Li Yang made a show of considering Jake's question carefully. Then he said:
"Well, if things get real bad, we can always try eating those reeds."
He did his best to keep a straight and serious face but when Jake laughed and punched his arm and called him a depressed asshole, he couldn't help smiling.
"Let's have a look at the supplies," Jake said, and they both walked over to the pile of items left by the governor's boat.
The cowhide shifts they now wore had been on the very top of the stack, partly covering and protecting it from rain. There was an assortment of tools: among others, a spade and a shovel, a pick, a hoe, a primitive rake with wooden teeth, and two long-handled axes. The tools looked crude and roughly made; the only exception were the two wide-bladed knives. The blades had been worked on with some care, and they glistened in the sunlight.
