A Night of Desperation

Chapter 23: Exchange (3)

The woman, though short in stature, had an agile build. She held a large mountain-cleaving knife in her hand and was eyeing Yu Hong with a scrutinizing look.

“Got any food?” Her gaze briefly lingered on the steel nail luminous stone staff Yu Hong was holding.

“Want to trade? What do you want?” she added quickly.

“Got any medicine?” Yu Hong, observing her toned physique, felt that this woman might be stronger than him, and a sense of caution rose within him.

As he kept a wary eye on his surroundings, he looked her over. “I need anti-diarrheal medicine and anti-inflammatory medicine.”

“I have some, but you need to figure out exactly what’s wrong with you, or it’ll just be a waste.” The woman responded quickly.

“Diarrhea, several times in a row. I think it’s because I drank rainwater,” Yu Hong answered promptly.

“Rainwater!?” The woman’s expression changed, and she stopped in her tracks, glaring at Yu Hong. “Did you drink it directly, or did you filter it first?”

“Filtered it,” Yu Hong replied, sensing her reaction and feeling uneasy.

“Good, that’s a relief.” The woman’s tone relaxed. “Rainwater has to be boiled before drinking. Ever since those things started appearing two years ago, the rainwater has been contaminated. Drinking it straight will cause severe diarrhea, only people with very strong constitutions can handle it.”

“So, what should I do now?” Yu Hong furrowed his brow and threw a piece of dried lizard meat toward her.

She caught it, sniffed it, bit off half of it, and chewed slowly. Her gaze toward Yu Hong softened.

“Good thing you filtered it first. Didn’t anyone tell you not to drink rainwater?” she said, sounding exasperated.

“No, I have a companion. She just drinks it without thinking,” Yu Hong recalled his time with Little stutterer , who often drank rainwater but never offered him any.

“You have a strong companion,” the woman murmured in silence.

“I guess she’s like a wild buffalo, able to lift you with one hand.”

“Not that strong. But can you tell me how to fix this?” Yu Hong tossed another piece of dried meat toward her.

She caught it with a faint smile.

“It’s simple. Dig up some black, slightly purple soil from the ground. Take a lump about the size of an egg, mix it with water, and drink it down. You’ll feel better soon.”

She stood up straight, eyeing Yu Hong.

“By the way, this is probably your first time exchanging with someone, right? You just gave everything away. Were you from the underground bunker in town?”

Yu Hong said nothing but looked at her, his expression revealing just how she knew.

He wasn’t from the bunker, but it didn’t hurt to let her believe so.

“You’re Yu Hong, right?” The woman suddenly said, speaking his name. “Yi Yi is indeed strong, I’ve heard her mention you. There are very few newcomers around here, and you’re the only one recently.”

“Alright, I’m Yu Hong. What’s your name?” Yu Hong, hearing Yi Yi’s name, relaxed a bit, knowing the woman was familiar with her. But he still gripped his staff tightly.

“I’m Jenny, a leather worker. You’ve probably heard of me from Yi Yi. I can repair any clothing for the people around here,” the woman spoke more gently now.

“Where’s Yi Yi? Why is it you instead of her? Why isn’t she here?” Jenny asked, confused.

“She went to town,” Yu Hong lied casually, not saying that Yi Yi had left.

“Alright. Got any more food? I told you how to treat rainwater-induced diarrhea. If you have anything else to trade, just bring food. Need any clean clothes?”

Her eyes scanned Yu Hong’s filthy T-shirt and she smiled. The once-gray shirt now looked yellow and soaked with sweat, heavy and unpleasant to wear.

“Got any nails?” Yu Hong thought for a moment and asked. He needed nails for his work; they were much more convenient than traditional joinery.

“I have plenty. What do you need them for?” Jenny blinked, and then her eyes widened as if realizing something. “Wait, you can make things?”

“A bit,” Yu Hong nodded and pulled out a water filter cup he had made. “This is my work. If you need it, you can order from me. Medicines, clothes, unprocessed gemstones, or help with some tasks can all be traded for it.”

Jenny looked at the water filter cup in his hands, her eyes growing brighter as she examined it.

“If this works well, everyone around here can benefit. Because of the recent big disaster, we’ve all gathered at Old Zhou’s bunker. Once the crisis passes, I’ll come to trade with you!” She quickly said.

“Will you trade this cup now?” she asked, pointing at the filter cup.

“Sure,” Yu Hong nodded.

