WS - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Song Shiyue said she'd cut grass, and she did; in just a few strokes she felled a clump.

Yu Nianbing admitted she didn't have that kind of deft skill, so she resigned herself to following behind, tidying the grass that Song Shiyue cut into neat piles.

One cutting, one tidying, and a clump of lemongrass was swiftly dealt with. The men carrying the snake meat saw this and figured there wasn't much room for them to help, so they simply stood by and waited.

Ning Chuyang, however, was still thinking about insect repellent. Though lemongrass alone had limited effect, having some was better than none. Besides, what if — the road ahead was still long, and they might yet find other useful plants. If they later found something else but had missed the lemongrass, wouldn't that be even more regrettable?

So Ning Chuyang also went over, exchanged a few words with Song Shiyue, took another stone knife, and started cutting.

At the lemongrass patch, it became two people cutting, and one person following behind to gather.

Yu Nianbing gathered the lemongrass on the ground into a pile, looked up at the two up ahead working side by side cutting grass, and — perhaps from bending over for a long time — felt a little stifled inside. But mindful that they were still livestreaming, she ultimately turned a sigh into a slow, deep breath.

But no matter how careful Yu Nianbing was, she couldn't outwit all those smart cameras focused on her.

That glance, that sigh, appeared clearly on her livestream page, turning the little gesture she thought she'd concealed into a wordless sense of desolation.

In an instant, a flood of "wuwuwu" commenters appeared in the danmaku of Yu Nianbing's livestream page.

Yet the reasons behind these "wuwuwu" were hard to pin down.

Probably, it was simply a kind of loneliness in an unfamiliar environment.

Although Yu Nianbing didn't seem like someone who would feel lonely because of this, the other possible reason was one the Little Ice Buckets were even less willing to admit.

On the other hand, those who had joined the Little Mooncake organization spoke much more directly.

"Sure enough, girls just love working together side by side, but then what about the sugar we're all waiting for..."

"The way I see it, Yu Nianbing's expression isn't one of enjoying working side by side."

"Little Sunshines, don't you want to eat the CP food of Ning Chuyang and Mu Xingzhou? Use your mental powers to make Ning Chuyang leave our Song-Yu CP alone for a while."

"Hahaha, three people cutting grass, and I don't even deserve a name — Ning Chuyang"

"The person above, don't casually use our Ning Chuyang's name to speak. The person before the person above, stop randomly shipping CPs. If this continues, we're going to form the Little Sun-Moon Organization!"

"????"

"?? That works too? Sun-Moon sounds so creepy..."

"Aren't you the ones randomly shipping? At least Song Shiyue confessed to Yu Nianbing, no matter how you look at it, Mooncake is the right way to consume this CP!"

"Wasn't that confession just Song Shiyue trying to get on the trending list? She got completely cursed out by the Little Ice Buckets that time. Little Ice Buckets."

"..."

"Logically speaking, Song Shiyue is the kind of person who'd even exploit emotions to ride Yu Nianbing's popularity. So saving Yu Nianbing once, and she's whitewashed?"

"!!!"

"There you are, Song Shiyue anti! Thought you moon-haters had already scattered, but you dare show yourselves!"

"Weakly speaking, maybe it wasn't for clout?"

"???"

"..."

"Murmuring softly: what if Song Shiyue was being serious?"

"Hahaha, your 'soft' murmur has reached the entire StarNet, you know?"

"Although Song Shiyue saved our Little Ice Block, speaking only for myself, I think her confession wasn't sincere — from a grateful but upright Little Ice Bucket"

"I actually think Song Shiyue was serious. Didn't you see how tense she was before smashing that king cobra?"

"That kind of tension was just for saving someone — from a rational Little Ice Bucket"

"No no no, and that line 'From now on, let's try not to be apart.'"

"Yes yes yes, and those conversations I couldn't quite understand when they slept together last night hahaha. Though it's pure headcanon, it felt strangely rich in content!"

"And that inexplicable mosaic moment at the Old Castle bathroom door..."

"Raising hand, also on the spaceship, without asking anything, she turned all the potatoes and chicken into big plate chicken!"

"Wait..."

"Wait!"

"The person above with the big plate chicken, seems to be citing the wrong example."

"Aren't we listing proofs of Song Shiyue's sincere confession? The big plate chicken is Yu Nianbing indulging Song Shiyue, right, hahaha..."

