Chapter 165: Gu Zhao is So Useful
Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Gu Zhao is So Useful
"Bro! I’m so tired! They’re not here at all." Yu Zhenghao whined, trailing exhaustedly behind Yu Weitao.
Yu Weitao was also getting tired. He felt he had put on enough of a show. Clearing his throat, he said with some reluctance, "Well... let’s head back and rest for now. We can look for them again at dawn."
Yu Zhenghao breathed a sigh of relief. ’Finally, I don’t have to bother with those useless celebrities anymore.’
"Bro, it’s so cold..." Yu Zhenghao wrapped his clothes tighter around himself and sneezed.
The two headed back to their shelter, picking some wild fruit along the way.
However, the fruit was still unripe; the ripe ones had already been eaten by the animals.
Upon reaching the shelter, their first task was to start a fire.
The two of them once again started fiddling with pieces of wood, trying to make a fire by drilling.
They took turns working the drill, and after several hours, a flame finally flickered to life just as the sky began to brighten.
While they were eating the sour, unripe fruit, Yu Weitao, as the older brother, looked at Yu Zhenghao with affection. "I’ll keep watch. You sleep first."
"It was a bit difficult to get the fire started this time, but once we preserve the embers, it’ll be much easier next time."
Yu Zhenghao nodded and, without a word, immediately found a spot in the shelter, lay down, and fell asleep.
Yu Weitao sat by the fire, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
As dawn approached, he pressed the burnt firewood into charcoal chunks, piled them into a small mound, and covered the surface with a one-to-two-centimeter-thick layer of ash, leaving only a few small gaps for air.
This way, the embers could last for several hours up to a full day.
After finishing, he yawned, woke Yu Zhenghao, and went to sleep himself.
[Still more interesting to watch these two! The younger brother is such a big help.]
[Da Yu really dotes on his little brother, letting him sleep for so long.]
[You call *that* doting? You people have seen nothing. Just wait and see how our Monkey King spoils her brother!]
「In the cave.」
Gu Zhao and the others had eaten a big meal when they left the snowy mountain, so they weren’t particularly hungry. After eating a few sweet berries, everyone went to sleep.
After all, they were dead tired from flying in a helicopter all day.
Gu Xulin and Zhong Siqi, however, were not asleep. They exchanged a look, each seeing the resignation in the other’s eyes.
’What a carefree bunch...’
’Even Jiang Yifeng and his brother have been led astray by Gu Zhao; they’ve completely let their guard down.’
Gu Xulin glanced at their clothes, which were hanging on a makeshift rack, sopping wet and still dripping. He frowned. ’If we don’t dry these by a fire, they won’t dry for days.’
He glanced at the idle Red-tailed Monkeys and Gray-cheeked Long-armed Apes. After a moment’s thought, he addressed the Gray-cheeked Long-armed Apes, "Could I trouble you to go gather some dry branches?"
The Gray-cheeked Long-armed Apes didn’t move; they just stared at him.
Zhong Siqi tentatively added, "It’s for Gu Zhao."
The Gray-cheeked Long-armed Ape pondered for a moment. ’Gu Zhao? That sounds like Xiangxiang’s name.’
The Gray-cheeked Long-armed Ape immediately went out to gather branches.
The corner of Gu Xulin’s mouth twitched. ’Can her name really be used like this?’
Zhong Siqi just smiled.
Before long, the Gray-cheeked Long-armed Ape returned with dry branches. Gu Xulin prepared to get up and start a fire, but the moment he moved, he immediately shrank back into the ape’s arms.
’So cold, so cold.’
"Gu Zhao wants a fire to dry her clothes. You understand that, right?" Gu Xulin ventured.
The Gray-cheeked Long-armed Apes looked blank, and even the nearby Red-tailed Monkeys appeared completely lost.
"If you do what I say, Gu Zhao will be happy," Gu Xulin tried again.
He then saw the Gray-cheeked Long-armed Apes nod, and the troop of Red-tailed Monkeys crowded over to nod as well.
But even though the Red-tailed Monkeys nodded eagerly, Gu Xulin didn’t have the heart to put them to work. ’Using such small monkeys feels a bit like hiring child labor.’
"Go find some dry bark and sharp stone flakes," he ordered the Gray-cheeked Long-armed Apes, feeling no guilt whatsoever.
In no time, all the items he requested were brought over.
Next, he tried to order the Malay Bear around, but the bear just tilted its head.
