Outside the cave, a new row of red meat strips swayed in the wind, while a wild deer hide, stretched like a kite, was pinned to a tree stump with wooden strips.
Today, the sun had finally come out. Li Yuanxi and Wei Shu took advantage of the good weather to gather seaweed on the beach. They pulled several strands of green, glossy kelp into a bucket, and collected clumps of dark purple Gracilaria as well.
The seawater felt cold on the surface, and even colder once they waded in. Wei Shu stayed on the shore while Li Yuanxi waded alone, scooping up mussels and occasionally picking up shells and sea snails.
The sea breeze howled. The warm white sun in the sky raised the temperature by a few degrees. Wei Shu rubbed her icy fingers. A grotesque wild deer hide was draped across her chest to block the wind.
Winter’s power was evident on the island. Li Yuanxi’s fingers were bright red. She picked a bunch of sea grapes, remembering that Little Shu liked them, so she carefully searched around the reef, finding another bunch in the crevices.
She wiped the clear snot from her nose, breathed warm air onto her frozen fingers, and once they felt less stiff, she continued searching.
Li Yuanxi exhaled a puff of white mist, turned to wave at Wei Shu to stop worrying. She glanced at the seaweed in the bucket—enough already. She’d gather a bit more and then head back.
Sniffling, Li Yuanxi’s heart burned despite the freezing seawater. A little later, and she could go home and drink deer bone soup. White seagulls circled sparsely overhead.
Wei Shu looked up at their feathered neighbors, her brow furrowed. The sea wind stung her face. Seeing Li Yuanxi soaked in the cold water made her heart ache even more.
She clenched her fingers and called out, “Chuyi, that’s enough. Come back.”
Hearing Wei Shu’s voice, Li Yuanxi glanced at the bucket. It held enough seaweed to last four or five days. She yanked off one last strand of kelp, tossed it in, and turned to wade back to shore.
Having been in the water so long, her legs didn’t feel cold anymore. Moving around actually made her body feel warm. It was only when she hit the shore and the wind hit her that she felt a chill.
“Achoo!” Li Yuanxi sneezed so hard she nearly fell. She rubbed her nose—probably caught a slight chill. A little hot water at home would make her sweat it out.
Seeing her come ashore, Wei Shu took off her own clothes and put them on Li Yuanxi. She helped her sit down, held her frozen red legs, wiped them dry with a white tissue, and put her shoes on.
Li Yuanxi shrank her arms, feeling cold. Wei Shu unbuttoned the deer hide she’d used as a windbreaker and wrapped it around Li Yuanxi.
“Come on, let’s go home. It’ll be fine soon.” Wei Shu felt Li Yuanxi’s hands, then took the heavy bucket and led them back to the cave.
Li Yuanxi shivered in the cold wind for a while, but a sip of warm water made her feel better. By the time they reached the cave, she was wrapped in a blanket, sitting by the fire.
Wei Shu ladled out a bowl of hot deer bone soup and gave it to Li Yuanxi to warm her body.
Li Yuanxi cradled the tin cup filled with hot water and sat in front of the blazing fire, feeling completely comfortable.
Wei Shu busied herself. She picked out two strands of kelp for today’s meal, washed them, and stored the rest outside the cave.
The emerald-green kelp was thick. Wei Shu sliced it into small squares with a short knife, washed them, and tossed them into the deer bone soup. The thick, white, umami-rich soup settled as soon as the kelp touched it.
Drinking hot soup on a winter day—the taste warmed every inch of the body.
Wei Shu buried cassava in the fire to slowly roast. In at most thirty minutes, they’d be done. By then, the deer bone soup would also be ready. Everything was perfectly timed.
Eyes closed, Li Yuanxi wore a blissful expression. She sensed Wei Shu’s pheromones, felt her worry—afraid she’d catch a cold. She peeked up at Wei Shu’s expressionless face, satisfied.
She loved that Wei Shu was only good to her. She’d always thought Wei Shu was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, so she especially loved hanging out with her, teasing the other kids.
