Gu Qingcheng had always been this way, always preparing two sets of plans for any situation: one optimistic, one pessimistic.
Thanks to her foresight, no matter which plan materialized, she was mentally prepared and could face it calmly.
Gu Qingcheng had originally planned that if the current food ran out, she and Du Lanyue would invent new excuses, such as finding another hidden stash of grain by the bandits, or if that didn't work, claiming divine intervention or a celestial bestowal of food to save them...
Whether Du Lanyue believed such fabricated stories or not, Gu Qingcheng would pretend she did.
Besides, the grain was real. As long as Du Lanyue had something to eat and wouldn't starve, that was all that mattered.
Therefore, Gu Qingcheng slept soundly, completely unaware that Du Lanyue had tossed and turned for half the night.
When Du Lanyue made up her mind, she found Gu Qingcheng sleeping soundly, her mind at ease.
Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Du Lanyue couldn't help but smile.
This person, wasn't she afraid of being eaten by her?
Did she trust her too much?
Gu Qingcheng woke up early and scraped the bottom of the bag, retrieving the last small bowl of rice. She then poured it all into the pot and prepared to take it to the dark river to wash.
At this moment, Du Lanyue said faintly, "Young Master Gu, this is our last meal, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Gu Qingcheng replied indifferently.
"Young Master Gu, how many days can a person last without eating?" Du Lanyue sighed.
Du Lanyue was already utterly convinced by Gu Qingcheng's vast knowledge and invariably asked her such questions when she had doubts.
This question was certainly not difficult for her. Her existing knowledge base allowed for a quick response:
"If one doesn't eat or drink, they would likely die in about three days.
If there's water to drink, without food, it would be about 7 days. Some extreme cases could last longer, for instance, fatter individuals.
But with our low body fat percentages and little fat content, we don't have much of an advantage."
"Oh, so if we just drank water and didn't eat, we could last about 7 days?"
Du Lanyue licked her lips. There was a hint of sadness in her voice, which Gu Qingcheng didn't notice.
Gu Qingcheng was eager to get the rice.
Every time she washed rice or vegetables, it was her who did it. In reality, she pretended to wash rice and vegetables, but in fact, she used mineral water from the supermarket to wash the rice and vegetables.
She didn't dare to use the water from the dark river. Who knew what contaminants were in it? If there were some ancient bacteria, even boiling the water to 100 degrees wouldn't kill them, and she'd be in trouble.
Therefore, she hurried to hand over the task of washing rice and vegetables to Du Lanyue.
Pretending to have washed the rice by the dark river, Gu Qingcheng placed the pot on the stove. The charcoal fire on the stove had been continuously burning for the past few days. As long as the loose ash on top was pushed aside and new coal was added, a vigorous flame could be ignited.
Gu Qingcheng hung the pot, letting it cook on its own. It would take less than half an hour to have hot porridge.
As usual, Gu Qingcheng used another pot of clear water to boil a kettle of tea.
The tea was in the form of pressed white tea cakes. One cake could last for about half a month, so Du Lanyue didn't suspect why her tea never ran out.
Gu Qingcheng was not worried about food at all. On the other hand, Du Lanyue had fallen into a quiet mood since morning, speaking very little.
After Gu Qingcheng finished cooking the porridge, she served a full bowl to Du Lanyue, saying:
"Sister Lanyue, eat more."
Then, Gu Qingcheng poured out the remaining porridge at the bottom of the pot, which was only half a bowl.
Du Lanyue looked at it, and her heart stirred as she said:
"Why don't you eat more? Let's split it equally."
"No, no, I'm much fatter than you. You're too thin. If you want to last longer than me, you need to eat more and gain some weight."
Gu Qingcheng smiled playfully at Du Lanyue.
Seeing Gu Qingcheng's selflessness, Du Lanyue's eyes couldn't help but redden.
She had also experienced famine. Although her parents had taken good care of her throughout the journey and she hadn't suffered greatly, she had heard many horrific stories.
Many people would sell their wives, children, and even eat their own offspring for a handful of rice. Such tragic events were not mythical horror stories but vivid real-life examples.
Yet, in this desperate situation, Gu Qingcheng was entirely selfless, giving the last of the porridge to herself.
Du Lanyue had no doubt that if it weren't for making her eat, Gu Qingcheng would have only eaten the very bottom of the pot.
He must have been afraid that if he didn't eat, she wouldn't eat either.
Du Lanyue made a firm resolution: in the future, when they faced desperate situations, she would also take action.
With this thought in mind, Du Lanyue no longer declined. She picked up the bowl of porridge and ate slowly but resolutely, bite by bite.
Watching her eat, Gu Qingcheng felt that her aura had changed significantly from before.
How to describe it?
Suddenly, she remembered that Du Lanyue's eating posture was like that of Xiao Li Feidao, a character from a wuxia novel she had read before.
Xiao Li Feidao loved to eat egg fried rice. Every time he ate egg fried rice, he ate very seriously, as if every bite was his last meal on earth.
By the end, Xiao Li Feidao would not leave a single grain of rice.
The feeling was right; Du Lanyue's aura while eating was so similar to Xiao Li Feidao's!
Gu Qingcheng chuckled, picked up her own bowl, and finished it in a few bites.
She placed the pot and bowl together and took them out to wash, leaving Du Lanyue to watch the tea.
Du Lanyue obediently stayed, not clamoring to go with her.
Gu Qingcheng found a place outside and took mineral water from the storage cabinet to wash the bowls and pots clean.
When she returned to the stone room where they lived, Du Lanyue asked again:
"Young Master Gu, we have no more rice or meat, right?"
"Yes, none left." Gu Qingcheng nodded.
If there was none, it could be "accidentally" found again, so she answered casually.
"Without food or drink, and unable to leave, what do you think we should do?"
Du Lanyue was lost in thought.
"Don't worry, there's always a way out."
Gu Qingcheng appeared very relaxed.
"Although I am very worried, seeing you so optimistic, I unconsciously feel much less anxious." Du Lanyue suddenly smiled, her smile bright and captivating, mesmerizing anyone, male or female. "By the way, the story about the business war you told last time was very interesting. Can you tell me a few more?"
"Of course, come here, lie down, it's more comfortable this way."
Gu Qingcheng patted the floor mat and then lay down herself like a boneless creature.
Du Lanyue did indeed come over and lie down obediently, nestling beside her.
The classic case Gu Qingcheng had told her last time was: how to attract angel investors.
Of course, she had adapted the case into language that Du Lanyue could understand in the present era.
Du Lanyue was very interested.
Gu Qingcheng discovered that Du Lanyue had a considerable talent for business, but unfortunately, she was a woman.
However, on second thought, she herself was also a woman and was making a name for herself here.
If there was an opportunity in the future, she would still encourage more young women to come out and do things. After all, the Great Zhou Dynasty had fallen, and the rites and music had collapsed. If more and more women stepped forward, displayed their talents, and stood on their own, gradually, this place would become like modern society, where female independence and self-reliance were accepted by the public and taken for granted.