Chapter 7, The Art of Straw Weaving

Charlotte walked back gloomily, sat down beside the cloud with her knees hugged, and after sulking for a long time, pushed him and said: "What should we do? We can't stay in the tree hole; do we need to find another place?"

Charlotte never imagined that one day she would be chased by bees and flee in panic

She felt extremely frustrated, realizing that there were indeed many inconveniences after becoming smaller. In such grass and fields, they could encounter various birds, beasts, insects, or mosquitoes at any moment, and then they would have to continue the frantic escape scene. At this rate, within half a month, she would be able to train herself into a long-distance running expert. God knows she used to be the person who hated running the most.

Just in time! Charlotte stood by the stone table, shaking out a grass curtain and said with a smile: "Could you help me hang this grass curtain? I don't know if it will be cold at night, so it would be good to block the wind."

Cloudy shook his head: "I didn't bring any fire starter. This morning, I used the magnifying glass on my Swiss Army knife to ignite the grasshoppers. Besides, this is a flat countryside area; if we start a fire at night, it will be easily spotted. Let's make do for now and think of a solution tomorrow."

The numbers are overwhelming, and moreover, a bee sting is far more terrifying than that of a mosquito. Yun Duan yanked the flower from Charlotte's hand and threw it to the ground, dragging her headlong into the grass, and then ran wildly without a care for her life.

The sun gradually sank lower, and the horizon was ablaze with brilliant hues. It was evident that soon the sky would be completely dark. At this moment, the clouds had just awakened from a deep slumber. Upon opening their eyes, they discovered that Charlotte was not by their side. A sudden jolt of anxiety surged within, prompting them to quickly sit up and look around, yet they still could not find her figure. All that surrounded them were scattered remnants of leaves and grass, along with a straw hat.

"These stones must be the toys of those children we just met," Charlotte asked, but she did not hear a response from the cloud. Turning her head, she realized that he had already fallen asleep.

Charlotte raised her eyes and indeed saw a tree so thick that it would take nearly a hundred people to embrace it, standing upright there, its branches and leaves exceedingly lush, towering as if to pierce the sky. She turned her head to look around; the grass was still as dense as before, but it seemed to be of a different variety from that growing by the lakeside. The thick, six-lobed heart-shaped leaves cradled a bright red fruit, reaching only up to her thighs. The unobstructed view immediately opened up, allowing her to see the distant trees, the mountains beyond, and the wisps of smoke rising from the valley.

In Charlotte's mind, a vivid image suddenly appeared of a gigantic foot descending from the sky, coming down to step on her, and she resolutely shook her head, saying: "I won't go!"

The two individuals fled until the "buzzing" sound behind them disappeared, before finally stopping to catch their breath. Charlotte, feeling more fatigued, was about to sit down on the ground when Yunduan reached out to support her: "There is a tree ahead."

It seems that someone lives over there, " Charlotte pointed in the direction where the smoke was rising.

Charlotte shook her head, striving to shake off the sorrow in her heart, and untied the grasshopper legs that were fastened to the life jacket strap, placing them into the grass basket. Considering the convenience of carrying, the basket she wove was not very large, but it was quite deep; the grasshopper legs only formed a thin layer at the bottom.

This place is fraught with danger, and Charlotte does not dare to move about carelessly on her own. Moreover, she fears that once she leaves, the cloud she has been resting on will be left unguarded. Therefore, she gathers more grass and leaves, sits beside the cloud, and begins to continue weaving the grass basket she had not finished earlier.

No need, I have already found it. The cloud raised its chin and pointed ahead

"It is crafted very exquisitely, I didn't expect you to have..." Just as I was getting used to the dim light inside the "stone house," I was taken aback by the scene before me, and my words were left unspoken as I choked them back.

Upon reflection, this day in the clouds was indeed exhausting. Charlotte glanced at the scars on his body, sighed, and, not wanting to wake him, slowed her pace. She gathered some grass leaves nearby and gently covered him with them, shielding him from the still scorching sunlight, even though the sun was nearly setting.

A voice came from the stone pile not far away: "I am here!"

What is she doing? Is she playing house? The cloud involuntarily smiled.

In the once barren "stone house," a considerable number of items are now piled up. Against the "wall," two flat stones are placed, seemingly intended to serve as beds, with two broad leaves carefully laid on top. In the center of the "stone house," there is a round flat stone, which should be used as a table, upon which rests a woven grass basket and two small woven bowls. Remarkably, next to the small bowls, there are even two pairs of chopsticks made from extremely thin branches.

"Come quickly and take a look!" Yun Duan suddenly exclaimed, "There is a tree hole here; perhaps we can stay here tonight."

