SDIWD - Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Three days later, the two finally returned to where they had first landed. The scene, however, was somewhat unfamiliar. Their temporary shelter had collapsed, and the canvas had been blown onto the bushes, twisted into a ball, its original color almost unrecognizable.
The beach was pitted and uneven. Their water collection devices were submerged in seawater, and the rainproof tarps were buried beneath the sand. The few short coconut trees, however, remained standing, with only a few clusters of broken leaves to show they had weathered the storm the night before.
Seeing the place where they had stayed for the past few days in such a sorry state, Hua Mu felt a pang of regret. Although she had complained about it endlessly before, it was something they had built together, and she had grown attached to it.
Bai Zhen, who had put in far more effort, wasted no time on sentimentality and immediately began to assess the damage.
Seeing Bai Zhen go to retrieve the canvas, Hua Mu slipped on her shoes and ran to check the water collection devices, intending to pull the rainproof tarp out of the sand.
The storm had snapped the ropes, but thankfully the canvas was sturdy, with only a small tear at one corner. Bai Zhen retrieved the canvas from the bushes and turned to see Hua Mu struggling to drag the plastic tarp. She quickly ran over to help.
After struggling for some time, Hua Mu had only managed to pull a corner of the rainproof tarp from the sand. But when Bai Zhen came over, she yanked the entire sheet free with a single tug.
"Miss, let me," Bai Zhen said. "You're still sick. You need to rest."
Hua Mu shook her aching hands, feeling a little deflated. "Why are you so strong?"
Among Sentinels, Bai Zhen was by no means considered a strength type. It was only in comparison to the delicate noble lady that she seemed powerful; their strengths were on completely different levels. She wanted to say that it wasn't that she was strong, but that the Miss was too weak. In the end, however, she held her tongue—she knew Hua Mu wasn't actually looking for an answer.
"You're tired, Miss. You should rest."
"I'm not tired, cough cough. Let's hurry up and finish so we have somewhere to sleep tonight, cough cough cough…" The slight exertion made Hua Mu gasp for breath, and she dissolved into a fit of coughing.
Bai Zhen's heart ached for her. "I'll finish up quickly," she coaxed. "I won't let you go without a place to sleep."
Hua Mu knew she wasn't much help, but she felt increasingly uncomfortable just sitting idly by while Bai Zhen did all the work.
"So I'm just supposed to wait?"
Guessing that Hua Mu didn't want to be idle, Bai Zhen found a task for her.
"Miss, I'll make you some soup for your cough. How about you watch the fire?"
The moment she heard the word "medicine," Hua Mu's face fell.
"I have to drink more? Does it taste awful?" It seemed she hadn't learned her lesson at all.
"It should be fine. I'll add coconut meat and dates for you; it'll taste good."
Both of those sounded sweet, so Hua Mu, relieved, nodded repeatedly.
Bai Zhen selected some drier pieces of wood, started a fire, and put some water on to boil. First, she added minced ginger and the perilla leaves they had gathered on their way. Then, she opened a coconut, poured its water into a bamboo tube, and scraped out the meat.
Hua Mu's cough was the result of a cold, so she didn't need anything with cooling properties. Bai Zhen set aside the coconut water and used only the meat, which had warming properties beneficial for her condition, boiling it with ginger, perilla, and dates. Ginger was good for dispelling cold and settling the stomach, while perilla could induce sweating to drive out the illness and relieve nausea. The coconut meat and dates would help replenish energy, soothe her cough, clear phlegm, and add a pleasant sweetness.
With modern medicine, none of this would be necessary, but in their current environment, Bai Zhen could only rely on folk remedies. Even if they weren't very effective, at least the concoction would taste good and cheer the Miss up.
Seeing that the medicine looked more like a sweet dessert soup, Hua Mu was no longer intimidated and watched over it with single-minded focus.
With Hua Mu occupied, Bai Zhen hurried off to clean up the mess.
The impact of this storm on the island was clearly greater than the one that had first stranded them here. That storm had likely been just the tail end of the tempest by the time it reached them, whereas this time, they had endured its full force for an entire day.
Even after baking in the sun for most of the day, the sand on the beach was still damp. Sleeping in such conditions would be terrible for Hua Mu's health, so Bai Zhen knew she had to find another solution.
Hua Mu sucked on a mint leaf to soothe her throat, the fragrant aroma of the simmering soup filling her with anticipation. She glanced over at Bai Zhen from time to time, marveling silently as the Sentinel quickly cleared a space in the ruins of their former shelter. Bai Zhen didn't tidy everything meticulously; after a quick word with Hua Mu, she dashed off toward the rainforest.
The weather wasn't cold—in fact, the sun was quite intense—but being sick, Hua Mu found the warmth of the fire to be just right. She kept lifting the coconut shell lid to check on the soup, eager to have a bowl immediately.
Before long, Bai Zhen returned carrying a large bundle of woody vines. After a few more trips, a large pile had formed on the ground.
At first, Hua Mu assumed Bai Zhen was gathering the vines to use as rope for the canvas, as she had done before. But seeing the sheer quantity, far more than was needed for rope, her curiosity was piqued.
