Chapter 14

A campfire on the beach lit up a stretch of sand. Li Yuanxi sat by the salt pond she had dug herself, wearing her jacket, watching the brine in the metal bucket tumble and churn over the flames.

A large mineral water bottle hung upside down from a coconut tree, its bottom cut off. Inside, from top to bottom, it was layered with fine sand, small stones, then a layer of plant ash. Beneath the ash were oyster shells that had been roasted to increase the filtration gaps.

The filtered brine dripped down into an iron can. After seven or eight hours of this, Li Yuanxi had only managed to collect a single iron can’s worth of clean brine.

She still needed to pour one-fifth of the concentrated brine into a powdered milk can before using the remaining part to heat in the same can, which acted as a pot.

Once the brine in the milk can boiled dry, what remained was coarse salt. The crystals were large, bitter, and unpleasant to the taste.

Like the salt she had sun-dried before, it couldn’t be used regularly. The most critical step was still ahead: transforming it into edible fine salt.

Going through all these steps would take at least half the night, and even then, she’d be lucky to yield about a jin of salt.

Li Yuanxi yawned as she looked at the fire. The stars in the sky were incredibly beautiful, each one distinct. She murmured to herself, “I wonder if Wei Shu is scared sleeping alone.”

Meanwhile, in the cave, Wei Shu didn’t dare to sleep at all. She was curled up on the bed, knees drawn up, with a piece of clothing draped over her. The outdoor-styled stove they had built inside the cave crackled as branches burned within it.

She had already brought the venison, which had been smoking all afternoon, into the cave. A thick, meaty aroma filled the space, a scent that would have driven Li Yuanxi to get up and sneak a few strips if she were there.

But Wei Shu wasn’t tempted by hunger. She sat on the bed, holding the small axe Li Yuanxi had made for her. It was crafted from a hard iron plate salvaged from a broken-down machine. There were two pieces, one large and one small.

The large one was with Li Yuanxi; the small one was in Wei Shu’s hands.

Wei Shu wore a white blouse, her hair loose over it. She looked fragile and helpless, like a small white flower trembling with fear.

Her dark eyes were fixed on the wooden door, the axe lying at her feet. At the slightest sound, she planned to throw it.

In the oppressive silence, her mind couldn’t help but conjure up all sorts of stories she had heard or imagined.

Then she remembered the story Li Yuanxi had told her a couple of days ago. A deliberately lowered voice seemed to whisper in her ear: “In a dark, small grove, there was a figure from behind: a woman in an ancient white gown, one hand covering her face, letting out soft sobs. She looked terribly pitiful.”

“Just then, a scholar came out, carrying an umbrella. He stepped forward and asked, ‘Miss, Miss, what’s wrong? Do you need my help?'”

“The woman ignored him and kept crying. The scholar, a true gentleman who cherished beauty, walked up and patted her shoulder. Suddenly, she turned around—a huge close-up shot. The woman had only a mouth and a nose, no eyes. She grinned and asked in a hollow voice, ‘Have you seen my eyes? My eyes!'”

“As she spoke, her hands felt around on the ground. The scholar was so terrified he fell to the ground, kicking his legs. Suddenly, the woman flew up, pressing close to his ear, and whispered, ‘Sir, have you seen my eyes?’ With each word, she breathed on his earlobe. The scholar scrambled to his feet and ran for his life…”

“Ahhh—”

The sensation of a breath on her ear came again. Wei Shu was so terrified she hugged her head and screamed. Her voice echoed within the cave.

Just then, the wooden door was pushed. Wei Shu scrambled back, retreating to the innermost part of the bed. Her hands were braced on the bed, her lips pale, her body trembling. Shaking, she picked up the axe.

She wanted to speak, to scare off the monster outside, but her throat tightened and no words came out.

In desperation, tears began to fall one by one. She didn’t dare make a sound, her only hope resting on the two wooden sticks holding the door shut against whatever was outside.

“Why can’t I push it open? Is Wei Shu bracing it from inside?” The murmuring voice from outside made Wei Shu’s face stiffen. She gritted her teeth and wiped the tears from her face with her right hand. Damn it, Li Yuanxi! Scaring her again!

She hefted the axe and said coldly, “Push it again, and I’ll kill you.”

Li Yuanxi, holding a torch, heard Wei Shu’s voice and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Hahaha, little Shu Shu, did I scare you? Hahahahaha~”

Li Yuanxi’s unbridled laughter made Wei Shu grind her teeth in anger. The tears she had just shed felt wasted.

I have to find a way to get back at Li Yuanxi, she thought. If I don’t make her suffer a bit, I’m not Wei Shu. Her eyes sharpened. In that moment, all her fragility melted away, leaving only a fierce, icy glare.

