This rain was neither heavy nor light, but it caught the three people off guard.
"Either it doesn't rain for months, or it pours out of nowhere. What's up with this crazy weather!"
"Due to the influence of the southwest monsoon, July is the rainiest month in Southeast Asia. We need to hurry and find a place to take shelter from the rain."
Tang Xiaoguo said, "Should we go into the woods to find a big tree to take shelter under?"
"Are you crazy?!"
Lu Zhe yelled, "Not only is it dangerous to be struck by lightning in the woods, but the forests are also very dangerous during and after the rain. We can only take temporary shelter under the low banana trees at the edge of the woods for now. Then we'll build a shelter."
"What should we do?"
"Xiaoguo, take care of the cell phone and matches! Captain, gather some palm and banana leaves. I'll go chop some sticks nearby!"
"Be careful!"
Lu Zhe had already left with his type 30 knife.
In a short while, he came back with several long branches.
Lu Zhe trimmed off the crowns of two small trees two meters apart. He tied a bamboo pole across the trunks about two meters above the ground. He also tied two more bamboo poles one meter to the left and right below the first pole, forming a roof-shaped bamboo frame. Then he layered fallen leaves on top.
A simple rain shelter was built, gaining another potential point.
But by this time, everyone was already soaked through.
Night fell, and they needed to start a fire.
The matches were still burning slowly, but no dry tinder could be found nearby.
Without a big flame it would be impossible to light the damp tree branches.
Lu Zhe thought of something. He left his knife with the two girls, "You two stay here for a bit. I'll go look for some dry tinder. We have to get a fire going tonight no matter what."
Ning Shu said worriedly, "Lu Zhe, don't waste your energy. With this rain, where are you going to find anything dry? Just take a rest!"
"There must be some! Humans don't want to get drenched by the rain, and neither do animals. They know this forest better than us. We should learn humbly from our elders in the woods. There's no harm in asking them for advice! You two build up the fire pile a bit higher here. When I get back we'll light it up."
"Okay, be careful!"
Lu Zhe nodded and turned to enter the woods.
The two girls started looking for rocks to stack the fire pit.
Lu Zhe opened all his senses of hearing, sight and smell to search for the elders in the darkness.
Soon he found one.
In a clump of two-meter tall bushes there was a bowl-sized bird's nest with a red-headed green bird curled up inside, feeling quite cozy at the moment.
Indeed a master!
Just look at how exquisitely the bird's nest was positioned and structured. With such heavy rain, the nest wasn't damp at all, just a bit of moisture on the surface!
Lu Zhe reached out to grab the bird. Feeling the danger, the bird flapped its wings and flew out into the downpour.
The protein source flew away, leaving behind the nest.
Lu Zhe was still moved and thanked the bird for its gift from nature.
Let's see if there are any eggs left?
Unfortunately not.
He took out a plastic bag and carefully put the bird's nest inside, tying it closed!
Gaining another potential point.
When he returned to camp, the two girls had finished stacking the rocks and preparing the branches, just waiting to light it up.
"Did you find an elder out there?"
Lu Zhe nodded, "Look, this is what the elder gave me!"
"A bird's nest?"
"Right. See how aside from a little dampness on the outside, the inside is very dry!"
Lu Zhe placed the bird's nest upside down in the middle of the rocks. He arranged branches around it, then tore out a page from his notebook, crumpling it into a ball.
He took out the matches, blew on the paper ball again and again until it caught fire.
Lu Zhe put the burning paper ball under the bird's nest and gently blew until the paper ball nearly burned out, and the bird's nest finally started billowing thick smoke.
He kept blowing until the nest caught fire, burning the branches until they too started emitting grey smoke.
There was no helping it. The damp branches were very difficult to ignite, and even when lit they produced much more smoke than dry firewood.
The three of them coughed and choked on the thick smoke.
But they were still very happy in their hearts.
Because there was fire now, meaning their night wouldn't be too miserable.
After a while longer, the fire really caught and started crackling as Lu Zhe began adding thicker pieces of wood.
"We'll boil some water later, cook everything we gathered today, and dry our clothes. Then we won't feel so cold."
"Okay!"
The rain tonight was completely different from the earlier downpour. At first there were two muffled rumbles of thunder and some gusts of wind, then the thunder stopped and wind died down, leaving just the light rain.
This was the normal weather pattern during the island's rainy season.
Ning Shu set up the Type 92 mess kit and boiled some seaweed, clams, and the last of the mushrooms.
Banana pith was roasted over the fire as the staple food, providing enough protein and carbohydrates for the day.
The warm seafood soup flowing into their stomachs made them feel extremely comfortable.
Finally not so cold anymore, they hung up their clothes to dry near the fire.
Huddling together with the two scantily clad girls, relying on each other's body warmth, Lu Zhe could only recite the Art of War over and over to distract himself.