Chapter 36

Chapter 36

On the stone wall map, more and more locations were marked, with small crosses densely surrounding the cave entrance. Wooden furniture on the earthen slope kept increasing.

A large two-meter table was placed in front of the map and lunar calendar, its surface pieced together with wooden sticks, tightly bound with vines at the joints. The table legs, also made of sticks, were stabilized using a triangular support method, surrounded by stones at the base to prevent excessive movement.

The table was cluttered with many unfinished peculiar tools - wooden, stone, clay, and some odd bone fragments, seemingly meant for assembly but left aside temporarily due to lack of inspiration or connection methods. Besides these incomplete tools, there were many dried hard fruit shells and cleaned fruit pits exposed after being split open.

The most striking item on the table was a small flat round clay pot placed in a shaded corner, with several thin young stems sprouting from it, so fresh that even the green color hadn't fully developed, exuding a white hue. At the top of the tender shoots were tiny leaves, barely larger than a fingernail, delicate enough to release droplets of water.

This was Cloudy's hydroponic plant, grown from seeds of the sweetest fruit she had ever tasted. It wasn't for grand planting goals, just a simple experiment to see if it would succeed.

Apart from these items on the table, the stools were relatively rudimentary, made from appropriately sized stones she found in the cave, hammered and smoothed on top for use. There were two stone stools in total, one of which she had never used, left for Titus.

Beside the table on the ground were four half-height wooden frames. The first was filled with various unprocessed animal bones, the second stored uniformly shaped and sized stones, the third contained vines and various materials suitable for ropes, and the fourth was brimming with dried firewood.

Next to these wooden frames were piles of wooden sticks, forming a small mountain, leading to the production of finished weapons like wooden spears, clubs, bone knives, bows and arrows, stone hammers, and more.

Cloudy's newly built stone kiln was also nearby, larger and sturdier. Similarly half-height, the stones were uniformly shaped and sized, filled with mud in the crevices, hardened from numerous firings. At the top was a small vent - opened for cooking, sealed with stones and clay for pottery firing.

The interior of the kiln was approximately half a square meter, already filled with a lot of ash and fragments of failed pottery. Since the ash from burnt plants had its uses, Cloudy collected and stored them in jars once they accumulated to a certain extent.

All these elements together formed Cloudy's workspace. Directly opposite the workspace was where the...
Near the cliff on the slope, where there is good sunlight and ventilation, is another set of things placed there.

At the closest point to the cliff, there are two wooden drying racks, one large and one small. The large one has five animal hides hanging on it, already cleaned of flesh and blood, just waiting to be dried.

The items on the small drying rack are more varied, basically drying whatever needs to be dried. There are two strings of green fruits, a half-eaten raw fish, some flowers and plants that emit a scent after drying, and shorts washed yesterday.

In the middle between the drying area and the working area, there is a very standard stone ring campfire pit with three wooden sticks arranged in a tripod shape, suspending a small clay pot in the center.

This thing is actually unnecessary because eating and drinking by the stone kiln is enough, but Cloudy, being a modern person who values rituals, finds these days already dull and needs something useless to set the mood.

This old-fashioned camping campfire ring is here for this purpose!

As long as it's placed in front of the wooden house, Cloudy feels very comfortable, especially after a busy day, lighting the campfire to stew some jerky in a clay bowl, the warm yellow light enveloping her and the wooden house... very comforting and reassuring.

Next to the campfire ring is a somewhat strange prop, a "water filter" made of wooden sticks, leaves, and mud. The sticks form a square three-dimensional frame, with four small sticks added horizontally at the top for stability.

At the top, a funnel-shaped cone made of leaves is placed, filled with fine sand and some small stones collected from the water pool. Water is poured in from here, collected in a clay pot below after filtration.

Since starting to filter drinking water, Cloudy no longer feels astringent in her mouth.

The wooden house has also undergone a significant change, with the roof leaves replaced by a more waterproof and durable broadleaf she found in the rainforest. The walls around the wooden house are covered with dried plants she collected, including long, thin, purple-red buzzing grass she found by the lake, which emits a strong, mint-like fragrance when dried, but with a spicier scent.

Hanging around the wooden house effectively disperses small insects. Besides the wooden house, Cloudy has also placed many around the cave entrance.