But to Li Yuanxi, this was just being a tsundere, a little tsundere. Her favorite thing used to be breaking that regal, composed facade of Wei Shu’s.

Now? Well, she was just adding a bit of fun to life.

Face dark, Wei Shu removed the two wooden sticks bracing the door from the inside. Before she could even do anything, Li Yuanxi pushed the door open a crack and lifted it off its hinges herself.

Wei Shu came over to catch the door, slowly moving it to the side of the cave. Her face was still stormy. She shot Li Yuanxi a sharp glare, then turned her back coldly and flopped onto the bed.

Seeing that Wei Shu was genuinely angry, Li Yuanxi reached out and grabbed her wrist. Wei Shu turned her head, her voice icy. “What?”

“Don’t you want to see our only seasoning from now on?” Li Yuanxi, as if showing off a precious treasure, placed a small glass bottle of relatively white salt in front of Wei Shu.

Wei Shu looked at the ten-centimeter-tall bottle, filled to the brim with salt. She took it from Li Yuanxi and walked closer to the fire to examine it carefully.

After a long while, she placed the salt into the basket where they stored their belongings. It was a precious necessity.

After downing a mouthful of warm water, Li Yuanxi watched Wei Shu’s actions. That feeling of accomplishment welled up inside her again, full and satisfying.

After putting the salt away, Wei Shu turned aloof and cold again, not letting her anger subside. She lay down on the inner side of the bed.

Li Yuanxi propped the door back up, added firewood to the fire, then turned away, took off all her clothes, and used some fresh water to clean herself again.

Wei Shu heard the sound of Li Yuanxi wringing out a cloth. She closed her eyes, refusing to look or listen, intending to sleep.

“Do you smell something? It smells so good~” Li Yuanxi took a deep breath. The scent seemed to vanish suddenly, replaced by the aroma of venison.

Smelling the dried meat, Li Yuanxi swallowed, licked her lips, and continued drying herself. When she was done, she put on the makeshift outfit that Wei Shu had altered for her.

It was barely a tank top and a pair of short pants. Li Yuanxi flopped onto the bed and rolled over to look at Wei Shu’s back.

Sneakily, she stretched out a finger and poked Wei Shu’s shoulder. Wei Shu impatiently slapped her hand away and ignored her.

Li Yuanxi grinned to herself and poked her again, completely unfazed by Wei Shu’s anger. Annoyed, Wei Shu turned to face her, just as Li Yuanxi’s finger, still extended, happened to poke her in the chest.

“Ahh—”

“Li Yuanxi, I’m going to kill you!” For the first time, Wei Shu, completely losing her composure, lunged at Li Yuanxi.

“No, wait, listen, I really didn’t mean to… Ah! Don’t bite my hand!” Li Yuanxi’s outstretched finger was caught in Wei Shu’s mouth, who bit down hard before letting go.

Li Yuanxi pulled her hand back and saw that Wei Shu’s face was bright red with anger, tears gathering in her eyes. Forgetting the pain in her hand, Li Yuanxi quickly sat up and cautiously scooted closer.

“I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean it. I was just asking why you were angry.” Li Yuanxi knelt beside Wei Shu, her face full of anxiety.

She hadn’t expected an accident to send her finger to such a forbidden place. She had spent so much time with Wei Shu that she had unconsciously started treating her like a sister.

Wei Shu sniffled, wiped away her tears, and said nothing. She just turned over and continued sleeping. She wasn’t going to tell Li Yuanxi that she had been scared by her ghost story.

When Li Yuanxi came back, she felt safe. But she couldn’t get over the embarrassment of being scared to tears by Li Yuanxi. Then, when Li Yuanxi’s finger poked her randomly, Wei Shu felt even more wronged.

She had been holding in her frustration, and now, under Li Yuanxi’s indulgence, her emotions finally broke. She let herself cry again.

Wei Shu closed her eyes, her face calm. She didn’t care anymore. She had cried in front of Li Yuanxi countless times by now.

For the rest of the night, Li Yuanxi didn’t dare talk to Wei Shu, afraid of making her angrier. She could only lie cautiously on the edge of the bed, still thinking about how to apologize properly.

Sometime in the middle of the night, a half-asleep Wei Shu naturally curled up against Li Yuanxi. The taut string in Li Yuanxi’s mind finally loosened.

Tomorrow, she would have to explain properly. She really hadn’t meant to poke her where she shouldn’t have.

The next morning, Li Yuanxi was woken by a fragrance. It was a very special scent, elegant and refreshing, a bit like a perfume she liked back on Earth—Diptyque Do Son.

But this scent was more natural, so natural it seemed to carry the warmth of affection. It was like seeing a woman in a white floral dress walking down a rain-soaked alley.

