SDIWD - Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Hua Mu put on her dress and jacket, then hugged her knees as she watched Bai Zhen make dinner… or rather, a late-night snack. She didn't know if the Sentinel's cooking skills had improved, but Hua Mu was keenly aware that her own palate had become far less particular.
Dinner was grilled eel sandwiched in breadfruit slices, a very simple preparation. A large, round slice of breadfruit was toasted until fluffy, and the grilled eel was wrapped inside it to make a simple hamburger.
The conger eel originally lived on the bottom of deeper seas. It had probably come out to forage after the water grew murky and been swept onto the beach by the wind and waves. Bai Zhen had braved the wind and rain to prepare it, bringing it back to the cave where she rubbed it with sea salt and grilled it until it was half-cooked. Now, she sprinkled it with basil and smoked it over the hot fire, and the rich fat on the skin quickly became crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
As Hua Mu smelled the aroma, her stomach began to rumble.
Bai Zhen deftly deboned the eel, cut it into small pieces, wrapped it in the breadfruit, and then enclosed it in a banana leaf before presenting it to Hua Mu.
"Miss…"
After that little episode, an obvious awkwardness had developed between them. Hua Mu was sulking and didn't want to talk to her, while Bai Zhen was anxious and didn't dare get close.
Hua Mu looked at the food in her hands and couldn't help but swallow. She had to admit, the aroma was very appetizing.
"Is there no soup?"
"There is. It just needs to cook a little longer. You can eat some of this first."
Only then did Hua Mu take the "hamburger" and take a bite. The eel meat was delicate and tender, its rich fat sticking to her lips. Combined with the slightly coarse flavor of the sea salt and the fragrance of basil, it had a unique charm compared to the refined delicacies Hua Mu was used to eating.
Bai Zhen had never prepared food so carefully and meticulously. This time, in an effort to please Hua Mu and make her happy, she had truly pulled out all the stops.
"Miss, is it good?"
Hua Mu was still angry with her, so how could she bring herself to say the word "good"? She gave a perfunctory "Mhm," but her mouth didn't stop moving.
Seeing her eating with such focus, Bai Zhen turned and brought out the cooked fish soup. This time, she had specifically used lime to remove the fishiness from the meat, added ginger and wild onions, and sealed it all in a bamboo tube to steam in the fire for a while before making the soup. She simmered it until the broth turned milky white before serving it to Hua Mu.
The soup was rich and flavorful, and eating it with the eel hamburger was truly a mouth-watering experience.
At first, Hua Mu tried to maintain a shred of a young lady's elegance, but then she glanced down at her own bare feet and instantly felt there was no need to pretend anymore.
Bai Zhen saw she had a good appetite and relaxed a little. As long as she could eat, no illness was a major problem.
She chopped some chili peppers and made an eel wrap for herself, with a slice of breadfruit twice as thick as Hua Mu's, and devoured it in just a few bites.
Hua Mu was sweating as she battled the last of the eel. The Sentinel was tall, and the portions she made were generous. Hua Mu was starting to feel stuffed, but she also felt it would be a waste not to finish. After drinking the last sip of soup, she felt full all the way up to her throat.
"Miss, would you like more?" Bai Zhen was a hundred times more attentive than usual, sitting beside her and watching her eagerly.
Hua Mu shoved the coconut pot into her arms. "N-No more. I'm so full."
This was the fullest she had ever been in her life; her little belly was even sticking out.
Bai Zhen could see she was truly full. She quickly washed the pot, then sat by the fire, stealing glances at her from time to time.
Hua Mu was so stuffed that she lay down for a while. But after waiting a long time for Bai Zhen to come back and be her cushion, she turned her head and saw her huddled by the fire at the cave entrance, wondering what on earth she was doing.
Just because I said a few things to her, she won't even be my cushion anymore?
Hua Mu felt extremely wronged, but she refused to make the first move, so she could only glare at her relentlessly.
Bai Zhen was not only not blind, but her vision was excellent. She immediately noticed the Young Lady's summons.
"Miss, d-do you have any instructions?"
Hua Mu puffed out her cheeks and asked, "I'm sick, you know. Are you planning to let me freeze to death?"
Bai Zhen's eyes lit up, and she asked with a hint of hope, "A-Are you willing to let me hold you?"
Wasn't her meaning obvious enough?
"I just forbid you from taking off my dress, and-and from kissing me. Who said you're not allowed to hold me? Aren't you my cushion? If you don't hold me, how am I supposed to sleep?"
Bai Zhen nodded excitedly again and again, shuffling over to Hua Mu's side in a few steps and vowing, "Miss, I will absolutely not overstep with you again. I-I'm not a pervert… It really was just to make you feel better."
It would have been better if she hadn't explained. Her explanation only caused the shame and anger that had subsided in Hua Mu to flare up again.
Just how badly did this Sentinel want to distance herself from her?
"Hmph, as if you'd dare…"
But seeing Bai Zhen looking like a frightened bird, she ultimately gave up on the option of losing her temper.
How pitiful. She, the grand young lady of the Duke's manor, actually had to accommodate a guard!
Bai Zhen visibly relaxed and carefully sat down next to Hua Mu. Without a word, Hua Mu sat on her lap.
