Chapter 296: Kindness

"You, you're awake!"

Axiang's tone was full of surprise.

"Hmm."

Yun Li subconsciously smiled at Axiang, thinking that during the days she couldn't move this female had been caring for her. She wanted to thank Axiang, but unexpectedly found her throat as if it hadn't had water for a long time, dry enough that a slight pull caused a strong tearing sensation.

Compared with her helplessness, Axiang wore a surprised smile, "Great! You really woke up! We all thought you would never wake up."

Hearing that, Yun Li gave her a grateful smile and then pointed to her throat.

"Ah…"

She opened her mouth, trying to say a word or two to tell Axiang her throat was uncomfortable, but the sound she made caused Axiang to misunderstand something.

The female's gaze at Yun Li suddenly filled with pity and regret, "Can't you speak? Did your Tribe discard you because you couldn't speak?"

It was so pitiful; although Yun Li interrupted the sentence, she was certain that if she didn't explain quickly, when Axiang went out to fetch the Witch Doctor to see her tomorrow, the matter would surely spread.

One must not overlook the beasts' gossip ability; even in this bone‑chilling weather, as long as any beast roams outside, any sudden event in the Tribe will be known to the others shortly after.

Moreover, because it's the cold season, only the Patrol Team beasts frequently move around the Tribe while most beasts stay at home, making everyone even more curious about what happens outside.

"My throat is very dry; I can't speak for now."

Yun Li tapped the snow water Axiang had collected with her finger and began writing on a wooden board.

As Axiang watched the strange symbols Yun Li wrote, her eyes lit up instantly, and her gaze toward her changed again.

"You can read? You can write?"

"Hmm," Yun Li said, tapping the board with her finger while nodding slightly to indicate she indeed can read.

Seeing her admit it, Axiang first let out a soft "Wow," but soon a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face, "Well, I know a few characters too, but the ones you wrote, I can't recognize them at all."

Yun Li: …

As if sensing her speechlessness, Axiang hurriedly added, "But Lord Gong of our Tribe knows many characters. I'll take this board to him now; he's in charge of teaching us to read. We're all not very good, but if Lord Gong learns that you can read, he'll be delighted."

Saying that, Axiang lifted the board and seemed ready to dash out to find the Lord Gong she mentioned.

Yun Li's brows twitched twice in urgency, and without thinking she lunged forward and grabbed one of Axiang's legs.

Seeing Axiang's face turn a shy red after her leg was held, Yun Li also couldn't help but feel a flash of shame.

But she had just woken up; making such a bold move in a panic already took all her strength. If the other ran any faster, she guessed she'd just be left standing there dumbfounded.

Yun Li wrote a few more characters on the board; Axiang read, "Night what… sleep? Are you saying Lord Gong should be sleeping now? I see, at this hour he must have already gone to bed. But…"

She thought for a moment and added, "During the cold season, day and night are hardly different; even if I go to Lord Gong now, he won't be angry with me."

After all, the fact that Yun Li can read is still very important.

"My name is Yun Li. And you?"

Although Yun Li knew Axiang didn't know many characters, the fact that she just recognized the words "night" and "sleep" showed there was still a chance to communicate; she could use writing together with gestures to probe the basic situation here, so she wouldn't have to keep groping blindly.

"What does this mean?"

Axiang watched her circle two characters with her finger, then pointed at herself, her forehead full of confusion, wondering what she was saying.

Seeing that Axiang couldn't grasp it at once, Yun Li wrote the two characters "sleep" she had recognized, then mimed a sleeping posture. After a while, Axiang finally understood that the characters "Yun Li" were her name.

"So those two characters are your name! Later I'll go find Lord Gong and have him teach me what those two characters mean."

After saying that, she eagerly introduced herself, "Since you told me your name, I'll tell you mine. I'm Axiang, the offspring of the Witch Doctor of our Tribe."

"By the way, your arrival is perfect; I won't be of age until next year, otherwise you'd have to squeeze into a skin satchel with a few males. Though they wouldn't bully you just because you're not awake, I know you'll feel uneasy after waking up."

"After all, they're all single males who wouldn't take care of anyone…"

She was clearly introducing herself, but Axiang didn't know whether it was the long cold season that made her rarely speak to people, or just being considerate of Yun Li just waking up, unaware of the surroundings. In any case, after she finished, it gradually got brighter outside.

Because in the cold season this Tribe, which mainly relies on frozen meat, air‑dried meat, and painstakingly stored wild‑vegetable preserves for hygiene, doesn't constantly have people entering the skin satchel, Axiang lifted the satchel's flap, glanced outside, gave Yun Li a couple of instructions, and hurried off to find the Witch Doctor and Lord Gong.

Of course, Yun Li didn't let her take the board; writing with snow water is only legible at first, then it blurs, and because of repeated writing the board had become so dark that no characters could be seen.

Therefore Yun Li didn't let her take it; after all, proving she can read and write is not difficult for her, so there was no need to showcase it forcefully to other beasts in the Tribe.

Meanwhile, the Witch Doctor, watching the female dash out of his skin satchel despite the raging wind and snow, frowned, "What's the matter? Why the hurry?"

Axiang was about to mention Yun Li waking up, but the Witch Doctor guessed first, "Did that female have an accident, or did she just wake up today?"

Seeing he knew, Axiang, surprised, sat up before the Witch Doctor, "Uncle Ang, you know? Yes, that female woke up last night."

Without waiting for the Witch Doctor to ask about the female's condition after waking, she impatiently told him everything that happened last night.

"Uncle Ang, I like her! If the chieftain asks about her and she wants to stay in the Tribe, could you speak up for her in front of the chieftain?"

"She's beautiful, can read, has a good temperament; surely many beasts in the Tribe will like her just as I do. Okay?"

In the end, Axiang clung to the Witch Doctor and began to act coquettishly.