Li Yuanxi’s body woke up before she did. A sudden urge to urinate became unbearable. She opened her eyes, slid her arm out from under Wei Shu’s neck, grabbed some clothes to cover her lower body, and rushed out of the cave.

Wei Shu, stirred awake by Li Yuanxi’s movement, rubbed her eyes, turned over, and continued sleeping, burying her face in Li Yuanxi’s pillow.

Hiding behind the cave, Li Yuanxi stared at her own long-dormant physical reaction, a single “What the hell?” echoing in her mind. Was it coming back to life?

Li Yuanxi had long gotten used to her body’s current state. But because she was incomplete—her pheromone gland couldn’t open and release her own scent—her body never gave the corresponding physiological response.

She was quite used to this. Aside from a few extra parts, she was still the same woman who wouldn’t be affected by pheromones.

It was because of this that she and her parents had faded from the family’s core circle. The Li family couldn’t have someone like her out in the open, or at least, no one was supposed to talk about it.

Li Yuanxi also found it liberating. She wouldn’t be pushed into an alliance marriage, and she didn’t have to scheme against the elders or peers in the family. Every year, she would just quietly collect her dividends, never causing any trouble.

It was the life she had dreamed of in her past life. She could live the way she wanted, go anywhere she wanted.

Li Yuanxi stood in the woods, looking up at the sun already hanging high in the sky. She had done so much yesterday; today, she didn’t want to move. She just wanted to rest.

She stood there, quietly waiting for the reaction to subside, thinking about what to do today.

Ah, first, she had to explain last night’s incident to Wei Shu. Li Yuanxi looked down. Sigh. At least she had run fast. If Wei Shu had seen that, it would have been a huge offense against an omega.

When Li Yuanxi returned to the cave, Wei Shu was already brushing her teeth. They didn’t talk much in the morning.

As she was packing up the dried meat to take to the beach for sun-drying, Li Yuanxi looked at Wei Shu’s calm face. “I’m really sorry about last night.”

Wei Shu looked at Li Yuanxi, who was squatting in front of her, apologizing sincerely. She responded with a muted, “Mm.”

Li Yuanxi walked ahead, carrying the meat on her back, with Wei Shu following behind. After about seven or eight minutes, as a gentle sea breeze blew through the woods, Wei Shu spoke. “Last night… it wasn’t your fault.”

“Huh?” Li Yuanxi looked back in surprise. Wei Shu pouted and said, a bit grumpily, “Just don’t tell me any more ghost stories. I don’t like them.”

Li Yuanxi understood immediately. It was her own fault from two days ago that had bitten her last night.

Now she could see that Wei Shu was genuinely scared. She felt a twinge of regret. Telling ghost stories used to be one of the favorite pastimes of her mountaineering team. After so many years of wilderness experience, she was completely immune, but Wei Shu wasn’t.

Especially last night, when she pushed the door. She must have terrified Wei Shu. Li Yuanxi felt a pang of guilt. That was probably why Wei Shu was so angry last night.

They fell silent again, walking until they reached the sea. The vast, open horizon seemed to dissolve the tension in both their hearts.

Especially when Wei Shu saw the pile of burned wood on the sand and the small salt pond, with a thin layer of crystals forming at the bottom.

It hit her then. Li Yuanxi had been out here all day yesterday, working hard under the wind and sun, just to make salt. Of course she would come back late at night to rest.

Thinking about her anger yesterday, Wei Shu felt ashamed. Her earlobes grew hot. She didn’t know why she could lose control of her emotions so easily in front of Li Yuanxi.

“Wei Shu, come help!” Li Yuanxi’s energetic voice called out to her, snapping her out of her self-reflection.

“I’m coming.” Wei Shu replied softly. Together, they tied vines to the coconut tree, knotting them securely before hanging the strips of meat on them.

With nothing else to do for now, they couldn’t leave the beach, just in case seabirds stole the meat.

“I’m going to check on the offal I put out yesterday. Want to come with me?” Li Yuanxi invited Wei Shu. There weren’t any seabirds around now, so they could leave for a bit.

Seabirds were rare on this island. They only saw two or three a day.

“Sure, let’s go together.” Wei Shu agreed readily. They walked side-by-side on the white sand.

Seeing that Wei Shu was back to normal, Li Yuanxi knew she wasn’t upset anymore. The little knot in her own heart was gone too. She began to hum a tune happily.

“Evening breeze gently strokes the Penghu Bay, the white waves chase the sandy shore. No coconut grove to intoxicate the setting sun, just a sea of blue… On the twilight beach, there are two and a half pairs of footprints…”

Li Yuanxi sang and danced, even skipping a few steps. She suddenly turned and stopped, leaving behind those “two and a half pairs of footprints,” which made Wei Shu laugh. The sound was beautiful.