"Objection!"

"Objection to baseless speculations about our Little Ice Block!"

"Hahaha, after all that talk, you only object to the big plate chicken point? So you concede all the rest?"

"Murmuring softly again: those incomprehensible conversations, the mosaic by the bathroom door — didn't they all involve Yu Nianbing too?"

"..."

"...Hey you, the soft murmurer, come out and don't run away, what are you guessing wildly all day?"

"Hahaha, this world is too terrifying, you have to whisper even the truth."

"I just want to say, I originally thought I was just sweetening my mouth with imaginary fake sugar, but now it looks like, could it be I've been eating real sugar?"

"??? — a Little Ice Bucket about to get angry"

"No wonder it's so sweet! So it was real sugar?"

"!!! — a Little Ice Bucket that has gotten angry"

"It's fine, don't be angry, we welcome you to join — a Little Mooncake who agrees to be put in a bucket"

"..."

Words were typed one by one, and grass was cut one stalk at a time.

Just as the StarNet danmaku was again veering toward hostility over the two soft murmurs, on Wilderness Planet, Song Shiyue and the others had finished gathering the lemongrass.

Yu Nianbing stood to the side, watching Song Shiyue use thin vines torn from a tree to start bundling the two large piles of neatly gathered lemongrass that Yu Nianbing had tidied.

At the strong insistence of Guan Yongyi and the others, Song Shiyue divided the two large piles of lemongrass into four bundles. The three men each carried one bundle on their backs, and the last naturally ended up on Song Shiyue's back.

Captain Yang stood far off, watching as the team began to pull together. Neither was it his doing, nor did he seem to have a place among them. A stifled resentment lodged in his chest, impossible to exhale or swallow, and it was truly unbearable.

Director Zhang, however, watching everyone busily occupied on the hovering screen, was less bothered than before. After all, although Director Zhang and Captain Yang shared some alignment in stance, what the two wanted was ultimately not the same.

This grass-cutting footage left Director Zhang fairly satisfied, but looking at Captain Yang standing off in the distance with his hands stuck in his pockets, he still felt some sympathy.

Now that he thought about it, Captain Yang was no nameless nobody.

Captain Yang came from a background in wilderness survival team-building guidance and had made a name for himself among the various companies in the Changhui System that were fond of team-building activities. Three years ago, in that session of the Wilderness Survival Challenge organized by the Changhui System, Captain Yang had taken an excellent second place. Later, while his reputation was at its peak, he started his own company, and his business expanded from organizing corporate team-building to collaborations with various universities.

Over the past few years, Captain Yang's company had been doing quite well on Changhui Planet. But when placed against the entire interstellar stage, Captain Yang's fame was still somewhat lacking.

After all, although wilderness survival was a niche interest, there had been a number of wilderness survival variety shows, and seasoned variety veterans like Master Qiu and Brother Li far outclassed Captain Yang in both fame and prestige.

Yet for The Wilderness Journey this time on Wilderness Planet, Captain Yang had been chosen.

With the entire planet already secured, the Mu Group wasn't short on money. So, Captain Yang's selection was probably a stroke of luck. Just like himself — he wasn't from an outdoor directing background, yet he had been chosen; that was also a stroke of luck, thought Director Zhang.

However, it seemed that his own luck was still luck, while Captain Yang's luck might no longer be fortunate. Director Zhang looked at the solitary Captain Yang in the distance and gave a soft chuckle.

Captain Yang was holding his breath, but when he saw that Song Shiyue's group had shouldered the grass, he still took the initiative to walk over.

This was a livestream; he had already lost the initiative and fallen to a disadvantage. Now that the other side hadn't made any mistakes, throwing a fit would only make himself look worse. Better to pretend nothing was wrong and watch for an opportunity later. With each step toward those people, Captain Yang consoled himself, and by the time he stood before them, he forced down the breath that was painfully grating in his chest.

"Alright, it's nearly noon. We need to set off quickly so we can..." Captain Yang had intended to say "make up for the time wasted earlier," but seeing the snake meat in their hands and the lemongrass on their backs, he had to forcibly change the words on the tip of his tongue, "so we can quickly reach the noon rest stop, without affecting the afternoon itinerary and the evening's rest."

Although everyone no longer liked Captain Yang much, they weren't so childish as to reject every word he said.

