Although the woman was short, she was agile and was holding a machete arm's length, scrutinizing Yu Hong with an evaluating gaze.
"Do you have any food?" Her gaze briefly shifted to the luminous stone rod with steel nails in Yu Hong's hand.
"Want to trade? What do you need?"
She added.
".... Got any medicine?" Yu Hong, observing her robust physique, felt that this woman might be stronger than him, which made him grow very cautious.
He was alert, his peripheral vision scanning the surroundings as he sized her up. "I need anti-diarrheal and anti-inflammatory medications."
"What will you trade for it? I only need food! Old Zhou hasn't been back in two days, and several households around us are short of food. If you have any, you can trade it for whatever you want," the woman quickly replied.
Her tone was sincere, and at the same time, the knife in her right hand unconsciously performed a flourish.
The machete, arm's length, straight and sharp and as wide as an adult's palm, wasn't something just anyone could flourish.
This action immediately brought Yu Hong's caution to its highest level.
He suddenly felt that coming out to trade so recklessly might have been a mistake.
Those who had survived outside alone for so long, even if they were slightly frail women, definitely had special skills to ensure their own safety.
However, since she didn't know his specifics, as long as they didn't start fighting, everything remained unknown and was just a probe; this was manageable.
"I have food," Yu Hong quickly replied. "But not much on me, I need to go back and get it. Do you have medicine?"
"I do have some, but you need to be clear about what illness you have, or it's a waste," the woman quickly responded.
"Diarrhea, it's happened several times in a row, I suspect it's from drinking rainwater," Yu Hong quickly replied.
"Rainwater!?" The woman appeared shocked, pausing abruptly and staring at Yu Hong. "Did you drink it directly or did you filter it?"
"I filtered it," when Yu Hong saw her reaction, he immediately felt a sinking feeling that something was amiss.
"That's good, that's very good," her tone relaxed. "Since those ghostly things appeared two years ago, rainwater has been toxic. If drunk directly, it causes severe diarrhea, and only those with strong constitutions can withstand it."
"What should I do now?" Yu Hong asked, frowning, as he tossed a piece of dried lizard over.
She caught it, sniffed it, bit off half, and slowly chewed. Her gaze towards Yu Hong softened significantly.
"Good that you filtered it, didn't anyone tell you not to drink rainwater?" she said, almost incredulously.
".... No, I had a companion who would drink it casually...." Yu Hong recalled the days he lived with the stutterer, who seemed to often drink rainwater, but never offered it to him.
".... You have a very strong companion," the woman also went silent.
"I guess she's like a buffalo, could lift you with one hand."
"Not quite... but can you tell me how to resolve this?" Yu Hong threw another piece of jerky over.
The woman caught it, her face breaking into a slight smile.
"It's simple, dig some black soil with a bit of purple, about the size of a chicken egg, dissolve it in water and swallow it, and you'll be better quickly."
She stood upright, looking at Yu Hong.
"By the way, this must be your first time trading with someone, right? Just giving away all your specifics outright, you must have been one of the townspeople from the bunker before?"
"...." Yu Hong didn't respond, but his face showed an expression of how did you know.
Of course, he wasn't from the bunker, but it didn't stop him from letting her think that.
"You're Yu Hong, right?" the woman suddenly mentioned his name, "Yiyi has told me about you. There haven't been many newcomers in this area for miles around, and the most recent one is you."
"Okay.... I'm Yu Hong, and you are?" Hearing Yiyi's name, Yu Hong knew she was an acquaintance and felt slightly more relaxed. However, he still gripped the rod in his hand.
"I'm Jenny. I mend skins; you must have heard Yiyi mention me. I can fix anything these people around here wear," she said, her tone becoming gentler.
"Where's Yiyi? Why did you come this time instead of her?" Jenny asked, puzzled.
"She went to town," Yu Hong didn't say Yiyi had left, he just lied simply.
"Fine, do you have more food? I've told you how to treat diarrhea from drinking rainwater. If you have anything else to trade, you can bring food, need any clothes to exchange?"
Her gaze lingered on Yu Hong's T-shirt, which was so dirty it was almost unwatchable, and chuckled.
The once gray-white short-sleeved T-shirt was now a grimy yellow, completely soaked through with dried sweat.
Wearing it was both oily and cold, adding significantly more weight.
"Got any nails?" After thinking, Yu Hong asked. He needed nails for crafting; they were much more convenient than traditional joinery.
"I have quite a few, what do you need those for?" Jenny was taken aback, then instantly seemed to realize something, "Could it be you make your own things?"
"I do a bit," Yu Hong nodded, took out a water filter cup he had made, "This is a water filter cup I made. If you guys want it, you can order from me. Meds, clothes, unprocessed luminous stones, or help me with some work, all can be traded."
Jenny looked at the water filter cup in his hands, her eyes lighting up more and more.
