Taking advantage of the time while the two children were gathering stones, Lin Wanxing headed outside and cut a large bundle of dry grass.
She spread it neatly in a corner on the inner side of the cave, where it was sheltered from the wind blowing in through the entrance and was the warmest spot.
Then she scattered a layer of soft pine needles she’d collected over the grass.
Feeling it with her hand, she nodded in satisfaction.
It was warm, soft, and much more comfortable than sleeping on the bare ground.
Just as she finished making their bed, Lin Wanxing turned around and noticed a pile of black animal droppings in one corner of the cave.
She couldn’t tell what animal had left them, but they gave off a faint, fishy odor.
Near the cave wall was also a hole about the size of a bowl’s opening.
Several dry snake sheds clung to the edge of it.
It was clearly a snake’s den.
“We have to clean all this up. Otherwise, we might end up with some ‘uninvited guests’ crawling in to fight us for the cave tonight.”
Lin Wanxing sighed, hands on her hips, before looking at the eager brother and sister.
“Xiaoshi, Yaya, let’s give our cave a thorough cleaning. We’ll clear out all the dirty things and make this place our home. Sound good?”
Xiaoshi’s eyes lit up immediately.
“I’ll shovel the droppings, Big Sister! I’m strong! I’ll make sure not even a bit is left!”
Yaya stood on tiptoe, enthusiastically raising her tiny arm.
“Me! Me! I’ll guard the snake hole! If a little snake comes out, I’ll tap the ground with a stick and scare it back inside!”
Their enthusiasm made Lin Wanxing laugh.
She went outside and found a broad, dried leaf.
It had become stiff after drying, making it perfect for carrying the droppings.
Then she selected a branch about as thick as her wrist from the firewood pile, stripped away the small twigs, and handed it to Yaya.
“Take this. If you really see a snake, don’t get too close. Just tap the ground gently. Snakes are afraid of vibrations.”
The cave cleanup officially began.
Squatting beside the droppings, Xiaoshi pinched his nose with a wrinkled little face.
Using the small hatchet, he carefully scraped everything into a pile before transferring it onto the large leaf and wrapping it up.
Holding it as though it were something scorching hot, he hurried outside.
He deliberately walked about fifty paces away behind a clump of bushes before dumping it there.
Then he picked up several rocks and piled them on top.
Muttering to himself, he said,
“Stinky thing, stay buried here. Don’t ever come back and disturb our sleep again!”
After making three trips, he finally cleared all the droppings from the cave.
Sweat trickled down his forehead and cheeks.
Yet his eyes sparkled with pride.
Meanwhile, Yaya faithfully guarded the snake hole.
She sat on a flat stone, clutching the branch tightly while staring at the opening without blinking.
Whenever the wind stirred the dry grass near the hole, she immediately tightened her grip and held her breath.
Only after realizing it was just the breeze would she relax and whisper softly toward the hole.
“Little snake, stay inside and sleep, okay? We won’t bother you, so don’t come out and scare us.”
Her earnest expression made Lin Wanxing secretly smile every time she passed by.
Lin Wanxing herself dealt with sealing the snake hole.
She selected several dry branches about the thickness of her wrist.
They needed to be thick enough to block the opening, but not so thick that they couldn’t fit inside.
She also gathered a large bundle of dried grass.
Her plan was to wedge the branches into the hole first, stuff the gaps with dry grass, and finally seal everything with dirt.
Squatting down, she reached toward the hole to push in the first branch.
Suddenly—
The side of her wrist scraped against a sharp edge of stone she hadn’t noticed before.
A cut about two fingers long instantly opened across her skin.
Bright red blood immediately welled up and trickled down her arm.
She couldn’t help hissing in pain.
“Big Sister! You’re hurt!”
Xiaoshi, who had been collecting loose stones, noticed first.
Throwing the rocks aside, he rushed over.
He stared anxiously at her bleeding wrist, his voice trembling.
“You’re bleeding so much! Does it hurt? Are you okay?”
Yaya hurried over as well.
She gently touched the skin beside the wound with one tiny finger.
Her large eyes were filled with worry, tears already threatening to spill.
“Big Sister… if it hurts… then cry. Yaya will blow on it and it’ll stop hurting.”
Lin Wanxing quickly raised her injured hand and smiled reassuringly.
“It’s okay. It’s only a small cut. Didn’t Big Sister bring lots of medicine? It’ll be fine in no time.”
The moment Xiaoshi heard that, he hurried to rummage through the bag of medicinal herbs.
At Lin Wanxing’s instruction, he took out the dried dandelion Granny Zhang had given them.
The leaves were dry but still flexible, carrying a faint herbal fragrance.
Following Lin Wanxing’s guidance, Xiaoshi placed them on a flat stone and gently crushed them with the back of the hatchet.
Soon, they became a fine herbal paste.
Carefully, he spread it over the wound.
The cool sensation immediately eased the pain.
Gradually, the bleeding stopped.
Next, Xiaoshi found a clean strip of cloth.
It had been cut from one of the original owner’s old garments.
Before leaving home, Lin Wanxing had intentionally prepared several pieces to use as bandages.
He carefully wrapped the cloth around her wrist several times before tying a knot.
“See?”
Lin Wanxing smiled at the two children.
“It’s stopped bleeding. Dandelion is wonderful. It not only helps stop bleeding, but also prevents infection. If either of you ever gets cut, you can use it this way too.”
After treating the wound, the three siblings resumed cleaning.
Lin Wanxing stuffed the prepared branches into the snake hole one by one, pushing each firmly inside until they wedged tightly in place.
Then she tore the dried grass into smaller pieces and packed every gap between the branches until the entrance was completely sealed.
Meanwhile, Xiaoshi gathered every loose stone scattered around the cave and stacked them on both sides of the sealed hole like two miniature stone walls.
Dusting off his hands proudly, he said,
“Big Sister, when it rains, these stones will block the water so it won’t flow into the cave. Then our bed won’t get wet.”
Yaya wasn’t idle either.
She handed Lin Wanxing whatever she needed.
When there was nothing else to do, she busied herself organizing the cave, neatly arranging the hatchet and the water jar.
As she worked, she quietly mumbled to herself,
“Big Sister’s things have to be kept tidy. That way she’ll be able to find them easily whenever she needs them.”
By the time they had completely cleaned the cave, the sun was already sinking toward the western horizon.
Leaning against the cave wall, Lin Wanxing was just about to rest when her throat suddenly felt dry and scratchy.
Only then did she realize that since morning, the three of them had eaten only a little wild vegetable porridge.
They had barely drunk any water.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She hurried over to the corner where the clay jar was stored.
It was empty.
Only a faint ring of moisture clung to the inside of the jar.
Not a single drop remained.
“Oh no…”
“We’re out of water!”
The moment the words left her mouth, Xiaoshi panicked.
His face instantly turned pale.
“What do we do if there’s no water? We’ll die of thirst! Dad said people can’t survive more than a few days without drinking!”
Yaya frowned as well.
She licked her dry lips with her tiny tongue before whispering pitifully,
“Big Sister… I’m already so thirsty. It feels like little bugs are crawling around inside my throat.”