Soon, everyone followed Captain Yang and officially set out on the wilderness journey.

Captain Yang walked at the very front of the group, with the six artistes close behind, and farther back were the six production crew members and the dog.

They hadn't been walking through the woods for long when the sound of an aircraft came from behind. A few people looked back and saw the aircraft pass overhead, quickly flying far away.

Sure enough, the aircraft was heading back to the Old Castle. Song Shiyue frowned slightly; she felt that the security, which hadn't been much to begin with, had thinned a little more.

This time, Yu Nianbing beside her didn't notice Song Shiyue's odd expression in time; most of her attention was on the path. If her sense of direction was correct, although they were walking through the woods now, they should be running parallel to the little stream they had visited earlier. That meant that the stream and its source were likely their water supply for today or the near future.

If ease of walking were the criteria, the path by the stream was definitely easier, and fetching water would be convenient. Here, they had gone hundreds of meters into the woods, where the ground was covered with weeds and moss, and there were always tree roots, mosquitoes, and other pests... The production team was a bit sly. If Song Shiyue hadn't taken them to that stream earlier, they probably wouldn't have been told about it until the noon break. No, maybe they'd have to agree to some conditions or complete some task before learning about the water source so nearby.

Such clichéd ploys... Yu Nianbing thought, but she didn't suggest walking along the stream.

Forget it; if it didn't go too far, she'd just pretend not to know. And... Yu Nianbing glanced at the lemongrass on Guan Yongyi's back up ahead. She wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but those clumps of lemongrass they had nearly cut clean earlier felt... somewhat abrupt in their appearance.

But it was only a vague thought without any proof, so Yu Nianbing could only speculate to herself. Still, when she looked at the plants along the roadside, she became even more diligent and attentive.

Let it be fulfilling her own promise to earnestly search for wild scallions, ginger, and garlic.

Though Yu Nianbing was so earnest, she didn't hold much hope in her heart.

According to Captain Yang's earlier words, they were only a bit more than an hour from the noon rest stop. On such a short stretch, where would they find the luck to come across wild scallions, ginger, and garlic?

Unexpectedly, they actually could...

The clump of wild scallions ahead, though it looked like any other weedy plant to the untrained eye, was spotted by Yu Nianbing at a single glance.

That Song Shiyue would definitely be very happy, her eyes shining as she exclaimed "Great," and then that yearning look when she thought of delicious snake meat... A gentle smile gradually tugged at the corner of Yu Nianbing's mouth. She herself didn't realize that the moment she spotted the wild scallions, all she thought about was Song Shiyue.

Everything was ready; she only needed a few steps. Yu Nianbing couldn't help speeding up slightly.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast, she couldn't outpace Captain Yang, who had been walking at the head of the group all along.

"Look, what's this?" Captain Yang halted, pointing to a clump of grass-like plants ahead and to his right.

Just as Yu Nianbing was about to speak, Captain Yang's gaze swept over her, and he preemptively answered his own question: "It's wild scallions. Wild scallions, also called mountain scallions, usually grow on slopes and grasslands. If you don't observe carefully, you might easily mistake it for a weed and miss it."

Yu Nianbing: "..."

As he spoke, Captain Yang took a few quick steps, plucked a handful of wild scallions, and handed them to Zhuang Jiachuan, who was nearest. He added, "Take a look and remember its appearance. Wild scallions are an extremely useful plant: not only are they edible, but they are also beneficial for wounds caused by wood ticks and toxins in the mountains. Its main components are proteins, carbohydrates, vitamin A, and various minerals. It can promote blood circulation, relieve fatigue, and treat colds. It's a plant that greatly aids our wilderness survival."

While Captain Yang was speaking, the wild scallions had already passed from Zhuang Jiachuan's hand to Guan Yongyi's, and Guan Yongyi was just about to pass them to Song Shiyue. Captain Yang's eyes followed the scallions, and he saw Song Shiyue shake her head and avoid the scallions that Guan Yongyi handed over. Captain Yang frowned and was about to criticize, but then saw Song Shiyue whip out her stone knife.

Captain Yang: "..."

Yu Nianbing, who had been a little unhappy at being preempted by Captain Yang, couldn't help laughing.

