Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Romance

For the next hour, I coaxed, begged, threatened, and, if necessary, kissed; finally, pouring the pot of soup down to Peeta.I let him drift off to sleep and then dealt with my own business, wolfing down some bird meat, plant roots, and looking at the images in the sky.There were no new casualties.Regardless, Peeta and I made for an interesting day for the audience.Hopefully the organizers of the contest tonight will let us sleep peacefully. I couldn't help but look around, hoping to find the ideal tree to rest, but then realized that this was a thing of the past.I couldn't leave Peeta alone on the ground with him unattended, at least for a while.I left Peeta's old hiding place on the shore without removing the traces, how can I hide it?We were less than fifty yards from there now.I put on my glasses, ready my weapon, sat down, and looked around.

The temperature dropped quickly, and I was bone-chilling before long.Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and climbed into Peeta's sleeping bag.The sleeping bag was warm and snug, and I curled up next to Peeta, but I quickly realized that it wasn't warm but hot because the sleeping bag reflected Peeta's body heat.I touched his forehead, hot and dry, I didn't know what to do. Let him stay in the sleeping bag, let the high temperature in it help his fever?Or let him out and let the cool night air cool his fever?I finally decided to just soak a bandage and put it on his forehead, which didn't do much, but I was afraid it would be worse in other ways.

I stayed by Peeta's side all night, sitting and lying down, changing his bandages, refraining from thinking of joining him and making me more vulnerable than I was.My current range of activities is on the ground, and I have to be on guard all the time and take care of patients.I found him knowing he was hurt, and whatever instinct drove me to him at the time, I had to believe it was the right decision. The sky was already pale, and I saw that Peeta's lips were a little wet, and I knew his fever was better.His temperature has not yet returned to normal, but has dropped a few degrees.As I was picking vines yesterday, I saw a bush bearing the kind of berries Lulu knew.I picked the fruit and mashed it in a soup pot with cold water.

Peeta was struggling to get up when I got back into the cave. "You weren't there when I woke up, and I was still worried about you." I helped him to lie down and said with a smile, "Are you worried about me? Have you looked at yourself?" "I thought Cato and Graf found you, they like to hunt at night," he said, serious. "Graf, who is she?" I asked. "The girl from District Two, she's still alive, isn't she?" he said. "Yeah, it's just them, us, Thresh, and Foxface," I said, "that's what I call girls in District Five. How do you feel?"

"Better than yesterday, better than before in the mud," he said. "Clean clothes, medicine, sleeping bag...and you." Oh, come on, it's romantic again, I reached out to touch his cheek, he grabbed my hand and put it on his lips.I remember Dad doing the same to Mom, and I wondered where Peeta got it.Certainly not from his father and the witch. "I won't kiss you unless you eat," I said. I made him sit against the wall, and he obediently ate a few spoonfuls of the mashed berries, but he refused to eat the bird. "You're not asleep," Peeta said.

"I'm fine." I said.But actually, I'm tired. "Go to sleep now, I'll be on guard, and I'll wake you up if something happens," he said.I hesitated. "Katniss, you can't stay like this all the time." He was right, I gotta sleep.I'd better sleep now while he's awake and it's daytime again. "Okay," I said, "just sleep for a few hours and wake me up." Right now, it's too hot in the sleeping bag.I spread it out on the ground and lay down, bow and arrow clutched in one hand in case of emergency.Peeta sat next to me, leaning against the wall, his injured leg stretched out in front of him, his eyes looking out. "Sleep." He said softly.He brushed back the few strands of hair that had fallen from my forehead with his hands.Unlike the pretentious kisses on stage, his movements are natural and make people feel very comfortable.I didn't want him to stop, and he didn't.He is still stroking my hair, and I have fallen asleep.

