I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

"I won't bite it. That's a container for fish, it must be really fishy."

“Cats just like fishy smells…” Chen Shuo paused here, then turned to look at her.

Although Little Meow is a cat, she doesn't seem to like fishy smells very much, otherwise she wouldn't be gagging... Oh, it could also be a vomiting reflex caused by something poking her throat.

For some reason, when she met his gaze, Bai Xiaoqi felt as if she had received the information conveyed in it. Her face turned red with anger, but she had no evidence. She could only glare at him with a mixture of shame and annoyance.

"Ahem..." Chen Shuo coughed lightly, slowly turning his head to look at the water, avoiding her gaze, and then pulled the hat he was using to shield his eyes from the sun down. "I didn't say anything."

"Humph."

Although his eyes were definitely thinking about that, he didn't say anything. Bai Xiaoqi could only wrinkle her nose and snort. If only he had said it, she could have bitten him twice.

No, do I need a reason to bite him?

She turned to Chen Shuo again, "Put your arm out here, I'm going to bite you."

"?"

Chen Shuo opened his eyes wide, looking at her in shock. "Do you think I'm stupid? You said you were going to bite me, why would I give you my arm?"

"Then I won't bite you anymore, give me your arm."

"You really think I'm stupid?" Chen Shuo was even more shocked now. Did this girl think he had the same level of intelligence as her?

"You're so fussy." Bai Xiaoqi threw down the fishing rod, grabbed his arm, and was about to bite when she rolled up Chen Shuo's sleeve a little before biting his arm.

An exaggerated shout startled countless birds in the valley, then silence returned. The two continued to sit on the rocks by the riverbank, fishing as if nothing had happened.

Around 3 p.m., the two ended their fishing trip for the day. The fish in this river were really a bit silly; in just half an afternoon, they caught more than ten fish, and they weren't the small ones the size of a palm, but rather larger ones.

The biggest one was the blackfish, which weighed about three or four pounds.

Snakehead fish are the kind of fish with a lot of bones, so they are best sliced ​​and cooked in hot pot. But without hot pot base, who would bother to go into the mountains to bring hot pot base?

After discussing it for a while, we finally decided that grilling was the easiest option, since we still had more than half a bag of barbecue seasoning left, and it would be a waste not to use it.

Bai Xiaoqi packed a lot of things in her backpack this time, including a cutting board. If it weren't for the fact that kitchen knives are dangerous items prohibited on railway trains, she would definitely have brought them.

However, I bought one at a supermarket in a small county town. It was a cheap one for a little over fifty yuan, and it was usable enough.

Bai Xiaoqi always had her own unique understanding of how to handle fish. With two thuds, the lively blackfish would fall silent.

She was quite large, and the chopsticks she brought couldn't reach the end of the fish, so she broke off a piece of twig and poked it into the fish's mouth, then used the back of a knife to scrape off the fish scales.

Chen Shuo stood by and watched, his expression the same as the old man on the subway, especially those two loud punches, which made his heart pound.

He silently calculated in his mind that if he had taken those two punches to the head, he probably wouldn't have died, but he would definitely have been knocked unconscious.

After watching for a while, Chen Shuo told me to call him when it was time to grill the fish, and then went for a stroll in the valley with his hands behind his back.

No one has entered the valley for years, and it has not been touched by human presence. It has a thick layer of vegetation mixed with soil and rocks. Some places are uneven when you step on it, while others are soft. All around, there are trees and various flowers and plants.

The trees and flowers, each with its own unique characteristics, grow at different heights and are arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern. Various birds chirp and chatter in the treetops, and strange, unidentified butterflies flit among the flowers and grasses. These butterflies are of different species, but all are quite large, and they fly around in groups.

Although Chen Shuo was not a biologist and could even be said to know nothing about butterflies, he was certain that these butterflies must have been ravaged by Little A Miao in the past, as cats love to chase after butterflies.

We came to the huge elm tree, which looked like a giant stone pillar.

Last night, Bai Xiaoqi mentioned that she had dug a hole in the tree, but Chen Shuo circled the tree several times without finding it. He guessed it was up there, but unfortunately, the trunk was too thick, and he couldn't climb up even after several attempts.

