A farce came to an abrupt halt, much like Lin Banxia's interrupted gasp.
Then, darkness truly enveloped the sky.
Yu Lei remained inside the cave, keeping an eye on the boy, while Lin Banxia stepped to the entrance to gather some branches. Under the boy's astonished gaze, Yu Lei produced his Zippo lighter and quickly ignited a small fire.
The three of them stared at the flickering flames in silence, momentarily lost for words.
Fire is one of the five elements in Chinese philosophy and a symbol of humanity; it brings warmth and hope, allowing one to muster inner strength. Lin Banxia propped her damp military coat beside the fire to dry, shivering in only her undergarments.
With a sigh, Yu Lei, dismissing any notions of propriety, pulled her into his embrace, both seeking warmth from one another.
"You... you two..." The boy stammered, wide-eyed, unable to articulate his thoughts.
"What does a little brat know? You're still wearing a sweater! Don't tell me you're cold too," Yu Lei retorted, a hint of irritation in his voice. The boy's earlier actions with the machete had left a bad impression on him.
"Yu Lei, he thinks I'm your slave… He brandished a knife at me as soon as we met, and he spoke so fast I could hardly understand him; I had no choice but to go along with him," Lin Banxia coughed lightly, patting Yu Lei's chest to soothe him.
"Slave?" Yu Lei nearly choked. Where did this little one get such an idea?
"Well, when we came ashore, I was tied with a ribbon around my waist. He thought you had bound me. I tried explaining, but he wouldn't believe me," Lin Banxia found it baffling, especially since the boy's accent made it difficult for her to comprehend his words.
Yu Lei raised an eyebrow, slightly disheartened. "Hey, you were the one swimming ahead, dragging me to shore. By his logic, doesn't that make me your slave?"
Lin Banxia giggled softly, "Perhaps the truth is indeed as he thinks!"
Having successfully escaped danger and with their immediate needs temporarily met, they relaxed and exchanged playful banter.
"By the way, what do we do now?" Lin Banxia nestled into Yu Lei's embrace, savoring the sweetness of the moment, even with the little boy nearby.
"With so many trees around, we should be able to build a wooden cabin. However, it wouldn't withstand the elements; the cave seems like the safest option," Yu Lei surveyed the cave, which was about three meters deep but over four meters high—spacious enough, perhaps a former den for bears hibernating.
"Pfft! So we've become cave dwellers?" Lin Banxia chuckled, bemused.
"Quite possibly! Too bad we have clothes; otherwise, you'd look splendid in a skirt made of animal hides," Yu Lei mused, envisioning Lin Banxia draped in fur, and it wasn't a bad thought at all.
"Ah, the novels I used to read had protagonists transported back to ancient times. I felt for them; now we find ourselves thrust back into a primitive society," Lin Banxia sighed, contemplating their current situation compared to their past lives, finding it hard to accept.
"It's not so bad; we don't have to reinvent modern conveniences, just figure out how to restore their original functions. For example," Yu Lei picked up his Zippo lighter, "had I not found it, it might have remained useless forever."
Lin Banxia felt comforted by his words, her spirits lifting considerably. At the very least, they wouldn't be starting from scratch.
The little boy listened to their conversation with wide-eyed surprise, and even he, slow to catch on, could no longer perceive their relationship as one of master and servant.
Yu Lei tossed him a piece of compressed food from the ground, "You must be hungry, right? This is compressed food; wash it down with water. I have no idea how you've managed to survive here; you've done well." With the misunderstanding cleared, he saw no need to maintain a standoff with the boy, especially since the child had been surviving alone in the wilderness for days. He couldn't help but admire him.
Had it been him, unaccompanied by Lin Banxia, he would likely have perished by now.
"By the way, what's your name?" Lin Banxia nudged a bottle of water towards him.
The boy, not one to hold back, lifted the bottle and drank several gulps before contentedly replying, "I'm Tang Nuo..."
Yu Lei furrowed his brow at the school uniform the boy wore. "The 21st was a Friday, right? How did you survive? Why weren't you at school?"
Tang Nuo scratched his head sheepishly, "Well, I skipped school that afternoon. I had planned to explore some underground caves with my friends, so I brought a knife and some supplies. But they all made excuses to bail after just a few steps, and I wandered through the cave until around six or seven in the evening, just as I was about to head back when the flood hit..."
Yu Lei listened attentively, while Lin Banxia, unable to contain herself, sat up and pressed him further, "How did you survive?"
"The water level underground was strange; I was initially on the upper level of the cave, but then I noticed it dropping rapidly, even exposing the bottom. Though I didn't know why, I sensed it couldn't be a good sign," Tang Nuo recalled the events of that evening.
"Hmm, the rapid retreat of seawater is a sign of an impending tsunami. After such a retreat, a massive wave often follows within minutes. This tsunami must have been colossal, perhaps the same is true for the underground water," Yu Lei nodded. "Please continue."
"I followed the bats in the cave; my mother once told me that when in danger, follow the animals, as they have keen instincts. When the water level surged, I was already in the highest part of the cave, so I didn't get submerged." Tang Nuo opened the compressed food packaging and eagerly took a bite. "Ugh! This tastes awful, like the history book I once ate!"
Yu Lei and Lin Banxia exchanged wry smiles. The tastelessness of the compressed food was indeed reminiscent of paper, which explained why they had lost control over their emotions upon tasting the chocolate after days of eating it.
"But this compressed food and bottled water... you... you aren't one of them, are you?"
Yu Lei and Lin Banxia stared in bewilderment. Who were "them"?
"You mean there are others still alive? Not just one?" Yu Lei felt a surge of excitement. Indeed, there were others who had survived.
Tang Nuo's expression grew icy, and he nodded stiffly, "Yes, on the other side of the mountain. There are at least five of them, and they treat women as slaves."