Ever since coming to the wilderness survival, Yu Nianbing seemed happy every day — so was this her hobby? Song Shiyue glanced at Yu Nianbing, smiled as well, and then quickly threw herself into a new round of harvesting.

That clump of wild scallions wasn't large, so no one joined in to help Song Shiyue; they, like Yu Nianbing, were all having a hard time holding back their laughter.

The viewers on StarNet were the same. Especially when they saw Song Shiyue's method for harvesting wild scallions, they laughed even harder.

"At first I thought Song Shiyue's love for food might leave the places she passes stripped bare without a blade of grass. Didn't expect, didn't expect..."

"Hahaha, right! Totally didn't expect she'd even leave no soil behind..."

"If this goes on, Wilderness Planet is going to be hollowed out!"

"Is the Mu Group going to regret inviting Song Shiyue to this show? They might go bankrupt."

"Hahaha, it's only fifteen days, you can't eat an entire planet."

"Am I the only one who noticed that Little Ice Block might have spotted the wild scallions before Captain Yang?!"

"And me! That look, a suddenly delighted look!"

"So annoying! Captain Yang's position is just too good!"

"Captain Yang's introduction of wild scallions was really textbook. So did he memorize the entire encyclopedia of plants?"

"Impossible..."

"Is he crazy... Not doing wilderness survival professionally, but switching to be a botanist?"

"Something feels off."

"+1"

"+666"

"Yes, +StarNet serial number"

Captain Yang thought his move was pretty good, unaware that a wave of doubts had already arisen on StarNet.

"What are you doing?" Captain Yang, being closest to the wild scallions, naturally saw Song Shiyue's somewhat jaw-dropping operation.

Song Shiyue, who was digging up the wild scallions root and all with the soil, looked up and said earnestly, "Wild scallions are plants that can keep growing as long as the roots remain intact. Didn't Captain Yang know that?"

Of course he knew! Even without memorizing an encyclopedia, that was common sense! Captain Yang frowned and pointed at the pile of scallions with dirt she had dug up. "All this soil, you're adding to your own burden."

Song Shiyue shook the dirt off her hands, looked up and smiled. "No, I'm increasing my chances of survival. Though I don't know what Captain Yang's survival philosophy is, but mine is..." She pointed at the scallions on the ground. "If it's edible and I can carry it, I take it all."

Captain Yang had never seen the bulging, nearly bursting bag that Song Shiyue had at the castle gate. Now, feeling his kindness had been thrown to the dogs, he sneered coldly, "If you don't mind the weight, then carry it yourself. Everyone's stamina is limited on a dozen-plus-day journey. Just don't impose your own whims on others."

At these words, the expressions of everyone present changed somewhat.

"I'm willing." Mu Xingzhou was the first to speak, his face grim.

Guan Yongyi, reminded and reacting quickly, nodded in agreement: "Me too."

Yu Nianbing, who was carrying neither snake meat nor grass, gave Captain Yang a look, took off her backpack, pulled out a bag meant for clothes, and held it out to Song Shiyue. "Later, wrap the soiled ones in this, and I'll carry it."

"I have one too, this waterproof bag for clothes. I've wrapped it in several layers." Ning Chuyang, seeing Yu Nianbing dump her clothes directly into her backpack, hurriedly started rummaging through her own.

Zhuang Jiachuan, who had reached a verbal cooperation agreement with the production team before the show, saw that Song Shiyue was already unstoppable and naturally gave up on rescuing the awkward Captain Yang. He also nodded to indicate he was voluntarily helping.

Not far away, Director Zhang frowned tightly as well. What was with this season's artistes? How could they be so uncooperative? Forget the rest, in this kind of wilderness survival show, wasn't it normal to be scolded by the leader? Wasn't it one of the selling points? Why were they so sensitive? Why such a huge backlash?

It was all because of that damn king cobra... It had upset their plans from the start, turning those artistes who had originally been quite obedient into this.

And Captain Yang as well; he clearly knew they hadn't cooled down yet, so it was hardly the time to assert authority.

That guy, why hadn't he gone to the toilet yet! No chance to give him a hint!

Captain Yang, plastered with embarrassment once again, still didn't feel like going to the toilet at this moment.

If it's edible and can be carried, take it all, is that it?

Then let's see if you can still find anything edible.

Captain Yang made up his mind: at the next several spots, he would keep his eyes fixed straight ahead, quickly pass through, and not utter a single word!

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