Chapter 30: Sick Part 2

Sneaking around, always talking about stealing—This Wolf doesn’t steal! This Wolf would never do something so degrading.

Day 11 of being trapped.

She woke early to find another Fragrant Pig at her feet.

Ji Yingran: “…”

This wolf was hooked on pork, dragging it home day after day. She’d told her yesterday to bring something else, but here was another pig today.

“Fine, steal your pig if you must, but what about rice? Why didn’t you steal some rice while you were at it?”

Ji Yingran placed her order anyway, even though it had never worked before.

The Snow Wolf stomped her feet in fury: It’s not stealing! This Two-Legged Beast who treats me like a thief every day.

Day 12 of being trapped.

Another pig, still no rice.

Day 13 of being trapped.

Pig. No rice.

For once, the weather cleared up a bit. To kill time, Ji Yingran ran outside and built a huge snowman.

She stuck two twigs into it for arms and shoved in a few small stones for eyes and a nose.

Ji Yingran put her hands on her hips, standing in front of the snowman, and gave it an honest assessment. “It’s really ugly.”

That didn’t stop her from calling the wolf over to see it.

The Snow Wolf was sunning herself and merely twitched her ears at the human’s call, without responding or coming over.

Ji Yingran persisted, calling out nonstop when the wolf ignored her.

“Wolf! Wolfie! Big Wolfie! Wolfie…”

The endless calling finally annoyed the Snow Wolf. She rolled to her feet and sauntered over with a catlike sway.

“Look,” Ji Yingran said, positioning herself beside the snowman. “I built this snowman. What do you think? Pretty good, right? It’s ugly, sure, but it’s a uniquely ugly, don’t you think?”

The Snow Wolf glanced at the human, then at the snowman.

Then she lowered her front legs, coiled her muscles, and assumed an attack stance.

Before Ji Yingran could react, the Snow Wolf shot toward the snowman like an arrow from a bow.

Crash!

The snowman shattered into pieces.

Ji Yingran’s hour-plus of hard work vanished in an instant.

Ji Yingran tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You!”

The Snow Wolf shook the lingering snow from her fur, tail held high, looking immensely pleased with herself.

Ji Yingran ground her teeth. “Wolfie, you’ve got some strength there—one hit and my snowman’s gone. Too strong by half.”

The Snow Wolf gave a dismissive huff.

She wagged her tail and swayed her hips as she headed back to sunbathe.

Ji Yingran took two steps at once, rushing up to smack the wolf’s rear twice with sharp slaps.

The Snow Wolf whipped around, her wolf eyes widening.

“You smashed my snowman; I smacked your butt. Fair’s fair.”

The Snow Wolf’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Ji Yingran shrugged, looking utterly fearless.

The Snow Wolf prowled slowly up to the human, circled behind her, sighted her target, and raised a paw to smack the human’s rear.

Ji Yingran blinked blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter, clutching her stomach. “Wait, you’re smacking my butt now? Is this your idea of an eye for an eye? Hahaha!”

She wasn’t annoyed at all—in fact, she was delighted, laughing nonstop.

The Snow Wolf, who had been out for revenge, was left dumbfounded.

Backing up a couple of steps, she stared at the human doubled over in endless laughter, her mind full of question marks.

What’s she laughing at?

It was as if the Snow Wolf suddenly realized something. This human had always been a bit twisted. Did she… like getting her butt smacked?

The Snow Wolf backed up further.

Such a perverse human—scary. Way too scary for a wolf.

Ji Yingran approached the wolf, who kept a wary distance.

Ji Yingran found it hilarious. Back when the Snow Wolf had first saved her, the human had feared the wolf and kept her distance. Now it was reversed—the wolf feared the human and dodged away.

Ji Yingran teased her on purpose, lunging as if to smack her butt again. The wolf bolted, running far off.

In the vast white snowfield, one human chased one wolf amid peals of laughter.

It was quite lively.

“Atchoo!”

Ji Yingran rubbed her nose and sneezed.

Maybe from all the wild running outside, the wind had left her head feeling heavy.

“Atchoo!”

Another sneeze.

She had a bad feeling. Was she catching a cold? Getting sick in this forsaken place was no joke.

Ji Yingran didn’t dare play outside anymore. She hurried back into the mountain cave, first hugging the wolf for a bit to warm up, then immediately boiling a pot of hot water.

She downed two bowls of hot water in a row, successfully chasing away the chill.

She figured her quick measures would keep things from getting too bad, even if it was just a cold.

But the next day, her head throbbed so badly she couldn’t get up.

“Cough cough.”

Her throat itched, her body ached all over, she had no strength, and her head swam. She tried to sit up but flopped weakly back onto the blanket.

That little effort made her head spin even worse, the world turning around her.

The Snow Wolf sat beside the human. A fresh pig lay nearby, but the wolf ignored it for now, tilting her head this way and that as she stared at the figure on the blanket, who coughed now and then.

The human was sick…

Ji Yingran glanced at the Fragrant Pig dumped nearby. “Wolf, you’re probably not hungry yet, right? I’m really tired now and can’t cook. Can we eat later?”

The Snow Wolf didn’t respond, just stared at the human intently and solemnly.

Ji Yingran gave her a weak smile, her voice hoarse from the cold. “Just a little cold.”

The Snow Wolf still didn’t reply, her gaze unwavering.

Ji Yingran knew the wolf was worried about her.