He could make things, and he was good at it. This was the identity he had crafted for himself, and it helped ensure his basic safety in the area. As long as he was alive, he could continue to provide what others needed. That was his value.

“Wait here, I’ll be back soon,” Jenny said, not saying how much she would trade, and turned to run into the forest, disappearing in a flash.

Yu Hong watched her go and then carefully found a place to hide, not wanting to remain foolishly exposed.

He desperately wished for the exercise method he was about to finish enhancing. His physical condition was too poor, and he feared he couldn’t defend himself if anyone attacked.

Once the enhancement method succeeded, he could strengthen various survival skills, including wilderness survival and stealth techniques.

But the key was that the enhanced skills had to be usable by him.

“Exercise still needs adequate food and rest. I wish I could figure out how the lizard jerky is made. And the mushrooms…” Yu Hong crouched in the grass, deep in thought, waiting.

Fortunately, it was the hottest part of the day, and the phantom-like creatures wouldn’t appear at this time.

For some unknown reason, there were few mosquitoes or insects in the forest, so he didn’t have to worry about being bitten.

The leaves rustled with the wind, sometimes loud, sometimes soft. The sunlight was intense, casting a warm glow on his body.

Yet, apart from the rustling of the leaves, the forest felt eerily quiet. No birds, no insects, just a suffocating silence.

Yu Hong’s eyes constantly scanned the area to ensure he wasn’t being approached by a phantom.

The forest, so full of life and sunlight, felt oddly lifeless. There were no butterflies, no bees, no flowers—just grass, tree branches, and roots. The layers of leaves, in shades of light green, emerald, and yellow, intertwined, forming a bizarre and unreal forest.

“This forest feels like it’s dead. So lush yet falsely quiet,” a thought flickered in Yu Hong’s mind.

After several minutes, footsteps once again came from the direction of the post office stone house.

“Yu Hong? Are you here? I’m back.”

Jenny’s voice called out.

Yu Hong carefully peered through the grass, looking in the direction of the voice.

Jenny appeared in her previous attire, holding a small cloth bag, scanning the surroundings.

He didn’t rush out but kept observing her. After a moment, he noticed her movements were natural, not stiff, and she was walking step by step.

Clearly, she was not a phantom.

Also, no one else had followed her. She was alone.

Once he was sure of this, he slowly stood up.

“I’m here. Got the stuff?”

“I’ve got it,” Jenny narrowed her eyes, looking in his direction. “Stay still!”

She suddenly shouted.

“What’s the exchange we agreed on?”

“The filter cup and nails!” Yu Hong answered immediately.

“Alright!” Jenny relaxed and approached.

“Here,” she handed over the small cloth bag.

Yu Hong took it, opened it, and found a large handful of rusty iron nails, each about the size of a finger.

“About thirty or so, should last a while. But this isn’t enough for the filter cup.”

He looked up at her.

“Add this.” Jenny placed a backpack on the ground, opened it, and pulled out a patched-up long-sleeve sweatshirt.

“I figured you’d need a change of clothes. If you get soaked by the rain, you might catch a fever.”

She smiled and winked at Yu Hong.

“Deal!” Yu Hong nodded, handing her the filter cup and receiving the sweatshirt.

The sweatshirt was gray, made from some unknown fine grass and adorned with animal fur, looking warm and practical.

“This shirt has wild boar skin, it can keep the rain off, but don’t stay in the rain for too long,” Jenny reminded him. “It was originally for my daughter, who works at the bunker in town. She comes back once a month. She should be only a little younger than you.”

A soft smile appeared on her face as she mentioned her daughter.

“You really love your daughter,” Yu Hong said, tucking the sweatshirt and nails away.

“Yes, she’s my pride. She inherited the best traits from both her father and me—beautiful, confident, capable. She can handle everything in life,” Jenny replied with a smile.

“By the way, if I want to contact you from a distance, how can I do that?” Yu Hong suddenly changed the topic.

“You can use a long-distance communicator, but charging it is a hassle. It was useful before the disaster, but now it’s pretty much useless,” Jenny replied. “The mailman has one, though, and he can always contact the bunker in town.”

“How does the charging work?” Yu Hong’s mind lit up, and he quickly asked.

“With a hand-crank generator. There’s also solar power, but the efficiency has dropped over time, so now it only works as a backup,” Jenny explained. “Why? Do you want one?”

She quickly guessed Yu Hong’s intentions.

“I have some small electrical devices. If they can be charged, they’d be a huge help. When the mailman returns, can you ask if they’re selling solar generators?” Yu Hong said.

(End of chapter)