It was too long, I slept for too long, I opened my eyes and found that it was already afternoon.Peeta was still sitting next to me, motionless.I sat up, still alert, but the most sound sleep I'd had in days. "Peeta, you should have woken me up hours ago," I said. "Why? There's nothing going on here," he said. "Besides, I like to watch you sleep. You look better when you don't frown." At this point, I frowned again, and Peeta grinned.Only then did I realize how dry his mouth was. I touched his cheek, which was as hot as a coal stove.He said he had been drinking water, but the bottle seemed to be quite full.I gave him some fever reducers and stood by him watching him drink a quart of water and another quart of water.Afterwards, I treated his minor wounds, and they were better. After that, I collected myself and opened the bandages on his legs.

The wound got worse, and my heart sank. There was no obvious pus, but the inflamed leg became more swollen, and the skin was stretched brightly. I saw the red line move to the base of his leg. This is blood. The toxin in his body, if he is not treated quickly, he will definitely die.Herbs and scald ointments I chew won't help, we need strong antibiotics from the Capitol.I can't imagine how much this drug will cost, if Haymitch puts all the sponsorship money together, will it be enough?I suspect.The price of the gift keeps climbing as the game progresses.The money that can buy a meal on the first day can only buy a biscuit on the twelfth day.And the kind of medicine that Peeta needs has been scarce to begin with.

"Well, it's very swollen, but it doesn't ooze pus anymore." I said, my voice trembling slightly. "I know what blood poisoning is, Katniss," Peeta said. "It wouldn't help if my mom was around." "You'll outlive anyone, we win and get back to the Capitol, and they'll heal you," I said. "Yeah, that's a good plan," he said.But I know he said that mainly to comfort me. "You need to eat and maintain your strength. I'll make you soup." I said. "Don't start a fire," he said. "It's not worth it."

"Let's see." I said.When I took the pot to the stream, I found that it was extremely hot.I'm sure the race organizers have been raising the temperature during the day and dropping it at night.However, the hot stones by the brook gave me an idea that maybe I don't need a fire. There was a flat boulder between the cave and the stream, and I worked on it, sterilizing half a pot of water, and putting it in direct sunlight, dropped a few baked pebbles in the water.It should be said that I am not a good cook, but to make soup, you only need to throw things in and wait for the pot to boil, so I am better at making soup.I shredded the bird, and then crushed the roots that Lulu picked.Fortunately, both things are cooked, just heat them up.Under the double action of sunlight and hot stones, the water in the pot is already hot.I put the meat and plant roots into the pot, kept changing the stones, and then I found some green wild vegetables to adjust the color. After a while, I found some wild onions under the stones, which were good.I chopped up the wild onions and put them in the pot, replaced the stone, covered the pot and let everything simmer in the pot for a while.

