Chapter 20: Coco’s Midnight Snack (Please Bookmark)

Chapter 20: Keke’s Midnight Snack (Please Bookmark)

After they had eaten their fill, the two of them drank some water.

After a short rest, they resumed their work.

Xu Yi continued carving his axe handle, while Su Keke kept weaving small baskets.

Many viewers were advising Xu Yi to go to sleep, since at this hour the beasts were just beginning to stir and it was relatively safer.

However, it was still before 7 o’clock. Even if Xu Yi lay down, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.

He planned to finish making the stone axe first, then go to sleep.

If all went well, it would take just over an hour to bore through the wooden handle, insert the stone blade into the groove, and secure it—completing the stone axe.

Striking the stone chisel with a stone knife, Xu Yi gradually mastered some technique, and his speed improved greatly.

“Less than an hour, and I’ve bored through it. Not bad,” Xu Yi said with a pleased smile, looking at the wooden stick in his hand.

“Mm-hmm, Dad, you’re amazing!” Su Keke enthusiastically clapped her hands.

She had already finished weaving one small basket and was starting on the second, as Xu Yi had asked her to weave one for him as well.

Xu Yi inserted the stone blade but found some spots were still too narrow.

After tidying it up for another half hour, Xu Yi finally fixed the stone blade securely.

“Look, the stone axe is done,” he announced, showing it off to the viewers. He was very satisfied with his creation.

“Try it out,” he said, lifting the axe and chopping a giant tree behind him.

The stone axe sank more than halfway into the trunk.

[66666]

[Attack Power +10]

[Very sharp stone axe, perfect for chopping pythons now.]

“Not bad, very sharp. I’m satisfied,” Xu Yi said, chopping a few more times before pulling out two tree pupae.

“Keke, here’s your midnight snack,” he said, showing them to Su Keke and then checking the time.

It was 20:13, still enough time to catch some sleep.

“Dad will roast them here. Eat them later, okay?”

“If you hear anything, call Dad immediately. And when the time’s up, call Dad too, understood?”

It wasn’t safe enough yet, so they had to take turns sleeping.

“Mm-hmm, got it,” Su Keke nodded obediently.

Setting an alarm, Xu Yi lay down.

He spread leaves on the ground to separate himself from the soil, preventing the chill.

Otherwise, sleeping directly on the earth would be freezing and damp.

Having only slept a few hours the previous night and traveled all day, Xu Yi was exhausted. While working earlier, he had felt sleepiness enveloping him.

Within three minutes, Xu Yi was asleep.

The tree pupae emitted a fragrant aroma.

Su Keke carefully picked them out and placed them into her small basket.

She thought Xu Yi needed the midnight snack more.

The snakes Xu Yi had hunted today weighed over a pound heavier than yesterday’s, so she herself was quite full.

Her spear remained by her side so she could react quickly if needed.

She wove her basket while keeping an eye on her surroundings.

Soon, she finished weaving the basket.

Both baskets she had made had lids, so there was no worry about the contents falling out.

Xu Yi’s basket was twice her size, large enough to hold the stone knife.

Unfortunately, she had run out of vines; otherwise, she planned to weave a lid for Xu Yi’s backpack basket too.

With everything woven, Su Keke sat beside Xu Yi, gripping her spear.

The insect sounds here were not too loud.

Occasionally, distant howls could be heard.

Still, she was not afraid.

By around 11 p.m., Su Keke began to yawn.

Back in the village, she had gone to bed by 9 p.m.

But she forced her eyes open, scanning the surroundings.

[Feel sorry for Keke; hurry and wake your dad up.]

[Feeling sorry +1, but number 1 only slept a few hours yesterday and traveled all day, so can’t wake him too early.]

[There doesn’t seem to be any danger; better to just sleep together.]

[Compared to others, they’re already lucky—at least they can take turns sleeping.]

[The main problem is that number 1’s alertness is too poor; he sleeps too deeply. Otherwise, he could nap lightly even while on watch.]

[Yes, light sleep would work. Lighting several fires can completely deter animal attacks.]

[Exactly, many challengers light three or four fires. Even when surrounded by wolves, they stay safe.]

[Not everyone knows how to survive in the wilderness. So far, I think number 1 is doing quite well, very impressive.]

Su Keke didn’t understand much of the discussion in the live chat due to her limited knowledge of characters.

Still, she occasionally glanced up to prevent herself from dozing off.

Despite that, she nearly fell asleep several times.

Suddenly, the alarm blared.

Su Keke jolted awake.

Just as she was about to wake Xu Yi, he stirred as well.

“Keke, you should go to sleep now. Dad’s awake,” Xu Yi yawned and stood up.

“Good night, Dad,” Su Keke said, then lay down where Xu Yi had been sleeping.

Before long, she was asleep.

Xu Yi looked at her with some tenderness, then scanned the area.

After confirming no animals lurked nearby, he picked up the basket Su Keke had woven.

Strapping it on, Xu Yi placed his stone knife inside.

The basket’s strap was also woven from vines, about two fingers wide, so it didn’t chafe at all.

Satisfied, he took out the stone knife and added some firewood to the campfire.

At this hour, the jungle was still quite cool.

“There’s moonlight tonight, but the thick jungle canopy blocks the view. Otherwise, I’d show you all the moon from the ordinary world,” Xu Yi whispered to the viewers in the live chat. The long night demanded some pastime.

Nearby, no stones had been found today; otherwise, he could have continued sharpening the stone knife.

He used the axe to sharpen the spears for himself and Su Keke, also carbonizing the tips over the fire to harden them.

Today, he had spotted a pheasant. Maybe tomorrow he’d encounter other animals.

He still didn’t know exactly where he was or if it would snow in winter.

It was already August 2nd.

If he was to survive 100 days, he was entering autumn.

Currently, both he and Keke only had one set of thin clothes each.

Wearing one layer during early autumn days was comfortable, but nights were chilly.

Warm clothing had to come from animal pelts.

Therefore, whether to stock food or craft clothing, hunting animals with fur was essential.

A spear alone wouldn’t suffice.

He had to find a way to make a hunting bow.

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(End of chapter)