In the reef area, Li Yuanxi was bent over fishing in the seawater. She was carrying her backpack basket, diving for fish. Wei Shu was sitting on a wooden block on the sand, watching her.
The bait they had thrown in a few days ago had attracted a lot of small fish and shrimp to the reef area. The basket Li Yuanxi had submerged in the water had caught a good number of them. She threw back all the tiny ones.
The March sun was very warm. Wei Shu was wearing two layers of clothes. Her yellow jacket enveloped her entire body. She rested her chin on one hand, watching the person in the water intently.
Li Yuanxi brought the basket up with a grouper in it. She carried the fish back to shore, tossed it into the bucket, and went back into the water. They were almost out of the meat they had stored.
Since Wei Shu had gotten pregnant, she couldn’t eat too much dried food. Li Yuanxi spent every day trying to find fresh protein for her.
Seafood was cool in nature, so they could only eat it every three days, and she had to use sand ginger to neutralize its coldness. Li Yuanxi did everything she could to make the food suitable.
Today, she had caught five fish and two octopuses. That was enough for her and Wei Shu. She stopped and came out of the water. Her feet were white from being soaked.
Wei Shu picked up her shoes and hurried over to her. She pulled out a cloth from her clothes for Li Yuanxi to dry her feet. “Dry your feet.”
Since becoming pregnant, Wei Shu’s face had taken on a gentle radiance. Especially because Li Yuanxi’s love for her was unique. Her daily pheromone supply was plentiful. Her face showed nothing but happiness and contentment.
“Tired?” Li Yuanxi bent down to kiss Wei Shu, taking the towel from her hand. She sat on the wooden block, washed her feet clean, and put on her shoes.
“I’m not tired. I want to go see what treasures we can find in the woods. Come with me.” Wei Shu leaned down and wrapped her arms around Li Yuanxi’s shoulders, resting her chin on Li Yuanxi’s neck.
Li Yuanxi hesitated for a moment. She thought about it, then turned her head to tell Wei Shu, “Shu Shu, I was thinking of going to check on the porcupines later. Your body needs red meat.”
Li Yuanxi’s eyes flickered as she looked at Wei Shu. She felt a little guilty. This was the first time she had refused Wei Shu’s request.
Wei Shu glared at her and pouted, a little unhappy. “Are you only loving your child now, and not me anymore?”
“How could you say that?” Li Yuanxi was horrified. She quickly pulled Wei Shu off her back and into her arms. “You are the most important person to me. I only love you. I love the child only because it’s yours.”
Hearing this assurance, Wei Shu was satisfied. But her happiness lasted only a second. She frowned, not too pleased, as she lifted Li Yuanxi’s chin. “No, that won’t do. You have to love the child too. I’m the one carrying it, so you have to love it.”
Li Yuanxi laughed bitterly to herself. She quickly assured Wei Shu that she would certainly love the child. But her number one priority would always be her wife.
Hearing this, Wei Shu couldn’t hide her smile. She barely remembered her main objective. “But you still have to love the child.”
“Mm-hmm, I promise. I swear on my honor.” Li Yuanxi raised four fingers, beginning her daily vow.
Back home in the country, the Li and Wei families had chosen the same day to hold a ceremony for the two girls. It was a ceremony no one wanted to face.
“Today is a good day, but also a sad one. We are here to send off these two girls…”
As the master of ceremonies spoke, the four Wei siblings wore numb, calm expressions. Old Master Wei didn’t come. The head of the Li family stayed for half an hour before rushing back to a meeting.
Li Yuanxi’s parents leaned on each other for support, their tears streaming silently. Anyone who saw it would sigh in pity.
At that very moment, Wei Shu was already over three months pregnant. She was past the most dangerous first trimester. Her spirits were particularly good, and she was full of energy.
Li Yuanxi had no choice but to agree to go treasure hunting with her. The forest, once flooded by seawater, had yielded countless treasures. Wei Shu was eagerly poking through a pile of garbage with a stick.
Wei Shu dug through a pile of colorful plastic bottles and bags, finally finding something interesting.