“Hey, Shu Shu, I noticed that when you bit my pheromone gland yesterday, it didn’t hurt!” Li Yuanxi’s sudden comment made Wei Shu cough uncontrollably, her face turning red as she recalled last night’s blush-inducing moments.
“That’s because your pheromone gland opened up. I don’t have to bite hard to inject pheromones.” Wei Shu lowered her head and explained quickly.
“Oh.” Li Yuanxi nodded vaguely. It had been so long since she’d been exposed to such knowledge that she’d forgotten quite a bit.
Seeing Li Yuanxi wasn’t going to ask more, Wei Shu didn’t say anything else. Sometimes she wanted to explain some basic biology to Li Yuanxi, but it felt awkward. Li Yuanxi was just feeling her way through everything.
She knew that before, due to her physical condition, Li Yuanxi hadn’t specifically learned this kind of information. She knew what was common knowledge, but anything beyond that was fuzzy.
Wei Shu smiled wryly, thinking that this alpha might only be half an alpha. This naive, pure-hearted person—lucky that she had claimed her early.
Thinking of something, the corners of Wei Shu’s mouth curled up. Her movements became lighter. Li Yuanxi watched her tenderly, holding her bowl of soup.
Unknown to them, a ship passed through that sea area, more than five hundred nautical miles away. It was their closest chance for rescue.
But they wouldn’t know that now. Li Yuanxi, warmed up enough, felt her energy return. She nestled next to Wei Shu, watching her dig the charred cassava out of the fire pit.
Wei Shu skillfully set the cassava aside, ladled some deer bone soup into the iron pot, with plenty of venison. The pot was full. Before she could lift it, Li Yuanxi had already carried it to the table.
Wei Shu took a cassava that had cooled a bit, split it open, and placed it in a bowl. She split two more, revealing the sweet, fragrant flesh inside—an appetizing sight.
Their meal was simple but abundant. Li Yuanxi wouldn’t go hunting again for the next couple of days. She could only go on a completely sunny day to avoid catching cold.
“Eat.” Li Yuanxi picked up a piece of venison and put it in Wei Shu’s bowl. She took a meaty bone for herself and gnawed on it slowly. Fortunately, the square tin bucket was big enough; otherwise, she didn’t know how she’d stew meat.
They ate for an hour, sweating profusely. “So comfortable. The kelp is so flavorful.” Li Yuanxi bit into a dark green piece of kelp, squinting contentedly.
“You eat more. You worked hard today.” Wei Shu looked at Li Yuanxi, who seemed to have gained a bit of weight. Before, they’d had hardly any staple food, and their weight had been dropping.
It was only recently, with the cassava, that they’d slowly gained a few jin. This gave her more confidence to survive the harsh winter.
After lunch, Li Yuanxi and Wei Shu huddled in blankets at the cave entrance, warming themselves by the fire and watching the bare little forest in front. From there, they could faintly see the sea level.
“Next time, let’s throw the guts of the fish we kill onto the beach for the hungry seabirds,” Wei Shu said, watching a large black bird fly over the forest.
Li Yuanxi nodded. In a few days, low tide would be her last chance this winter to fish in the tidal pools.
As it got colder, she really couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t catch a cold in the sea. Her physique was good, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get sick.
There were no herbs left on the island to ward off the cold, so Wei Shu didn’t dare take the risk.
She just wanted Li Yuanxi to be safe and healthy. They had enough stored food, especially meat. The hundred-odd jin of fresh meat would last a long time.
Wei Shu rested her head on Li Yuanxi’s shoulder, looking at the pale sun, thinking of her family. She wondered how her parents were doing.
Mom had gone to a nursing home to take care of Grandma. Was she worried? And Dad—could his health hold up?
Could her older siblings control the people in the company? Those people wouldn’t dare move while she was there, but they might have ideas now that she wasn’t.
“Chuyi, do you miss home?” Wei Shu’s voice was calm and quiet. Li Yuanxi nodded, her gaze melancholy. “I miss them. You know my parents aren’t very clever. They only like to slack off and lie flat.”
Thinking about her parents made Li Yuanxi want to smile. They loved her deeply, were forward-thinking, and their favorite thing was to coast through life—and they took her along for the ride.
