The Acorn Harvest

Luo Jun gazed into the distance, observing the terrain and distribution of various plants.

"Uncle, where do you think those armed forces are? Why don't they make any smoke signals?"

Li Shi leaned against a nearby oak tree and sat down.

However, Luo Jun's gaze lingered on the oak tree behind her, then looked up at the fruit on the tree.

Li Shi also looked up along his line of sight.

"Oh! Those are acorns!" Li Shi also recognized them at a glance, not because she knew plants well, but because this was the national tree of the United States.

"That's right. We really lack starch. If we bring back so much fruit, it would improve our meals. Lorna and the others would definitely be thrilled."

As Luo Jun spoke, he took off his equipment and hung an axe from his belt before climbing up the tree.

The acorns were all at the treetops, it would be inconvenient and inefficient to pick them by hand while in the tree.

Luo Jun did not stand on ceremony at all. He swung the axe and chopped at the treetops.

Many of the overripe acorns fell even before being completely cut off from the branches.

Luo Jun asked Li Shi to go sit in the open space below the ridge, so the sound of chopping would not attract people's attention from afar. Standing on the ridge, a person's silhouette would be exposed all at once.

Luo Jun had the thick oak leaves for cover, so he did not need to worry too much about being spotted.

"Wow, what beautiful fruit!"

Li Shi picked up the plump acorns in her hands and toyed with them.

After playing with the plump nuts in her small hands for a while, they became oily and glossy. To the starving Li Shi, it was like getting new toys. Her face was full of a blissful smile.

After chopping in the tree for half an hour, Luo Jun had felled over half of the acorns in the tree, although he had not completely chopped them all.

He figured it was about time to head back, otherwise they might get back when it was already dark.

Luo Jun jumped down from the tree and dragged the chopped treetops to the side. The two of them squatted together, plucking acorns one by one and arranging them on the ground.

Before long, a large pile was laid out on the ground, no less than 30-40 pounds.

"We don't have any bags to carry them back!"

Li Shi was suddenly worried about how to bring them back. Luo Jun simply took off his shirt. He still had an undershirt inside, only revealing the muscles on his burly arms, shoulders and surrounding areas.

Li Shi swallowed hard at the sight, her maiden heart fluttered.

"Let's put everything in my shirt and tie it up like a bundle."

As Luo Jun spoke, Li Shi nodded and started placing the plump fruits into his black shirt.

Soon it was full. Luo Jun bundled up the acorns with his shirt. The bulging "package" made one feel a sense of harvest joy just by looking at it.

"Let's head back!"

Luo Jun walked ahead with Li Shi merrily following behind.

The way here was on a deserted path, but they could spot some landmarks on the way back, so the return trip was still quite fast, taking less than two hours to get back to the shelter.

Lorna and Jenny did not go anywhere from the shelter, although they were not just idly waiting either. They had already prepared the "dinner" for everyone.

In addition, Luo Jun noticed there was more new undergrowth around the shelter, making it more tightly sealed. No matter when, women's diligence always puts men in a good mood. Seeing this, Luo Jun felt quite gratified.

Li Shi couldn't wait to show off their harvest that afternoon. She placed the bag of acorns in the stove pit.

"Sister Lorna, Sister Jenny, look!"

Lorna and Jenny were also pleasantly surprised to see the bag of shiny brown acorns.

"You two are amazing. These nuts can feed us for many days!" Jenny had been worried about their diet. After all, she was unable to work herself. If there was a food shortage, she would be the most likely to be expelled.

"Uncle climbed the tree and picked them! Let's roast and eat some over the charcoal!"

Li Shi couldn't wait any longer. She used a wooden stick to rake out some charcoals and placed some acorns over the fiery embers.

Jenny also wanted to contribute and took the initiative to roast some acorns.

Due to the limited space around the stove pit, Lorna could not compete with the two women for roasting acorns. Instead, she took Luo Jun's shirt to help him wash it.

Luo Jun was not idle either. Making use of the remaining sunlight, he shaved some bamboo tubes. He decided to weave a bamboo basket tomorrow.

After all, they would need storage for the food obtained in the future. It would be troublesome without baskets, even just to gather things.

Not until the woods turned completely dark did they finally sit down for dinner.

Tonight's dinner included some extra charred black acorns. Although charred black on the outside, the white flesh inside tasted exceptionally good after biting through. They provided a large amount of starch for Luo Jun and the others.

Eating only fish and drinking water made it hard to feel full. Fish meat could only provide protein, while these starchy foods could be transformed into glucose through saliva and the digestive system.

When the brain absorbs glucose, it stops producing the sensation of hunger.

This was the only night since drifting onto the island that they felt full.

After eating his fill, Luo Jun let the women go to bed first while he shoveled a lot of unfinished charcoals into the geothermal duct, making it warmer at night.

When Luo Jun returned to the shelter, Lorna and Jenny were telling Li Shi about what they saw and heard while out that afternoon.

Somehow the three women had arranged their positions with Lorna sleeping in the middle, Jenny on the side due to her injury as always, while Li Shi got to snuggle close to Luo Jun tonight.

After today's intense exertion of energy, Luo Jun was exhausted too. He had not gotten any rest from crossing over from the reef bank until now.

So as he lay down, he did not have the energy to make any moves to satisfy his own ideas. Moreover, Luo Jun did not want to touch the innocent young lady sleeping next to him. Some innocence and purity were extremely precious to someone like Luo Jun who grew up in the underground world.

Luo Jun closed his eyes to fall asleep. However, Li Shi turned sideways to actively put her arms around Luo Jun. She had never embraced any man before, let alone one as strapping as Luo Jun.

Her heart pattered like a baby deer, her pretty face flushed. But it gave her an unprecedented sense of security and stability. Even in this flimsy shelter on this perilous, mysterious island, she obtained immense satisfaction at this moment.

Thinking that Li Shi was afraid, Luo Jun reached out and stroked her head.

"We'll gather even more fruit in the future, living needs won't be an issue. Once I scout the environment and the timing is right, I'll lead everyone to safely reach the California Peninsula."

Luo Jun turned his head and whispered to Li Shi snuggled up beside him.

The two were speaking at very close range, they could even feel each other's breath.

Hearing Luo Jun's words filled Li Shi's heart with warmth. Her pretty face proactively moved closer to Luo Jun's face.

Luo Jun even touched her tender lips.