Sometimes feeling drowsy, she tears the buzzing grass into pieces, soaks it in water, which is very refreshing and invigorating, just one sip and her head buzzes.

Next is the wooden door. Considering functionality, Cloudy only made a half-door, similar to the kind found in stables with only half of the wooden sticks.

This way, the wooden house will be more ventilated, making sleeping more comfortable at night. Decorations are also added to the door, with some pretty fruit shells and bright bird feathers she collected tied together and hung on it. Opening and closing the door will make a tinkling sound as the shells collide.

On the left side of the door is a place for storing food, such as meat.
Dried fish, sun-dried fruits, edible leaves, and plant roots and stems are all sorted into different baskets. The current food reserves should last for about 10 days.

Food is not a major issue now; Cloudy goes out every day to gather, mostly roots and fruits that are easy to preserve, occasionally managing to catch some small animals.

Upon entering, Cloudy has decorated the wall directly in front. There are small wreaths made of bird feathers and dried flowers, along with many colorful leaves and vines.

Beside the entrance is a soft basket woven from vines, her fishing gear that she usually doesn't keep inside the house but left there yesterday out of tiredness. The basket still has some fish scales stuck to it.

Inside the wooden hut, things haven't changed much. The bed has been refreshed once, with many fragrant plants woven into the grass mat, and the animal skins are cleaned periodically. The down pillow has been replaced with a small animal skin pillow wrapped in soft tree leaves. The fur on the animal skin pillow is still smooth and slightly oily, feeling similar to the fur of a wild cat.

Cloudy replaced the down jacket because she noticed it was getting misshapen from her sleeping on it... she doesn't want Titus to come back and lose his favorite fluffy pillow!

Next to the bed are a pair of rough shoes handmade by Cloudy from dinosaur leather, a challenging process that tested her patience at least three times, resulting in a pair that is currently unused in the hut.

There's a small table next to the bed, made of wooden stakes, holding some precious items for Cloudy - her phone and shiny stones she found in the rainforest. By the way, Titus's bed, being unused for a long time, had bugs and had to be dismantled and burned as firewood.

Currently, Cloudy is by the pond, where she keeps a few black phosphorus fish. However, due to the stagnant water, only two are still alive today; the others have been turned into dried fish for consumption.

Her ability to regularly catch fish is also due to her luck. While exploring randomly before, she found a small waterfall where fish occasionally appear in the pool below. She set up a fish trap there, now needing to check on it every few days.

After sprinkling some insect meat into the water and watching the two fish eat it, Cloudy gets up and heads towards another area.

She has also made use of the area under the slope. The damp and soft soil in the cave inspired her to try planting something right below the courtyard, purely for entertainment, similar to the hydroponic fruits on her tool table. She just wants to see if she can grow something.

A few green sprouts have indeed emerged from the soil, but Cloudy can't tell if they are weeds or what she planted.

After checking on the plants, Cloudy returns to...
On the hillside, Cloudy approached the worktable and picked up a small stone, marking a line on the calendar.

Now, there are a total of 52 marks on the calendar, indicating that it has been 52 days since Titus left the cave. The calendar does not record the days before she moved to the cave, but if added together, it's been nearly 4 months since she crossed over.

Cloudy took a deep breath, looking at the numerous white marks on the calendar, then glanced around the wooden cabin.

"Cloudy! You're amazing!"

She felt like she could almost hear Titus' voice. She hadn't expected to come this far. Now, the area around her cabin looked like a beautiful and cute campsite. She had a door now, enough food... it was almost identical to the cabin she had imagined when she first crossed over.

Starting a fire was no longer particularly difficult for her. As long as she had plenty of fuel, dry burning material, and tinder, there was a 70% chance of success.

Cloudy sat down, stretching lazily. She first checked on the hydroponic fruits, then began tinkering with her "inventions." She had many ideas - automatic traps, barbed wooden arrows, and more... Most were just beginnings, and she had no idea how to proceed, but playing with these things was fascinating.

Just like building with LEGO bricks, Cloudy didn't aim to create groundbreaking inventions, just to pass the time. Being alone for so long could drive her crazy if she didn't find something fun to do.

Thinking about this, Cloudy suddenly had an idea. She picked up a bone knife and drew a smiley face on a round stone. "You're my new friend," she said softly to the stone. "Your name is... Wilson."

