Live Strong in the Wilderness-Chapter 80: 21-Day Gift Pack

"Sis, what about you? What will you do after retiring?" Wang Jin was curious about what her cousin would be up to in the future, wondering if she’d always stay in the army.

"I’ll probably go back to school and study something related to weapon research." Lu Yao revealed her future life plans for the first time.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin couldn’t help but give her a thumbs up.

The country grows stronger because of people like Lu Yao.

Wang Jin, giving Lu Yao a thumbs up, found herself without words. Her level of thinking was something Wang Jin felt she could never reach.

"Looks like this rain will last several days. Our food supply is running low, so we’ll likely have to make do with wild vegetable soup for a while," Lu Yao glanced outside. She had learned the basics of weather prediction; even without tools, she had some experience.

"Can’t catch any game in the rain?" Wang Jin disliked the taste of wild greens, which was pretty unpleasant.

"It’s harder than on sunny days, so we’re more likely to eat wild greens," Lu Yao said while whittling a spear.

After all, not only does the rain hinder visibility, but it also scatters animals, making hunting more difficult.

"Then let’s have wild greens. It’s better than starving," Wang Jin said, pretending not to care, although she really disliked eating wild greens.

Unfortunately, they had already eaten all the fish in the stream, leaving only small ones no bigger than half a finger, and even catching them all wouldn’t make a meal.

"Let’s try our luck at the beach tomorrow," Lu Yao suggested after glancing at Wang Jin, aware that wild greens weren’t tasty.

"Sure! The shells we found last time tasted great; hopefully, we’ll catch some fish tomorrow," Wang Jin said excitedly, confident in the ocean despite never seeing any fish there, because it had brought them shells before.

Lu Yao nodded, saying nothing more.

Wang Jin stayed by the fire for a while, then went to rest. With nothing else to do, she found it practical to just sleep. Having been there for so many days, she realized she could sleep a lot, more than ten hours a day.

Lu Yao glanced at Wang Jin, then continued whittling spears.

The spears were useful not only for hunting but also for making fences, so she whittled some every night—long ones, short ones, all kinds.

The rain-soaked night was quiet, with fewer animal calls.

Time passed, and it was the next day again.

"Still raining, huh," Xu Yi murmured upon hearing the rain.

"Yeah, it seems heavier than yesterday," Lu Ke said from bed without getting up.

"Your voice sounds thick; are you coming down with a cold?" Xu Yi asked, turning to see Lu Ke beside him, reaching out to feel her forehead.

"It seems like a bit of a cold, but no fever." Lu Ke sat up, deciding it was time to get up since Xu Yi was already awake.

"You lie down; I’ll boil some water to make you peppermint tea." With that, Xu Yi gently pressed Lu Ke back down.

"I’m fine, just a mild cold, nothing else," Lu Ke resisted, not wanting to seem delicate.

"Be good." Xu Yi donned a hat, grabbed a pot, and headed out.

Lu Ke lay there obediently, not getting up again.

After fetching water, Xu Yi tended to the fire, then picked some peppermint leaves from the yard and put them in the pot to boil.

"Xu Yi, am I too weak, getting sick so easily?" Lu Ke asked softly, looking at Xu Yi.

"It’s just a minor issue; no fever or headache means your resistance is good," Xu Yi smiled at her. A runny nose was indeed a small problem.

"As long as I’m not a burden to you," Lu Ke stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Silly girl, don’t overthink it. A lot of hot water today, and you’ll be better tomorrow." Hot water, especially with peppermint, can be quite effective against a cold.

Once the hot water was ready, Xu Yi poured a bowl for Lu Ke.

Breakfast today was still mutton jerky.

A bit tough to chew, but it provided plenty of energy.

After breakfast, Xu Yi headed out to fetch lumber.

Leaving the yard, he glanced back once.

Seeing Lu Ke hadn’t followed, he said in his mind, "System, check-in."

It was the 16th day in the wilderness and his 21st day of check-ins.

"Ding, seven days of check-ins, obtained a Basic Gift Package."

This was the sound Xu Yi had been eagerly waiting for.

"System, open the package." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Ding, received the Scent Enhancement Package (Basic)."

"Ding, received Eighteen Forms of Body Strengthening (Basic)."

"Eighteen Forms of Body Strengthening?" Xu Yi murmured, touching his nose in thought.

He didn’t expect a package like this.

The items from the system were undoubtedly genuine, likely beneficial to his health.

Xu Yi certainly needed this.

Without hesitation, he accepted it.

After acceptance, information rushed into Xu Yi’s mind.

Reading through the details of the Eighteen Forms of Body Strengthening, he found it wasn’t very difficult but was unlike Tai Chi or Ba Duan Jin he’d encountered before.

At any rate, it was a distinct set of actions on its own.

As for the enhanced smell, he could now detect the scent of soil and decomposing leaves, but nothing else.

Perhaps the continuous rain had washed away other scents.

Gathering himself, Xu Yi chose suitable lumber and hauled it back.

After carrying back over a dozen logs of suitable thickness for beams, he used a stepladder to lift them onto the top of the posts.

Each post had forks at the ends, making beam placement easier.

By late afternoon, Xu Yi had installed all the beams atop the posts.

Lu Ke, inside the house, had completed 11 more pieces of thatch.

Despite the persistent heavy rain muddying the yard, it did not hinder Xu Yi’s work.

"No need to come out; I can handle it myself," Xu Yi stopped Lu Ke, who was holding a piece of thatch, ready to hand it to him.

After drinking peppermint water all morning, her cold had improved a bit, so she should avoid going out and risking getting wet.

Lu Ke retreated, deciding to heed Xu Yi’s advice, knowing he was already braving the rain to work and shouldn’t have to worry about her.

By evening, Xu Yi had managed to cover the roof outside the house.

Such efficiency left Xu Yi quite satisfied.

His concern now was how long this rain would last.