Chapter 122: Surprise
Cheng Ge asked with a grin, “Do you want a surprise?”
Wen Ling glanced at him, the words turning over and over in his throat before he finally whispered, “What kind of surprise?”
“Check your pockets.”
Wen Ling stuck both hands into his pockets, but found nothing but tissues.
“The ones on your chest.”
Wen Ling unzipped them. To his surprise, there were several small chocolates inside, along with a few packs of dried pork jerky.
Wen Ling’s eyes brightened. “When did I put these in here?”
“While you were dreaming in the middle of the night. You were possessed by a little piggy, scurrying around scavenging for snacks to stuff into your pockets.”
Wen Ling’s expression went blank. He let out a disbelieving “Ah?” and asked, “Didn’t you hold me?”
“I did,” Cheng Ge’s lips curled up. “But your ‘little piggy’ self was quite strong. I couldn’t stop you.”
Cheng Ge glanced at Wen Ling, shook his head, and added, “Simply couldn’t hold you back.”
Wen Ling had always believed Cheng Ge’s words implicitly, but… but this seemed a bit far-fetched.
Wen Ling wondered if Cheng Ge had the strange dream himself and was pinning it on him, yet he had no other explanation for how the snacks got into his pocket.
Seeing Wen Ling lost in thought for so long, Cheng Ge teased, “Actually, it probably wasn’t a little piggy,” making Wen Ling unable to suppress a smile.
Cheng Ge took Wen Ling’s face in his hands. “I can’t take it. I really want to kiss this little piggy to death.”
“What?” Before Wen Ling could process the words, Cheng Ge peppered his cheeks with several kisses.
Whenever Wen Ling was kissed, his eyes would grow moist and shimmering, looking incredibly beautiful.
Cheng Ge kissed the skin beneath his eyes and the corners of his eyelids before finally resting his forehead against Wen Ling’s.
“Now, check my pockets.”
In Cheng Ge’s pockets, Wen Ling found more chocolate, two packs of chicken feet, and vanilla ice cream-flavored compressed biscuits.
Wen Ling looked at Cheng Ge, who smiled and urged him to eat.
Wen Ling finally realized that Cheng Ge must have stuffed the snacks into his pocket while he was asleep.
No wonder they were all his favorites.
Ever since Cheng Ge realized Wen Ling had a sweet tooth, he always made sure to carry extra snacks in case Wen Ling wanted some and they were out.
“Cheng Ge, you eat too.” Wen Ling tore open the packaging of the compressed biscuits and held one directly to Cheng Ge’s lips.
Cheng Ge smiled and took it. The two of them sat side-by-side on the grass mat, munching on the biscuits.
The fear of the unknown receded for a moment.
“Xiao Wen.”
“Hm?”
“Do you think walking eight or nine kilometers is far?”
Wen Ling thought about it. “A little.”
Cheng Ge nodded and didn’t say anything else.
They both stopped after eating just one pack of biscuits and a piece of chocolate; the uncertainty of their situation still loomed.
Cheng Ge went back to drilling his wood, while Wen Ling searched the area around the cave to see if there was anything else edible.
When Wen Ling returned, he brought back a few flowers and some grass, asking Cheng Ge if they could be eaten.
Cheng Ge asked him, “Are you really a little piggy?”
Wen Ling pursed his lips.
Cheng Ge set down the wood and kissed Wen Ling’s mouth. “Even if we can’t eat them, they’re nice to look at. That’s good too.”
“I think I saw a few sparks just now. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be eating grilled fish or grilled birds later. Or maybe even grilled bird eggs?”
“But there are no fish or birds. There aren’t any eggs, either.”
Cheng Ge leaned his back against the cave wall and toyed with Wen Ling’s hair. “We’ll keep looking. It’ll be fine.”
Wen Ling sat quietly beside Cheng Ge, saying nothing.
After a while, Cheng Ge called out, “Xiao Wen.”
Wen Ling looked up at him.
“I kind of need to… use the bathroom.”
Wen Ling said “Mn” and blinked.
“You might have to hold me. I can’t quite get up on my own.”
Cheng Ge had been sitting all morning, and his leg had grown stiff and painful. Getting up was difficult even with help. He had been holding it in for a long time, and his bladder had finally reached its limit.
