The pattering rain, the crackling firewood, and the occasional rustle of clothes were all sounds that brought a sense of peace and comfort. Quan Jiu closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep. When she finally woke up, the sky was already darkening.
Quan Jiu sat up with a jolt, her heart pounding. She quickly checked her watch and let out a sigh of relief. It was five in the afternoon. Thank goodness, she almost thought she had slept until midnight.
“You’re awake,” Chu Rong said, turning his head when he heard the movement.
Quan Jiu blinked a few times before fully coming to her senses. She noticed Chu Rong’s lips were a little pale and instinctively reached out to touch him. To her surprise, she exclaimed, “Why are you all wet? And so cold!”
Chu Rong smiled dismissively. “It’s nothing, I have a good constitution. My clothes are dry now. Put them on, don’t catch a cold.”
As he spoke, he handed her the folded clothes beside him. Then, he turned his back to Quan Jiu and continued, “The production team is searching for us. Three groups of guests have already returned to the camp. We’re a bit further away, so we’ll have to wait a while longer.”
“That’s good then.”
Quan Jiu put on her clothes and sat by the campfire. Her gaze fell upon a white foam box, and after a moment’s thought, she immediately understood. “Did you find the ingredients?”
Wasn’t it raining? Had he gone to look for them while she was sleeping?
She instinctively glanced at Chu Rong’s legs and, as expected, saw that his pant legs were covered in mud, and his shoes looked as if they had been fished out of a mud puddle.
Quan Jiu’s brow furrowed. “It’s raining so hard, forget the ingredients. What if you fell or encountered lightning? It’s too dangerous. What were you thinking?”
Chu Rong smiled slightly and said softly, “Aren’t I fine?”
“That was sheer luck,” Quan Jiu said with a stern face. “You’re lucky to be alive. Did you fall? Are you injured anywhere?” As she spoke, she started to pull at Chu Rong’s clothes.
But when she touched his damp, ice-cold T-shirt, she didn’t have time to think before ripping it off. Angrily, she said, “You can wring water out of this, and you’re still wearing it? Are you a dryer? Why weren’t you this reserved earlier?”
Chu Rong couldn’t help but chuckle. He took the clothes from her and, with a twist, indeed wrung out some water.
Quan Jiu then touched his pants, which were also damp. Annoyed and exasperated, she put on a stern face. “Take off your pants and lie down in your sleeping bag.”
Chu Rong smiled and didn’t refuse. He slowly took off his outer pants and then leisurely crawled into his sleeping bag. After settling down, he couldn’t resist adding with a smile, “It’s very warm.”
Quan Jiu ignored him and turned her clothes over and over by the fire, steam rising in wisps.
“I have compressed biscuits and milk in my bag. Eat some first, don’t go hungry,” Chu Rong said, lying on his side with his arm propped behind his head, watching Quan Jiu with a smile.
Quan Jiu happened to be feeling a bit hungry and decided not to be difficult with herself. She took a packet of biscuits without hesitation and then offered a packet to Chu Rong.
They ate biscuits and warmed themselves by the fire, neither speaking, yet the moment was peaceful and natural.
…
As it neared six o’clock, Quan Jiu received a location confirmation message from the production team. She quickly handed the still slightly damp clothes and pants to Chu Rong, then climbed out of the small hollow and stood on higher ground, shouting, “We’re here.”
The search and rescue team quickly found them by following the sound, and Chu Rong had also finished tidying everything up.
Seeing that the two were unharmed and had even found ingredients, the accompanying staff were greatly moved. “You are the only group that found ingredients. Originally, according to the rules, everyone eats what they find. However, this heavy rain has disrupted our plans. We’ve already taken the other ingredients back. We’ll all eat together tonight. You’ve worked hard today.”
Chu Rong didn’t hold back. “Since we found the barbecue ingredients, should the barbecue belong to us separately?”
The staff member laughed. “Yes, the barbecue belongs to you, and you can also eat the other ingredients. There’s plenty, and everyone will have a full meal tonight. This rain came too suddenly.”
Quan Jiu shot Chu Rong an exasperated glance. Even now, he was only thinking about the barbecue. She was truly speechless.
…
With the help of the search and rescue team, everyone soon returned to the camp.
By then, a campfire had already been lit at the camp. Several female guests were sitting by the fire, chatting and resting. Meng Pinglang was in charge of cooking, while the other male guests washed and chopped vegetables, helping out.
Upon seeing Quan Jiu and Chu Rong return, all the female guests, except for Mai Su, greeted them with smiles and concern.
“Are you okay? Did you fall?” someone asked with concern.
Quan Jiu shook her head. “We’re fine. There was a rock near us, and we took shelter from the rain under it. What about you all? Is everyone alright?”
Everyone shook their heads, saying they were fine. Another person urged Quan Jiu, “Hurry and change your clothes. We’ve roasted sweet potatoes. Come and eat them quickly.”
Quan Jiu smiled slightly and headed towards her tent.
Meng Pinglang glanced over during a break, confirmed she was unharmed, and then continued cooking.
Chu Rong, however, didn’t rush to change his clothes. Instead, he carried the foam box, collected tools from the staff, and began grilling meat on another stove.
The staff member said at the opportune moment, “Guests from Group Five found the barbecue ingredients themselves, so the barbecue belongs to them.”
The other guests heard this and began to gather around. Upon seeing what was in the box, they all exclaimed with envy. Besides the common meats, there were also oysters, scallops, and shrimp, making it a truly luxurious barbecue set.
“How did you find this in such heavy rain? I couldn’t even understand the map and was just wandering around blindly. Luckily, it started raining, otherwise, we’d only be gnawing on grass tonight,” Qi Fei praised sincerely.
The female guest standing next to him nudged his shoulder. “If the production team hears you say that, they’ll confiscate your instant noodles immediately.”
Qi Fei chuckled. “When it rains, I especially crave instant noodles. Hot, with an egg, some lettuce, and a few slices of ham. Sitting by the window, eating noodles while listening to the rain and watching a game, it’s incredibly enjoyable.”
Quan Jiu came out after changing her clothes and, seeing everyone gathered, walked over curiously. “What’s going on?”
A female guest praised again, “You guys are too amazing, finding the barbecue. How did you find it? Could you understand that map?”
Quan Jiu smiled slightly. “I couldn’t understand it. He found it. I was sheltering from the rain at the time, and he went to look for it alone.”
The crowd erupted in murmurs, and their gazes towards Chu Rong became filled with admiration.
“As expected of my boss. In front of him, we’re just little chicks,” Qi Fei whispered to another male guest.
Seeing that Chu Rong still hadn’t changed, Quan Jiu urged him, “Your clothes are all wet, go change quickly.”
Chu Rong said “Okay” verbally, but his hands didn’t stop. The meat on the grill was flipped at the perfect moment, sizzling and emitting a fragrant aroma.
Quan Jiu simply stepped forward, snatched the tongs, and pushed him aside, half commanding and half exasperated. “Go change your clothes.”
Only then did Chu Rong smile, his eyes so gentle they seemed to drip water, and he turned towards the tent to change.
The other guests who were watching the spectacle wore expressions of amused curiosity. It seemed that after experiencing a heavy rain, everyone’s feelings had indeed warmed up considerably.