“I know, I know.” Wei Shu patiently wound the line around the stick, while Li Yuanxi watched the water’s surface with wide, nervous eyes. With this much tension, it had to be a big fish.
As the line rose, a red sea fish thrashed and struggled in the water, as if knowing it was caught.
“It’s a red grouper! The meat is so tender and delicious. Shu, tonight’s dinner is on you.” Li Yuanxi drooled, her hazel eyes full of desire.
“Don’t talk.” Wei Shu frowned, afraid the line would snap as she pulled it up, worried the fish’s constant struggle would be too much.
Wei Shu heaved. The red fish struggled even harder. She felt she couldn’t hold it. “Chuyi, you take over.” She called for Li Yuanxi to take the rod.
Li Yuanxi solemnly took the short, thick rod. She turned and grinned at Wei Shu. “Trust me. Take two steps back.”
Wei Shu obediently stepped back. Li Yuanxi loosened the line a little, letting the red grouper think it could escape, then yanked the rod back suddenly. The red grouper was on the beach before it knew what hit it.
Li Yuanxi dropped the rod and grabbed the fish, which was about four fingers wide. It struggled uselessly in her hand. “Haha, it must be close to a jin. We’ll have a good dinner tonight! Shu Shu, you’re amazing!”
Wei Shu nodded modestly. She walked over, picked up the rod, and thought about fishing some more. This was the first time she had caught a fish, and she was getting more and more excited.
“Let’s keep fishing!”
Wei Shu picked up a sea snail from the reef area and waved it around like a child, her smile bright and innocent, her black eyes pure and joyful. Li Yuanxi rarely saw this simple sense of accomplishment in Wei Shu’s eyes.
“Sure, sure~” Li Yuanxi cheerfully carried the fish back and dropped it into the empty bucket, filling it halfway with seawater to keep the fish alive for a fresh kill at dinner.
Wei Shu happily smashed the unknown sea snail with a stone, firmly attached it to the hook, and even wrapped it with two loops of fishing line to prevent the fish from stealing it.
Li Yuanxi looked at the bait, which was tied so securely that even the Dragon King himself probably couldn’t bite it off.
Her eyes full of adoration, she watched Wei Shu without saying a word, letting her have her fun. They already had one unexpected fish, which was great.
Wei Shu watched the bait sink, her heart sinking with it. Now she was eagerly hoping to see another fish. Li Yuanxi looked at her, anxiously waiting, worried she might be disappointed.
Finally, she decided to take Wei Shu for a walk on the beach. The seawater in the pot still needed to boil for another twenty to thirty minutes, enough time for a short stroll.
She noticed they had used up most of their water supply at home. It would probably run out the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon, she would need to go up the mountain to bring back fresh water. Thinking about it, every day felt fulfilling as long as they were together.
It would soon be two months since they arrived on the island. Li Yuanxi looked at her Shu Shu, who was reluctant to leave her fishing rod, and realized they both seemed to have adapted to this lifestyle of rising with the sun and resting with its setting.
“Chuyi, do you think I can catch another one?” Wei Shu asked hesitantly. She was now serious about fishing. She had finally found something she could do, a way to pass the time, and she was very eager to succeed.
“Of course you can. There must be a hungry fish that suddenly sees our Shu’s feast falling from the sky. How could it not eat its fill?” Li Yuanxi took Wei Shu’s hand, trying to cheer her up.
“Who’s ‘yours’? And a feast falling from the sky?” Wei Shu laughed and let go of Li Yuanxi’s hand, walking ahead on her own. Li Yuanxi wouldn’t have that. She caught up and clung to her. “You are mine! You’ve bitten me so many times, you have to take responsibility!!!”
“Li Yuanxi, stop talking!” Wei Shu blushed and tried to cover her mouth.
Li Yuanxi laughed loudly, turned, and ran off. “Haha, I’m telling you, I belong to President Wei now! Don’t even think about shaking me off! I’m sticking to you!”
Her smug look was shameless. Wei Shu covered her face and chased after her. The two playfully ran and scuffled on the beach, making Wei Shu forget all about her fishing rod.
When Wei Shu was tired from running, Li Yuanxi slowed down and let her catch up. Her eyes were clear and gentle as she looked at Wei Shu, who was panting, leaning against her.
Wei Shu looked at the particularly radiant Li Yuanxi, sighed, and pinched her hard. “Don’t you know my legs hurt?”
“Ow~ I forgot! But moving around helps them heal faster. Come on, lean on me.” The two walked along the seaside, leaning on each other under the bright sun.