"What are you doing? Why did you get so many vines?"
Bai Zhen wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled.
"I'm going to make a hammock, Miss."
A hammock!
Hua Mu adored hammocks. She had several on her private island, perfect for reading or simply daydreaming.
"You know how to make a hammock? Out of this? Won't it break?"
"Don't worry, these vines are very tough… I think the medicine is ready. Please drink it first, Miss." Bai Zhen's senses were sharp enough that she could tell the soup was done just by its aroma. She crouched down, poured half of it into a bamboo cup—Hua Mu had insisted she make two—and handed it over. "Careful, it's hot."
"Finally!" Hua Mu took it eagerly and touched it to her lips. "It's so hot!"
But it was sweet and delicious!
Picking up a coil of vines, Bai Zhen said, "Be careful and drink slowly. I'm going to get started on the hammock."
The sun would be setting soon, and she needed to have the hammock finished before dinner.
Clutching her bamboo cup, Hua Mu followed right at her heels, her face alight with curiosity.
"How are you going to do it? I want to watch!"
She was as excited as a child, and her joy was infectious. This is how it should be, Bai Zhen thought. She hoped the Miss could always be this happy.
"Then I'll explain as I go."
The coconut trees were too far apart, so Bai Zhen chose the one closest to the cliff face, anchoring the other side in a crevice in the rock. She fashioned a few simple rock plugs from some irregularly shaped pieces of metal to bear the weight.
Although Hua Mu's fear of heights kept her from rock climbing, she had a few "friends" who proclaimed themselves to be outdoor sports experts. She didn't know much about the sport itself, but she knew a thing or two about the equipment—after all, it was hard to forget being cornered by three people all boasting about how their gear was the most advanced and expensive.
"I know what you're doing," she said. "You're using those as rock plugs, aren't you?"
Bai Zhen was surprised that Hua Mu knew about such things. "How did you know that, Miss?" she asked, astonished.
She had always known about Hua Mu's fear of heights, which kept her from participating in any related activities. Combined with her utter lack of interest in strenuous sports, Bai Zhen couldn't imagine how she would have learned about it.
A smug expression appeared on Hua Mu's face. She lifted her cup, took a sip, and said leisurely, "There's a lot more I know. You shouldn't underestimate me."
Of course, Bai Zhen would never dare to underestimate her. "You are very knowledgeable," she said with sincerity.
"Cough cough," Hua Mu was practically preening. "But of course."
Bai Zhen loved seeing her like this, so delicately proud. It made her want to lay every beautiful thing in the world at her feet.
The Sentinel was so captivated that she simply stared, forgetting to reply. Hua Mu, having enjoyed her moment of pride, noticed the Sentinel gazing at her, motionless. Her smugness melted into shyness, which then curdled into flustered annoyance.
"But everyone has their own specialty… A-aren't you going to get back to making the hammock and explaining it to me?"
Startled from her reverie, Bai Zhen hastily averted her gaze.
"Th-then I'll show you how to tie the knots."
The vines were about half a centimeter in diameter, flexible and sturdy enough to be used as rope.
As she demonstrated for Hua Mu, Bai Zhen explained, "Making a hammock is actually quite simple; it's all about tying the right knots. This is a figure-eight loop. It keeps the rope from slipping and can be used to tie the hammock to the tree trunk. This is a bowline knot. It's easy to tie and untie, very secure, and you can even do it with one hand. If you're ever in an emergency and need to tie a rope around yourself, this is the best one to use. This is a fisherman's knot, for joining two ropes. It's easy to tie but hard to untie. And this one is a diamond knot, which is what I'll be using to weave the hammock."
Hua Mu had a good memory and committed each knot to memory after seeing it just once. Just as she was thinking that weaving a hammock didn't seem so hard, Bai Zhen suddenly picked up her pace.
She joined the vines with fisherman's knots to create two ropes, each over a hundred meters long, then wound them onto two shuttles fashioned from branches. After that… Hua Mu lost track.
All she could remember were Bai Zhen's flying fingers and her focused expression.
Countless diamond knots were woven into a large net. Before Hua Mu's eyes, the raw materials were rapidly transformed into a functional hammock. It lacked any bright colors or patterns, but she still felt it was the most beautiful hammock she had ever seen.
What right did those noble scions have to boast about their advanced, expensive equipment? Look at her Sentinel—so capable, able to make anything herself, turning the most unremarkable materials into all sorts of useful items.
Turning trash into treasure—now that was true skill!
Hua Mu was willing to bet that those self-proclaimed outdoor experts wouldn't last a day on this island. They'd probably start blubbering within a few days, doing even worse than she had.
Sipping the sweet medicinal soup, Hua Mu thought gratefully, It's a good thing I brought Bai Zhen with me. It's a good thing she's the one here. Otherwise, who would make me such a delicious sweet soup?
"…And finally, a square knot here, and the hammock is done." Excluding the time for preparation, it had taken Bai Zhen just over half an hour to weave the entire thing.
Hua Mu was extremely pleased with her new bed, which prompted the ultimate question.
"If you knew how to make a hammock, why didn't you make one sooner?!"
Comments
Post a Comment