Chapter 63 Part 1

Having accomplished a major task, Li Yuanxi was too excited to sleep for half the night. It was as if she believed that if she tossed the message in a bottle out today, rescue would arrive tomorrow.

Li Yuanxi held Wei Shu in her arms as they lay on the bed, her gleaming eyes fixed on the dim cave ceiling. A joyful mood washed over her as she closed her eyes, ready to try her best to fall asleep.

The moment Li Yuanxi closed her eyes, they flew open again, as wide as brass bells. She suddenly remembered a crucial question: could people in these uncharted waters read the language of Z Country?

With a stiff creak in her neck, she turned to stare at Wei Shu, who was fast asleep, her fingers curled gently by her lips, a seductive curve to her mouth. The sight was so tempting, anyone would want to kiss her.

But at this moment, Li Yuanxi had lost that urge. She leaned down, her gaze fixed intently on Wei Shu’s sleeping face, with its long, beautiful curled eyelashes.

The carbon dioxide from Wei Shu’s exhale carried her fragrance, an exceptionally pleasant scent. It was so nice that Li Yuanxi didn’t even notice when she had leaned in.

The soft, sweet breath from those tender lips made Li Yuanxi unable to resist parting her own lips to gently capture that delicate, enticing mouth. Her movements were light, her breath held, all while keeping a careful eye on Wei Shu’s lashes, worried that she might wake her.

Li Yuanxi kissed her for a long time before finally calming down. She seemed to have forgotten the most important thing. She released the lips she had been holding for a while, sat up, and fell into thought, not noticing that Wei Shu’s eyelashes had fluttered open.

“What are you doing? It’s the middle of the night, and you’ve been nibbling on me for this long?” Wei Shu’s voice, thick with sleep, made Li Yuanxi’s body stiffen, and her face instantly flushed red. She shrank her neck in embarrassment.

Li Yuanxi rolled over and rested her head by Wei Shu’s pillow, looking at her with a hesitant voice. “Shu Shu, it just occurred to me… we’re still in foreign waters. If a foreigner picks up the bottle, will they recognize our language?”

Wei Shu closed her eyes, ignoring her, and turned her face to the wall, speaking sleepily. “I wrote the distress call in six languages, with a big SOS on it. If they still can’t understand that, there’s nothing we can do.”

Hearing this, Li Yuanxi finally relaxed. She settled obediently onto the bed, resting her head by Wei Shu’s pillow and draping an arm over her as she closed her eyes, ready for sleep.

“Don’t lean on me. You’re too hot.” Wei Shu pushed her hand away in disdain, even moving her own body away to avoid contact.

“Huh?” Li Yuanxi was dumbfounded. She retreated with a wronged expression, waiting for Shu Shu to shift over and stick to her by herself. But for the entire night, she never did.

The next day, when Wei Shu woke up, the first thing she saw was Li Yuanxi’s mournful, wronged little gaze. Wei Shu paid it no mind as she sat up.

Li Yuanxi brought over a cup of hot water, sat beside her, and bit her lower lip, dutifully helping Wei Shu drink. She dragged out her words, sounding aggrieved. “Shu Shu, last night you didn’t even let me hold you.”

“That’s because you’re too hot, like a furnace. I already have a high body temperature myself, and you still try to cling to me.” Wei Shu smiled, patting Li Yuanxi’s shoulder to signal her to move aside.

“Alright.” Hearing Wei Shu’s explanation, Li Yuanxi didn’t dare to feel even a shred of grievance. She eagerly crouched down to help Wei Shu put on her shoes, then led her out to wash up.

Breakfast was still cassava with a bit of pan-fried wild vegetables. Wei Shu sat at the wooden table, eating the dry, hard cassava bite by bite. Cassava left out for too long tends to lose its moisture.

Lately, Li Yuanxi had been a bit anxious about the declining texture of the cassava. She planned to circle the island today to look for other carbohydrate-rich foods.

Wei Shu found the dry, shriveled cassava quite tasty, eating it with the stir-fried wild vegetables and enjoying every bite. She looked at Li Yuanxi, who was frowning unconsciously. “Why do you have that worried look every day? You look so bitter; it’s made you ugly.”

Li Yuanxi had no choice but to force a smile. She reached out and took Wei Shu’s hand, speaking softly. “I’m going out to look for more wild vegetables. Will you stay at home for me?”

Wei Shu nodded, promising Li Yuanxi that she would stay put and not wander off. “You go ahead. It’s fine. I’ll wait for you at home. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t go anywhere.”

After breakfast, Li Yuanxi left with a backpack basket strapped on. Wei Shu sat on a large wooden stool Li Yuanxi had specially made. It was constructed from eight long logs tied tightly together with vines, supported by three rows of fixed wooden pillars below.

After repeated adjustments by Li Yuanxi to ensure the stool’s stability and safety, she felt at ease letting Wei Shu lie on it and bask in the sun.

Li Yuanxi walked through the forest. She had searched from the porcupine’s habitat to over half the island, only managing to find about a couple of jin of wild vegetables. She stood in the shadow of a tree, wiping the sweat from her brow and catching her breath.

The sunlight, filtering through the leaves, scattered in fragmented patches on the ground. The wild grass, growing unchecked, had already reached calf height. The once-bare island was once again lush and green.

After resting for a while, she took a glass bottle from her backpack and took a small sip, then bent down again to carefully search for edible wild greens.

Wild shepherd’s purse grew sporadically all over the mountain, but not as densely as it did around the porcupine’s territory. Still, she had managed to find enough for two days.

Li Yuanxi crossed the island, ending up on the back side, which had fewer trees and more reeds and low shrubs. The surging waves crashed against the black rocks below.

