Chapter 597
Under the Setting Sun
In order not to spoil everyone's fun, Han Zhou did not tell anyone that Zhong Ling had completely lost her voice.
Including bells.
From losing his voice to regaining it, and then to becoming completely silent, there must have been a crucial turning point in the process, and what he needed to do was to find it first.
After observing for an afternoon, he realized that perhaps even the senior student herself was unaware that she could no longer make any sound, otherwise she wouldn't occasionally turn her head and chat with him with a slight smile.
If she had realized this, she probably wouldn't have been so happy, much less would she have spoken up.
Fortunately, Han Zhou had studied lip reading for a while before. Although he hadn't even mastered the basics, he could still manage some relatively simple conversations by combining his understanding of Zhong Ling and the fact that she usually didn't speak for long periods of time.
Judging from Zhong Ling's reaction, their communication seemed to have gone relatively smoothly... right?
Han Zhou was also unsure.
Since Zhong Ling could no longer make any sound, he obviously needed Yi Xia, or rather, the assistance of "mind reading", to know what the other party was saying.
However, he hasn't yet figured out how to use the status bar to do this in the short term.
Without the help of the status bar, he was no different from most people, only able to futilely observe the girl's heart through a thin veil of mist.
The whole afternoon was spent preparing for their overnight stay on the mountaintop.
The temperature would drop at night, so starting a fire for warmth was obviously essential. Considering that collecting enough firewood might require leaving the encampment, and also to temporarily extricate himself from Zhong Ling's "conversation" and give himself some space to sort out his thoughts, Han Zhou took the initiative to collect firewood and walked alone into the nearby forest.
The winter climate is dry, and withered branches and fallen leaves are everywhere. Even though it had rained just two days ago, it was not difficult to find firewood. Han Zhou did not spend too much time collecting enough firewood and tied it up with the rope he brought.
But he did not return immediately; instead, he sat down to rest in the woods.
It must be said that the view from the mountaintop is extremely beautiful. Even in the bleak winter, the moment the sun sets is still breathtaking.
Han Zhou, however, had no interest in appreciating the sound; instead, he pondered the reason why Zhong Ling had lost her voice.
With his "complete concentration," he had ample time to think.
However, he was not Sherlock Holmes after all, and even if Holmes himself came, he probably wouldn't find any clues. So, after thinking it over and over, he still couldn't figure out what caused the bell to suddenly ring and then fall completely silent afterward.
The only thing I could think of was, "Junior, are you feeling unwell?"
It was at the very moment those words were spoken that Gu Zheng and Wang Lengqiu both clearly heard their senior's voice.
But after that, she completely lost her voice.
Left with no other option, Han Zhou had to take out his phone.
Since I can't figure anything out on my own, I'll have to try asking for help from outside the arena.
He sent a message to the "Sherlock Holmes" he knew.
Unfortunately, Mo Yixia did not reply after a long wait.
Considering the other person's status as a high school student, she probably didn't have time to reply, rather than being angry and not wanting to reply.
"It seems that this time, I've not only lost the help of the status bar, but also a reliable strategist..."
"I guess I'll have to rely on myself now." Han Zhou shook his head and chuckled, put away his phone, stood up, dusted himself off, picked up some firewood, and headed towards the encampment.
When they returned to their camp, Gu Zheng and Wang Lengqiu had almost finished setting up the two tents. They were each in one of the tents, seemingly doing the final touches.
Zhong Ling, meanwhile, was squatting not far away, frantically trying to set up a stove.
It's less about building and more about haphazardly piling things up.
She first clumsily arranged several stones of different sizes that she had picked up into an irregular circle on the flat ground, and then stuffed dry grass and twigs into it haphazardly. As soon as she put the last stone on top, the whole structure shook and collapsed, kicking up a cloud of choking dust.
Despite being covered in dirt and grime, Zhong Ling was still determined. Without even wiping her face, she bent down to move another stone, but this time her movements were noticeably slower, and her expression was somewhat blank.
Seeing this, Han Zhou put the firewood aside and quickly walked over.
"Senior, the stove shouldn't be set up like this."
He squatted down and demonstrated as he spoke, “Choose stones that are as flat as possible, leave ventilation openings at the bottom, and then gradually narrow the top... like this.”
He skillfully picked and chose stones, adjusted their angles, and clearly just rearranged those cold, heavy rocks, yet he quickly built a structure that looked quite sturdy.
Zhong Ling squatted to the side, staring blankly at his movements, her gaze fixed on his slender fingers, seemingly lost in thought.
Before long, a sturdy and well-organized stove began to take shape.
"Alright, now all we need to do is put in the dry grass to start the fire, and then put some thin branches on top. But it's still early, let's start the fire when we're ready to cook."
Han Zhou dusted off his hands, stood up, and reached out his hand to the girl who was still somewhat lost in thought.
Having squatted on the ground for so long, Zhong Ling's legs were already sore and weak, and she couldn't stand up no matter what. Although she was a little embarrassed, she still carefully reached out and gently grasped the tip of the other person's middle finger.
This level of physical contact alone seemed enough to make the girl blush.
Han Zhou chuckled to himself, suddenly feeling a little curious about what the senior student he had held hands with the night before last had looked like in that dark stairwell.
He took the opportunity to grasp those slender fingers and pulled the girl up.
Zhong Ling stood up, her lips moved slightly, and then she lowered her head slightly.
Although he couldn't hear her voice, even with Han Zhou's rudimentary lip-reading skills, he could tell she was saying thank you. So he smiled and said, "Wipe the dust off your face first. I reminded you this morning."
Hearing this, Zhong Ling, who was already embarrassed, became even more awkward. She quickly raised her hand to wipe her face, but forgot that her palms were covered in dirt, which instead added a few more gray streaks to her slightly chubby, fair cheeks.
Han Zhou couldn't help but chuckle, and held out his muddy hands, saying, "There's a stream over there, why don't we go wash up together?"
It wasn't until she saw his hands that Zhong Ling belatedly realized what was happening. She instinctively wanted to wipe her face again, but thankfully she managed to restrain herself and nodded shyly.
"My senior and I are going over there to wash our hands!"
"understood!"
Han Zhou called out to the two people inside the tent, then led Zhong Ling towards the stream bathed in the setting sun. (End of Chapter)