They lived off the original shares distributed by the family, collecting dividends each year, and even planned that after they died, all three of them would be launched into space.
They never considered that Li Yuanxi might get married one day, never put pressure on her, let her be happy. They never mentioned her pheromone gland issue in front of her.
And they refused the family’s suggestion for a second child. As her mother put it, her love was small, only enough for her Chuyi. No one else could take any of her love.
When Li Yuanxi felt lost in this world, her mother comforted her like that. She would always be her beloved mother, and of course, her literary, artsy father.
In a daze, Li Yuanxi remembered her previous life. In that life, she had been a wilderness survival expert. She loved the most dangerous places in nature and often walked the tightrope of risk.
She’d forgotten how she died in that life, only remembered that in this life, she was born loved by two people, who made up for the family warmth she’d lacked before.
Li Yuanxi turned and kissed the top of Wei Shu’s head. Her voice was soft and gentle. “Our families must be trying their hardest to find us. They’ll find us sooner or later.”
“But if we go back, will you still be with me?” Li Yuanxi looked at Wei Shu’s delicate ear, couldn’t suppress the impulse, and kissed her earlobe.
Her hot breath entered Wei Shu’s ear, making it and her neck turn red instantly.
“Heh.” Wei Shu turned, her gaze like an arrow piercing Li Yuanxi’s heart, making her unable to meet her eyes.
Wei Shu lifted Li Yuanxi’s chin and asked her, deliberately close to her nose, their breath mingling. “What? Do you think I should just permanently mark you already, to put your mind at ease?”
Li Yuanxi’s forehead broke out in sweat. She couldn’t withstand Wei Shu’s domineering queen-like speech. She remembered the word “fairness.” Shu Shu had bitten her four times already. When could she bite even once?
“We need to be fair.” Li Yuanxi’s eyes flickered, unable to meet Wei Shu’s. She mumbled something indistinct.
“What?” Wei Shu scratched her chin to make her speak louder. Li Yuanxi shrank her neck in embarrassment. She’d wait a bit longer. When Shu Shu bit her, there were no side effects. If she bit Shu Shu, she might end up with an extra child.
Forget it, forget it. She was a mature, tough alpha. She didn’t mind this once or twice.
“Nothing, nothing. I was just going to ask if you wanted to take a nap together?” Li Yuanxi quickly changed the subject. Wei Shu gave her a suspicious look. She felt Li Yuanxi hadn’t said that just now.
Never mind. She was tired too. She wouldn’t argue. They were talking about missing home, and Li Yuanxi had derailed the conversation. Her emotions dissipated, and she couldn’t stay melancholy.
Li Yuanxi put up the wooden door, added firewood, lay down obediently, and stared at Wei Shu with bright eyes, which prevented Wei Shu from falling asleep.
“What do you want?” Wei Shu turned her head helplessly.
“Hehe, Shu Shu, look, I gave you my first time. Shouldn’t you take responsibility for me?” Li Yuanxi proposed a novel argument. She leaned against Wei Shu’s shoulder like a little bird, acting incredibly well-behaved.
Wei Shu thought for a moment, silently reached out and hugged her. Li Yuanxi was satisfied. She closed her eyes, ready to sleep.
Their roles must have swapped. Wei Shu, on the verge of sleep, still wondered where she and Li Yuanxi had gone wrong.
But she didn’t hate it; in fact, she kind of liked it. Her face reddened as she thought it was exciting and fun.
Same old routine was boring. With her and Chuyi like this, they always found joy. Li Yuanxi’s large frame curled up in Wei Shu’s arms, but after a while, Wei Shu’s body went numb.
Wei Shu’s drowsiness vanished. She thought grimly: so this was how Chuyi felt when she crushed her every day. But it was really heavy.
Li Yuanxi opened an eye, saw Wei Shu frowning and starting to shift, and secretly smirked. She didn’t press for long; she rolled over and moved away.
Wei Shu sighed in relief. Her left side had felt a bit blocked. She took a moment to recover from the numbness.
She turned to look at Li Yuanxi’s back, then pressed herself against it. They fell asleep together for their nap.
