Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 120
by Little PandaThe Generation Three Shelter (With a Small Field)
Seeing that Nan Huaixu was safe and sound, Liu Yinxi breathed a long sigh of relief. In that single, brief minute, her heart had ridden a roller coaster, leaving her stomach in knots.
Nan Huaixu stepped across the stones in the stream and walked over, showing Liu Yinxi what she was holding. “Look at the treasure I found. Hurry, come look over there with me.”
From a distance, Liu Yinxi had only been able to see her cradling something golden-yellow. Now that they were close, she realized it was actually an ear of yellow corn. However, it was quite small, the kernels were sparse and shriveled, and birds had pecked parts of it bald.
Corn was not native to Jinzhou Island; foreigners had introduced it in recent history. Due to its high adaptability, rapid growth, and high yields, it had quickly taken root, gradually becoming a staple on par with rice and cassava, widely cultivated by the island’s farmers.
Normally, corn shouldn’t appear in a virgin rainforest, but considering the abandoned wooden cabin nearby, it wasn’t hard to understand.
With a guess in her mind, Liu Yinxi took the corn and quickly grabbed Nan Huaixu’s hand. “Let’s go take a look!”
Crossing the stream and stepping into the woods, they walked less than a hundred meters before a broad stretch of land appeared. The surrounding trees had clearly been felled and cleared away. Although it had been abandoned for years and was overgrown with weeds, the remnants of a dilapidated fence and an irrigation ditch dug from the stream were still visible.
This abandoned field spanned about two or three mu1. In one patch, a few sparse stalks of corn grew; in another, clumps of cassava leaves flourished beautifully. These were crops left behind when the farmers who once lived here departed, left to grow freely.
Nan Huaixu said excitedly, “The corn and cassava here, plus our remaining rice and beans, will be enough to support us to survive for a hundred days. We don’t have to worry about going hungry.”
The first thing Liu Yinxi thought of was the variety of cassava. Wild cassava was toxic and had to be detoxified before eating, and they could only eat a small amount at a time, which was very troublesome. If this field contained a modern, cultivated food variety of cassava, they would hit the jackpot.
She quickly found a stick and dug up a small piece of cassava. The tuber was noticeably plumper than the wild cassava they had dug up before, its outer skin slightly reddish. When sliced open, the inner skin was purplish-red and the inside was a clean white, with a faint sweet scent when smelled closely.
“This is sweet cassava!” Liu Yinxi exclaimed in surprise. “It has shallow roots and widely distributed tubers, making it easy to plant and increase yields. You can tell at a glance that it’s a cultivated food crop.”
Hearing that it was sweet cassava, Nan Huaixu’s mouth watered: “Let’s taste some later.”
Liu Yinxi wrapped the cassava in leaves and put it in her pack. “We should still remain cautious. We’ll soak it for two days before cooking and eating it.”
“Alright.”
【Wow, wow, wow!】
【A little farmland! Isn’t this practically a cheat code?】
【This has to be a foul!】
【What kind of foul is that? It’s abandoned. It counts as a natural resource.】
【Exactly. They can’t plant it now anyway. It’ll be nice if a tiny bit of corn and cassava can even fill them up. (laugh-cry)】
【This place is very spacious and on high ground. It’s close to a water source but not too close. They can build a shelter here!】
【This is great! Xixi and Manman can finally settle down. (tears)】
【The life raft they just got can play a big role. (thumbs-up)】
【Is this really not a script? How could it be such a coincidence? Coincidentally running into an abandoned wooden cabin, and coincidentally an abandoned field with corn? The production team must have arranged this in advance to flatter Nan!】
【If the production team really wanted to flatter Manman, would they need to give her abandoned resources? What were the dangers Manman faced before? Is the production team stupid?】
【There’s something I’m a bit concerned about. The potato chip bag Xixi picked up earlier is a clove-lemon flavor released just this year. That brand of potato chips is only available in Southeast Asia, so people domestically might not recognize it.】
【Huh? Doesn’t that mean someone has been to the wooden cabin this year? Will the original owners come back?】
【See! I told you it’s a script! This wooden cabin and corn were definitely prepared by the production team! A staff member ate potato chips and littered, and now they’ve been caught! Haha!】
【Oh my god, no way…】
Liu Yinxi went to the side to check the corn. It was undoubtedly edible. Planting seeds to expand production now would be pointless since the competition would be over before the new seedlings grew, but she could improve the existing environment to help these few stalks successfully bear the fruit they were currently nurturing.