She spotted a red piece of fabric on the ground. She gave it a hard tug, but it wouldn’t budge. She handed it to Li Yuanxi.
Li Yuanxi grabbed the red fabric and pulled it out of the sand with a jerk. A red banner came tumbling out.
Li Yuanxi looked at the bright red banner. It read: Yuanye Limited Company Welcome Party.
“Their logistics department doesn’t know how to control costs. This banner is brand new. Could have used it a few more times,” the frugal President Wei appraised.
Li Yuanxi looked at the banner, then up towards the highest point. This banner was the best signal flag they could ask for.
“Shu Shu, we can use this as a distress signal. I’ll hang it at the highest point. If any ships or planes pass by and see it, we’re saved!”
Li Yuanxi excitedly hugged Wei Shu and smothered her face with kisses. “Shu Shu, you’re such a lucky charm. You go out looking for random treasures, and you find the thing we need the most.”
Wei Shu was proud for a second. She lifted her chin triumphantly. “See? Will you come out treasure hunting with me next time?”
“Of course. I absolutely must.” Li Yuanxi happily gave Wei Shu’s cheek a loud, smacking kiss. Wei Shu pretended to be disgusted, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t stop lifting.
Li Yuanxi led Wei Shu back to the cave. “You rest at home. I’ll go hang the banner and be right back. It won’t take long.”
Wei Shu tugged at her clothes, pouting pitifully. She didn’t want Li Yuanxi to leave. But Li Yuanxi was eager to hang the banner. She had no choice but to hold Wei Shu and soothe her slowly.
Wei Shu sat on her lap, burying her face in Li Yuanxi’s chest. “It’s been so long since you stayed home with me. You’re never home during the day. I get scared too.”
The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. In the end, she couldn’t help but let a few tears fall. Li Yuanxi’s heart ached. She kept kissing her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to come home earlier from now on. I won’t stay out in the mountains a second longer than necessary.”
“Hmph, it’s all your fault.” After crying, Wei Shu felt a little embarrassed. She nuzzled against Li Yuanxi’s neck and didn’t want to talk.
In the end, after much persuasion, Wei Shu reluctantly agreed to let her go out for two hours. Li Yuanxi promised she would be home in exactly two hours.
She would stay home with her today. She wouldn’t go anywhere else.
Li Yuanxi put the banner in her backpack basket. She brought a bottle of hot water, prepared some small snacks for Wei Shu, and made sure she had hot water to drink. She added wood to the fire. Only after doing all this did she leave.
Wei Shu watched her walk out into the clearing, her figure disappearing into the woods. She touched her own flat stomach. It wasn’t showing yet. Maybe in another month, the baby inside would start to grow.
Li Yuanxi raced up the mountain like a madwoman. She didn’t stop until she reached the rocks at the very top. She hadn’t paused the entire way. The well-trodden path meant she didn’t waste any extra time.
Li Yuanxi took the red banner from her basket and tied it securely to a wooden stick. She then wedged the stick into a crack in the rock. The stick was a bit short, so she kept filling the crevice with stones to secure it, ensuring the wind wouldn’t blow it over.
After doing all this, Li Yuanxi took a few steps back. She watched the red banner flapping prominently in the sea breeze.
Any passing ship or plane that took a second look would see this bright red banner.
And the black smoke on the beach was still rising continuously. The signal fire on the beach had been kept burning without a break.
Sometimes, to make the smoke bigger and last longer, she would even use a smoking technique to maximize the smoke, even on rainy days.
Li Yuanxi stood on the mountaintop and surveyed the island. The distant sea was still a spotless blue, with nothing but water as far as the eye could see.
She thought of her wife at home. Li Yuanxi turned and slid down the rock. Since she had the time, she wanted to check the traps she had dug to see if any animals had fallen in.
For the past few days, Li Yuanxi had been trying to figure out how to trap and raise porcupines. That way, Shu Shu could have pork whenever she wanted.
She wanted to try to start a small herd of porcupines, or at least pen them in an area where she could easily catch them. That way, she could even farm them.
But these were just ideas for now. Porcupines were even harder to catch than wild deer. Li Yuanxi sighed and quickened her pace.
