Ning Qingyan stared at Tang Yu for a moment, and only then extended her hand to receive it.
In such a particular situation, they certainly couldn't afford to waste anything.
Moreover, he hadn't even touched it much, so it didn't affect anything.
After eating by the campfire.
With her stomach full for the first time in a long while, Ning Qingyan couldn't help but burp while sitting by the fire, and then looked at Tang Yu somewhat embarrassed.
"It's fine, burping after eating is normal. You'll have to start adapting to this kind of life; the hardest part is still to come."
Tang Yu spoke without lifting his head, in a joking tone.
He had a large stone he had just found in his hands, trying to carve it with a knife to make a stone pot.
"The hardest part is still to come? What do you mean by that?"
Seeing that Tang Yu didn't care about such things, Ning Qingyan also felt inexplicably more relaxed.
It seemed that when she was with him, there was no need to carry any pressure.
"What else could it be? Farting and going to the bathroom, right? Later, I'm going to dig a latrine; otherwise, it'll be uncomfortable for you to go do your business."
"..."
Ning Qingyan's face completely changed; it was only then that she realized that detail, and immediately her face turned completely red, feeling a strange embarrassment.
Clearly, for a "fairy" who hadn't gone to the bathroom in years, that far-off situation had a big psychological impact.
"You'll get used to it over time."
Tang Yu extended his hand and patted Ning Qingyan on the shoulder, trying to console her.
But Ning Qingyan, with her sensitive skin, instinctively pulled away.
Tang Yu smiled and didn't pay much attention.
After carving several stone pots and bowls, he also made a door to block the cave entrance.
Once finished, Tang Yu opened it and said: "I'm going out to set some traps, don't go wandering alone."
"Don't you need my help?"
Ning Qingyan sat, watching Tang Yu move around constantly, and couldn't help but feel a little bad.
After all, she was technically still his hostage.
And now she had become nothing more than a free food eater.
"Then go out and gather some firewood; it's not far."
Tang Yu wasn't polite with her either, giving Ning Qingyan something she could do.
This silly girl, in terms of character, really had nothing to criticize.
It was just a shame that she had met such a disturbed teacher like Fang Meiyun.
After both of them worked for about an hour.
Ning Qingyan really came back with a pile of firewood and stacked it inside the cave.
But after doing that physical labor for an hour,
her hair was messy, and her face had some dirt stains, looking like a city girl who had just come to the countryside to work.
Tang Yu, on the other hand, had set more than ten traps and left marks as warnings.
He also took the opportunity to build a bathroom about thirty meters from the cave using wood.
When he came back and saw Ning Qingyan sitting like a kitten by the fire,
he held back a laugh and went out again to gather some snowballs.
He put them in a stone pot and placed it over the fire to melt them and turn them into hot water.
When the water was ready, Tang Yu took the pot off and said: "Wash your face, it's full of mud."
"Eh?"
Ning Qingyan had always been very clean about her face, so upon hearing that, she immediately took the hot water and quickly cleaned herself.
"And also, the bathroom outside is ready. I left a bunch of leaves inside; yes, they're for cleaning yourself. Now you'll have to get used to living like a mortal. Going to the bathroom requires cleaning…"
"!!! You don't need to say it!!! I got it!!! Thanks!!!"
Ning Qingyan quickly interrupted him.
Maybe out of shyness, or just because she couldn't stand talking about it so openly.
Tang Yu smiled as he brought out a dry bear skin and spread it over the bed as a blanket.
Although it wasn't very comfortable, at least it worked.
If he wanted a properly cushioned bed, he'd have to go borrow more bear skins tomorrow.
After setting up the bed lightly, Tang Yu went to wash up and then lay down on it, locking eyes with Ning Qingyan, who was still sitting by the fire.
Ning Qingyan looked at him with those bright and lively eyes, completely confused.
Seeing that this silly girl hadn't picked up on his intention…
Tang Yu cleared his throat a couple of times and turned his back while speaking.
"Do you want to sleep for a bit with me? After all that work, you must be tired."
"..."
Ning Qingyan shook her head vigorously and said: "You sleep, I'm not sleepy."
"Alright, then I'll sleep."
Tang Yu didn't insist much, the more he spoke, the easier it was for her to misunderstand his intentions.
And actually, he was just worried she wouldn't rest well at night and catch a cold.
That's why they say it's not worth being a kiss-up, the more you try, the more women get annoyed with you.
And not only do you lose your dignity, but you also make other men look bad.
Just as he closed his eyes, Tang Yu opened them again and said: "Qingyan…"
"What's up…?"
Hearing Tang Yu call her so closely, Ning Qingyan felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Although you're my hostage now, that doesn't stop us from being friends. You won't do anything while I sleep, right?"
"No, I won't, you can relax."
"Good, I was afraid you couldn't resist my charm, but I understand, it's reasonable."
"Calm down! I won't!"
Ning Qingyan realized she had misunderstood everything and responded firmly.
"Then it's fine. Liking someone is indulgence, loving is restraint. Good night."
Tang Yu fell asleep peacefully.
Leaving Ning Qingyan grinding her teeth beside him. Sometimes, this guy really deserves a beating.
Only a few minutes passed, and a faint snoring started to be heard.
Ning Qingyan placed some branches in the campfire, and couldn't help but look back at the bed.
Did he really fall asleep? And so deeply?
But if he's going to sleep, let him sleep, why did he have a hand on his crotch? And in his pants!?
"Do all men sleep like that? Or is it some kind of defensive posture?"
Ning Qingyan, somewhat confused, yawned. A wave of sleepiness overtook her.
Thus, curled up next to the fire, she spent her first night in the fragmented space, between sleep and wakefulness.
The next morning, when she woke up, Tang Yu saw her dozing beside the extinguished campfire. He approached and shook her to wake her up.
"Want to sleep a bit in the bed?"
"Okay…"
Half asleep, Ning Qingyan instinctively walked towards the bed she had longed for.
Since she couldn't sleep lying down, she hadn't rested at all during the night.
Without internal energy, the fatigue of an ordinary person overtook her, and she couldn't resist.
Lying on the bed, which was relatively warm,
a feeling of happiness enveloped her, and Ning Qingyan fell into a deep sleep.
Tang Yu, for his part, took his knife and went out to hunt bears. There was only one layer on the bed, and it wasn't very comfortable to sleep on at night.
He ventured into the forest, and after a while of wandering, quickly caught an unfortunate one that was hibernating.
"Buddy, lend me your skin for a moment."
Before the unfortunate animal could wake up, Tang Yu quickly eliminated it.
He skinned it right there and went back the way he came.
He placed the meat near the traps, hoping to attract other prey.
After gathering the skins of eight bears,
Tang Yu continued to explore the forest, trying to find living people or other things, hoping to find something more.
But after a good round, the only thing he found was the corpse of a wild boar.
"Grandma, do you have any way to get out of this fragmented space?"
Seeing that he really couldn't find an exit, Tang Yu asked in his mind.
"Yes, I'm already looking. If there's an entrance, there's definitely an exit."
A somewhat childish voice replied.
"You can always rely on grandma."
Tang Yu sighed emotionally and then smiled: "Is the speed of time in this space alright?"
"It's even a little slower than outside. You can spend more time with your little sister Qingyan while I search for the exit."
"Perfect!"