On the canoe where Han Cheng sat, only he and the trembling underage person from the Fire Tribe huddled in a corner of the boat.
The four oars were stored in the boat cabin, and no one was rowing, yet the boat was traveling upstream against the current.
Of course, it wasn't the waves propelling them forward, but rather a rope tied to the front of the boat, with the other end secured to the rear, where Eldest Senior Brother and Shang were rowing together.
This was Han Cheng's idea. It aimed to isolate the underage person and prevent him from contacting the Eldest Senior Brother and the others.
A fire was burning on the small boat.
There was no need to worry about the wooden canoe catching fire because Han Cheng had carefully made a simple stove by knocking a hole in the bottom of an empty clay pot and using stones to insulate the bottom of the pot. This prevented the wooden boat from catching fire.
Smoke rose from the makeshift stove, and another smaller and shorter clay pot on top emitted white vapor.
In the air, there was a bitter taste.
Han Cheng was boiling what seemed to be Chaihu roots inside the pot.
Han Cheng estimated that it was almost time, so he stopped after adding two pieces of firewood to the makeshift stove.
After a while, when the fire was almost out, he picked up two handfuls of dry grass, dipped them in the river water to moisten them, and placed them on the edge of the clay pot. Then, he poured the remaining medicine into a large bowl.
The color was somewhat dark, and it resembled the bowl Pan Jinlian had given Wu Dalang to drink.
After waiting a while with the bowl, Han Cheng touched the outside with his hand and felt it wasn't very hot. He picked it up and walked towards the underage person trembling in a corner.
The underage person was terrified, and when he saw Han Cheng approaching, he immediately shrank into the corner.
Already thin and small, he became even smaller when he shrank into a tight ball.
Han Cheng tried to make his smile appear more friendly and his voice softer.
However, the child couldn't understand his words and just looked at him in fear, trembling uncontrollably.
Whether it was due to excessive fear or the fever, Han Cheng didn't say much more and brought the bowl to the child's mouth, indicating for him to drink.
Perhaps feeling less scared without the intimidating bonfire, or perhaps realizing that Han Cheng was also an underage person and wouldn't kill him like the adults, or perhaps because he understood Han Cheng's intentions and also because he was hungry.
After Han Cheng held the bowl to his mouth for a while, the child began to open his mouth to drink.
However, after just one sip, he spat it out again, whether because the medicine was too bitter or because he was frightened by the hot water he had never drunk before.
He shook his head, indicating he didn't want to drink anymore. But after waiting for a while and seeing that Han Cheng still hadn't moved the bowl away from his mouth, he drank the water, still trembling with fear, but finally consumed it.
After drinking, he kept licking his lips.
Han Cheng smiled as he watched.
He took out the roots boiled in the pot and spread them to dry on one side of the boat cabin. He scooped water from the river, washed the pot, filled it with water, placed it on the makeshift stove, and added firewood to heat it.
After doing all this, he brought some salted meat and tried to slice it as thinly as possible with a bone knife, putting it in the clay pot to cook.
The underage person curled up in the corner was no longer as terrified as before.
He curled up there, enduring the discomfort of his body, stealing glances at this slightly older but mysterious underage person who seemed to have everything under control.
Seeing him use these things he had never seen before to make water that could be drunk but tasted very bad.
When he saw the piece of meat Han Cheng held in his hand, he had been continuously salivating, even if he wasn't hungry. Meat, this kind of food, had a great allure to him, especially since he hadn't eaten much since he had fallen ill.
He wanted to put that enticing meat into his mouth, but apart from salivating, he didn't dare to show any other signs.
In their tribe, meat was always the food of strong adults. For them, underage people, most of the time, had to satisfy their hunger with grass and seeds.
The smell of cooking meat wafted out; this strange smell drilled into his nose, making him salivate even more, but he didn't dare to hope to eat this delicious food.
It was already good that this person, who didn't seem very fierce and had never been seen before, gave him water that tasted bad just now.
As for the rest, how could he still dare to hope?
The smell was so good...
Under the gaze of the underage person who was still feverish but still thinking about food, Han Cheng poured the cooked, barely considered meat slice porridge into the bowl that he had rinsed after holding the medicine.
The sick underage person's eyes widened instantly. He looked at Han Cheng, who was smiling at him, then at the bowl of fragrant meat slice porridge in front of him, with an incredulous expression.
Han Cheng handed the bowl to the underage person before him, pointed to his mouth, and repeated.
After a while, a sound came out of the underage person's mouth, which he didn't understand the meaning of.
The hoarse voice was filled with weakness and disbelief.
Han Cheng nodded vigorously and moved the bowl closer to him.
The desire for delicious food overcame the fear in his heart.
The young primitive man looked timidly at Han Cheng and took a small sip from the bowl.
After taking this sip, he couldn't stop himself. He held the bowl with both hands and ate quickly.
Han Cheng smiled. He had long expected this scene. He deliberately waited until it cooled down before handing it over to him. Otherwise, after this meal, the child's mouth would be burned.
Han Cheng watched the young primitive man eating greedily, with a smile.
This guy, looking at his eating posture, didn't seem like someone with a high fever.
But as long as he could eat, it was good. It indicated that his body was still healthy. Even if he didn't use medicine, as long as he had good food and drink, he could endure for a while.
The people of the Fire Tribe were incompetent. They threw even those who could still run into the fire pit.
Han Cheng watched for a while, then turned around and rewashed the clay pot. After filling it with water, he added firewood to heat it.
This guy's body was too dirty and needed to be washed properly. Paying attention to hygiene was an essential means of preventing disease.
The bright eyes watched the Divine Child's actions on the boat not far ahead.
He wanted to come over and help personally if possible, but the Divine Child disagreed, so he could only watch from there, afraid of missing something.