There was hardly any game nearby, and I was worried about leaving Peeta alone to hunt, so I played six sets nearby, hoping I had enough luck.I thought of the other contestants. Their food was all fried. Where did they get food?At least three people—Cato, Graf, and Foxface—were supported by the pile of food.Maybe not including Sarrish.I have a feeling that like Lulu, he must know how to find food in the wild.Are they fighting each other?Or looking for us?Maybe one of them has found us and is waiting for a shot.Thinking of this, I hurried back to the cave. Peeta lay on the sleeping bag, hiding in a crevice of rocks.Although he was in better spirits when I came in, I could see he was in pain.I put a cool towel on his forehead, but after a while, the towel became hot again. "Do you want anything?" I asked. "No," he said, "thanks, wait, yes, tell me a story." "Story? What kind of story?" I said, I'm not very good at telling stories, just like singing.Sometimes, though, Prim begs me to tell her a story or two. "Tell me something happy, tell me about the happiest day you can remember," Peeta said. "Happy things?" I blurted out, and I sighed slightly, feeling a little annoyed that it took more effort than making soup.But I still racked my brains to remember the happy things.Most of my happy memories have to do with Gale and the hunt, but neither Peeta nor the audience would be happy with those things.That's Prim. "Did I tell you how I got Prim's sheep?" I asked. Peeta shook his head, looking at me expectantly.I started to tell the story.I speak carefully because all of Panham can hear what I say, obviously we are illegal to hunt in the woods, and I don't want to hurt Gail, Gracie Se, the butcher, or even the vigilante, because they also buy meat Eat, it's obvious. This is real, how I got the money to buy Prim sheep.It was a Friday afternoon, the day before Prim's birthday in May.As soon as school was over, Gail and I went hunting in the woods because I wanted to save enough money to buy gifts for Prim.Maybe buy some cloth for a new dress, or hairbrushes or something.We played many sets in the woods, and the woods were lush and green, but we didn't catch more prey that night than usual.I was depressed on the way home, even though Gail kept reassuring me that tomorrow must be better than today.I saw it when we were resting by the creek—a young buck, about a year old for a deer, with its antlers just coming out and down on them.It stood up and was about to run away, but it was not sure, after all, it was not familiar with humans.This deer is beautiful. Perhaps it is not so beautiful when two arrows are shot at it, one in the neck and the other in the front of the chest.Gail and I shot it at the same time.The deer tried to run away, but wobbled, and before he could react, Gale slit its throat.Immediately, I felt sorry for killing such a young and innocent life.My heart churns at the thought of eating its meat. a deer!Gail and I have only killed three heads in total.The first was a doe with a broken leg, but the deer hardly sold for anything.Gail and I dragged it to the black market to sell it. Everyone competed to bid for the meat, causing chaos. Some people even cut the meat themselves, and big holes were dug out of the deer's body and hind legs.Finally Gracie Sey stepped forward and told us to send the meat to the butcher before it was cut up.Although the price was fair, the total price was still low, and since then, we have learned that this kind of prey cannot be sold directly on the black market. This time we waited until after dark before getting in through the hole in the fence of the butcher's yard.Even though we were known to hunt, it was never a good idea to lug a hundred and fifty-pound deer down the streets of the 12th District in broad daylight, as if we were showing off under the noses of the officials. The butcher was a stocky woman named Luba, who came to open the door for us when there was a knock at the door.Luba usually doesn't bargain with people, she says it's a buy-it-yourself price, you can sell it or go away, but the price she gives is also quite fair.We accepted her price, but she gave us a discount to get some pieces of venison after the slaughter.We split the money in two and never got so much money in our life.We decided to keep it a secret and surprise the family by showing the venison and money the next night. That's how I got the money to buy the sheep, but what I told Peeta was that I smuggled Mommy's silver jewelry box, so no one was hurt.I moved on to the afternoon of Prim's birthday. Gail and I went to the market on the square to buy some dress fabric.I was stroking a piece of dark blue cotton when something caught my eye.An old man kept a flock of sheep on the other side of the "seam". I don't know his name, but everyone called him Old Sheep.His bloated knees were bent, and he was always coughing. It was obvious that he had worked in the mines for many years.Over the years, he has saved a lot to feed the sheep, and now he has something to do besides slowly waiting to die of starvation.He was dirty and impatient, but the sheep were clean; if you could afford