In addition, this place had to be protected to prevent other small animals from ruining these remaining precious food resources.
Nan Huaixu pulled Liu Yinxi’s arm: “There’s also something interesting over here. It might be useful.”
Liu Yinxi followed her to the bushes at the edge of the abandoned field. Further back, the eastern forest was interspersed with bamboo. Beneath a clump of green bamboo stood an abandoned small livestock shed, which was extremely small, only big enough to keep a few chickens or ducks.
They stepped on the fallen leaves, making a soft rustling sound.
Liu Yinxi noticed a grayish-white strip showing in the grass. She crouched down and brushed away a layer of dead branches and rotting leaves with her hands, revealing a stone feeding trough.
Nan Huaixu pointed to the side of the stone trough: “There are carvings here.”
Liu Yinxi shifted the stone trough and flipped it over; there were two rows of characters on it.
“Is it the Jinzhou language?” Nan Huaixu asked.
Liu Yinxi traced the characters to identify them: “No.”
Nan Huaixu was surprised: “English.”
The two of them exchanged a look and continued to look at those few letters.
Liu Yinxi read: “Quack, Cock, Woof?”
“Are these… names given to the little duck, little chicken, and puppy?” Nan Huaixu asked.
Liu Yinxi didn’t know either. “Maybe they’re just mimicking animal sounds?”
“Then why carve them onto the feeding trough?”
“Oh, oh, then they might be names.”
Nan Huaixu stood up with the help of a bamboo stalk, looking back at that overgrown, abandoned field. Her brows knitted. “I think this place is very strange. It’s a remnant of an indigenous tribe, yet it lies outside the tribe, not integrated into it.”
Liu Yinxi went to investigate the small livestock shed: “No matter what it is, as long as it helps us in the competition, that’s enough. I think if we patch up this little shed, it can still be used to make a trap.”
Nan Huaixu did not answer, her thoughts drawn to this hidden little field. A faint, barely perceptible sadness crept into her expression: “The people who once lived here named the animals they raised. They must have been full of hope for life… yet in the end, only desolation is left behind.”
A long time from now, the places she and Liu Yinxi lived together would also return to wildness, disappearing into nature.
Just like everything had never happened.
Liu Yinxi patted the dust off her hands and walked over to her: “A qualified farmer doesn’t give nicknames to her produce—once you develop feelings, it doesn’t taste good anymore. Maybe that’s why this place was abandoned.”
Because that was an idealistic farmer who thought they had designed a fairy-tale future, not knowing the ending was already written. Nature has its laws.
Nan Huaixu stood with her back to her, and only after a moment did she let out a muffled “Mmh…”
Detecting the sadness in her voice, Liu Yinxi instantly grew anxious: “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”
Nan Huaixu turned back: “No, you’re right. I was just thinking that sometimes my thoughts are very childish.”
Like imagining a lifetime spent wandering the world’s wilderness with you.
Perhaps, one-sided wishful thinking is destined to end in desolation, leaving nothing behind.
In this instant, Nan Huaixu suddenly had a trace of understanding for those girls who had given up on pursuing Liu Yinxi’s friend.
Liu Yinxi softened her tone: “Not at all, maybe they were just keeping them as pets.”
Nan Huaixu smiled and nodded.
Liu Yinxi scratched the back of her head. She knew this method of comforting her was clumsy, but as long as it could make Nan Huaixu’s mood a bit better, that was enough.
At noon, they ate the dry rations they had brought with them. After a brief rest, they returned to the campsite, planning to bring their things over tomorrow morning to build the shelter.
The location of the abandoned field was excellent—high, flat, and wide, with a convenient water source. More importantly, there were ready-made crop resources. It was simply a treasure land gifted to them by heaven, and there were even scattered wooden planks in the abandoned wooden cabin that they could use.
Getting onto the life raft, they rowed back to the opposite bank.
Pulling on her oar, Liu Yinxi said, “Teacher Nan, I was so excited when I saw the corn earlier that I forgot to tell you.”
Nan Huaixu, holding the other oar to learn how to row from her, asked: “Tell me what?”