It had no intention of listening to him.
"Alright then. It looks like Gu Zhao will just have to wear wet clothes. Sigh, that poor kid."
The Malay Bear was internally conflicted. ’No! I can’t let Little Xiangxiang be wronged!’
’It’s just work! Fine! I’ll do it!’
Zhong Siqi watched in astonishment as Gu Xulin skillfully used Gu Zhao’s name as a command.
[So this is the real Gu Xulin!!]
[Gu Zhao: So I’m just a pawn? Brother, do you have no shame?!]
[So Brother Lin’s secret weapon is the Monkey King, hahaha! The Malay Bear’s weak spot is so easy to pinch!]
[Zhong Siqi: I’m not shocked that he’s commanding a bear. I’m shocked at how skillfully he uses her name as leverage!]
Finally, thanks to the animals’ diligent, rotational efforts and Gu Xulin’s voice going hoarse from giving commands, the fire was lit.
The cave instantly brightened, illuminated by the flames.
Gu Xulin then skillfully directed the Gray-cheeked Long-armed Apes and the Malay Bear—whose hands and paws were now covered in blisters—to hang the clothes near the fire to dry.
With the fire burning, the cold and dampness in the cave lessened considerably.
After assigning the animals the tasks of tending the fire and keeping watch through the night, Gu Xulin fell asleep without a shred of guilt.
He had a wonderful night’s sleep.
Except for the animals.
When Gu Zhao and the others woke up, they were greeted by the sight of the Gray-cheeked Long-armed Apes and the Malay Bear, all with dark circles under their eyes.
They sat by the fire, staring at the flames. Whenever the fire began to die down, they added more wood; when they ran out of wood, they went to gather more.
Under their watchful eyes, the clothes had also dried completely.
"What in the world... Did you guys go out thieving?" Gu Zhao asked, stunned.
The Malay Bear instantly gave Gu Zhao a pitiful look. "We were drying your clothes. My paws don’t hurt at all."
’That damned bear! Just had to show off, didn’t you?!’ Hearing this, the Gray-cheeked Long-armed Ape shot it several glares and immediately thrust its own hands out for Gu Zhao to see.
"Ours don’t hurt either... As long as Xiangxiang is happy, we’ll do anything!"
"We’re sorry... We were useless. We couldn’t help at all," came a soft voice, on the verge of tears.
Gu Zhao turned toward the voice and saw the Red-tailed Monkeys hanging their heads, their tails drooping limply.
The Malay Bear: ’!! Damn it! You copycat monkey!’
The Gray-cheeked Long-armed Ape: ’!!! Not this again?!’
"Mmm... Big King..." Zhong Mingrui mumbled, having woken up as well.
"I’m so hungry," he said, clutching his rumbling stomach.
He wasn’t hungry last night, but he was starving this morning.
The moment they heard this, the animals stopped their squabbling and immediately dashed out to find food. ’Xiangxiang must be hungry too!’
Gu Zhao stared after the animals, utterly bewildered.
The Red-tailed Monkeys chased after them as well.
In the end, only Gu Zhao and the other humans were left in the cave.
Before long, the animals returned, bearing all sorts of fruit.
After breakfast, the group decided to explore the surrounding area.
Jiang Yifeng preserved a few embers before following them.
The animals didn’t follow.
Meanwhile, the Yu Weitao brothers had woken up. After a quick tidy-up, they went to find some wild fruit for breakfast.
"We need to head deeper into the island this time, both to find resources and to look for the other guests. I just hope they’re all safe," Yu Weitao said, his face etched with worry.
Yu Zhenghao was annoyed but had no choice but to follow.
They walked deeper into the island.
Meanwhile, Gu Zhao and her group were strolling about as leisurely as if they were in their own backyard.
"This flower is so pretty!" Gu Jiao exclaimed, crouching beside a blossoming plant.
A bug clicked its mandibles. ’Is another one about to be poisoned?’
Gu Zhao glanced over. "It’s poisonous."
Gu Jiao instantly pulled her hand back.
Danger was practically nonexistent for them. It didn’t matter if they didn’t recognize a plant; the animals and insects knew what was poisonous and what wasn’t.
Gu Zhao’s group stopped by a fruit tree and began picking its fruit. It was red and had a perfectly tart, sweet flavor.
A figure burst through the bushes, and upon seeing the group up ahead, immediately yelled, "They’re over here!"