After their walk, only a shallow layer of water remained at the bottom of the pot. The seawater was almost completely boiled dry. Li Yuanxi used a spatula to move the salt around, let it cool for a bit, and then collected it after the water had completely evaporated.
“Let’s keep working.” Wei Shu grabbed Li Yuanxi’s arm, stood on tiptoe to peck her on the lips, then let go and continued weaving the coconut leaves.
Li Yuanxi touched her lips, squinting as she smiled. “Okay~”
For the rest of the time, they were both immersed in weaving coconut leaves and making salt. A few glass bottles Li Yuanxi had brought down were already full.
Each bottle held about a jin and a half of salt. They were 750ml bottles, so they had spent quite a lot of time on this.
The sun changed positions several times. Occasionally, when Wei Shu’s back ached from bending over, she would stand up to rest. She would check her fishing rod, but the bait was already swollen and still no fish had bitten. She felt a little disappointed.
When Li Yuanxi once again poured the filtered brine into the iron pot, she took a break. She found two relatively large hermit crabs on the beach and quietly went to the reef area, intending to replace the bait on Wei Shu’s hook.
Seeing the hook was a bit too straight, she applied a little force and bent it inward again, making it more likely to hook a fish. Finally, she attached the fresh bait she had prepared.
Li Yuanxi switched the bait without Wei Shu noticing, cleaned her hands, and pretended to be taking a rest by walking a lap on the beach.
The sun had unknowingly turned into an orange-red yolk, sitting at a forty-five-degree angle between the sky and the sea. Wei Shu was resting by the fire. There were several bloody scratches on the back of her hand. Li Yuanxi had forbidden her from working anymore and told her to watch the fire.
She counted the ten coconut leaves they had woven that afternoon and said to Wei Shu, “I’ll take these leaves back first. You are not to weave anymore. Wait for me to come back, and then we can make dinner.”
Li Yuanxi stacked the coconut leaves, tied the ends with vines, and carried the long bundle on her back. Since they had to be carried back anyway, there was no difference in effort whether they were woven here or there.
She was in a good mood, optimistic. The coconut leaves weren’t very heavy, easy to carry, though a bit stiff and itchy.
Back at the cave, Li Yuanxi didn’t plan to finish everything today. She placed the coconut leaves under a tree, out of direct sunlight. She would put them up tomorrow.
When she returned to the beach, she was greeted by an excited hug from Wei Shu. Wei Shu grabbed her hand and led her to the bucket. Li Yuanxi’s eyes widened. There was another fish in the bucket!
She exclaimed in surprise, turned around, and lifted Wei Shu in a joyful spin right there on the sand. “Ah, Shu Shu is so amazing!”
“No, it’s all because of you. I saw you change the bait.” Wei Shu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Li Yuanxi. She leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips.
Earlier, when she had struggled to remove the hook, she noticed it was bent even more inward, making it easier to hook the fish. That was when she realized Li Yuanxi had helped her change the bait. Besides, her bait was tied tightly; there was no way a fish could have swallowed it whole.
“Hehe, you figured it out.” Li Yuanxi was a bit shy. She put Wei Shu down and asked the fish’s owner, “Should I kill and cook it now?”
“Mm, I’m going to make you a delicious dinner tonight.” Wei Shu nodded modestly, just like the blue-eyed ragdoll cat they kept at home. Li Yuanxi smiled but didn’t call her out on it.
Their ragdoll cat was the same. It acted aloof and untouchable every day, but when something good happened, it would ask for a hug with its front paws moving in sync. After the hug, it would proudly lift its chin and walk away, ignoring everyone.
They built a campfire and boiled the cleaned fish, frying it on both sides until golden brown. The aroma was incredibly fragrant. Then they poured in cold boiled water, and the fish soup immediately turned milky white. Li Yuanxi added sliced lemon leaves and a piece of dried deer meat to cook in the soup.
Their dinner was simple yet heartwarming. Li Yuanxi occasionally told Wei Shu about her past experiences, always making her laugh.
“Are you going to tell me a story tonight? It’s been a long time since I heard one.” Wei Shu leaned on Li Yuanxi’s shoulder, watching the sunset sink into the sea. Every sunset here was beautiful.
“Mmm, let me tell you the story of a mermaid.”
Li Yuanxi looked at the sea and thought of ‘The Little Mermaid.’ But this time, she would change it. She would let the mermaid end up with the princess, so no one could find plot holes.
