SDIWD - Chapter 44
Chapter 44
It wasn't that the other person hadn't thought about it at all; rather, she had thought about it far too much. And whether it was intentional or not, Hua Mu suspected that even Bai Zhen herself wasn't sure.
"You sharpen the axe, I'll sharpen the saw blade. You teach me how to do it." Besides, it was obvious the other person was doing this for her sake. Although it frustrated her, it was different from being clueless and unromantic.
Most importantly, Hua Mu didn't feel like getting angry for the time being. Getting angry was so tiring.
"I can do it. Your hands are so delicate, it would be terrible if you got cut."
Hands… so delicate? What was this Sentinel saying! Back in the empire, this would be sexual harassment.
"I'm not that clumsy! My physical strength might not be as good as yours, but sharpening a blade is more about technique. I can do it!"
Bai Zhen couldn't persuade her and broke out in a sweat from anxiety.
"But… but…"
"No buts. Go find two stones we can use for sharpening. Let's try to get the tools ready today."
The Sentinel was helpless. At this point, she couldn't bring herself to say she didn't want Hua Mu doing manual labor, so she had no choice but to go find some whetstones.
The rocks along the coast were severely weathered and clearly unsuitable for sharpening blades. Bai Zhen went to search around the stream in the jungle and quickly found a few suitable stones.
The fire axe and saw blades they had selected were relatively well-preserved. Although their surfaces were covered with a thick layer of marine life, the metal itself wasn't severely rusted.
Bai Zhen first chose a rougher sandstone to grind off the surface attachments, then used a clay-rich sandstone for the final sharpening. Hua Mu followed her example, but because she lacked strength and was doing it for the first time, her progress was much slower.
She took back her words about it not requiring strength. She was about to die from exhaustion.
Bai Zhen kept an eye on her, and every time she saw her stop, she would spare no effort in trying to persuade her to rest, which annoyed Hua Mu to no end.
"Don't mind me, just focus on sharpening your own share. This saw blade is mine, you can't take it from me!"
She had once lived a pampered life, enjoying the privileges of a noble lady without any psychological burden, because she was also fulfilling her duties as a royal heir. Her aunt and father didn't require her to participate in politics, so she devoted herself to public welfare, befriended socialites, and maintained an elegant and proper demeanor in public, striving to uphold the dignity of the royal family.
She had once been high and mighty, ordering Bai Zhen around without the slightest reservation, because they were master and servant. Protecting her was Bai Zhen's duty; she gave her trust and compensation, so it was natural for her to exercise certain rights.
But on this deserted island, not only did the hierarchy and contractual spirit of civilization cease to exist, but even the law of paying for a life with a life was gone. The longer they were here, the more Hua Mu understood that the only thing maintaining their peace and ensuring her survival was Bai Zhen's loyalty.
The human heart was inherently the most unreliable thing. But when it came to Bai Zhen, even though Hua Mu had wavered when they first became stranded, she now found it impossible not to trust her completely. She knew that as a noble, as the heir to the throne, this was extremely dangerous.
But on this island, after that identity faded, she was just Hua Mu, an individual. And as Hua Mu, she was willing to trust Bai Zhen.
Yet, being willing to trust her didn't mean she could rely on her without any burden. On the contrary, because Bai Zhen still served her as a young lady out of pure loyalty, Hua Mu felt a sense of anxiety and impatience from being unable to repay her.
She desperately wanted to prove herself, to contribute, to seek a kind of equality. She knew that although she still seemed to maintain a facade of superiority, if this went on any longer, she wouldn't just be unable to lose her temper with Bai Zhen; she might even unconsciously resort to more exaggerated means of ingratiation.
She didn't want things to develop to that point because of a sense of indebtedness—no, things should never develop to that point.
Hua Mu spent the entire day sharpening the saw blade, and it finally reached a barely usable state. Bai Zhen made wooden handles for several tools, and with a little more work the next day, they would be ready for use.
Looking at her day's work, Hua Mu was satisfied but also truly felt the hardship of labor. Her wrists were sore and weak, and by dinnertime, she could barely lift them.
Bai Zhen saw Hua Mu holding a piece of grilled fish without any intention of eating it and asked with concern, "Miss, do you not have an appetite?"
"It's not that…"
It was just that lifting her hand was so tiring she didn't want to move.
Bai Zhen reacted quickly this time and immediately understood the reason.
"Are your hands bothering you? Let me see."
Although Hua Mu had been refusing and pretending she was fine, this time she obediently placed her hand in the Sentinel's palm. Blisters had formed again on her once delicate, fair palm, and some spots were even faintly seeping blood, a rather shocking sight.
It wasn't just her palms; Hua Mu's wrists were also a little red and swollen, clearly from overexertion and improper technique.