Back in the tent, I took out the lifeline I had brought from my backpack, tied a stone to the end, swung my arm and threw it up. The stone pulled the rope around a thick tree branch.

Chen Shuo loosened the rope in his hand a little more, and the stone fell down with the rope. The rope got caught on the treetop, and after tying a knot and pulling, the rope was securely tied up.

After tugging a few times to test his strength, Chen Shuo began to tighten the rope with his hands and climb up the tree trunk little by little with his feet.

Bai Xiaoqi had already squatted by the river to clean the fish and was about to call Chen Shuo over to grill it when she stood up and looked around. She then noticed that the guy was struggling to climb a tree and curled her lip in disdain.

When I used to climb trees, I only needed to use my claws to grip the trunk and I could climb up in no time. I didn't need to do it like he did.

Even though it doesn't have claws now, it can definitely climb up easily.

As if sensing her gaze, Chen Shuo turned around to meet her eyes and asked loudly, "Am I really good at climbing trees?"

"Yes, that's really impressive."

Bai Xiaoqi's insincere flattery: What's so great about being able to climb trees? You're showing off like a child.

How childish.

I'll give him a demonstration in a bit, so he'll know what it means to show off in front of Guan Yu—no, it means to climb a big tree in front of Ah Miao.

"Come down and grill the fish!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shuo looked up at the treetop. He was still seven or eight meters away from reaching the top. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to climb any further and instead saved it for after-dinner entertainment. He slowly slid down from the tree.

Chapter 177 Good Stuff

The fish was cut vertically in half with a knife, and then diagonally cut more than a dozen times on both sides to help it absorb the flavor. It was then placed on a charcoal grill and grilled until it crackled and popped. Finally, it was evenly sprinkled with barbecue seasoning, and each bite had a smoky flavor.

Chen Shuo would never admit that his grilling skills were lacking. His explanation was that the grill marks could mask the fishy smell. In addition to grilling fish, he also cooked some instant noodles in a small hanging pot.

I didn't use the few bottles of mineral water I brought; instead, I used river water, though I didn't even know the name of the river.

It's the same river, but the river is very wide at the foot of the mountain, tens of meters wide, while the river in the valley is only a few meters wide. It's more like a stream than a river, and the deepest part is only about two meters.

If you continue walking along the stream in the valley until you reach the end of the mountain wall, where water gurgles and flows slowly from between the crevices of the wall, down the mountain wall and into the river.

It looks very clean, clear and dust-free, and should be safe to drink directly, but just to be safe, I boiled it over a fire again and again.

After the meal, Chen Shuo went to the river to clean the pots and pans and the cutting board, while Bai Xiaoqi buried the fish bones in the soil to help them rest in peace.

It was around 5 p.m., and the sun was generously shining, with at least three hours until it got dark.

The two arrived at the elm tree. He grabbed the rope, wrapped it around his hand, and then gripped it tightly, preparing to climb up first and then pull Bai Xiaoqi up.

But Bai Xiaoqi had already started trying to climb up, grabbing the tree trunk with her little hands as if she wanted to jump up, but after a few hops, she was still standing on the ground and couldn't get up at all.

Elm trees are known for their sturdiness and hardness. She's not a cat anymore, she doesn't have claws, and her nails aren't even that long. If they get a little long, Chen Shuo will come over with nail clippers to help trim them.

Moreover, this elm tree is so thick that it's impossible to climb it by hugging the trunk and using both hands and feet.

Seeing that she was still jumping around in place, Chen Shuo couldn't help but say, "Stop jumping. I'll use a rope to pull you up after I get up."

"......"

Bai Xiaoqi remained silent, her two little hands gripping the rough bark and rubbing upwards, but she slid down again as soon as she managed to get a little up.

Her cat ears twitched twice. She stood on the ground and looked at her little hands. Because of climbing the tree, her fair palms were rubbed red by the rough bark.

She looked up at the tree canopy with wide eyes, finding it hard to accept reality.

I can't even go back to my old home anymore?!

"You just wait here. I'll pull you up in a bit. Don't jump around hugging the tree, or you'll get your hands all scraped up."

After giving a few instructions, Chen Shuo tightened his grip on the rope and climbed up the huge tree trunk. This time, with his previous experience, he moved faster and quickly climbed several meters.