“That purple backpack over there—Wolf, can you get it for me?” Ji Yingran pointed to the corner.

The bag held some first-aid meds. No cold medicine, but there were painkillers, some of which could ease a fever.

Normally, this wolf wouldn’t lift a paw without some coaxing or tricking.

But this time, she didn’t hesitate at all. She dashed straight to the corner and brought the bag back in her jaws.

Ji Yingran sat up slowly, took the bag, and thanked the wolf.

The Snow Wolf kept watching her.

Ji Yingran unzipped the backpack and pulled out the medicine pouch, stocked with various first-aid drugs.

Ibuprofen and Loratadine Tablets seemed like the best fits.

Ibuprofen was for pain but could also relieve fever and headaches. Loratadine was for allergies but helped with congestion too.

Not proper cold meds, but for her symptoms, these would do nicely.

“The thermos—it’s with the seasonings. Wolf, grab it for me?”

The Snow Wolf raced over and returned with the thermos in her mouth.

As Ji Yingran took it, she patted the wolf’s head.

She actually knew to take care of a sick human. This wolf was such a good girl—fetch the bag when asked, fetch the thermos too.

Almost too good to be her usual self.

She unscrewed the thermos; the water inside was still warm, perfect for swallowing pills.

Warm water chased down the bitter tablets, and she lay back to rest.

The wolf sitting in front of her saw her lie down and began circling around her.

One loop, a glance at the human; another loop, another glance.

Ji Yingran smiled weakly. “All right, instead of pacing around me, come warm me up. My feet are cold.”

At that, the Snow Wolf pressed right up against her, nudging her feet with a paw before gently laying her belly over them to warm them.

Ji Yingran felt her feet warming up, and her heart along with them.

Getting sick out in the wild, all alone with no help—it usually made a person feel fragile, not just physically, but emotionally too.

However, with the wolf’s companionship, Ji Yingran didn’t even have a chance to feel fragile.

“Wolf, I remember when my hand got frostbitten before. The next day, it was all better. That must’ve been you who healed it, right?”

“Then why don’t you cure my cold? I’ve taken some medicine, but it’s slow to kick in, and I still feel pretty lousy. Come on, help me out here.”

Snow Wolf shook her head.

Ji Yingran wasn’t sure if that was a refusal or simply because she couldn’t do it, but she suspected it was the latter.

Perhaps it was the effect of the medicine, but Ji Yingran soon grew drowsy. In no time at all, she drifted off into a hazy sleep.

In her dreams, she felt alternately hot and cold – the outward signs of her rising fever.

She slept fitfully, lost in a daze, far from peacefully.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she was awakened by the wolf licking her.

The wolf was frantically laving her face, licking this way and that. Was this her method of treating illness?

Ji Yingran raised her hand and grabbed the wolf’s muzzle.

Snow Wolf could no longer reach her face. She shook her head with small motions, trying to dislodge the hand so she could continue licking.

“No licking! I already feel bad enough, and now you’ve slobbered all over my face. That just makes it worse!”

At the words “makes it worse,” Snow Wolf’s ears flattened against her head. She instantly fell quiet and stopped licking.

Ji Yingran sat up. Perhaps the medicine was finally taking hold; her head was still fuzzy, but she clearly didn’t feel as wretched.

Thank goodness for the medicine – otherwise, things might have gotten dangerous. Her constitution wasn’t robust at the best of times; every cold she caught turned into a fever, and this one was no exception.

The first-aid meds had only been meant as a precaution, yet they’d come in handy after all.

Ji Yingran grabbed the thermos beside her and gulped down the remaining hot water.

Drinking plenty of fluids would help her recover faster.

Propping up her limp body, Ji Yingran built up the fire and boiled another pot of hot water. She drank until she was full, then poured the rest into the thermos for later, when thirst struck again.

Throughout the whole process of building the fire, boiling water, and drinking, Snow Wolf trailed after her, watching intently.

When Ji Yingran went to the left side of the mountain cave, Snow Wolf followed to the left. When she moved to the right, the wolf was right there too.

She stuck close, never more than a step away.

Ji Yingran smiled helplessly. “You don’t have to follow me everywhere.”

Snow Wolf paid no heed, simply shadowing her wherever she went.

The wolf was usually aloof with her, ignoring her most of the time. When had she ever been this clingy?

Ji Yingran couldn’t shoo her away – not that she had the heart to try for real. She let the wolf have her way; if she wanted to follow, so be it. It gave her an excuse to pet her more, after all.

Even sick, Ji Yingran hadn’t forgotten to pet the wolf.

She rubbed the wolf’s head, gently pinched her ears, scratched her tail, and – going a step further – stroked her belly.

Surprisingly, touching her belly didn’t anger the wolf. She merely shot Ji Yingran a somewhat displeased glance.

Ji Yingran raised an eyebrow. Apparently, being sick was a get-out-of-jail-free card; the wolf wasn’t even growling at her anymore.

Since that was the case, Ji Yingran didn’t hold back. After rubbing the belly, she moved on to the wolf’s fluffy, plump haunches.

She gave them a pat.

Her mood lifted considerably.

At that moment, the clingy wolf who’d refused to leave her side abruptly stood and headed outside.

“Where are you going?” Ji Yingran asked.

Snow Wolf didn’t respond. She went out for a brief trip and returned in under half a minute, something clamped in her jaws.

Ji Yingran peered closely. When she finally made out what it was, surprise flickered in her eyes.