Liu Yinxi said in a warm voice, “At that time, I was on the second floor looking for supplies, and you were on the first floor. You slipped away without saying a word, and later when I found out you weren’t there, it scared me to death. If you have any moves in the future, please notify me, okay?”
A flicker of confusion crossed Nan Huaixu’s eyes: “I did tell you. Didn’t you reply to me?”
Liu Yinxi looked completely bewildered: “I didn’t hear it, and it was even more impossible for me to reply to you.”
Nan Huaixu was silent for a few seconds and said, “Maybe I misheard. I’m sorry, in the future I’ll tell you face-to-face.”
Liu Yinxi said, “Teacher Nan, don’t say sorry, it’s not a big deal. Mostly, I was just worried about you. Teacher Nan, you found the corn, so we can finally build a new shelter. This is all your credit.”
“It’s your credit. You discovered the wooden cabin first and insisted on rowing over to check. You would have seen the corn just the same if you walked out of the cabin to look around.”
“Hehe, then it’s our shared credit.”
Nan Huaixu thought about it all the way back, and did not tell Liu Yinxi one thing.
She felt that Liu Yinxi probably wouldn’t be interested in the past of the abandoned wooden cabin, because when she chatted about this place with her, Liu Yinxi didn’t care much, and this had no meaning for their competition.
Nan Huaixu had seen some carvings in a corner of the first floor of the wooden cabin.
They were just some rough scratches, carved on the wooden wall.
A sun, a big tree, a small cabin, potato chips.
Mama, Mami, dog, and “me.”
A giant “X” was carved over the drawings.
Taking three days and through the joint efforts of Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu, the Generation Three Shelter was completed.
The new shelter was built on the grass beside the abandoned field, modeled after the abandoned wooden cabin.
The eaves of the roof flared upward at both ends, with thatch covering the roof. The bottom of the house was elevated, with a wooden ladder connecting the first and second floors. The first floor had no walls, allowing for complete ventilation, with a square opening specially left in the wooden floorboards for a ground fire pit below. The second floor was built with a mixture of wood and bamboo, featuring two small windows that kept the space cool and well-ventilated.
The ground of the shelter was cleared of weeds, swept clean, and scattered with wood ash for disinfection. To prevent the area from becoming muddy on rainy days, Liu Yinxi laid several wooden planks on the dirt to serve as a walkway.
They also built a simple little side shed next to the shelter to store miscellaneous items, so as not to take up space in the shelter and to keep things neat.
After exploring the surrounding area over the past few days, they found a land route leading to the opposite bank. Compared to the water route, it required a longer detour, but if the life raft had problems or the water route was unsafe, they could take the land route to the airdrop beach.
With shelter, food, and transportation all settled, they just had to move their supplies stored in the small cave over, and their life by the lake would stabilize.
Liu Yinxi repaired the fence, weeded and loosened the soil around the corn, dug irrigation ditches, and tied a “scarecrow” out of sticks and bark cloth from the abandoned wooden cabin to scare away small animals that came to steal the crops.
Munching on a crisp, sweet fruit, she sat on the first floor of the shelter, admiring her little field. A cool breeze blew from the pond, lightly brushing her cheeks, and she smiled with satisfaction.
It was truly nice.
It felt a bit like sitting in the courtyard of her home when she was a child.
The red-footed falcon rescued by her Mami bullying the dyed chick her Mama brought home from the market—they used to run around in a little field just like this.
What was planted in the field back then? Was it Aunt Li’s mustard greens? Or Aunt Zhang’s chayote?
She couldn’t remember clearly.
So far away…
Distant in time, distant in space—a distance of not being in the same world.
A distance of never being able to return.
As soon as Nan Huaixu returned from digging up cassava, she saw Liu Yinxi sitting on the first floor, lost in thought.
She reached out and waved her hand in front of Liu Yinxi’s eyes: “What are you thinking about, Classmate Xiao Liu?”
Liu Yinxi looked up, a slightly lonely smile on her face: “Teacher Nan, I miss home. But I don’t have one.”
Nan Huaixu paused, the emotions in her eyes shifting several times. She slowly raised her hand, gently placing it on top of Liu Yinxi’s head, and pulled her against her chest.
But I want to have one with you.
A home.
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