Searching for Treasures in the Clouds

But tree holes are not only a favorite place for squirrels, but also for reptiles such as snakes. If a squirrel is sleeping in the tree hole now, it's fine, but if it goes in and shares a bed with a python, it will probably not survive the night.

Yu Ru wanted to see the inside of the tree hole clearly to make sure there was no danger inside, but after putting her hands on the tree hole and looking at it for a long time, she still couldn't figure out what was inside. After staring at the darkness for a while, she squatted down, untied the package that Yin Shiji had stuffed into her, and reached a hand in to explore.

After a while, she pulled out a small box.

She picked up the small box, brought it close to her nose and sniffed it a few times, and smelled a familiar smell, the smell of matches.

Her family used a clay stove to cook, which required burning firewood and grass. Sometimes they used lighters to light the fire, and sometimes they used matches. When she was four years old, she started to cook independently. Xu Shenwei only provided her with two meals a day, and she didn't eat breakfast herself, so Yu Ru didn't have to eat either. Therefore, since she was four years old, Yu Ru would cook breakfast for herself every day. She was very familiar with matches, and she was no problem with their use.

Yu Ru sniffed the box several times, then took out the matches inside and smelled them.

These things were very precious. She smelled them for a long time before she dared to confirm that they must be matches. She opened the box very carefully, took out a match from it, lit it, and held it up to the tree hole. She wanted to use the light of the match to see the tree hole clearly, but the match only lit up for a few seconds and then went out in an instant. Such a short time was not enough for her to see.

Yu Ru frowned, pinched the matchstick between her fingers, and stared blankly at the tree hole that had turned back into darkness, not knowing what to do next.

The wind blowing around her was getting colder and colder. Her hands, feet and teeth were shaking uncontrollably, and goose bumps appeared all over her body. The lighted match had just brought a little warmth, but that warmth was fleeting and made her feel chilled to the bone. She had no choice but to pick up the package on the ground and hold it tightly in her arms to absorb a little warmth and relieve the discomfort caused by the cold.

Standing still in place, the rustling sounds that can be heard become clearer. There is always the sound of leaves and weeds being crushed on the ground nearby, and the branches sometimes shake violently and inexplicably, as if something has deliberately hit them.

Every time she heard that sound, Yu Ru would be so scared that her whole body would tremble.

She held the package, looked around with an uncertain look in her eyes, her legs weakened, and she slowly fell to the ground. In the end, she sat down on the ground.

There were a lot of leaves piled up around the tree roots. No matter where you stepped, you would step on leaves as thick as a quilt. During this period, the weather was still very hot, and most of these leaves were baked dry by the heat of the sun, like thin and crispy biscuits.

Yu Ru's eyes were fixed on the leaves under her feet. She was avoiding them to avoid making too much noise by stepping on them. Suddenly, she had a new idea to illuminate the tree hole.

She put the package aside, put her hands into the pile of leaves, put her hands together from both sides to the middle, picked up a handful of leaves, and then threw them all into the tree hole. Repeating this several times, the bottom of the tree hole was filled.

Yu Ru took out the match again and lit it. This time, she threw the lit match directly into the tree hole. After waiting for a while, she heard a short and heavy sound coming from the tree hole.

"boom!"

The leaves ignited, and when one leaf started burning, it immediately set the other leaves on fire. Tiny fires popped up like mushrooms after rain, fast and fierce. At the same time, a slight, moist cold wind blew from the side and swept into the tree hole, and the fire suddenly became stronger. Several long red snakes sprang out of the pile of leaves, spitting out their tongues and running around, almost overflowing from the tree hole.

The fire was raging, and Yu Ru quickly tiptoed to look into the hole. This time, she saw clearly that there was no snake in the tree hole, only some small insects and ants hiding in it in a hurry to avoid the flames. Yu Ru smiled, she knew that she had a place to sleep tonight.

The next day,

Before daybreak, Yu Ru suddenly woke up.

The black-hearted factory workers forced them to work until the early morning every day before they could go to bed, but they worked until the early morning. In other words, they only had three to four hours of sleep a day, and that time was only allowed because the management was too sleepy and no one wanted to watch the work. Otherwise, they would work endlessly for 24 hours until they died suddenly.

This deadly schedule has completely changed Yu Ru's biological clock. She would wake up automatically before dawn every day, and today was no exception.

At this moment, there are still a few shining stars in the sky, and a waning moon is embedded in the deep blue sky like a jade stone falling into the water, half-hidden by the light of the clouds, and it is dim and looming. There is no wind around, and there are no more insects and birds singing. This world has finally lost its heartbeat and no longer shouts.

Yu Ru suddenly opened her eyes, and the dizzy feeling in her head made her realize that she seemed to have slept for a long time. Her thoughts were still immersed in the inhumane black factory. Thinking that she got up late and would be beaten soon, her heart suddenly started beating wildly.

When she looked up, what she saw was not the dormitory for a hundred people that looked like a pig farm, but lush green plants. She immediately realized that she had escaped from that hellish factory.

When she came to her senses, she had her own feelings. She suddenly felt her stomach was a little heavy and warm, and her feet were also warm. She looked down and saw three foxes lying beside her, one big and two small. The two small foxes were lying on her stomach, and the big fox was lying beside her, its fluffy tail just wrapped around her feet.

The three foxes had red fur that was dense and shiny, like a cluster of bright and plump canna flowers. Their eyes were big and round, and they were all looking at her.

Yu Ru was stunned for a moment, then she grinned. She remained curled up in the tree hole, stretched out a hand, and slowly approached the big fox. The big fox did not dodge or make a defensive gesture, so she gently put her hand on the big fox and touched it.

"Ah...wow..."

Yu Ru touched it with her hand, opened and closed her mouth, and tried to speak. After half-stuttering a few words, she managed to say a sentence after a long pause. "Big dog...dog, why are you...also here? Is this your home?"

The big fox's ears twitched, and it stared at Yu Ru with its eyes warmly, without any excessive reaction.

Seeing that it was not afraid of people, Yu Ru sat up and leaned over to hug it, "Thank...thank you, thank you, big dog. It's so warm to sleep with you."

The three foxes were furry and their warmth was coveted. Yu Ru wanted to stay with them for a while longer, but the sharp bird calls around her reminded her that she was not completely safe and had to hurry on. So, after saying goodbye to the fox family, she jumped down the tree hole and prepared to set off again.

Before leaving, she took out a steamed bun from the package, tore off half of it and put it in the tree hole, and said to the big fox: "Big dog, you...eat, it's delicious. I'm leaving, thank you."

After that, she turned and left.

After walking a few steps forward, the big fox suddenly caught up with her and jumped in front of her to stop her. The two little foxes also followed it and tried to stop her together.

"What are you doing?" Yu Ru squatted down.

The big fox grunted a few times, walked to the left, took a few steps, and looked back at Yu Ru.

Yu Ru looked at it, thought for a moment, and followed it.

In this way, the big fox would look back at Yu Ru every time they walked a distance with the little fox, and Yu Ru would follow it.

After a long time, they came to a stream together. The branches and trees nearby were lush and moist, and countless vines were swinging in the air, interspersed with some thorns, which were as hard as nails. The roots, vines, and leaves were tangled together, and it was impossible to see where they started or where they ended. The banks of the stream were rocky and scattered with small clumps of wild grass and flowers, which meandered along the stream, drawing dark green traces.