Wén Liúyán held up a skewer of grilled lamb and asked, "The meat skewers are ready! Who wants one?"
Luò Shíyǔ pushed Yú Jiājiā over and found a stone to move beside Yán Xǐ, who was grilling skewers. He sat down obediently to wait for food.
Yú Jiājiā glanced at him, snatched the skewer from Wén Liúyán's hand, and said, "I want to taste just how..." After taking a bite, he exclaimed, "Disgusting!" He spat it out and gagged a few times, "Ugh! It's too disgusting! Worse than an old lady's foot skin."
"Your metaphor is a bit much, isn't it?" Wén Liúyán took a bite and swallowed with difficulty, stubbornly saying, "It's just a bit tough and a bit salty, right?"
"Then you eat it yourself. I'll eat Dà Xǐ's instead." After expressing his disdain, Yú Jiājiā followed Luò Shíyǔ and sat next to Dà Xǐ.
"You... then I'll eat Dà Xǐ's too." Wén Liúyán also moved closer.
Yú Jiājiā shoved Wén Liúyán's creation back into his hand and said, "Food is scarce, no wasting is allowed. You made it, you finish it."
Wén Liúyán threw the skewer into the fire and said, "Don't worry, we have plenty of meat."
"Where did you get it from?"
"We killed it, of course. Where else would it come from?"
"I'm asking where you got the meat from."
"Killed it! Can't you understand me?"
"You're the one who doesn't understand. Where did the lamb come from?"
"Encountered it on the road, killed it casually. Besides lamb, we also have rabbit and beef."
"Are you saying there are sheep, rabbits, and cows in a place where the grass is taller than people? Does that make sense?" (Because all these animals eat grass, if they were present, the grass couldn't have grown this tall.)
【I want to ask that too.】
"Does it make sense or not? As long as we have something to eat, isn't that enough?"
"We haven't seen anything but weeds all the way. You guys can still hunt? Are we in the same test center?"
"Maybe the proctors saw we were good people and sent it specially for us."
"Heh, preferential treatment. Forget it, as long as there's food, we've definitely latched onto some strong support."
Yán Xǐ's skewers were ready, and the group gathered around, eating and chatting.
Wén Liúyán asked, "Yú Jiājiā, why did you get that name? It sounds like a girl's name."
Yú Jiājiā replied, "When I was little, a master did a divination for me and said my fate was yin. My mom gave me a girl's name and raised me as a girl."
Wén Liúyán: "So you wore skirts and braided your hair?"
Yú Jiājiā: "Of course."
Yán Xǐ also asked, "Actually, I was curious from the first time we met, why does Jiājiā's Ghost Spirit call you Mother?"
Yú Jiājiā answered very calmly, "Because that is my Mother."
The gazes of the others turned to him.
Yú Jiājiā: "What are you looking at? Why are you all staring at me like that?"
Yán Xǐ: "Sorry, I asked a question I shouldn't have."
Yú Jiājiā shrugged, unconcerned, "What's there to it? I've seen enough cold stares. This sudden warmth makes me a bit unbearable."
He looked at the two silent ones and said, "You two too, don't look at me with pity. My mother is just accompanying me in a different way. It might be a bond between souls; I can understand what Mother says. This is both fortunate and unfortunate."
Wén Liúyán: "Why is it unfortunate?"
Yú Jiājiā: "When we first met, you saw me talking to Ghosts and Monsters. Didn't you think I was a freak?"
Wén Liúyán and Luò Shíyǔ shook their heads simultaneously with unspoken understanding.
Yú Jiājiā: "Huh? You don't think it's strange?"
Wén Liúyán: "Strange? I think it's super cool!"
Yán Xǐ: "Me too."
Luò Shíyǔ nodded.
"Really, really?" Yú Jiājiā was somewhat incredulous. All his life, children his age had called him a freak, and elders thought he was unlucky. Friendless, he could only lash out with harsh words to disguise himself.
Wén Liúyán, without reservation, put an arm around his shoulder and said, "Of course! We're friends, why would I lie to you?"
Yú Jiājiā felt a bit shy and changed the subject, "By the way, what are your Ghost Spirit Tokens?"
"Oh, this." Wén Liúyán fiddled with his earring, which had an Embroidered needle hanging from it. "This Embroidered needle is Chǒu Niáng's token."
【Hidden so well, who could guess that.】
Yú Jiājiā asked, "What about Little Treasure?"
Luò Shíyǔ cupped his hands and showed Yú Jiājiā the Shell Necklace.
Yú Jiājiā: "A necklace."
Wén Liúyán: "Don't ask us, what's your token?"
Yú Jiājiā rolled up his sleeve, revealing a Red string tied around his wrist. A resin pendant containing his Baby hair hung from the string.
He didn't say anything, but they all understood. His Mother's obsession was him.
Wén Liúyán: "What's Dà Xǐ's token?"
Yú Jiājiā: "Him! You'd better not ask."
Wén Liúyán: "What's wrong?"
Yú Jiājiā: "His token is an Apron. Dà Xǐ is too fat to wear it, so he can only tie it around his arm and hide it under his clothes."
Yán Xǐ: "You! How do you know that?"
Yú Jiājiā: "Because I'm your partner."
Yán Xǐ clutched his head and screamed, "Ahhh! Why did you have to say it?!"
Yú Jiājiā: "He asked, I answered. Isn't that normal?"
Yán Xǐ: "You could have just said the Apron was the token! You didn't need to say the rest."
Yú Jiājiā: "Noted, I'll be careful next time."
Yán Xǐ: "There's a next time indeed!"
Luò Shíyǔ watched them squabble, quietly eating skewers to the side.
Little White: "Master, your Smart Device/Brain has a message."
【Who is it?】
Little White: "It's a friend request from someone named Nán Xīng."
【Nán Xīng? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before? Can't recall, oh well, doesn't matter. Reject, ignore."
Little White: "Understood, Master."
Eastern Base Headquarters.
Nán Xīng looked at the gray message box that popped up on the screen and gave an awkward laugh, "This is awkward, it was rejected." He tentatively asked Hè Guī, "How about you try adding them?"
Hè Guī didn't say anything, his meaning clear: Don't even think about it.