many days when it was inconvenient to walk, looking at the way Yan Si lived had made RongCheng feel exceedingly displeased; he thought that the moment he could manage to walk just a little, he absolutely had to do this right away.
Looking at the chicken in his hands, Yan Si felt extremely anxious: "But... but... such a large chicken, how can I possibly eat all of it?"
"How about we eat together, is that alright?" Why must one person eat while the other abstained? Even for nourishing strength, there was no need to go to such an excess.
Afterward, Yan Si placed the chicken down onto the stone ledge, used a few large, heat-insulating leaves to tear off a thigh to place in a bowl, and offered it to RongCheng, saying, "Yours... it's yours."
RongCheng nodded and accepted it, the gaze he directed at Yan Si exuding an air of genuine satisfaction...
This youth, he was certain he had not misjudged.
Feeling trust in Yan Si's good character, RongCheng gradually opened his heart and then paid attention to care for him much more, supervising every single meal and sleep...
From now on, the boy absolutely could not continue to live in such a precariously drifting manner anymore!