"Let’s go. Time to hunt."

’It’d be great if the space could hold living things,’ Evelyn thought. ’But I can’t be too greedy. Having a storage space at all is already a huge blessing from the heavens.’

Ronan Kendrick reached out, took Evelyn Ford’s hand, and started leading her deeper into the mountains. The dead rhododendron branches were a tangled mess, poking at their calves as they walked.

There were many rocks on the mountain. Standing on a large boulder, they could see Moon Lake below.

Evelyn took the rabbit and stored it in her space. There were also some tree blossoms on the deadwood, and Evelyn quickly picked some.

"What are these?"

Evelyn began to explain it to Ronan. "Tree blossoms. They’re edible. Best served as a cold dish—either on their own or mixed with pork liver."

The moment Ronan heard they were edible, he immediately started helping her pick them.

Meanwhile, down at the base of the mountain, everyone had already caught all the giant salamanders from the pools of water.

With the clear water available, the group used clothing and fabric to set up two makeshift shelters, one for men and one for women, and began to draw water to wash their hair and bathe.

They had also built several bonfires on the shore. Some people were already sharpening their knives, preparing to dress the giant salamanders, while others grabbed their weapons and headed into the mountains, eager to try their hand at hunting.

Everyone was busy, working in an orderly fashion. A few children were laughing and playing by the water pools. Mina and Lola had run off somewhere.

"Where are Evelyn and Ronan?"

"Haven’t seen them. They probably went to dig for wild vegetables."

"I saw them leave with knives," Claudia Schultz said in a low voice.

"Oh, then they must have gone hunting. Don’t worry, they’re incredibly capable. Nothing will happen to them."

"Come on, let’s go bathe. We still haven’t used the shampoo and body wash Evelyn gave us back in Danver."

Wyatt Vaughn and Serena Lynch pulled Claudia over to the shelter. Officer Graham returned, carrying an especially large giant salamander. When he saw Wendy tending the fire, he smiled in satisfaction.

"Wendy, go play. Dad can handle this."

"I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m not going to play, I’m going to help you." Wendy went back to the vehicle, found a bucket, and started helping Officer Graham prepare the giant salamander.

***

The most common animals in the mountains were rabbits, and Evelyn managed to catch one herself. Most of the time, however, she was busy digging for wild vegetables and medicinal herbs, leaving the hunting to Ronan.

As long as she left the roots, the wild vegetables could be planted later. Evelyn also found a lot of wild sow thistles and a few kudzu vines.

Kudzu is a very valuable medicinal ingredient. Evelyn dug it out carefully, wrapped it in paper, and marked it before putting it into her space.

’It would be great if I could find some ramie.’ Ramie could be used to make not only shoes but also clothes.

’But I also have plenty of cotton seeds in my space. Once we settle down somewhere, I can plant them.’

Evelyn had many plans. Raising livestock was the most important, but if conditions allowed, she also wanted to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms.

Ronan had run off somewhere again. Evelyn found a rock to sit on and rest. She took off her hat, and a gust of wind blew past, feeling both comfortable and pleasant.

Evelyn lay down directly on the rock. Mosquitoes eyed her hungrily from five or six meters away. There was a slight movement nearby. Evelyn glanced over and her eyes met with a small bird’s.

The bird was startled and immediately fluttered its wings and flew away. A small smile touched Evelyn’s lips as she closed her eyes and continued to feign sleep.

When Ronan returned, he saw Evelyn sleeping on the rock. He put down the game he was carrying on his shoulder and walked over to sit beside her.

The wind was a bit cool. The temperature was around twenty-eight degrees Celsius. The polar day hadn’t ended yet, and the sky remained a hazy gray.

Ronan took out a tissue, wiped the sweat from the tip of Evelyn’s nose, and began to enjoy the rare moment of peace.

The sounds of laughter from down the mountain could still be heard from here. Just seeing a giant salamander was enough for the children to forget all their troubles and hardships.

Evelyn opened her eyes and couldn’t help but yawn.

"When did you get back?"

"Just now. Are you tired?"

"Exhausted."

Ronan pulled her into his arms. "Then sleep a little longer. There are ants on the rock. I’ll hold you."

Evelyn let out a muffled laugh.

"What is it?"

"You’re so good to me."

Ronan’s gaze was intense. "How good?"

"Indescribably good."

Evelyn rested her head on his chest. "It’s 5:30 PM now. If day and night were distinct, we could be watching the sunset."

After enjoying the breeze for half an hour, the two prepared to head down the mountain. Seeing the game Ronan had carried back, Evelyn showered him with a torrent of praise, making him blush to the tips of his ears.

After storing the game and leaving out only a rabbit and a bag of wild vegetables, the two of them headed down the mountain.

When they got back to Moon Lake, the others had already started fires to cook. Ronan took the rabbit to prepare it, while Evelyn started a fire to boil water.

"Evelyn, what took you so long? Hurry and get some meat from the front, there’s a share for everyone."

Evelyn grabbed a basin and went to get a large piece of meat from Zion Lowell. Just then, Mina and Lola returned. The two little ones were tired from playing and crawled directly into their tent to sleep.

When Claudia Schultz saw that people were cooking rice, she was completely stunned.

"Claudia, this is your share. Everyone chipped in a portion for you. There are pots and bowls on the truck, go get a set."

"I get some too?"

Wyatt Vaughn nodded. "Everyone gets a share, but it’s not much. We usually just eat dry rations. We only cook proper meals when we stop to rest."

Claudia knew that everyone had pooled their own rice to give her a share, so she started desperately helping out—gathering firewood, fetching water, and washing vegetables.

Everyone told her it wasn’t necessary, but she still went into the mountains and came back with a bundle of firewood.

It really wasn’t much. Evelyn and her group had each contributed a pound, amounting to just over ten pounds in total.

Claudia had a good personality, her character was solid, and she was very diligent. No one complained about helping her out.

Ronan brought back the prepared rabbit. Evelyn planned to stir-fry it.

Those who were quick were already eating, but Evelyn was still chopping the meat.

Officer Graham cut off a large piece of meat and brought it over to Evelyn. In return, Evelyn gave him half of the rabbit. Wendy ran over and hugged Evelyn playfully. The camp was filled with a festive atmosphere.

The others who had gone hunting in the mountains also returned. Peter Owens came over specifically to invite Ronan to go hunting with them, and Ronan didn’t refuse.

A relatively hearty dinner was ready. The wild vegetables were a bit bitter, but they had a sweet aftertaste. When drinking water afterward, even the water felt sweet.

Right after they finished dinner, Peter Owens came over with a few young men to get Ronan to go hunting in the mountains with them. Ronan washed his bowl, then picked up his long knife and left.

Evelyn looked at the hazy gray sky, feeling a storm was brewing.

"Evelyn, let’s go do laundry."

Serena Lynch came over with a pile of clothes, asking Evelyn and Wyatt Vaughn to join her.

"I have a feeling it’s going to rain. Let’s not wash them yet."

Serena looked up at the sky. "Hasn’t the sky been like this the whole time? I don’t see any sign of rain."

"Ah, I trust Evelyn," Wyatt said. "If it rains, the temperature will definitely drop. If we wash our clothes, we won’t have anything to wear. Good thing I took a bath just now. I feel so refreshed."

Since neither Wyatt nor Evelyn were going, Serena didn’t dare go do laundry either.

Half an hour later, a light drizzle began to fall. Evelyn dismantled her tent, packed it away, and, holding Mina and Lola, hurried into the vehicle to take shelter from the rain.