Two people, one big and one small, walked for over four hours. The sky gradually darkened.
After confirming that he had walked out of the dangerous wetland, Shan Ming decided to relax a bit. There were fewer deadly insects here, so he could finally let his guard down a little. He planned to start a fire and take a nap, he really couldn’t hold on any longer.
Shan Ming chose the most suitable place for defense. He had a huge rock behind him and an open space in front of him, where there would be no place for anything dangerous to hide. Shan Ming then instructed Shen Changze to gather some dry wood and started a fire.
After nightfall, the forest became particularly cold, with the temperature dropping to around 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. Shan Ming’s clothes were unable to keep him warm, and he had endured the previous two days without a fire. Today, after starting a fire, he felt much better.
On the other hand, Shen Changze was pretty much naked in his tattered clothes. Seeing the child shivering around the fire, Shan Ming once again couldn’t help wondering how he had survived until now.
He sat down with his back against the rock, handed him his watch, and said, “Listen carefully, I’m going to sleep for a bit right now, wake me up in one hour.”
The child took the watch and looked at him with uncertainty.
“Within this hour, you must keep your eyes wide open and wake me up if anything happens. You must never fall asleep. If you dare to sleep, I will throw you into the fire.”
The child shuddered and looked at him fearfully, then nodded quickly.
Shan Ming stressed again, “One hour.” Then he closed his eyes.
He hadn’t closed his eyes for long when he suddenly felt a strange movement beside him. He suddenly opened his eyes, and the dagger in his hand flew out.
“Ah!” The child screamed, staring at the dagger now at his neck.
Shan Ming glared angrily, “Are you fucking looking for death.”
The child sobbed, “Uncle, I’m so cold.”
Shan Ming closes his eyes again, “Jump into the fire if you’re cold, stay away from me. Don’t get close to me in my sleep.” Years of bloody experience have made him highly vigilant even in his sleep. Approaching him while he was sleeping was a threat to him.
The child bit his lips and crawled to his side.
Shan Ming opened his eyes again and looked at him coldly.
The child met his gaze, trembling with fear, but still crawled onto him bit by bit and said softly, “Uncle, I’m so cold. Aren’t you cold?” After speaking, he began to cautiously crawl into his embrace.
In fact, Shan Ming also felt cold. Even if he was leaning next to the fire, his hands and feet were still freezing. However, it’s not anything he couldn’t endure.
Obviously, this child couldn’t endure it.
He picked up Shen Changze by his collar and threw him aside, “Looking for death?”
The child looked at the unfeeling Shan Ming, feeling both aggrieved and scared, he couldn’t help but sob, “I’m cold, I’m cold! Wuwuwu[1] Mommy, I’m so cold…”
After walking alone in the damp, cold, and darkness for days, feeding on insects and drinking dirty water mixed with mud, the child couldn’t escape from this nightmare no matter how much he cried out. Having finally encountered a human, but one that was so mean and horrible that he wasn’t even willing to hold him. This child’s mental mind was on the verge of collapse.
In his simple world, every adult he had encountered before liked him, wanted to hold him, and didn’t want to refuse any of his requests. Yet the only person he had encountered in this desperate situation was one so cold-hearted. He didn’t understand why this person didn’t like him. He didn’t like this person either, and even hated and feared him very much. But in this vast forest, he could only feel a bit safer when he was next to this person.
The child was overwhelmed with sadness, fear, and coldness. His tears burst out completely and he cried loudly, “Mommy… Mommy… I’m so cold… Wuwuwuwu Mommy…”
Shan Ming was so annoyed by him that he really wanted to use something to block his mouth.
He had never interacted with children in his life, nor had he ever had a childhood. He didn’t know how difficult it was to tame a child. When he told him not to cry, the child would cry even more, even beating him wouldn’t teach him a lesson.
Shan Ming growled, “Do you want to get beaten?”
The child cried, “Beat me then, you are a bad guy. I am so cold, wuwuwuwuwu–”
The child cried incoherently, shivering and convulsing all over. He cried so loudly that Shan Ming’s head was about to explode.
Shan Ming wanted to give him a slap or two, but seeing the way the kid was acting, he realized that the more he hit him, the more he would cry, and he wouldn’t be able to get any peace for the whole night.
He cursed in annoyance and grabbed the child’s arm, pulling him towards himself.
When the child’s weight landed on Shan Ming’s body, he couldn’t describe how he felt. As a human too, he never knew that a child’s touch could be like this. It was very soft, as if there were no bones, very light, but it was a little uncomfortable when pressed onto his stomach.
He had never held any child before, and he found the feeling very strange. With just one hand, he could hold the child’s whole body. How could a child be so tiny?
Shen Changze stopped crying after he landed on top of Shan Ming’s body, then looked up at him with teary eyes.
Shan Ming said with a cold expression, “If you want to keep warm, stay well-behaved. If you cry again…” With a quick movement of his hand, a cold light flashed, leaving a thin bloodstain on the child’s leg. “How many tears you shed will be how much blood I’ll make you shed.”
The wound was very shallow, just a scrape that barely broke the skin, but it still frightened the child enough that he didn’t dare move.
Shan Ming put away the dagger, unbuttoned his jacket, and wrapped the child’s small body inside his clothes. He thought to himself, he might as well use him to keep himself warm, the child doesn’t add much weight anyway.
The child obediently lay on top of Shan Ming’s belly, his small hands wrapped around Shan Ming’s waist, holding him tightly.
Shan Ming said in a low voice, “Repeat what I said just now.”
The child rested his soft little head against Shan Ming’s chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Despite the unpleasant odor emanating from this man’s body, the warmth of human contact made the child feel at ease. He heard the question and immediately answered, “Wake you up in one hour.”
“If you fall asleep…”
The child clenched the watch in his hand, “I won’t, I’ll stay awake.”
Shan Ming didn’t want to put his life in the hands of a five-year-old child, but he was so sleepy that his eyelids were literally fighting to stay open. If he didn’t get some rest soon, he would have to crawl the rest of the way. So he closed his eyes again.
The body in his arms started to warm up, making Shan Ming’s belly all cozy as he fell into a deep sleep.
[1] sobbing sfx