The Sentinel was a little stiff. After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked, "Miss, c-could you tell me where the boundary is for offending you?"
In the past, Bai Zhen only had to protect Hua Mu's safety and rarely had close contact with her. But times were different now. The amount of time they spent stuck together each day was likely more than the time they spent apart, and the Sentinel was having some trouble adjusting.
Her friends were almost all soldiers and had always been direct. Even with Guides, there weren't many barriers between people of the same sex. But the circle of noble young ladies was clearly not like that. The Young Lady, in particular, placed great importance on etiquette. After being scolded a few times, she truly didn't know where the line was anymore.
The moment Bai Zhen asked, Hua Mu was stunned.
"What are you trying to do?"
"I don't want to offend you and make you angry again. But I'm different from you. I don't have your kind of upbringing, and I'm very foolish. I don't know what kind of behavior is considered an offense in the eyes of young ladies like you…"
The part about being foolish was true; in fact, her denseness was even more annoying. But Hua Mu didn't like how Bai Zhen separated them into "you people" and "us," and she liked the word "offense" even less.
When had she ever said she was offended?
"Why are you talking so much?"
Bai Zhen heard the displeasure in Hua Mu's voice and fell silent, her expression downcast.
Hua Mu took her hand and wrapped it around herself, muttering, "I never said you offended me. You're always overthinking things."
"But you were unhappy…"
"Can't I be unhappy if I want to? I'm unhappy every day."
Bai Zhen didn't think so. The Young Lady only got unhappy in front of her.
"But I don't want you to be unhappy. I want you to be happy. If I'm the one who made you unhappy…"
The Sentinel's simple words stirred a rare bit of emotion in Hua Mu—only a tiny bit, of course.
"I-I just get angry for no reason. Can't I get angry to relieve stress? Ugh, you're so long-winded. I'm not holding it against you, so why are you talking so much?"
Bai Zhen held her from behind, her warm breath brushing against her ear.
"That's because you are magnanimous."
Hua Mu was stunned!
Where on earth did her father and aunt find such a loyal, honest, and utterly devoted guard? Shouldn't she be happier about this? But why couldn't she feel happy?
"You really think so? You don't think I'm being unreasonable?"
"How could I…"
Hua Mu didn't want to talk to her anymore. She rubbed the top of her foot against Bai Zhen's calf.
"M-Miss?"
"What?"
"Why are you…"
"Can't I do it if I like it?"
"N-No, you can."
"Did I offend you?"
"Of course not."
"Good. Let's sleep."
Bai Zhen had no idea what Hua Mu was trying to say, but seeing her close her eyes as if ready for bed, she didn't dare ask any more questions.
She thought it over and over, finally coming to the conclusion that as long as it made the Young Lady happy, it didn't count as an offense.
"Bai Zhen." Hua Mu suddenly opened her eyes.
"Do you have an order?"
"…I need to use the toilet."
Hua Mu had slept all day and sweated all day. It was only after she had eaten and drunk her fill and was ready to sleep again that she realized she hadn't used the toilet once the entire day.
Fortunately, the wind and rain outside had stopped. Bai Zhen carried her on her back down to the beach to relieve herself.
There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. A waning moon hung on the horizon, making the night feel even more desolate. The beach was a mess after the storm, littered with broken branches and driftwood. Although the tide had receded, a large amount of rainwater was still flowing out from the edge of the rainforest, washing over the path they took.
Looking at this masterpiece of nature, Hua Mu felt a genuine sense of lingering fear. It was a good thing Bai Zhen had found a cave like this; otherwise, she would have ended up with more than just a simple illness.
"Miss, let's go back to the south side tomorrow and take a look."
"Mhm…"
Hua Mu hadn't forgotten the storm that had capsized their boat. The scene before her now cast an even deeper shadow over her heart.
After relieving themselves, the two returned to the cave to rest. The night passed without another word.
Hua Mu's fever had completely subsided, but her cough wasn't going to get better that quickly. The next day, she couldn't stop coughing the moment she woke up. Bai Zhen boiled some mint water for her. After breakfast, they packed their things and prepared to head back to the south shore.
Bai Zhen had originally wanted to pick some more breadfruit, but Hua Mu, fearing the vines on the cliff face would be unstable after the storm, strongly advised against it.
When they passed the river mouth, Hua Mu saw that the water source had indeed become turbid, and she couldn't help but feel fortunate that they had prepared in advance. The two bamboo tubes held nearly a hundred liters of fresh water, enough to last for a while. Perhaps it would even last until rescue arrived.
The return trip was much faster than their journey there. By noon, they had already reached the mangrove forest. The entire way was marked by traces of the tropical storm, but they could see that the farther south they went, the less significant the storm's impact was. By the time they passed the mangroves and reached the vicinity of the coconut grove, the surroundings looked as if they had only just experienced an ordinary downpour.
Hua Mu felt her luck was terrible. "I can't believe we waited so long for rain, and the moment we went north, it rained over the whole island."
Now they had water, and all that fresh water they'd collected was for nothing.
"Miss, our timing was actually perfect this time, and we gained quite a lot."
In Bai Zhen's view, simply being able to take shelter from the first rain in a cave like that was a stroke of luck in itself.
Hua Mu didn't take her comfort to heart—she only hoped that their luck wouldn't be so bad when it came to getting home.
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