If this craftsmanship was really effective, then everyone nearby could benefit.
"Because of the 'Big Skin' last night, we all gathered at Old Zhou's bunker. We'll come to trade with you after the surge period is over!" she quickly said.
"Are you trading this cup now?" she asked, pointing at the water filter cup.
"Trading," Yu Hong nodded.
He was skilled in crafts, and his work was decent. This was the identity he had prepared for himself in advance.
This identity would help him maintain a basic level of security in the area.
Because only if he was alive could he continuously produce the things everyone needed.
That's where his value lay.
"Wait for me, I'll be right back," Jenny said without mentioning how much in exchange, then turned and ran. She darted into the forest and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Yu Hong glanced in the direction she had left, then carefully found a place to hide, no longer foolishly standing out in the open.
He now desperately longed for the Training Method, which was close to being strengthened. His physical condition was too poor now, likely unable to defeat anyone.
Should the Training Method succeed, he would be able to strengthen other survival techniques like forest survival methods, Lurking and Hiding Skill, among others.
But the prerequisite was that the methods he strengthened had to be usable by him.
'Training also needs sufficient food and rest... If only I could figure out how the lizard jerky and mushrooms are made.'
Yu Hong crouched in the bushes, pondering while he waited.
Fortunately, it was the fieriest time of the day when the shadows generally didn't appear.
And for unknown reasons, there were hardly any mosquitoes or bugs to be seen in the forest.
So he wasn't bitten while crouching in the bushes.
The rustling of leaves varied with the wind, and the intense sunlight continuously brought waves of warmth as it beat down on him.
Yet, aside from the noise of the branches and leaves, the forest was devoid of any other sounds, void of any signs of life.
No birds, no bugs, all was deathly still.
Yu Hong frequently scanned his surroundings to ensure that the shadows couldn't approach him unawares.
Despite the brilliant sunshine, the eerily quiet forest exuded a bizarre sense of terror.
No butterflies, no bees, no flowers—only grass, branches, roots.
Young green, emerald, dark green, yellowish-green—layers upon layers of foliage intertwined, forming a forest that was real yet bizarre.
'This forest, it's like it's dead. Lush and quiet in a deceitful way.'
This thought flashed through Yu Hong's mind.
After about several minutes, footsteps again echoed from the side of the stone post office building.
"Yu Hong? Are you there? I'm back."
Jenny's voice sounded.
Upon hearing her, Yu Hong carefully peered through the bushes towards the source of the sound.
He saw that Jenny was still dressed the same, holding a small cloth bag, standing still and looking around.
He didn't come out immediately but observed her a bit longer to make sure her movements were natural, not stiff, and she moved step by step.
Clearly, she wasn't a shadow.
Besides, there was no one else following her; she was alone.
After confirming this, he slowly stood up.
"I'm here. Did you bring the stuff?"
"Got it." Jenny squinted towards him. "Don't move, just stand there!"
She suddenly shouted.
"What did we agree to exchange?"
"Water filter and nails!" Yu Hong replied immediately.
"Good!"
Relieved, Jenny approached.
"Here." She handed over the small cloth bag.
Yu Hong took it, opened it, and saw a bunch of rusty nails as long as fingers.
"More than thirty pieces, enough for a while. But for just these, it's not enough in exchange for the water filter."
He looked at the other person.
"Add this." Jenny put down a backpack from behind, took out a patched long-sleeve sweatshirt from it.
"I guessed you needed a change of clothes. Else, getting wet from rain could make you sick."
She smiled at Yu Hong and winked.
"Deal!" Yu Hong nodded. He handed over the water filter and took the sweatshirt.
The gray sweatshirt was woven from some unknown fine grass and added animal fur, looking rather warm.
"This is made with wild boar skin. It's rainproof but won't handle prolonged rain, so be careful," Jenny advised. "It was originally made for my daughter. She works in the bunker in town and comes back once a month. Speaking of which, she's only a bit younger than you."
As she mentioned her daughter, a tender smile involuntarily spread across her face.
"You really love your daughter." Yu Hong packed away the clothes and nails.
"Yep, she's my pride and joy, combining the best traits of her father and me. Beautiful, confident, capable, she can handle anything life throws at her," Jenny answered with a smile.
"By the way, if I want to contact you over a long distance, is there any way?"
"You could use a long-range communicator, but charging it is a hassle. It was useful before the Black Disaster but not much now," Jenny replied. "However, the postman has one, always in contact with the bunker in town."
"About charging it? How is that resolved?" Yu Hong asked quickly, his mind whirring.
"It uses a hand-crank generator, and there's solar power too, but because its efficiency has decreased over time, it's more of a supplemental solution now," Jenny answered. "Why, are you interested?"
She keenly guessed Yu Hong's intention.
"I have a small electrical device, being able to charge it would be a big help. When the postman returns, could you ask him if he sells the solar generators?" Yu Hong asked.