Lu Wanqing paused, then her heart warmed. She nodded, "Mm."
Little Mu Lan was very careful, afraid of accidentally hurting his mommy.
Lu Wanqing didn't rush him. She waited patiently, her gaze subtly sweeping the surroundings, observing the scenery.
They hadn't brought any food, so the matter of sustenance still needed to be resolved.
Coincidentally, she had just spotted something she wanted in the forest not far away – grapes!
It was summer, early June. In the bushes nearby, there seemed to be a vine laden with dark red grapes, hanging in clusters.
"Mommy, the medicine is on!" After a long wait, Little Mu Lan finally finished applying the ointment to all the wounds on his mommy's back. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said.
Lu Wanqing nodded, then took out clean clothes from her spatial storage and put them on.
"Mommy, Dad will definitely come to save us!" Little Mu Lan couldn't help but say.
Lu Wanqing froze, then lowered her gaze to the child, smiled, and nodded, "Mm, I know."
Mu Sijie wouldn't abandon them. What they needed to do now was to protect themselves, survive, and then find a way to contact the outside world and seek help.
Hearing his mommy's affirmation, Little Mu Lan finally gained some confidence. He tilted his head up, his clean, fair face smudged with blood from where he'd rubbed against his mommy. "Mm-hmm! We don't need to be scared!"
Lu Wanqing couldn't help but reach out and gently wipe away the bloodstains on the child's face. Confirming it was just a smudge and not an injury, she finally relaxed.
"Mm," Lu Wanqing nodded.
As they spoke, Little Mu Lan's stomach grumbled again.
Lu Wanqing was also hungry.
Little Mu Lan quickly said, "Mommy, I'm not hungry. I can hold on a little longer." He was determined to hold on until his dad came to rescue them.
Lu Wanqing couldn't help but chuckle. She ruffled his hair and said, "It's okay, maybe we can find something to eat."
Saying this, Lu Wanqing reached out and steadied herself against a nearby tree, carefully standing up.
The grapes looked close, and she wanted to go see.
"Mommy?" Little Mu Lan was startled and rushed over, supporting his mommy. He looked confused and worried.
"Lanlan, there seem to be grapes up ahead, and they've fruited. Let's go take a look," Lu Wanqing said softly.
Little Mu Lan froze, then a moment later, he came to his senses. His eyes widened in surprise, "Grapes?"
Lu Wanqing found his shocked expression amusing and nodded, "Mm, grapes."
"Have you eaten grapes before, Lanlan?" Although Little Mu Lan had kept promising he wasn't scared, Lu Wanqing could sense that the child was still very uneasy. He was likely very frightened, which was why he kept emphasizing that his dad would save them. She couldn't help but speak, trying to distract him, hoping it would make him less afraid.
Little Mu Lan immediately nodded, "Mm-hmm, I have! They're delicious!" 138 Reading Network
Lu Wanqing smiled and said, "Then let's pick some grapes. Maybe we won't be as hungry after eating them."
"Okay!" Little Mu Lan was also excited and immediately nodded happily.
They had visited simulated farms on the interstellar network before and picked fruit, but this was their first time picking real fruit in the real world. Little Mu Lan suddenly felt very happy, even excited. He eagerly anticipated the process of picking grapes.
Seeing that the child's attention had been diverted, Lu Wanqing finally stopped feeling sad and smiled.
Lu Wanqing was injured, so her movements were somewhat slow, but Little Mu Lan didn't rush. He knew his mommy was hurt and patiently accompanied her, walking step by step towards the grapes.
As they got closer, Little Mu Lan finally saw the grapes on the vine clearly. His eyes lit up with extreme excitement, "Mommy, it's grapes!"
"They really are grapes!!!" Little Mu Lan's cheeks were flushed with excitement. His eyes, which had been crying for a long time, were now sparkling, his pupils shimmering with the light of exhilaration.
Lu Wanqing also smiled. Looking at the grapes within reach, her mood improved greatly.
"Mommy, I'll pick some for you to eat!" Little Mu Lan quickly ran ahead, saying with immense excitement.
Lu Wanqing froze, then anxiously called out, "Lanlan, be careful!"
"This isn't the interstellar network. You need to be aware of your surroundings, especially for snakes. Don't get bitten!" Lu Wanqing warned anxiously.
This was a real forest; what if there were snakes?
While Lu Wanqing was speaking, Little Mu Lan had already picked a bunch of grapes and happily brought them back to his mommy.
"Mommy, you eat!" Little Mu Lan held up the grapes, looking at his mommy, his palm-sized face beaming with excitement.
Lu Wanqing thought for a moment, then reached out and took the bunch of grapes. "Lanlan, we're in the wilderness now, not on the interstellar network. There could be many dangers lurking in the forest. You can't be so impulsive in the future. You must observe your surroundings carefully and only proceed when you're sure it's safe."
Little Mu Lan looked a little bewildered and very curious, "Are there really snakes?"
Lu Wanqing: "..."
"You must be careful!" Lu Wanqing said seriously.
"Mm-hmm," Little Mu Lan quickly nodded, his cheeks flushed, extremely excited.
Little Mu Lan soon went to pick more grapes. Lu Wanqing was still injured and found it inconvenient to move. Seeing that some grapes were growing in low places, within reach even for Little Mu Lan's stature, she felt relieved.
Little Mu Lan returned with another bunch of grapes. Holding them, he ran to his mommy and happily said, "Mommy, we have grapes now. We don't have to be hungry."
Lu Wanqing nodded and said, "Eat."
They had no water either. The little water they had was probably their most precious resource and had to be saved in case they got thirsty.
"Mm-hmm," Little Mu Lan nodded quickly.
The little fellow picked a grape and carefully put it into his mouth. As soon as he took a bite, his eyes lit up, "Mommy, it's so sweet! Sweeter than the ones we buy on the interstellar network!"
Lu Wanqing smiled and nodded, "Mm."
The ones bought on the interstellar network were likely artificially cultivated. These grapes...
Lu Wanqing looked at the surrounding environment and thought it was more likely they were wild. Grown without any pesticides or fertilizers, it was only natural that wild grapes would taste better.
After finishing the two bunches of grapes in her hands, Little Mu Lan picked some more. Only when both of them were full did Lu Wanqing lead the child back to the vicinity of the space capsule.
With the most basic survival problem solved, the urgent task was still to find a way to contact the outside world and see if they could find someone to rescue them!
As Lu Wanqing pondered, she took out her communication device. Like Little Mu Lan had tried before, she wanted to see if it would work now. What if the communication signal was restored?
Unfortunately, after much fiddling, the communication device remained unresponsive. Lu Wanqing couldn't help but let out a wry smile. It seemed Lanlan was right; their communication devices were broken.