I have always wanted to copy the main character in [Robinson Crusoe], who, in the later partsof the story, reared livestocks and farmed crops.
But reading something and doing something were, in reality, two completely different things.
Those of you who had practiced agriculture before should be very aware of this: tending to a land is no walk in a park.
For example, clearing a piece of land. Simply chopping down a few trees would take a few hours. One would still need to plow the land, calculate the area of the land, and also research the suitability of the plants for the region.
For five days, we were searching for crops that would not only be able to cultivate here, but also easy to grow and quick to mature. And, most importantly, it has to be edible.
Now that I think about it, I am really kind of impressed with myself, I have dared to eat anything I have encountered so far.
The first plant that I felt was edible was something that looked like a Mimosa plant. it didn’t taste too bitter, and there were a lot of it nearby. However, it had two rather severe drawbacks: firstly, on the back of the leaves were these weird white hairs; secondly, the stem was too hard to chew. The first caused me to lose my appet.i.te and the second made me give up.
The second plant I tried was a plant with very large leaves and was quite similar to the pakchoi plant t, but was very bitter.. Most of its bitter taste was concentrated at its leaves, the stems were crunchy, though it was somewhat edible. I’ll consider it as an alternative for now.
We’re still in the process of searching for a third type……
“Could it be that there is not a single tasty plant in this forest?”
I sighed as I laid my back heavily against the animal pelt behind me.
As I haven’t eaten any vegetables for a while, my breath smelled awful. After all, there was also no way for me to brush my teeth.
“Plop.”
Something was thrown at my body.
“Back?”
“Yes. This thing, should be edible.”
Medusa, who was holding a girabbit by its neck in one hand, said that while looking down at me.
I held it up and examined it. From the looks of it, it was a carrot sized plant that looked like a miniature version of a yam. There were lots of leaves and its cylindrical roots were likely to have substantial nutritional value.
“Girabbit was eating , so I brought back.”
Indeed. Upon examining the leaves, some girabbit’s saliva could be seen.……
The roots of this thing could be eaten right? Or would I have to eat the leaves like a girabbit?
All in all, I should decide after tasting it. Carrying on the “Tiger” traits of North Eastern Chinese, I bit into its roots without any hesitation.
Crunch!
The crunchy “kacha” sensations travelled from my teeth to the auditory nerves in my ears.
It was unexpectedly good——what I actually meant was that it does not taste weird.
Judging from the starchy taste in my mouth, it should soften after roasting. If I can cultivate this, it could become a decent crop.
The reason I put a lot of thought into the cultivation of food was because I was under the impression that there was no way for me to return to my world. But if I was given a chance to return, to reunite with my family and friends, I would still return at all costs.
At least, that’s what I thought back then.
It’s always best to prepare for the worst in everything. If I really can’t go back to my own world, then I would have to live here. For a human who had almost no understanding of the world, and, with a Medusa who led a very different lifestyle than to humans, the most we could achieve was the life of where “the male tends to crops and the female hunts¹.
We might face many issues in the future, such as keeping ourselves warm during winter; finding ways to stay dry when it rains; and, should a day come when one of us falls sick , we would need to know how to care for each other.
Every time I thought about that, I felt so powerless. After all, the reason why I am clothed and fed was all thanks to her.
If there really was a chance, I’m talking about those one in a million type of chance, if I could bring her back with me, to the world where I belonged, I would take her to the best restaurant, to have the best meal. I would take her to the best cinema to watch a movie. I would take her to the best hotel for the night.
As someone who isn’t well educated and cultured, these were the best things I could think of to do for her..
Watching her flawlessly slice open the girabbit’s stomach, then removing its skin perfectly, I couldn’t help but feel the urge to help her with something. Quietly walking to the messy pile of, what looked like, innards, I grabbed them and threw them away. I did the same with the bones, and, lastly, the head.
Preparing the girabbit was faster than I thought. Just like what I have seen before, the pieces of prepared meat were stacked on top of each other. Then, it was mealtime. If I remembered correctly, this was her second meal.
For some unknown reason, a heart rending pain surged. Simply from observing her eat the raw meat one mouthful at a time, I just felt really down.
For two people, who had such large differences in their lifestyles, how would they live together?
It wasn’t just the lifestyle differences, they are also from completely different species.
While it looks like it’s a life together, the reality is, we are completely independent of each other..
Maybe, even now we were all alone.
Pulling out the last cigarette I had in stock, I lit it up. I had originally planned to smoke it just before I am about to die, just as my final treat. But, right now, I was very much in need of a cigarette to maintain a calm frame of mind.
The pale, white smoke danced in front of my eyes as my tense expressions loosened up slightly. There wasn’t actually any reason for my heart to ache. The only reason I felt uncomfortable was because a human’s emotions could never vanish. For example, thinking of your parents, whom you’ve not seen for more than 10 days; and the close friends, whom you have planned to hang out with next Monday. Would they be worrying about me right now? My parents were probably so anxious that they weren’t even able to sleep……
I don’t even know whether Medusa has parents or not, but if she had the same emotions as a human, she must be a lot tougher than me for being able live on her own for so long.
Why was I thinking of such things today? It might be because I’ve been here for a while. This would be thee sixteenth day since I came to this world.
Even so, these emotions and feelings might be forgotten in the end. There were still many things that I had to force myself to accept. When I do, only then could change happen, albeit gradually.
‘Get a grip’——Ever since the moment that I have chosen not to run away, I have carved my determination in my heart.
The cigarette burnt faster than I imagined. Looking at the red embers burning towards the cigarette b.u.t.t, I couldn’t help but remember a quirky wordplay: ‘Cig’s b.u.t.t burn your hands, inhale twice²’. As my cla.s.smate and I were poor, we had to work in a part time job in Beijing. The two of us even had to share one packet of Golden Dragon², which we did so sparingly. (Though, those times times were definitely much more difficult than now)
If I had already survived those times, I could do so even now!
A speck of orange spark flew outwards along with my fingertip——Just wait, I’ll make everything better.
Flipping the book open, I started immersing myself in the study of language……
Till twilight, by the time the yellow rays of the setting sun covered the text on the book, it feels like my brain had also started to swell. Lying against the last remaining tree, that I haven’t yet cut down, in front of the cave, I let my eyes feast upon the beautiful scenery of a sea of clouds..
“Lalalalalalala,lalalalala~”
“Oh little piece of cloud, drift slowly towards here~”
“Oh please just rest yourselves, just catch your breath for a while~”
“Oh, the flowers on the mountain, please bloom~, then I will come up the mountain~”
“So you have also come up the mountain, to see the mountain flowers bloom~”
Not sure why I sang Xu Huai Yu’s 《Treading on Waves》 out. Probably because it was such an old song with a fast cheerful melody?
(TLN: Link for song here. I suck at translating lyrics, but whatever.)
Silently, I could hear the sound of her humming along with me, a soft but clear female voice.
When I turned around to face her, who was already beside me, I found myself at her waist level.
“Like it?”
“Un.”
“Hehe, that’s good.”
What is there to worry about? This was already my home.