Chapter 15

In the tidal flat by the reef cluster, the water was still neither deep nor shallow. They could even vaguely see some small fish gathered around the offal she had thrown in the day before, feeding on it.

Li Yuanxi had mainly come to see if the offal was still there. The tide would be coming in tonight.

The presence of the offal determined what they would catch tomorrow. Wei Shu stood beside Li Yuanxi, facing the wind, looking out at the sea horizon.

Li Yuanxi pointed to the spots where she had placed the bait and told Wei Shu, “See, I dropped the bait in these few places. And the reef cluster is naturally enclosed. There are only gaps, so if a big fish gets in, it won’t be able to find its way out of this pit.”

Wei Shu squinted, following her finger. It was indeed a good spot. She had to admit that Li Yuanxi’s survival skills were maxed out. Sometimes Wei Shu really admired how sharp her mind was.

After checking the bait in the reef cluster, they searched the beach to see if anything new had washed ashore.

Walking on the white sand, bathed in the perfectly mild sea breeze and under a sun that wasn’t too harsh, it almost felt like a romantic stroll on the beach.

Occasionally, small crabs would scuttle across the sand. Since they came to the beach every day, neither of them saw anything worth picking up today.

The temporary shelter Li Yuanxi had built earlier had already been blown away by the previous sea breeze. Li Yuanxi looked up again, ready to cut some coconut leaves.

She turned to Wei Shu and said, “I’m not going to do anything else today. I’ll just teach you how to weave a basket. At least you need to know how to do it.”

“Okay. We don’t have many small baskets to hold the meat. It would be great if we could find some bowls.” Wei Shu’s gaze drifted to the horizon, secretly hoping that some bowls would drift across the sea to them.

The coconut shells they used were too small. Especially when Li Yuanxi ate meat, she was always so impatient that she often burned herself. It wasn’t very convenient.

Hearing Wei Shu’s earnest wish, Li Yuanxi couldn’t help but snort. After being glared at by Wei Shu, she suppressed her laughter and said, “We’ll walk along the inner side of the island later. I haven’t taken you all the way around the coastline yet. Maybe we’ll find the bowl you’re looking for there.”

“Mm.” It was a reluctant sound. Li Yuanxi put down her backpack basket, took out the axe made from an iron plate, and tied it to her pathfinder stick with a vine.

Li Yuanxi quickly cut down eight coconut leaves from the trees below. That was more than enough to weave a lot of things.

The two of them dragged the coconut leaves over and sat in the shade of a tree behind the meat racks. Li Yuanxi began to teach Wei Shu how to process the leaves.

As they worked back and forth, they gradually moved closer to each other. Occasionally, Li Yuanxi would guide Wei Shu’s hands, showing her how to fold the leaves. Li Yuanxi sat beside Wei Shu, her right hand holding Wei Shu’s fingers, turning the leaf over bit by bit.

Wei Shu’s gaze drifted from the coconut leaf to Li Yuanxi’s fingers, which had already become somewhat rough. They were covered in tiny wounds, some healed, leaving only faint traces, while others still bore light red marks.

Wei Shu’s eyes locked onto the wounds on Li Yuanxi’s fingers, and she asked softly, “Does it hurt?”

“Hmm?” Li Yuanxi was still focused on guiding Wei Shu’s fingers through the folds of the leaf. She didn’t understand the question at first.

“I said, does it hurt here?” Wei Shu’s other hand gently touched the wound on Li Yuanxi’s hand. Li Yuanxi never wanted her to get hurt, not even a scratch. She took such meticulous care of Wei Shu, but she forgot to take care of herself.

Li Yuanxi’s face flushed. She snatched her hand back from Wei Shu’s grasp as if she’d been burned. The half-woven little basket fell onto the sand. Her eyes darted away, and she stammered, “It doesn’t hurt… I can’t feel it.”

“Mm.” Wei Shu said nothing more. She bent down, picked up the half-finished basket, and continued weaving. The atmosphere fell silent.

Wei Shu couldn’t explain why she had suddenly reached out to touch Li Yuanxi’s fingers. When Li Yuanxi jerked her hand away as if startled, Wei Shu felt a strange discomfort in her own heart.

She couldn’t pinpoint why she felt this way, so she just lowered her head and busied herself with the coconut leaf in her hands.

Li Yuanxi stole a glance at Wei Shu. Seeing her face getting colder and her brow furrowed, Li Yuanxi felt inexplicably deflated.

In the end, neither of them spoke. They just sat there on the sand, weaving in a dull, oppressive silence.

“I’m going to walk around on the beach. You rest here.” Li Yuanxi stood up, ready to escape the awkward quiet. But then, “I’ll come with you.”

Hearing Wei Shu’s voice, Li Yuanxi’s back stiffened. “Let’s go.” Wei Shu put down her things, brushed the sand off her clothes, and walked ahead with a serene expression. Li Yuanxi could only dejectedly follow.

She was still more used to the less gentle Wei Shu. A sudden, unexpected tenderness from her made Li Yuanxi feel awkward. She pouted.

Wei Shu walked ahead, her eyes scanning the beach. Li Yuanxi trudged behind her, head down. “Are you planning on walking with your head down forever?” Wei Shu asked, her tone light, a faint smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

Li Yuanxi silently sped up to walk beside Wei Shu. She raised her head high, looking at nothing, and promptly stepped into a hole in the sand. “Ouch!” She stumbled, nearly falling. It was a perfect example of what happened when you walk with your nose in the air.