She stood on the rocks, looking at the beach below with a deep gaze. After a moment, she turned and went around the other way, using a newly made pathfinder stick to beat against the surrounding weeds.

By the time night fell, Li Yuanxi still hadn’t found any more wild vegetables. The ones in her basket were gathered piecemeal along her route, amounting to only about three or four jin of wild shepherd’s purse in total.

Seeing the darkness deepen, she gritted her teeth and headed home. There was still some porcupine meat at home that could last a few more days, so that would have to do for now.

Since she became pregnant, many wild greens were no longer safe for Wei Shu to eat. Some were medicinal and cold in nature, which could cause her diarrhea.

There were also some greens that have properties to reduce stasis, dissolve blood, and invigorate circulation. Wei Shu couldn’t eat any of those at all, as they could easily cause a miscarriage.

Li Yuanxi, who had been searching for wild vegetables all day, forced herself to perk up. As she neared home, she lifted the corners of her mouth with her fingers, keeping a smile on her face so Shu Shu wouldn’t worry.

Wei Shu had already lit a fire in the stove outside the cave, the flames illuminating the surrounding area.

With a calm face, Wei Shu was slicing porcupine meat. The washed wild vegetables were a bit wilted, still hanging with droplets of water. The bright firelight shone on her face, its warm yellow glow giving her a slightly golden hue.

The sky hadn’t completely darkened yet; a layer of deep blue clouds was just beginning to spread across it. Li Yuanxi stepped into the cave with a smile. Before she could speak, Wei Shu turned, a hint of a smile in her raised eyebrow. “You’re back at last. Are you tired? Wash your hands; dinner will be ready in a moment.”

Li Yuanxi quickly nodded. She looked at the sliced meat on the chopping board and the washed greens ready for the pan. Her eyes stung, and tears fell onto her hands.

Li Yuanxi wondered where she would dig for wild vegetables in the coming days.

She washed her hands, intending to stir-fry, but Wei Shu nudged her away. She pushed Li Yuanxi down onto a stool, looking at her with a pained expression. “You’ve been walking all day. Aren’t you tired? Sit down and wait for me to cook. It’ll be ready soon.”

Feeling the warmth of Wei Shu’s concerned gaze, Li Yuanxi’s heart filled with warmth. She opened her arms to hug Wei Shu, wanting to tell her that she hadn’t found many greens today, that it seemed like she had almost dug up all the island had to offer.

Wei Shu deftly dodged her, playfully scolding her. “My hands are all greasy; I’ll get it all over you, and your clothes will be even harder to wash. Let me cook first. You sit here and rest.”

So Li Yuanxi sat on the stool, watching Wei Shu work. A warm, companionable feeling flowed between them. Wei Shu had quickly mastered these simple meals, and they tasted pretty good.

The message in a bottle, carried by the ocean currents, drifted through coral at the seabed, bumped into a speeding shark, swam alongside a sea turtle, and took in the beautiful sights of the deep ocean. Eventually, the water pushed it back to the surface, where it saw the deep blue sky.

As the days passed one after another, Li Yuanxi grew more anxious. Every morning and afternoon, she would wander around the beach, her eyes fixed on the horizon, hoping to see a ship appear.

She didn’t dare show any of this emotion to Wei Shu, forcing herself to remain positive and calm. But Wei Shu wasn’t a fool. She could see it, but she chose not to say anything, out of consideration for Li Yuanxi.

Wei Shu sat in the small thatched hut, stroking her belly. She had been eating well lately and had put on a little weight. Her face was fair and soft. She squinted, watching Li Yuanxi out in the sun. “Isn’t she afraid of getting tanned?”

Wei Shu took a satisfying sip of coconut water. The cool drink was perfect for this weather. Comfortable.

Her hand resting on her now-prominent belly, she was just dozing off when a small flutter from within jolted her awake.

Wei Shu opened her eyes in disbelief. She placed her hand on the spot where she had felt the movement. A tiny motion came again. Wei Shu’s heart pounded. Is this my baby? She… moved.

Wei Shu covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face. She shouted excitedly, “Chuyi! Chuyi!!!”

Hearing the urgency in Wei Shu’s voice, Li Yuanxi immediately ran towards her, sending sand flying with every step. “What is it?” Seeing Wei Shu cry, she was heartbroken.

“The baby! The baby!” Wei Shu, her eyes blurry with tears, took Li Yuanxi’s hand and placed it on her own belly. “What’s wrong with the baby?” Li Yuanxi asked urgently, her face pale with fright.

“She moved.” Wei Shu pressed Li Yuanxi’s hand to her belly, wiping her own tears, and told her with a careful, joyful whisper, as if afraid of disturbing the child.

Li Yuanxi did the math. Five months, the baby should be having fetal movements. She nervously touched the belly, pressing her head against it to listen closely, speaking softly to the baby. “Baby, baby, I’m your mom. Move again!”

The two of them, discovering this wonderful connection, coaxed the baby together, hoping for another kick. The child inside Wei Shu’s womb seemed annoyed by the pestering from her two mothers and gave a few perfunctory kicks, which, nevertheless, delighted the two new mothers.

A large cargo ship was sailing back home from the other side of the ocean. To take a shortcut, they chose a different route, one that would take them past the island.

Just as the two new mothers were beside themselves with joy over their baby’s first kick, the cargo ship sailed majestically towards the island.

“Captain, the currents in the Mikes Sea are very strong, and the weather and magnetic fields there are unstable. Are you sure we don’t need to take a detour?” the first mate asked, looking at the sea chart as he addressed the captain, who was observing the weather through a telescope.