it, you could always get milk from him. There was a sheep, black and white, lying on a cart.Its front elbow seemed to be bitten by a dog, and it was so red and swollen that the old sheep had to hug it and milk it.But I know who can cure it. "Gail," I whispered, "I want to give that sheep to Prim." Owning a dairy goat can make a huge difference in life for the people of District 12.The animal outlives almost anything, and the "pasture" is ideal for sheep, producing four quarts of milk a day.It can be drunk, made into cheese, or sold, and it's not illegal. "It's badly hurt, we'd better get a closer look," Gale said. We walked over, bought a cup of milk to drink, and then walked to the sheep, as if we were idle and curious about the sheep. "Don't touch it," said the old sheep. "Just look at it," Gail said. "Look quickly, it will be slaughtered soon, and no one will buy its milk, and they only pay half of the price." The old sheep said. "How much does the butcher pay?" I asked. The old sheep shrugged. "Let's walk around again." I turned around and saw Luba walking across the square towards us. "It's just right that you are here." When she came over, the old sheep man said to her. "That girl is looking at your sheep." Luba said. "If you don't tell me, I haven't noticed yet." I said casually. Luba looked me up and down, then at the sheep, and frowned. "It's not a very good sheep. Look at the front elbow. Half the meat is rotten, I bet. It won't even make a sausage." "What?" said the old sheep man, "We've talked about it." "We have agreed that there are several tooth marks on the sheep, but not this one. Sell it to that girl, if she is stupid enough to want it." Luba said, striding away Yes, winked at me. The old sheep man was furious, but he still wanted to sell the sheep.We spent half an hour haggling over the price, and a bunch of people around us were also commenting.If the sheep can live, it's a good deal; if the sheep dies, I will lose my capital.Everyone was talking about it, and I finally bought the sheep. Gail is willing to carry it for me, he must want to see Prim happy as much as I do.On impulse, I bought another red ribbon, tied it around the sheep's neck, and hurried home. You should have seen how delighted Prim was when we brought the sheep home.You must know that the girl shed tears in order to save the cat named Buttercup.She was so excited that she cried and laughed at the same time.The mother saw the wound on the sheep, but she was not sure whether it could be cured.But the two of them got busy right away, smashing herbs and pouring medicinal soup for the sheep. "Sounds like they're healing with herbs, just like you," Peeta said.I almost forgot he was still there. "Oh, no, Peeta, their medical skills are magical, as long as the sheep is obedient, it will not die." Speaking of this, thinking of my clumsy hands and my inability to save the dying Peeta, he must have listened. If it doesn't taste good, I immediately bite my lip. "Don't worry, I won't be disobedient," he joked. "Finish the story." "Oh, that's it. I remember Prim making sure to sleep on a blanket by the fireside with 'the lady' that night, and when she was half asleep, the sheep went to lick her face, as if to say hello to her. Goodnight." I said. "He sure likes her. Does he still have the red ribbon on?" he asked. "It must be still on," I said. "What's the matter?" "I imagined what it would be like," he said thoughtfully. "I can see why you were so happy that day." "Well, that sheep was a little gold mine," I said. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. You love your sister, you're in the Hunger Games for her, she's happy with sheep, and that's not all you're happy about," Peeta said dryly. "That sheep also contributed, several times more than its value." I said proudly. "Well, you saved his life and he wouldn't dare do anything else," Peeta said. "Me too." "Really? What have I done for you?" I asked. "You've got yourself in a lot of trouble. Don't worry, you'll get paid," he said. "You're talking nonsense again." I said, and touched his forehead with my hand. The fever didn't go away at all, but it got worse. "Your temperature has dropped a little." Suddenly, a sound came from the speaker, which surprised me.I quickly stood up and came to the entrance of the cave, listening carefully, not wanting to miss a word.Much to my surprise, it was the voice of our friend Claudius Templesmith, who invited us to a party.We weren't too hungry, and I mentally declined his invitation right away.At this time he said again: "Wait a minute, some of you may be rejecting my invitation, but this is no ordinary banquet, and there are items you need urgently." I do need some medicine for Peeta's legs urgently. "At the Horn of Zeus this morning, everyone can find some items in the backpack marked with the number of the area. Think carefully about the consequences of refusing to participate. For you, this may be the last chance." Claudius Said. When he finished speaking, his voice echoed in the air for a long time, I jumped up, and Peeta grabbed my shoulder from behind. "No, you can't risk your life for me," he said. "Who