“Okay.” Wen Ling stood up, leaning down to embrace Cheng Ge just as he had the day before. “Just lean your weight on me.”
Cheng Ge only had one functional leg, and even that one was covered in bruises. He had no choice but to rely on Wen Ling’s strength.
With Wen Ling’s help, Cheng Ge finally managed to stand. He limped outside with the help of a wooden stick, only to find that he needed support even to relieve himself. The realization left him feeling quite embarrassed.
Wen Ling, on the other hand, watched him intently and seriously.
This lack of privacy made Cheng Ge lose his nerve. He was just about to tell “Comrade Xiao Wen” to stop staring when Wen Ling timely looked away, making Cheng Ge’s ears turn even redder.
“…Alright.” Cheng Ge adjusted his pants, his voice sounding strained.
Wen Ling remained calm and carefully helped Cheng Ge back to the grass mat, supporting him as he slid down against the wall.
“Cheng Ge, your neck feels a bit hot.” When he was holding him just now, their necks had brushed, and Cheng Ge’s temperature felt high.
Cheng Ge touched his own neck. “It’s probably just from drilling the wood for so long. I’m just warm.”
Wen Ling nodded and sat down, leaning against Cheng Ge’s shoulder without a word.
Silence fell over the cave for a while. Cheng Ge stroked Wen Ling’s hair. “Xiao Wen, you should go further out.”
Wen Ling’s eyelashes fluttered. He froze, not responding.
“There should be a village nearby. If you go a bit further, you should be able to find it. Then you can come back for me…”
“I won’t!” Wen Ling became agitated. “Are you telling me to abandon you? Do you not want me anymore?”
“No, don’t think like that. Once you find people, you can come back for me.”
“I won’t! Why are you trying to drive me away?”
“That’s not what I mean. Be good,” Cheng Ge frowned. “Xiao Wen, don’t be so stubborn.”
“Are you calling me willful?” Wen Ling stared at Cheng Ge with red-rimmed eyes. Cheng Ge kept his face set and remained silent.
“Who’s the one being willful here? I know you have a fever. You have a fever, don’t you? You just want to get rid of me! How can you do this?”
Cheng Ge’s composure finally cracked.
Normally, a fever wouldn’t be a big deal, but the problem was that Cheng Ge was covered in injuries, stuck in a filthy environment with no medicine, no doctor, and very little food. It was the modern equivalent of a pauper in ancient times falling gravely ill with no money for treatment—the only path left was waiting for death.
This was likely the “high risk” 001 had mentioned.
“Cheng Ge, don’t be like this…” Wen Ling’s tears fell uncontrollably. He knelt on the ground and buried his face against Cheng Ge’s chest, arching his back and pressing only lightly, afraid of hurting him.
“Didn’t you say we would always be together? How can you do this…”
Objectively speaking, the only and best way to survive was to find help, but neither of them had brought it up until now.
Cheng Ge knew Wen Ling too well. There were things about him that would never change. If he let Wen Ling leave him behind, the anxiety and grief alone would swallow him whole. Besides, Cheng Ge himself couldn’t bear the thought of Wen Ling wandering alone in the wilderness.
Perhaps they could have made it out together by walking in short bursts, but Cheng Ge had developed a fever in the middle of the night. Now, every passing second was unpredictable.
What pained Cheng Ge most about his broken leg was that he was completely unable to hold Wen Ling to comfort him. It was a terrible feeling.
“Xiao Wen, it’s not like that. Don’t think so negatively,” Cheng Ge patted Wen Ling’s back and cupped his face, tilting his head up to kiss away Wen Ling’s tears.
“If you walk fast, you might find someone in a few hours. You could be back for me by the afternoon. It’s really not that serious. you’re just being too pessimistic.”
“I won’t… What if I never find anyone? What if a tiger or a lion enters the cave? What if the cave collapses?”
Wen Ling was crying so miserably that Cheng Ge actually started laughing. He rubbed Wen Ling’s face. “How can you think like that? We could stay in this cave for a day and be perfectly fine.”
Wen Ling’s face was crumpled with grief. “I’m scared. You’re in so much pain…”
“Don’t be afraid, I’m fine. We can find a village, trust me.”
Cheng Ge helped Wen Ling sit down and rubbed his knee. “This is the best way. I trust you, so you have to trust me too. We aren’t that weak; we’re strong.”
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