Crayon Shin-chan: As someone who's traveled through time, all I want is a huge reward!

"What are you talking about? That's exactly what I was thinking."

Seeing this, Lin Yu quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

"As expected, Hiroshi and I have an inexplicable connection; even our thoughts are surprisingly similar."

Chapter 250 An Encounter with a Gray Bird

As we walked along the river, the lingering morning mist had not completely dissipated, like a layer of soft gauze clinging to the branches and leaves of the forest. The leaves, soaked with moisture, drooped, and occasionally a dewdrop would slide down the veins of the leaf, hitting the pebbles on the riverbank with a soft "tap," before disappearing into the cracks in the stones in the blink of an eye.

The shimmering light on the river surface rippled with the current, like scattered silver sparkles dancing on the water. The reeds on the bank grew taller than Xiaoxin, their emerald green stalks bending to one side in the wind.

The soft rustling sound, mixed with the calls of unknown birds in the distance, brought a touch of life to the quiet forest.

Lin Yu walked at the front, the cuffs of his black hiking pants were half wet, the fabric clung to his calves, the cool touch creeping up his skin, but it did not affect his steady steps at all.

Lin Yu gently parted the vines with his impenetrable hand, ensuring that the dew on the vines wouldn't splash onto him. Instead, the dew would slide slowly into the soil along the curve of the vines, leaving a small, dark, damp patch on the ground.

Every few steps, Lin Yu would look back, and then he would see Guangzhi bending down and pulling Xiaoxin.

The boy was holding a maple branch he had picked up from the roadside. A half-withered maple leaf hung from the top of the branch, its red edges curled up. He was shaking it back and forth, but his eyes were fixed on a blue-winged butterfly. His short legs followed the butterfly and he almost stepped into the muddy riverbank.

"Hiroshi, keep an eye on Shin-chan. There are hidden pits in the muddy riverbank. I just saw some loose stones; it'll be troublesome if you slip." Lin Yu's voice traveled steadily through the thin mist, carrying a deliberate softness and composure, so as not to scare away the butterflies Shin-chan was chasing.

Upon hearing this, Hiroshi quickly pulled Shin-chan closer to him, tightening his grip on the child's wrist, and he could clearly feel the sweat on Shin-chan's palm with his fingertips.

"Understood, Lin Yu!"

"This kid hasn't stopped! His legs haven't been idle since he left the house!"

He sighed helplessly, looking at Shin-chan, who was still squirming in his arms. The little one wasn't listening to them at all, humming a nursery rhyme he'd made up, completely off-key.

"Little fish, little fish, swim and swim, leading me to dorayaki~ Butterfly, butterfly, fly and fly, leading me to the arcade game~ Daddy, daddy, run and run, but not as fast as Shin-chan~"

For some reason, Shinnosuke Nohara has been particularly fond of dorayaki lately. Oh well, let the kid eat it if he wants to!

Misae followed at the back, occasionally reaching up to brush away the dewy bits of grass clinging to her sleeves. The bits of grass stuck to her sleeves, leaving faint green stains that were rather noticeable.

She muttered to herself as she walked, her voice carrying a hint of habitual complaining, yet revealing her deep concern for her family.

"I should have worn a pair of non-slip shoes. The dew has made them slippery."

"I almost stepped into the mud just now, but luckily I grabbed the grass next to me!"

"My hair was blown all over the place, it looked like a bird's nest."

"I need to comb my hair and wash my face properly then, otherwise I'll feel uncomfortable all over!"

Misae looked up at the sky. The clouds were so thick that even the sun's shadow was invisible. Only a sliver of pale light peeked through the gaps in the clouds, making it look like it was about to rain.

"We've been walking for almost three hours, haven't we? Luckily, we have a place to rest. Otherwise, if it rains, we might all catch a cold."

Lin Yu gestured with his chin toward the large, broad-leaved tree in front of him. It would take two adults holding hands to encircle the tree, and its branches and leaves were so dense that they looked like a giant umbrella spread out on the ground. "There's a nice tree over there, perfect for installing wallpaper in the room!"

"Yay! Finally, I can play the game console!" Upon hearing this, Shin-chan immediately wriggled out of Hiroshi's arms and ran towards Lin Yu. His short legs moved incredibly fast, and his shoes made a "rustling" sound as they stepped on the fallen leaves. He didn't forget to turn back and shout to Hiroshi, "Dad, I want to play the game console with Yu this time! You're too bad at it and can't help me pass the levels!"

Hiroshi rubbed his aching knees and slowly followed, his steps a little heavy. "What nonsense are you talking about? It's clearly you who's been making mistakes all along!"

