CHAPTER 170: CHAPTER 170: THIS IS LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS

Listened for a while.

Julian Grant couldn’t understand a word she was saying.

To avoid awkwardness, he pretended to pick up a black, blocky object, "Josephine, what is this thing?"

Josephine Thompson glanced at it, "It’s a sacrificial cattle scapula, possibly with inscriptions."

Julian Grant quickly pulled out a wet wipe and handed it over, "Wipe your face first, look at you, all smudged up like a little kitten."

Josephine Thompson took the wet wipe and smiled, "No need to be so particular here."

She wiped her face.

Then looked at him helplessly.

She wanted to persuade him to go back; this place really wasn’t suitable for him.

But she also knew his personality. If she persuaded him to go back, he definitely wouldn’t listen.

But it’s okay.

The conditions in the mountains were extremely harsh.

During the day, the sun was scorching, stuffy, and hot. At night, the temperature could drop to a few degrees, cold and damp.

The food was also very poor.

Sometimes, they could only eat instant products.

Even more intolerable was the lack of a toilet here, let alone a shower room.

To go to the toilet, they had to go to a nearby grove with a simple makeshift toilet.

When she first arrived, she couldn’t stand it either.

But she gritted her teeth and endured it, and now she was used to it.

Julian Grant, who was pampered from a young age, probably couldn’t withstand it for a day and would be clamoring to leave tomorrow.

"Then what’s this?"

"Please, don’t touch these things randomly."

"Okay." Julian Grant quickly put it down, giving her an embarrassed smile.

He looked around.

There were mountains everywhere.

In front of him were a few big tents, the ground full of dug-up pits. A dozen people in canvas work clothes, busy with various professional instruments.

"Josephine, where are you staying tonight?"

Josephine Thompson pointed behind her, "Over there, behind those container rooms and tents."

Julian Grant looked incredulous, "You stay in the mountains at night too?"

"Yeah."

"Uh..." Julian Grant swallowed heavily.

"Josephine, could I take you to the city to stay for the night? I can bring you back in the morning?"

Josephine Thompson shook her head, "No, that would be too troublesome. Besides, there’s work to do at night too."

"Pfft!"

"There’s work at night too?"

Josephine Thompson nodded, "Yes, at night we have to protect and study the excavated artifacts."

"..." Julian Grant was speechless.

Seeing his expression of wanting to give up.

Josephine Thompson added a bit more fuel, "Also, there are a lot of mosquitoes and insects on the mountain, and plenty of snakes too."

"Aren’t you most afraid of these invertebrates? Look, there are lots of bugs under your feet!"

Julian Grant instantly got goosebumps all over.

He shuffled his feet, afraid of stepping on bugs!

He wasn’t scared!

He just found these things too unsettling and disgusting.

"Josephine, stop."

"Don’t think you can scare me, I’ve decided to stay with you, no one can make me leave."

Josephine Thompson couldn’t help but chuckle, "...Alright, let’s see if you can last three days!"

Judging by the current situation, he probably won’t last two days!

"Three days? You underestimate me, and you underestimate my love for you. I can endure anything for you."

"..." Josephine Thompson looked helpless, not wanting to say more.

The sun gradually set in the west.

At six in the evening.

Captain Zimmerman called out with a megaphone, "Okay, everyone, we can wrap up for today."

"Dinner time."

The staff, upon hearing this, headed towards the clearing.

The cook pushed a tricycle, loaded with several large thermal containers.

Filled with food.

Three meat dishes, one vegetable, plus a soup, sometimes a drink.

Josephine Thompson, holding a lunchbox, went with the staff to get food, "Let’s go, time to eat."

A middle-aged lady had already gotten her food and greeted Josephine happily, "Thompson, I heard there’s mung bean soup today, go grab a bowl to cool off."

Josephine Thompson smiled gently, "Yes, I’m just about to."

The lady curiously glanced at Julian Grant behind her and couldn’t help but praise, "Wow, is this young man new? Handsome and quite dashing."

"Uh..." Josephine Thompson choked a bit, unsure what to say.

Julian Grant, hearing this, smiled broadly and said, "I’m Expert Thompson’s assistant, you can call me Grant."

The enthusiastic lady chuckled, "Okay, Grant. You both better hurry to get your food, otherwise the good dishes will be gone."

"Yeah, yeah."

There were about forty to fifty staff at the base in total.

However.

None of the other staff knew Josephine Thompson’s true identity, except for Captain Zimmerman and Shane Lynch.

Josephine Thompson handed a lunchbox to Julian Grant, "Let’s go!"

Julian Grant eagerly asked, "What’s for dinner?"

"I’m not sure, let’s go check it out!"

Near the tricycle.

The cook was an uncle in his fifties.

Short, plump, with a round face, bulbous nose.

Due to the limited conditions in the mountains, the uncle’s white chef’s uniform was greasy and blackened.

Julian Grant only glanced at him, and already lost his appetite.

"...Josephine, do you really eat this?"

"Yeah!"

The cook noticed Josephine coming over, and greeted her warmly, "Thompson, here for food?"

"Yes, Uncle Lewis."

Uncle Lewis: "We have extra today, all good dishes."

He immediately scooped a big ladle of braised pork and poured it into her lunchbox. Then he added stir-fried eggs with tomatoes and small river shrimps.

Josephine Thompson: "Thank you, Uncle Lewis."

She was well-liked here.

Because she was gentle and amiable, polite to everyone, and very helpful. Whenever someone needed a hand, she almost never declined.

Thus, both men and women liked her a lot.

"Josephine, is this... is this all we’re eating?"

Julian Grant looked at the braised pork in the lunchbox, marbled and shiny with oil.

The stir-fried eggs with tomatoes were slightly charred, and the small river shrimp were tiny, squeezed into the lunchbox’s corner.

Looking again at Uncle Lewis’s greasy chef uniform.

His stomach churned, and his earlier eagerness instantly deflated.

"What else could it be?" Josephine took her own lunchbox, then got two bowls of mung bean soup, handing him one.

"This is how it is in the mountains, it’s good enough to eat your fill. Uncle Lewis’s cooking is actually pretty good, especially the braised pork, it’s stewed very tender."

"Besides, for ordinary folks, the meals here are already quite good."

Julian Grant held onto the edge of the lunchbox, unable to get anything down.

He grew up eating food made by world-class chefs with exquisite ingredients and presentation.

He’d never seen such rough dishes, let alone a chef who looked like this.

"I... I’m not really hungry." he said dryly, swallowing again.

Josephine Thompson laughed, "Even if you’re not hungry, you should eat a little, you won’t find any delivery coming this far from the city. If you get hungry at night, there’s nothing to eat."

"And it’s like this every day."

Julian Grant was at a loss for words.

Josephine Thompson didn’t say more, already nibbling small bites from her lunchbox, enjoying her meal.

After a busy day.

Hungry and tired, she only wanted to eat and rest.

Julian Grant, on his first day here, found everything unbearable.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself to pick the smallest piece of braised pork, cautiously tasting it.

As soon as it entered his mouth, he couldn’t help but spit it out.

It was too greasy, with too many spices and additives.

He really couldn’t swallow it.