Lian Hua didn’t know why this pain felt so familiar, as if she had experienced it before, but she couldn’t rember it.
But she clearly had never tried having a headache before, so why did it feel so familiar and so uncomfortable, this continuous pain that she couldn’t escape from? Could it be that being extrely hungry would cause a headache?
Soon, things got worse. She felt as if her soul was leaving her body, seeing double, and was so dizzy and lightheaded that she almost fell headfirst into the small stone pool. She quickly clutched at the large stone beside her, using all her strength to roll to a safe place.
In a daze, she thought she heard sothing, and then her head throbbed violently before she fainted by the stone pool. Before losing consciousness, she thought sadly: She was sick, what should she do?
She didn’t know how long it had been when she groggily woke up, opened her eyes, and saw the sky was still a dim gray. She was still at the original spot.
At that ti, Lian Hua shook her head and sat up, not knowing what was wrong with her. After waking up from sleep, she felt completely relaxed and clear-headed, not expecting that a good sleep would cure her illness.
It was then that a voice ca from the sky: "Nannan..."
She looked up at the sky. Who was calling her? The sound made her nose tingle, and she felt like crying, but she held back.
The gray sky suddenly beca overcast with clouds, and rain poured down instantly. She searched everywhere in the rain, even climbing up a tall tree to reach for the voice in the sky, but still couldn’t find anyone.
From that day on, the sky remained like this. Many different voices ca, and among them, two were the most familiar, both calling her Nannan.
The second strange thing was that she actually beca friends with two unfamiliar birds.
On that day too, she was soaked all over, tired, hungry, and felt miserable. With a lost heart, she returned to the small stone pool and saw that after the rain, fish were swimming gracefully in the pool.
She was the best at catching fish!
At once, Lian Hua’s eyes lit up green, and she perked up. Even though hunger had robbed her of her full strength, she managed to drive several clumsy little fish toward the shallow water by the edge, using stones to separate them from the pool, then skillfully caught two or three, leaving the rest in the shallow water to be raised.
While swallowing her saliva, she cleaned the fish she caught with a small knife, cutting thin slices to eat raw. After finishing half a fish, she finally felt so relief and aid for higher pursuits since raw fish wasn’t tasty at all.
Soggy all over, with her clothes sticking and uncomfortable, fortunately, it wasn’t raining anymore. After much effort, she found so hidden dry firewood, built a fire, took off her outer garnt to dry, and roasted her fish.
Using her master’s thod, she grilled the fish to a crispy outside and tender inside, with the fragrance carrying for miles. Just as she was about to eat, having roasted it, she heard a commotion from the tree and sothing fell behind her.
Lian Hua, ever alert, sprang aside at the sound, startled. Looking back, she realized it was a large bird clutching a long snake.
The large bird’s sharp talons were gripping the snake, while its beak pecked at the snake when opportune. The snake, not to be outdone, coiled tightly around the bird, locking them in a fierce struggle.
Long snakes didn’t scare Lian Hua; she had seen several along the way and even killed one that slithered by at night. Ever since that incident, she had always thrown a handful of moxa into the campfire at night to ward off snakes and insects—a trick taught by her aunt when she visited the rural farmhouse of a tenant farr.
Before, Lian Hua would have definitely called her friends to watch the spectacle—such a fight between a large bird and a long snake wasn’t sothing one could see every day.
But at that mont, she was hungry and in a rush to escape. Who had ti for that? So she didn’t bother, going back to eating her grilled fish while next to her the bird and snake fought for their lives.
After finishing a whole fish, Lian Hua felt more relaxed and glanced back at the ongoing bird/snake battle. Wait, that large bird looked like the one she tried to steal eggs from earlier.
Seeing the bird getting strangled by the snake, she thought for a mont and decided to help, using a stick from the fire to burn the snake. Instantly, the bird broke free and gained the upper hand. She let them be since she felt a tad guilty about her failed egg-theft attempt that was caught red-handed.
Later, the bird killed the snake and flew off with it. She presud they’d never cross paths again, but soon after, the bird returned, tilting its head and eyeing her remaining grilled fish, edging closer. She ended up giving the bird half a piece.
The bird seed to enjoy its al, and she enjoyed the company—these past days had been so lonely for her. Strangely, having a bird as company made her feel less isolated and a bit warm inside.
When night fell, the bird flew away, and she too found a place to rest, falling asleep with a mind full of thoughts. It was her best sleep in days, feeling warm as if held by soone—wait, why did it feel like soone was holding her?
Anyway, Lian Hua awakened the next day thinking of catching more fish from the shallow water. Unexpectedly, the bird returned, not empty-taloned this ti but with a wild chicken, which it dropped in front of her before flying off, seemingly as a thank you.
She was delighted and imdiately plucked and barbecued the chicken, catching more fish soon after. When they were ready, she was surprised when the bird returned, prompting her to divide the food into three portions.
From that mont, the bird hunted, and she cooked. The two birds rarely both left the nest together as one always stayed behind to incubate the eggs, but both got familiar with her.
She grew closer to the two birds. During her idle monts, the bird would sotis keep her company, and occasionally, she could even stroke its feathers until now.
But today, she had to leave. She had lingered here for several days and couldn’t delay any longer. Those bad people should have left Xuanzhou Prefecture by now. These past days, after eating her fill, she’d scout outside Xuanzhou Prefecture City and hadn’t seen any of those people; it seed nothing unusual was happening.
Once she entered through the South City Gate and crossed the entire Xuanzhou Prefecture City to exit from the northernmost gate, there would be many routes to choose from, making it less worriso.
Lian Hua finished her roasted rabbit, packed her belongings, and double-checked to ensure nothing was forgotten. She sat down to wait; her pouch was filled with enough food for several days.
After thinking things through, she realized having all the food in one pouch was unsafe; it was too conspicuous. Worried about beggars trying to snatch it in the city, she distributed the food around her body.
Eventually, the bird returned, and it was ti to say goodbye. She felt reluctant; if she were the sa as before, she could play with the birds every day, bring them treats, and have their family grow plump, but not anymore. She had to hurry on her journey.
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