Supporting her chin with one hand and holding Wilson with the other, Cloudy murmured, "It's been almost two months, Wilson. Do you think they're safe? Could they get hurt?" Sometimes Cloudy dreamt about Titus, mostly nightmares where he was torn apart and eaten by giant beasts, with her being next after he was finished.

At first, these nightmares unsettled Cloudy, leaving her disoriented upon waking. Now, she had grown numb to them, perhaps a side effect of being alone for so long. She missed the peaceful nights resting with Titus, even though it was hot squeezing together to sleep...

Looking up at the now intricate map on the wall, Cloudy hadn't changed her exploration direction in these two months. She continued exploring towards the outer hunting area Titus had mentioned, with the map densely marked in that direction.

Despite exploring for over fifty days, Cloudy hadn't managed to break through the inner circle of the rainforest, but she understood why Titus and the others had ventured outward.
In a place far away from settlements, there are more species of both animals and plants. Consequently, the encounters with dinosaurs also become more frequent. Most of the time, Cloudy would immediately retreat to her cave upon finding large footprints in the rainforest.

However, there was one time when she encountered a herd of herbivorous dinosaurs. For Cloudy, it was a truly surreal experience... even when she walked into the midst of the dinosaur group, they were just leisurely searching for something in the mud. Cloudy sat nearby watching for a long time, until the dinosaurs departed for the next location to find food.

She marked the locations where she encountered dinosaurs with small triangles, adding a dot in the middle for herbivorous dinosaurs. This was done to avoid carnivorous dinosaurs and to find the habitats of herbivorous dinosaurs.

Searching for habitats was not a hobby but rather to steal dinosaur eggs. Eggs are good for long-term storage... any kind of eggs, dinosaur eggs, bird eggs, she wanted them all! Although her egg-stealing plan had made no progress so far, she had not found any eggs at all.

The thought of this made her a bit disheartened.

Cloudy placed Wilson on the table, spinning him around like a top, and began muttering to herself, "I don't feel like going around collecting things tomorrow. I've checked almost a hundred tree hollows and still haven't found any bird eggs... maybe I should take a day off. If you land face up when you come down, I'll take a break; if you land face down, I'll work."

Saying this, Cloudy stopped spinning Wilson, and he spun around on the table by himself for a few rounds, finally tripping over the gap between the wooden sticks on the table and falling down.

Revealing his smooth stone face, facing downwards.

Cloudy fell silent for a moment, picked up Wilson, and continued spinning him. Even after the second fall, he still landed face down. Cloudy kept doing this five times before she saw Wilson's smile, "Great, I've decided to take a break tomorrow!"

Wilson just lay quietly on the table, dutifully playing the role of a stone friend.

"Suddenly, I feel like you might be very lonely." Cloudy, feeling happy, squeezed Wilson with both hands and lifted him up. "I'll make a friend for you!"

She began rummaging on the tabletop, selecting a slightly larger stone than Wilson, drew an unhappy expression on it, and even added a bit of a beard on its chin. "You are Wilson's friend, Chuck."

Cloudy held Wilson and Chuck, chattering on the table.

"..." Memories of herself watching this movie flashed through her mind, when she was curled up in her blanket, eating takeout, and playing games on her phone.

She threw the two stones away and cried while covering her face. Her mind was in chaos, feeling exhausted, but she had indeed accomplished a lot during this time, feeling very fulfilled, yet still exhausted.

Why did things really turn out like they did in the movie, it's so hard to accept!

"I want to chat! I want to talk!" She ran over to pick up the stones and shouted at them, "I still want to eat ice cream! I want to call Titu."
After shouting wildly, Cloudy deflated like a punctured ball and slumped down. She lay on the wooden table, sighing as she stared at the plants in the clay pot.

What if something happened to Titus already?

This thought buzzed incessantly in her mind, tormenting Cloudy for the past few weeks with nightmares. She armed herself with weapons and provisions, rushing out into the hunting grounds, even camping outside to keep moving forward.

However, each attempt ended in vain due to running out of food. Her pace was too slow; the Titus tribe could run several times faster than her. It was impossible to catch up.

After several futile attempts, Cloudy gave up. But not entirely. Whenever she had a moment, she would risk being discovered and sneak near the Titus settlement, squatting in a distant tree to observe.

