Without my wife, life has become extremely boring. The empty cave lacks any sense of vitality. Food collection is also not going well. I could spend the whole day in the forest without encountering a single rabbit, and even when I do come across one, my clumsy movements scare them away. I can't hunt silently like Medusa, and I don't have the skills of Cloverly.

After two consecutive days of no success, I am feeling a bit discouraged. I want to try something else, but it's not possible right now. If I don't gather enough food during this period, it will only become more difficult later. So, I have no choice but to spend money to buy supplies from Night Fall Town.

To save the limited ammunition for my revolver, I have switched to the rifle I confiscated before. I feel that the rifle has more power and can also be used as a club. However, getting close enough to hit with certainty is still a challenge.

"Here we go, this time I will definitely..."

I raised the rifle and aimed at the prey about seven or eight meters away. I wanted to see how accurate my shot would be at this distance. The more I think about doing something, the less I can afford to be impatient.

"Bam!"

A cloud of white smoke from the flintlock rifle obscured my view when it fired, making it impossible to confirm the hit. I had to run over to check.

Luckily, I hit the torso. The long-necked rabbit must have had its spine broken, as it lay on the ground gasping for breath.

After dragging the prey back, this is the second one. I still have thirteen more to go to reach my target of fifteen. At this rate, based on the data, I should be able to complete the target of fifteen by the time winter arrives. But these are just theoretical numbers, and I have encountered many difficulties in reality. For example, I can't store all these rabbit carcasses. I can't just throw them all into the cold creek.

Even after coming to this world, I still find hunting interesting. But after four days of hunting alone, the novelty of trying new things has faded, leaving only frustration with my inadequate skills and the harsh reality of survival.

Today, it was the long-necked rabbit that got shot. Tomorrow, it might be me.

The days without my wife don't seem as sad as I imagined. The only thing that has stagnated is my language learning. But that's okay because the most important thing right now is preparing for winter.

The diary contains less content now, and the daily summary can be summed up in one sentence: "She hasn't come back yet."

I take her sudden departure as a test of love from the heavens. Despite being separated by a stone wall, I endure without disturbing her. When I think of the cases of long-distance relationships among my former classmates, I can't help but worry. In times like this, trust is crucial, unconditional trust between husband and wife. If I can't even do that, I don't deserve to be her husband.

On the seventh day, I gave up hunting because two consecutive days of no success had left me without even a glimpse of the long-necked rabbit. With determination, I decided to try my luck in Night Fall Town.

With limited funds for shopping, I only have 7 gold coins left in a small bag, and I can't go back to the cave to get more myself. Although the prices in Night Fall Town are not expensive, there are still many things I need to buy. Uncle Simmon has already changed into a cozy-looking fur coat, while Wolfrang is still in his usual suit. I guess wolf fur is thick enough to resist the cold, unlike Medusa.

My long-lost friends in Night Fall Town are still warm and welcoming. Uncle Simmon pours me a cup of hot drink with a pepper flavor, which tastes strange but does warm up my body.

"Simmon, where did you buy your coat?"

"Coat? Oh, you mean this?"

Simmon points to his fur coat and uses a term I've never heard before.

"Yes, yes."

"Well... um... Wolfrang!"

"What's up?"

"Take Mr. Raul to xxxx."

Wolfrang's paw holds a cup that is one size bigger than mine, containing the same hot pepper soup.

"Let's go, Mr. Raul."

I follow Wolfrang to a luxurious-looking store, as I feel that shops with floor-to-ceiling windows in this small town must be extraordinary. Looking through the window, it appears to be a clothing store. The shopkeeper is a big lady, who after a brief greeting with Wolfrang, waves her hand at me to show that I don't need to be formal.Throughout the entire buying process, I didn't say a word. It's not that I didn't want to, but because I truly couldn't understand. I only knew how to say clothes, but I had no idea how to say things like wool coat, cotton padded jacket, or quilt. If I had to express myself, I would say, "I need winter clothes." But Wolfrang was clearly better at speaking than I was. The shopkeeper quickly produced a black and gray coat. I tried it on and it felt great. The clothes made by the people here were never substandard, let alone made from "trash cotton." If I had to point out a downside, it would be that it was a bit heavy.

I also chose a brown coat for Medusa, similar to mine. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the quilt I had always wanted. Instead, I bought a woolen mattress as a substitute. These few items were much more expensive than I had imagined. I handed four gold coins to the shopkeeper and only received ten coins in return. Thinking about it, it was quite normal. The materials used for this coat could make five shirts, not to mention the mattress.

I wanted to use the remaining three gold coins to buy a stove, but after asking around Night Fall Town, I couldn't find anything similar to a stove for sale. Everyone was using fireplaces. In the end, Mr. Park helped me by stacking two iron pots together and making a "stove" for me. Ah, it's ironic. Back then, I never had to worry about food and clothing. In the winter, I could stay at home and just wear a shirt with the heating on. Now, I have to run around for a stove...

Almost clueless, I spent all seven gold coins and bid farewell to Wolfrang before getting on the sheep cart.

"Mr. Raul!"

"What?"

Wolfrang caught up to me with his wolf-like running posture.

"At this time, you must come! Mr. and Mrs. Raul."

He handed me something that looked like a calendar, with neatly written dates. One day was circled.

"Wait, where is it today?"

"Oh, oh, today, it's this one."

The werewolf pointed his clawed fingers at another date and made a few holes.

"Okay, got it, thank you, Mr. Wolfrang."

"Uh-huh. Sanni-Harila..."

"Goodbye."

Looking at the calendar in my hand, realizing there are more than twenty days left, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. The only one who could arrive on that day as scheduled is probably "Mr. Raul"...

...

The woolen mattress didn't prevent me from being awakened by the cold air in the early morning. The white breath I exhaled told me that winter had been waiting at the doorstep for a long time. Even if I didn't invite it in, it would eventually force its way in with ice, snow, and gusts of wind.

"It's raining..."

Today's coldness had a reason - the cold rain at the end of autumn is never pleasant.

I quickly lit a fire. I grabbed the matches by the bed, but my body didn't want to move out of the covers. Following Medusa's example, I piled all the fur around me and struck a match.

Through the beautiful changing colors of the flames, I seemed to see many wonderful things. My own beautiful memories appeared in my hazy sight like a carousel. With another match, more illusions of a happy life emerged. I seemed to see my wife coming out of the cave, smiling as she walked towards me. One after another, the fantasies expanded into the realm of magic and sword. I was almost building a inner world where I could indulge in.

Until the burning sensation reached my fingertip, I stopped lighting the match.

I didn't want to become a match seller like Chen Laowu.

But once the flame was extinguished, everything also came to an end. In the dimly lit cave, the only thing I could chat with was the sound of rain. No matter how many cigarettes I smoked, I couldn't calm my restless mood. Putting on my coat, I made a decision that could possibly ruin everything - I wanted to go find her.

Because I bought so many, I decided to use matches for lighting since the lighter was out of gas.

It had been nine days since I last saw her, and I could no longer bear this loneliness. Even if Medusa was going into hibernation, I wanted to be with her, to light a campfire for her, and wrap my coat around her.

In my left hand, I held a handful of matches, and in my right hand, I held a lit match for continuous lighting. As I walked into the narrow cave, time seemed to go back to the beginning, only with roles reversed.

"Wife, where are you?" I tried calling, but there was no response.

"Wife, are you there?"Calling again, I deliberately raised the volume.