Bai Xiaoqi stood there watching him, feeling that this guy was a bit like Tarzan from that movie. If he wore a grass skirt and yelled a few times, he would look even more like him.

Having climbed two-thirds of the way up, Chen Shuo gripped the rope tightly and took a couple of breaths. Climbing such a straight, tall tree was quite physically demanding, requiring the use of the whole body's strength. He had to step on the trunk to create an angle and generate friction, while also using his hands to pull the rope down to keep it taut and create tension.

Yes, it's that classmate from junior high.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered to the tree below, "See? The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans can use tools. Climbing trees isn't like you just jumping around aimlessly."

"Hurry up and climb your ladder."

"I know." Chen Shuo took a deep breath, gripped the rope tightly, and climbed up in one go. The training he had done over the past few days had paid off at this moment. He grabbed the branches with his hands, did a pull-up, and sat down.

He untied the rope, hung it on a higher branch, threw one side of the rope down, and shouted down at the tree below, "Tie the rope around yourself, I'll pull you up. Tie it tight, you hear me?"

"I heard you."

Bai Xiaoqi tied the rope around her waist several times, then grabbed the rope with her hands. Chen Shuo then grabbed the other side of the rope and began to pull her up little by little. It was like a pulley system, requiring almost no effort, and he quickly pulled her up.

The tree canopy is nearly 100 meters in diameter. It is summer, and the leaves are lush and the sunlight is completely blocked, with only a few rays of light flickering among the branches.

Avoiding the branches and leaves from all directions, the two walked on the branches. Chen Shuo was led by her to the tree hole, or more precisely, her former home.

He stuffed a thick branch into the tree hole, took out his phone from his pocket, and shone a flashlight inside.

It has to be said that Bai Xiaoqi's construction skills are really a bit rough. The interior is an irregular oval shape, about one cubic meter in size, and is covered with various scratch marks, which are obviously made by cat claws.

Clearly, this tree hole not only serves as a sleeping spot but also doubles as a cat scratching post.

The tree hollow was yellow; Chen Shuo knew it was the mattress she used to sleep on, used to cushion her body.

His gaze was somewhat lost in thought, the soft rustling of the wind through the leaves filling his ears. The withered leaves in the tree hollow were gradually turning fresh and green, and a soft-furred white cat was curled up in a small ball, sleeping inside.

As if sensing my gaze, the cat's ears twitched slightly, and then it opened its deep blue eyes to meet my gaze.

They stared at each other for a long time before letting out a soft meow, sticking out their small, soft tongues to lick their paws, getting up, shaking their bodies a couple of times, and walking towards them.

Bai Xiaoqi reached into the tree hole, seemingly trying to retrieve something, but after several attempts, she couldn't reach it and had to ask Chen Shuo for help. "Leaves..."

Chen Shuo came to his senses, and the scenery before him changed. The tree hole was still filled with withered and yellow leaves, and the white cat that had come toward him had disappeared.

Instead, a girl with white hair and cat ears was looking at him with her clear, bright blue eyes.

What did you just say?

“I told you I used to hide some good stuff, and you can help me get it out.”

"What good stuff? Where is it?"

"Inside the leaves."

"Oh, inside the leaves, right?"

Bai Xiaoqi frowned slightly, stared at Chen Shuo for a few moments, and felt that something was off about this guy; he seemed particularly dull.

Ignoring her gaze, Chen Shuo reached into the leaves and rummaged around. He didn't know how many layers of leaves the girl had laid down, but they were nearly ten centimeters thick. They were quite dry, and there was no sign of dampness or rot.

After some searching, he finally found something hard. It was square, like a box, with an uneven texture and a small ring on it.

Chen Shuo hooked the small ring with his finger, pulled it out, and a box was taken out.

It is entirely purplish-black, with a small ring embedded in the lid, which is golden in color, but it is not gold, it is brass.

The box is carved with floral, bird, and cloud patterns, and inlaid with a round piece of white jade, on which a blooming flower is also carved. It is a very exquisite wooden box with an antique charm, and it does not feel like a modern product.

"Is this the good stuff you were talking about?" Chen Shuo felt it was indeed a good thing, but he wondered where the girl got it from. It might even be an antique.

"No, the good stuff is inside the box."