Seeing her about to fall, Wei Shu immediately stepped forward to catch her. Half of Li Yuanxi’s body leaned against Wei Shu, nearly knocking her over.

“Are you okay?” Wei Shu frowned, her eyes scanning Li Yuanxi’s right foot. Her mind was already racing, trying to think of what plants could treat sprains and bruises.

Li Yuanxi lifted her right foot and rotated her ankle. “I’m fine. Nothing’s hurt. See?” She extended her leg and moved her ankle back and forth, like she was warming up.

Wei Shu let go of Li Yuanxi and rubbed her own wrist. She spotted a white plastic bottle buried in the sand, walked over, and picked it up. It was intact. It would be useful to keep.

They each looked for their own things. Occasionally, Li Yuanxi would fall behind, her attention drawn by something else. She played and pranced along the way, full of joy. Wei Shu turned her head and saw Li Yuanxi hopping around on the beach like a child. Her expression softened, and a tenderness she wasn’t even aware of crept into her eyes.

Little Li Yuanxi had been the same. Even in the rain, she’d jump in puddles, and she’d always pull Wei Shu along with her. Their green rain boots and pink rain boots would stomp in the puddles together.

Their silvery laughter, so crisp and clear, had echoed in her ears back then. It merged with the sound of Li Yuanxi’s laughter now.

“Wei Shu, look, is that a shark?” Li Yuanxi was facing the sea, pointing excitedly at a solitary dorsal fin. Wei Shu moved to stand beside her. She saw it too. “Maybe. Could also be a dolphin.”

“I wonder what shark meat tastes like. Shark fin comes from sharks, you know.”

Li Yuanxi smacked her lips. She had never eaten shark meat before. She was itching to find a way to lure the big fish closer.

“Shark meat isn’t good.” Wei Shu quickly stopped her, afraid that this silly goose would really go into the sea and fight the shark. Seeing the light in Li Yuanxi’s eyes, she strongly suspected she might actually do it.

“Oh.” As soon as she heard that shark meat wasn’t good, the light in Li Yuanxi’s eyes died out. Her interest vanished. They watched the shark, which had escaped its fate, swish its tail and swim away.

Walking along the inner coastline, Li Yuanxi spotted a fishing net entangled in a piece of rotten wood. She pulled it out with some effort and tugged on it. It seemed like it might still be usable.

Wei Shu had gathered an armful of bottles and had left them all on the inner coastline. Now, she planned to take them back to the cave. If they needed them later, they would know where to find them.

The small cave was already filled with all sorts of plastic bottles, metal buckets, and glass jars. It couldn’t hold any more.

“This net probably needs mending,” Wei Shu said, lifting it to inspect it. There were many small holes. It wouldn’t be very useful in its current state.

“It’s not the net I want. It’s the fishing line. We can use it to fish. Look!” Li Yuanxi’s face was beaming. She happily pulled out a white, resilient piece of line. She tugged on it hard, and it didn’t break. It would be fine for fishing.

“We have some wire at home. We can make it into a fishhook. It’ll work.” Wei Shu and Li Yuanxi sorted through the netting together. From the tangled mess, they extracted about four two-meter-long pieces of line. That would be plenty for fishing off the rocks.

“When we have nothing to do, we can go fishing. It’ll be a pastime.” Li Yuanxi was optimistic. “Mm, that’s creative.” Wei Shu didn’t argue. She thought that as long as they had enough food, it was okay to relax a bit.

They were still in the phase of building their home. They hadn’t even fully explored the entire island yet.

“Come on, let’s head back. If we get a lot of seafood tomorrow, we can make dried fish. It’ll keep for a while.” Thinking of the dried venison, Li Yuanxi realized they could do the same with fish.

Wei Shu had no objections to any of this. She usually just went along with whatever Li Yuanxi said to do. She was looking forward to it. “Let’s go back now and prepare more vines. We’ll have a big harvest tomorrow.”

“Mm-hmm.” Li Yuanxi walked along with her, chatting and laughing. She thought of the dwindling fresh water supply in the cave. It was so hot on the island that they needed to drink water every day.

Finally, Li Yuanxi decided to ask, “I was thinking of going into the island’s interior this afternoon. We’re running low on fresh water. Are you afraid to stay here alone?”

Wei Shu looked at Li Yuanxi, who was asking her so cautiously. She let out a quiet laugh. The sound was like the first thaw of snow, beautiful and cool. She glanced up at the big sun in the sky. It gave her a sense of security.

She met Li Yuanxi’s eyes and said, “I’m not that timid. You could have gone earlier. I wanted to come with you. I was thinking that if we went together, we could bring back more water, and you’d have to make fewer trips.”

Li Yuanxi looked at Wei Shu, whose eyes held a clear understanding. She rubbed her nose and gave a sheepish smile. If it hadn’t been for last night’s episode, she would have completely believed Wei Shu. Now, she had to have her doubts.

“It’s fine as long as you’re not scared. I’ll always be here.” Li Yuanxi flicked the fishing line as she said this, as if it were just a casual remark. Wei Shu heard it. Her face was as beautiful as a painting, with a smile that was hard to read, but her joy was palpable.

Sensing Wei Shu’s happiness, Li Yuanxi was happy too. Her eyes crinkled into crescents.