Upon reaching the tree trunk, Lin Yu finished wallpapering the room. As soon as he finished, Xiao Xin eagerly pushed open the door.

Then a warm light wafted out from behind the door, carrying a familiar lavender scent. It was from the aromatherapy tablets Lin Yu had placed earlier; the scent wasn't strong, just enough to help one relax.

Shin-chan was the first to rush in, his short legs making a soft "tap-tap" sound as he ran across the floor, heading straight for the bathroom.

Not long after, he came out carrying a blue toy car. He ran up to Misae and held the toy car high: "Mom, look! This is a little car that will accompany me to the toilet. If you feel lonely when you go to the toilet, I can let it keep you company!"

"What is this all about? How could I be lonely when I go to the toilet!"

Misae walked in, picked up a wooden comb from the dressing table, and gently smoothed the stray hairs from her forehead. Watching Shin-chan running around the room with his toy cars, she said, "Hiroshi, keep a close eye on Shin-chan. Don't let him run around the house with his cars. Last time he bumped into the corner of the coffee table and cried for ages. Don't let him do it again this time."

Hiroshi slumped onto the sofa, letting out a long sigh of relief. He sank deeper into the cushions, the soft fabric instantly relieving the fatigue from his long walk.

He then rubbed his aching legs, feeling a slight soreness as he pressed his knuckles against the muscles. "Finally, I can rest for a bit. My legs feel like they don't even belong to me anymore!"

"Lin Yu, why don't you sit down and rest for a while? You must be exhausted after leading the way for us. Would you like me to massage your legs?"

"Oh, and there's still some juice in the fridge, it's perfectly chilled!"

After politely declining Hiroshi Nohara's offer, Lin Yu walked to the window and looked out at the jungle, reeds, and river. He could even see the dewdrops on the leaves.

He said calmly, "I'll go out and check. You guys lock the door. The food is in the refrigerator."

Hiroshi sat up straight, the sofa cushions swaying slightly at his movement. "I'll go with you? More people means more protection. If anything happens, I can lend you a hand. Even if we can't win, I can distract you while we're running!"

"No need." Lin Yu shook his head, his tone firm yet gentle. "It's alright, I can handle the danger on my own. Last time we encountered a small snake across the way, you were so scared that you took several steps back and almost bumped into a tree trunk. Going with you would only distract you and make things inconvenient."

Misae quickly chimed in, still tidying up the Action Kamen plushies on the sofa. "Yeah, Hiroshi, you won't be of any help even if you go with him. You'd be better off staying home and keeping an eye on Shin-chan to prevent him from making a mess of the house again. Last time he got the game console cord tangled in the chair, and it took him ages to untangle it."

"Lin Yu, you need to be careful too!"

Shin-chan, with a dorayaki he'd just taken out of the fridge in his mouth, ran over and tugged at Lin Yu's sleeve. A little chocolate filling spilled from the corner of his mouth and smeared onto Lin Yu's black hiking pants, leaving a light brown stain.

"Yu! Come back soon! I'm saving Super Mario level 3 for us to play together! Dad's so bad, he couldn't get past it even after ten tries, and he even let the turtle eat the mushroom, he's so stupid!"

Lin Yu bent down and touched Xiao Xin's head. His fingertips touched Xiao Xin's soft hair and he could still feel the dampness of the dew.

He took a tissue out of his pocket and gently wiped the chocolate off Shin-chan's mouth. His movements were gentle. "Okay, I'll be back as soon as possible. Don't eat too many dorayaki, or you'll feel unwell later. There's some strawberry juice in the fridge; I'll get it for you when I get back, okay?"

Shin-chan nodded immediately, his eyes sparkling. "Okay! Then you must come back soon!"

Misae was tidying up the dishes in the kitchen, sticking the mosquito repellent patch Lin Yu had given her onto Shin-chan's clothes, muttering to herself:

"These mosquito repellent patches are pretty effective. I didn't get bitten by mosquitoes yesterday after I put them on, otherwise you would have been scratching non-stop." Hiroshi leaned back on the sofa and fiddled with the game console, trying to play another round of Super Mario to prove that he wasn't bad at it.

Shin-chan sat on the carpet, sliding his toy car around on the floor while making car noises.

After the Nohara family was settled, Lin Yu opened the wallpapered door and stepped back into the jungle.

This time he walked faster, taking larger and more steady steps, each step landing on relatively dry ground to avoid sinking into the mud. Lin Yu's hand quickly cleared away the plants blocking his way.

A fleeting black shadow made Lin Yu stop immediately. He used his unmistakable hand to part the branches of the bushes, revealing a nest of highly venomous black widow spiders underneath.