She went a total of eight times, but each time, she found nothing.

The settlement didn't seem bustling; if a large group returned with prey, there would be many people busy on the streets. On her way to the settlement each time, Cloudy would start to daydream, imagining herself on the tree watching Titus return with their catch...

"What should we do, Wilson?" Cloudy waved a stone in front of her eyes. "I really want to play with Titus. But the rainy season is coming up next; do you know what the rainy season is all about? I still don't know. Titus said we can't go out during the rainy season."

"..."

"Wilson, can you say something?"

"..."

"Okay, what about Chuck? Does Chuck know what the rainy season is about?"

Two stones lay quietly in Cloudy's palm.

Objectively speaking, she was doing fine. Food was sufficient, and her living environment was gradually improving, but her mental state was delicate. Cloudy didn't think there was a major issue with her mental state, but objectively, her behavior was noticeably different from the previous months.

Sometimes she would remain silent for days, just going out to search for food and materials, returning to hastily clean herself by the water pool before collapsing in bed for a deep sleep.

Other times, she would suddenly become enthusiastic, sitting at the table, diligently manipulating materials to create things that were utterly useless. Once done, she would hold them in her hands and play with them.

Then the realization that she could never return to her old world and that every upcoming day would be so arduous would make her curl up in bed and cry. After crying herself out, she would spend an entire day staring blankly at the ceiling.

Now, she had added a new activity – talking to her stone friends.

Cloudy lay face down on the table, sighing incessantly. She lacked the motivation to continue but not doing anything was unbearable; she felt like a leaf tossed into the sea, rolling endlessly with the waves.

She remained there for a long time until the cave gradually darkened, prompting Cloudy to move slightly.
She got up, and since this morning, she hasn't eaten anything. Even now, she doesn't feel hungry after taking a few sips of water. She plans to check the traps outside the cave, then wash up and go to bed.

Earlier, she found some small animal droppings 800 steps south of the entrance to the settlement cave. So, she dug many deep pit traps in that area and periodically placed some strong-smelling offal inside to attract small animals.

Today is about time to check them. She armed herself, took a sip of buzzing grass from the hut to wake up, and said, "Wilson, Chuck, I'm heading out. Wait for me at home. Maybe I'll bring back some fresh meat!"

The outside of the rainforest was slightly brighter than the cave. Cloudy walked towards the traps at the fastest speed. Walking in the rainforest now felt completely different, with no more fear of protruding tree roots or muddy paths hindering Cloudy's progress. It was as if she was walking on flat ground.

As she neared the traps, she slowed down a bit, fearing that there might be wild animals or insects lurking nearby. She hid herself behind bushes or tree trunks and cautiously approached the traps.

There were three traps in total. She checked the first one, but the offal inside had been eaten clean by insects, yielding nothing. After covering it with fresh leaves, Cloudy moved on to the next trap location.

Just as she was focused and moving forward cautiously, something strange grabbed her waist. Suddenly, she was lifted off the ground.

Cloudy's first reaction was not to scream but to tightly grip the spear in her hand and thrust it back forcefully. The attack was averted, and she didn't panic. She kicked backward with force and struck with her elbows.

The "thing" behind her grunted. Upon hearing the noise, Cloudy froze, turning her head to look behind her.

"Cloudy!"

It wasn't some strange jungle creature grabbing her waist and lifting her; it was Titus, whom she hadn't seen in several days.

Her brain stopped spinning as she tried to analyze whether she was dreaming or experiencing a hallucination due to unstable mental state.

"It's me, Cloudy!" Despite being hit twice, Titus didn't let go, swinging Cloudy back and forth. "Did I scare you?"

Yes, yes, he did!!

Cloudy struggled frantically, and Titus, in turn, changed her direction and held her close. At that moment, Cloudy's muddled mind cleared, feeling inexplicably aggrieved, she hugged Titus's neck and burst into tears.

Between sobs, she spoke incoherently, "Did you get hurt while hunting outside? I was worried, that you got hurt and died out there! I wanted to find you, but I couldn't go anywhere."
"你是一个专业英文翻译，你可以将中文翻译成流畅自然的英文。请将下面的中文翻译成英文。" translates to "You are a professional English translator who can translate Chinese into fluent and natural English. Please translate the following Chinese into English."