said I was going?" I said. "So you're not going?" he asked. "Of course, I'm not going. Believe me, you think I'm going to run straight up and confront Cato, Graf, and Thrash? Don't be stupid," I said, helping him to lie down. "I want them to fight first, let's see who will appear in the video tomorrow night, and then make the next step." "You're such a bad liar, Katniss, I don't know how you've been able to lie for so long." He began to imitate me. "I know that sheep is a little gold mine. Your temperature is a little Come down a bit. Of course I won't." He shook his head. "Never gamble with cards, you'll lose your last penny," he said.I was so angry that my face turned red, "Okay, I'll go, but you can't stop me!" "I can follow you, at least for a while, I can't reach the Horn of Zeus, but if I call your name, someone will find me, then I will die." He said. "You can't even go a hundred yards with that leg," I said. "Then I'll drag myself along. If you go, I'll go too," Peeta said. He's so stubborn, maybe he still has some strength to do it.Follow me in the jungle, and if the other players can't find him, the beast will find him, and he's defenseless.Looks like I'll have to disguise the hole and go alone.God knows, maybe this trip will find something useful to him. "What am I going to do? Sit here and watch you die?" I said.He must also know that this is not the way, and the audience will hate me too.And, frankly, I'd hate myself if I didn't try. "If you promise not to go, I won't die, I promise," he said. We froze there.I know it's useless to argue with him, so I don't argue with him anymore.I feigned reluctance. "Then, you have to do as I tell you. Drink water, and you can call me whenever I tell you. No matter how disgusting it is, drink all the soup!" I said to him angrily. "Agreed, ready?" he asked. "Wait here." I said.The sun has not yet set, and the sky has begun to cool down.I guessed right, the organizers of the competition just want to let the temperature go up and down.I wondered if the item they said was urgently needed would be a blanket.The soup in the pot is still hot, and it actually tastes good. Peeta eats without complaint, scooping out pebbles carefully to show he likes it, muttering about how good the soup is or something.If you don't know how bad a fever is, it's a relief to listen to him.Just like Haymitch was before he was drunk, he's incoherent now.I quickly gave him antipyretics before he was completely confused by the fever. I went to the creek to wash, thinking that if I didn't come to the party he would die, and if it dragged on for a day or two, the infection would go to his heart or brain or lungs and he would die.I'll be here alone until someone else finds me... I was so lost in thought that the parachute came down next to me and I almost didn't see it.I jumped up to get the parachute, dragged it out of the water, tore off the silver wrapping paper, and saw a vial inside.Haymitch did it!He got the medicine - I don't know how he got it, maybe he convinced a bunch of romantic nerds to sell their jewelry - I can go save Peeta!This vial is so small, it must have worked well for Peeta's wound.However, a trace of doubt arose in my heart immediately, I unscrewed the cap, and sniffed it vigorously, and a strong sweet smell almost made me faint.In order to determine what it was, I licked it with the tip of my tongue. Yes, it was sleeping syrup. This is a common drug in District 12. My mother often gave patients who screamed in pain to stitch serious wounds. Or calm some patients, or put someone in pain to sleep.What's the use of a vial of this that makes Peeta sleepy all day?I was so angry that I was about to throw Haymitch's gift into the creek when I suddenly remembered something, all day?This time is enough for me. I mashed a handful of berries and stuffed them so they wouldn't smell, added some mint leaves just to be sure, and went to the hole. "I've brought you good food again, I found some berries down the stream." Peeta took the first bite without hesitation, and frowned slightly as he took the second. "The berries are sweet." "Yes, it's sand candy. My mother used to make jam with it. Haven't you ever had it before?" I said, popping another spoonful into his mouth. "Well, no," he said, with a confused look on his face, "but this smell is very familiar, is it called sand candy?" "Well, it's not often found in the market, it's wild," I said.Another spoonful was given, and the last spoonful was left. "Sweet as molasses," he said, taking his last bite. "It's molasses." He knew it, and his eyes opened wide.I squeezed my hands over his mouth and nose, forcing him to swallow his last bite.He tried to throw up the stuff, but it was too late, his mind was foggy.Just when he was about to fall asleep, his eyes still showed reproach, as if to say how unforgivable my actions were. I sat on my back heels, crouched in front of him, looked at him with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.A berry fell on his chin and I wiped it off. "Who says I can't lie, Peeta?" I say, though he's out of hearing now.It doesn't matter, the whole country of Panam can hear it.