Hanging on the black spider web was a beetle that hadn't finished struggling; the beetle's wings were still trembling slightly, and the spider was slowly crawling toward the beetle.

He then used his considerable strength to move the spider and its nest to a distant rock crevice, so that the Shimonohara family wouldn't encounter it when they came out for some fresh air.

After walking for about an hour, Lin Yu suddenly stopped on the muddy ground ahead, where there was a half-clear footprint.

He crouched down, his knees lightly touching the damp, cool grass on the ground.

My fingertips touched the soil at the edge of the footprints; it was still a little damp, and I could feel the stickiness of the soil, indicating that it had been left not long ago.

The footprints weren't very big, about size 40, and the soles of the shoes had a serrated pattern, a pattern he vaguely remembered.

I saw it once on a plane before. It looked like the kind of outdoor shoes that snakes helped them wear. They were slip-resistant and durable, and the rubber soles had some red mud from the jungle stuck to them, giving them a slightly dark sheen in the sunlight.

"Could these people be nearby?" Lin Yu wondered to himself. Following the direction of the footprints, he looked ahead and saw that the trees were getting denser and denser, with sunlight barely able to penetrate. The intertwined branches and leaves formed a natural tent, completely blocking out the sky.

You can vaguely see a stone wall completely covered by vines. The vines are the same dark brown color as the stone wall, and you can't see them at all if you don't look carefully.

If you look closely, you can see a very faint wisp of smoke drifting out from the gaps in the vines, mixed with the smell of cheap tobacco and a faint musty smell, which is a bit pungent and makes you feel uncomfortable.

Lin Yu didn't walk directly over, but instead went around to a broad-leaved tree about ten meters tall.

The tree has thick branches; the thickest main branch is over thirty centimeters in diameter and can easily support its weight.

Lin Yu climbed up easily. He lay on the tree branch, keeping his body as close to the trunk as possible to avoid being discovered by the people below.

He then pulled out a mini telescope from the system. It had a black metal body, could magnify the field of view tenfold, and also had night vision.

He aimed at the stone wall and slowly adjusted the focus, and the image in the lens gradually became clear.

Behind the vines was a hole about half a meter wide, with jagged edges, as if it had been formed naturally. Next to it were two empty tin cans with foreign writing on them, like imported military rations. The cans were rusty and covered in dirt. There were also a few cigarette butts next to them, flattened by being stepped on.

Just then, Lin Yu heard a "chirp" sound coming from above his head. The sound was crisp and had a clever quality to it.

Lin Yu looked up and saw a small gray bird perched on a branch above him, tilting its head to look at him. Its black eyes were bright and sparkling, like two small black beans, and it had a small red fruit in its beak.

The fruit has a smooth skin, resembling a wild strawberry but smaller than a regular wild strawberry, though it is bright red and looks very sweet.

The little bird's feathers were grayish, with only a few light brown lines along the edges of its wings. Its claws were light gray, and it gripped the branch tightly, its body swaying gently in the wind.

Seeing Lin Yu looking at it, the little bird shook its head and offered him the fruit in its beak, as if sharing food. Its little head was tilted, making it look exceptionally cute.

Lin Yu's heart stirred, and he took out a bag of nuts from his system backpack.

I got it from a treasure chest before. It was baked using a special process, so the outer shell has been peeled off, revealing the pale yellow kernel inside. The aroma is incredibly strong; you can smell it even through the bag.

He poured a few nuts into his palm, feeling their warmth, and handed them to the bird, speaking softly to avoid startling it.

"Would you like to try this? It tastes much better than your fruit."

The little bird hesitated for a moment, then fluttered its wings and flew to his wrist. The flapping of its wings created a gentle breeze that brushed against Lin Yu's skin, making it a little itchy.

It first cautiously pecked at Lin Yu's fingertips, and only when it saw no danger did it pick up a nut and swallow it.

After finishing its meal, its eyes lit up instantly, and it barked at Lin Yu twice more, its voice much more cheerful than before.

"You have so many nuts! Do you need me to help you eat some?"

"And I can also help you find out things. I know the surrounding jungle very well. I know where the rabbit burrows are and where the wild fruits are!"

This straightforward yet adorable approach made Lin Yu laugh. He poured a few more nuts into his palm and watched the little bird pecking at them. Nut crumbs fell onto his wrist, and he smiled as he wiped them away with his other hand.

"There are still plenty of nuts, but I need your help with a small favor. Once I'm done, you can have this whole bag; it'll be enough for you for several days."

"What kind of favor? Just tell me! As long as it doesn't involve me provoking snakes, I can handle anything else!"