Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

The rain started in the early morning and has been falling ever since.

It’s around eight or nine o’clock in the morning now, but Li Younan couldn’t be bothered to check the time.

After all, for someone living in the wilderness, knowing the exact time doesn’t hold much specific significance.

He moved the newly made rocking chair outside and sat beneath the eaves.

This spot gave a clear view of the distant lake.

Raindrops hit the lake’s surface, each creating a small ripple, and when dense, the ripples merged, turning the lake’s reflection of cloud shadows into a blur.

The distant lake bay was enveloped in rain fog, only showing the rough outlines of the shoreline’s coniferous forest, a deep green mass.

On the shore, the spruce and pine trees had rainwater hanging from their branches and leaves; when the wind blew, the water dripped from the pine needles, falling on the ground’s dead branches and leaves, creating a faint rustling sound.

With the rain, not much could be done.

However, Li Younan wasn’t in a rush; instead, he took this time, brought by the rain, for himself to relax under the eaves.

He naturally knew nothing about the news reports happening domestically, and he wasn’t entirely sure at which phase the show was airing.

All he knew was that this season of ”Alone in the Wilderness” was a bit different from before; previously, it aired after the final champion was decided, but this year it seemed to be produced and aired one episode at a time.

This format made the exciting—after all, even the production team didn’t know the final results, adding a stronger sense of freshness for the audience.

He gently rocked the chair, feeling a bit of drowsiness.

Glancing into the house, the little ewe was dozing quietly by the fireplace.

Noticing Li Younan’s gaze, it raised its head, then continued sleeping.

Because of the rain today, Li Younan had brought it from the outdoor pen into the shelter.

It was evident that the little creature loved sleeping in the shelter, with the warmth of the fireplace.

With the rain today, a chill was noticeably present.

Goats and sheep are different; they prefer warmer environments.

Li Younan leisurely rocked on the chair for a while, seeing no signs of the rain weakening, stood up to bring the small table outside as well.

The rain lacked wind; it fell vertically, so there was no concern about the rain drenching him.

He had a teapot on the table and slowly poured himself a cup of hot tea.

He tried several kinds of tea leaves, feeling that Lupine’s taste was the best—paired with some fragrant flowers, it had an intense tea flavor.

After drinking tea, watching the scenery, and pondering life, Li Younan opened the lid of a ceramic jar on the table.

Inside, there was fresh milk curd, unfermented so it had no sour taste.

This handmade milk curd wasn’t as hard as industrial ones, and it had a rich milk fragrance when chewed.

With the rain, there was a legitimate reason for not going out; the stored fish still provided a few more days of meals at home.

If there was no fish, frying starch with butter could also provide two meals.

There was no need to worry too much about the impact of bad weather; based on Li Younan’s experience, rainy days by the lake are rare, and usually, these rains don’t last more than two days, a perfect opportunity for some rest.

By afternoon, the clouds lifted slightly, and the rain turned into a light drizzle.

The distant mountain peaks became visible, showing gray-blue rocks, with the tree trunks at the foot wet and glistening darkly.

Li Younan fried a piece of trout wrapped in starch for himself—compared to other fish, he preferred this freshwater fish’s texture, similar to salmon.

The red meat had fatty structures, offering a rich aroma that paired nicely with special fruit jam dips.

In the afternoon, seeing the rain wasn’t stopping, Li Younan decided to find something to do.

In recent evenings, besides milking the sheep, he worked on making this rocking chair.

The biggest challenge in making the rocking chair was the curved base.

For convenience in woodworking, he created a useful tool: the axe was sharp, and he made a wooden box that could hold the axe; the other end embedded a handle, forming a structure and function comparable to a planer.

With this axe planer, peeling, flattening, and carving out curves from wood became much easier.

Thanks to this new tool, he refurbished the previous wooden table, shaving it smooth.

His own bed could also be polished again.

Before that, what’s more crucial to Li Younan is crafting a bath barrel.

If you choose to make it, do it for the best experience.

With the rain these days, Li Younan used the limited wood to make planks for the barrel.

With the assembled axe planer, the job could be more detailed.

Splitting each plank to the right size, planing it clean.

After drying it, he could even use plant fibers for polishing.

Unlike previous water storage barrels, this bath barrel required lying inside; if the wood splinters poked him, the experience would be unpleasant.

The procedure for making the bath barrel was more complex and meticulous, not to be rushed, and Li Younan patiently worked on it, as the rain outside remained heavy.

A bit tired, he played around with the little ewe napping there.

Compared to rams, ewes have much gentler temperaments.

Unless you provoke its lambs, there are basically very few instances where it actively charges at people.

The only not-so-pleasant thing today is that this little creature actually dumped a pile of pellet-shaped sheep droppings inside the house.

Li Younan knocked it on the head twice impatiently, though he knew well enough that reasoning with a sheep was pointless.

The little ewe just looked at him bewildered.

Fortunately, sheep droppings are different from other types; they’re dry, round pellets made mainly of grass, so cleaning them out is easy.