Do not eat indiscriminately, be careful of poisoning. The cloud did not look up, still persistently rummaging through the plants near the tree roots, not knowing what it was searching for

Xia Luo's speed in crafting items is remarkably fast, with her hands skillfully flying up and down. In no time, a tightly woven basket was completed. This is entirely attributed to the excellent genetics from her mother, Xia Mama. Many of the exquisite handicrafts used as decorations in the Xia household were patiently made by Xia Mama, piece by piece. Having observed her mother frequently, Xia Luo naturally developed an interest in learning. Although the items she creates are not as exquisite as those made by Xia Mama, they are still highly practical. This is entirely attributed to the excellent genetics from her mother, Xia Mama. Many of the exquisite handicrafts used as decorations in the Xia household were patiently made by Xia Mama, piece by piece. Having observed her mother frequently, Xia Luo naturally developed an interest in learning. Although the items she creates are not as exquisite as those made by Xia Mama, they are still highly practical

Xia Luo nodded, retreating a few meters away from the cloud, nervously watching as he poked a branch into the hole. At first, there was no reaction from inside the hole, but after a moment, a large swarm of black ants surged out like a tide, many of which climbed onto the branch in Yun Duan's hand

The cloud glanced at her and said, "Why not consider this as a way to lose weight?"

Charlotte turned her head to glance at the "stone house," which appeared even darker after the grass curtain was hung, and with a helpless sigh, she nodded.

At this moment, how can one describe the embarrassment!

"Ants can eat this, so it shouldn't be poisonous, right?" Here, the plants are mostly ones that Charlotte has never seen before. She said this uncertainly, and after confronting the ant for a while, she turned to look for flexible, slender grass blades, preparing to weave a grass basket to use for carrying things later

"Why didn't you wake me up just now?" Yunduan took the grass curtain and forcefully lifted the heavy stones that were piled above the entrance of the stone crevice by a few inches. Then, he stuffed one end of the grass curtain inside, flattening it to hold it down, checking to see if it could barely hang on, before continuing, "These stones are very heavy; how can you move them by yourself?"

This world is truly crazy

With a sigh of relief, he walked towards the stone pile while looking down at the straw hat in his hand

Charlotte dropped the grass basket she had just started weaving and hurried over to look at the dark, unfathomably deep hole. She worriedly asked the book, "Do we really have to stay here? It might already be occupied by other animals..."

Oh, the berry! After drinking the dew, Charlotte made another delightful discovery. Just as she was about to reach out to pluck the large, fist-sized purple-red berry, she noticed a black ant, nearly the same size as the berry, climbing up the berry's leaf. It shook its antennae at her, as if declaring the ownership of this berry.

Hmm. Yun Duan responded with a sound, wearily closing her eyes

Yun Duan found a branch as thick as an arm on the ground. As he aimed it at the hole, he said to Xia Luo: "Stand back a little. If you notice anything unusual, run immediately"

Charlotte gasped as she ran, saying: "I mean... this is just too ridiculous... why am I always running..."

Yun Duan cast her a sidelong glance that seemed to smile yet not smile: "Do you want to go over and take a look?"

She simply has a slight preference for sweets, and besides, her frame is small, so it is hardly noticeable that she is overweight! What Yun Duan said is truly excessive!

Ah! Tree

The heartbeat was intense, the breathing rapid, and even the grass blades cutting into the skin went unnoticed in the pain

Thinking of her mother, Charlotte unconsciously sighed, her mood turning gloomy. It has been a long time since the plane crash; by now, her parents must have received the news and are probably frantic with worry! And what about Candy? Remembering that heartless dog, she frowned, fully convinced that Candy was likely enjoying a carefree and pleasant life, relishing in the absence of her presence.

Yun Duanxiao led her towards the large tree, where she noticed many thick and thin vines entwined around it, displaying shades of blue, purple, and green. Perhaps due to the tree's protection, the plants surrounding the roots thrived exceptionally well, densely distributed in the shade of the tree's canopy. As a breeze passed by, delicate pink and white flowers swayed gently, with glistening dewdrops falling from the petals, which were swiftly caught by Charlotte. Drinking it down, the fragrant coolness spread through her throat to her entire body, instantly dispelling the heat and refreshing her spirit.

As Charlotte approached, she discovered that these scattered stones seemed to have been manipulated by someone, haphazardly constructed to resemble the original form of a house. Although the arrangement appeared chaotic and disordered, the spaces between the stones were just enough to accommodate both of them, whether standing, squatting, sitting, or lying down, with ample room to spare

It is uncertain whether it was due to Charlotte being covered in the sweet fragrance while consuming nectar, but three bees ceased their pursuit and began to flutter around the flower bushes. However, two bees continued to closely follow them without letting up.

When Charlotte got angry, her strength surged, and she actually caught up with him, even running ahead. However, the tragedy was that after running for a while, she realized that Yunduan had not followed. Surprised, she turned back and saw him lying leisurely on the ground, gazing at the sky with a blade of grass in his mouth. Upon seeing her return, he smiled slightly and said, "The ant has long stopped chasing; why are you still foolishly running?"

Charlotte hurriedly shouted as she picked up the straw hat from the cloud

Charlotte followed his gaze and saw a small pile of scattered stones not far away, and she exclaimed, "Living in a pile of stones?"

"Seeing that you are too tired, I cannot bear to wake you up," said Charlotte, lifting the grass curtain to look at the darkened sky outside. "Let's find a way to make a fire; it can help with both lighting and keeping the insects away."

Being chased and bitten by ants is certainly not a pleasant way to die! Throwing away the branch in the cloud, I began to run wildly again with Charlotte.