Li Younan had just cleaned up the droppings and dumped the mess in the backyard sheep pen. When he turned around, the creature suddenly stood up and bolted towards the main door.

Li Younan wasn’t in a hurry; he leisurely put down the broom made of straw.

Just as the little creature ran out, it was stopped by the fence in the yard.

His shelter was long surrounded by an airtight fence.

This little thing isn’t a feline; it can’t jump a fence nearly 1.2 meters high, especially since its leg injury hasn’t fully healed.

The rain was pouring down, soon soaking the little ewe completely.

It bleated a few times and turned back to find Li Younan standing with his arms crossed at the door.

Li Younan yawned, looking at the little creature with an amused expression.

Eventually, it slunk back and was finally honest after Li Younan gave it a kick on the bum.

Li Younan couldn’t help but laugh, once again relaxing on the rocking chair.

This time, the little ewe had completely given up, looking utterly dejected, as it lay in front of the fireplace and fell into a disinterested slumber.

Li Younan glanced at the little ewe, then at the curtain of rain, and gently closed his eyes.

Rain?

What a wonderful rainy day.

...

What a damned rainy day!

Kanna swore she had never hated rainy weather from the depths of her soul like this before.

She huddled in the low shelter, once again venting to the camera.

This time, however, she was filled with deep fatigue: ”I don’t know how much longer this rain will last. I really wish I could leave the shelter right now.”

”It’s damned — I haven’t eaten anything for three days. Although we have waterproof suits and boots, the rain makes the ground muddy.”

”Walking on such muddy paths, it’s easy to slip, and there’s a high chance the boots will get stuck. It would absolutely be a terrible experience. But what can I do? My gill net is still by the lake.”

With that, she sighed deeply and turned off the camera.

The gill net was placed in the lake yesterday.

The food was already gone, and she felt extremely weak at that moment.

Due to the rain, she couldn’t even make a fire to warm up... She hadn’t prepared enough dry wood in the shelter, and the wood by the door was soaked.

She did have a small stove in her room, but without a proper smoke vent, the smoke from the fire irritated her eyes.

She originally planned to spend some time today adjusting the smoke vent structure, but the damned rain disrupted all her plans.

However, compared to this matter, she was more concerned about the gill net by the lake.

She lay anxiously in bed for a while, then couldn’t help but sit up, pulling out the camera and saying, ”No way, guys, I have to go to the lake today.”

She knew very well that although women naturally have a better resistance to hunger than men, not eating properly for three days had significantly impacted her stamina.

If she delayed any longer, her physical condition would worsen, making obtaining food even more difficult, increasing the chances of being eliminated.

So she put on her waterproof outfit and decided to brave the rain.

As expected, due to the heavy rain, the ground outside had become very muddy.

Some places where she stepped down would submerge half her boot, and when lifting her foot, the muddy resistance felt like Satan pulling her feet downward.

She took a deep breath, adjusted her emotions, and suddenly smiled at the camera lens: ”Actually, it doesn’t feel that bad. I’m serious, guys, we must find guidance in everything that helps our lives.”

”Overcome difficulties and stay optimistic... I take back what I said earlier, I also like rainy days. God will bless me, bless me to catch a big, fat fish from the gill net.”

She tried to smile, but it didn’t hold up, sagging down the corner of her mouth. Her steps didn’t stop, though, as she continued moving toward the lake.

The rain hadn’t stopped; the ground underfoot was as soft as soggy cotton, slipping with every two steps. First, her knee buckled as she knelt down heavily, pressing her palms into the wet mud, which also plastered her forearms.

Not far along, she stumbled over a withered branch buried in the mud, tumbling forward so her chest rubbed against the grass. The mud smeared on her pants dripped down, mixed with rainwater sticking to her legs, chilling her to the bone.

What originally took over twenty minutes ended up taking more than forty.

Every step felt like treading on cotton: heavy and unsteady. When she finally reached the spot where the gill net was set, she stood by the lake, breathing heavily, her chest heaving, almost unable to lift her arms.

She slowly squatted down, her fingertips numb from cold, shakily clutching the end of the net rope, pulling it back.

The net rope had soaked in water, becoming slippery. She gripped it tighter, lightly biting her lower lip, softly murmuring as if afraid to disturb anything, ”God bless, just one fish will do...”

The net gradually lifted, initially only with some water plants and debris. Her heart sank alongside it, until the moment the net mouth left the water surface, two shiny silver big fish fluttered inside the net, scales glittering with water droplets, reflecting a faint white light in the gloomy sky.

She stared at the two fish, dazed for a couple of seconds, her nose suddenly tingling, tears uncontrollably pouring out, mixing with the mud and rain on her face.

She didn’t hold back and didn’t want to, just squatting by the lakeside, shoulders gently shaking, crying silently with more honesty than her previous murmurs — it was the crying from being utterly exhausted, yet relieved, like all the accumulated grievances and tension finally releasing through these two fish.