Bai Zhen's eyes reddened as she looked. "Miss…"
Hua Mu felt a little awkward. She had insisted on doing it herself, but now that she was injured, she still needed Bai Zhen to take care of it.
"It-it doesn't hurt that much. It'll be fine tomorrow."
Bai Zhen herself had suffered near-fatal injuries, but the pain she felt seeing Hua Mu hurt was far more intense.
"Let me treat your wounds first."
The Sentinel was adept at treating wounds, and soon the medicine was applied. However, with her hands bandaged, Hua Mu couldn't eat on her own, so Bai Zhen took on the heavy responsibility of feeding her.
Although it wasn't the first time the Sentinel had fed her, Hua Mu still felt a little uncomfortable.
"Miss, you should rest tomorrow."
On one hand, Hua Mu didn't want to give up halfway; on the other, it really hurt. She could only give a perfunctory reply, "We'll see, we'll see."
There wasn't much entertainment on the island. If there was nothing important to do, resting early was the best choice. The bamboo bed had greatly improved their sleeping environment. Exhausted from the day, Hua Mu washed up simply and collapsed onto the bed to recuperate.
Physical exhaustion had another benefit: it left her no time for idle thoughts while resting. Thoughts like why the rescue hadn't come yet, whether the empire had already given up on them, or if they would ever be able to go back.
But today, she couldn't fall asleep right away. Besides being tired, her wrists were aching uncomfortably.
After tidying up, Bai Zhen also lay down on the bamboo bed, and Hua Mu quickly snuggled up to her. Having slept like this many times, the Sentinel no longer dwelled on whether being so close to the Young Lady was improper.
"My wrists hurt."
Now was the time for coddling. Hua Mu stopped thinking about fairness and just wanted to be pampered.
Bai Zhen enveloped her hand with her warm palm and kneaded it gently.
"Let me rub it for you."
"Mmm…" The Sentinel's massage technique was very professional, and the pressure was just right. More importantly, unlike usual, at this moment, Bai Zhen made her feel a sense of tenderness.
"Bai Zhen."
"What are your orders?"
"Your training in the Tower and your missions… are they even harder, more tiring, and more dangerous than being on this island?"
"Um… I don't know how to compare."
Although she didn't know how to compare, if she were to say something disrespectful, it was that because of Hua Mu's presence, Bai Zhen felt that her time stranded on the island was the happiest of her life.
"That's true. If you were alone, you'd probably have a much easier time than with me, right?"
The Sentinel didn't know why the Young Lady would have such a thought and said in a panic, "That's not true."
Hua Mu had always been proud and rarely said such discouraging things.
"Really? But I don't know how to do anything."
"You have other strengths. You are more… than anyone else."
"But on this island, those other strengths are useless. I can't even sharpen a saw properly."
Was Bai Zhen really just being considerate and worried about her, which was why she didn't let her do it? Or was it simply that she didn't want her to cause trouble?
Hua Mu's wild thoughts weren't just because of today's setback, but also due to the accumulated pressure over this period.
Bai Zhen couldn't bear to see Hua Mu belittle herself like this and couldn't help but pull her thin, frail body into her arms.
"That's not true, Miss. It's perfectly normal for you to be unaccustomed to this kind of work for the first time. No one is born good at anything; even I had to learn for a long time. You are already more talented than most people. I believe you will become more skilled soon."
Although from her own selfish perspective, she really didn't want Hua Mu to become skilled at these things. After all, in her eyes, the Young Lady shouldn't be doing such rough work at all.
The Sentinel's proactive embrace gave Hua Mu great comfort. She buried her face in the soft chest and asked with a nasal voice, "Do you really think so? You don't think I'm useless? Or a burden?"
Bai Zhen became agitated and stammered, "How could you possibly… how could you be a burden? You don't know… I've never thought that. You are the most wonderful person I've ever met… kinder than anyone, more resilient and brave than anyone, and you work harder than anyone… You… you must not have such thoughts. It's because of you that I…"
The Sentinel abruptly stopped herself.
"Hmm?"
"I-I mean, you must not have such thoughts…"
These clumsy yet utterly sincere words from Bai Zhen were more effective on Hua Mu than any love potion. The Young Lady quickly became giddy.
Hua Mu lifted her head from Bai Zhen's embrace, clenched her fists, and said with full confidence, "Exactly! I have a wide range of interests, and there's nothing I haven't been able to learn so far. As long as I want to learn it, it's a piece of cake, right? Alright, let's hurry up and finish the tools tomorrow, then we can start building the toilet!"
"Uh, this… Y-your hands are still injured."
Bai Zhen hadn't expected her words of encouragement to be so effective. She felt like she had just shot herself in the foot.
"What's a little injury like this! I'm not a child anymore. Am I supposed to be afraid of a little pain?"
Bai Zhen subconsciously recalled the scene of Hua Mu with teary eyes, crying out in pain and asking for kisses while nestled in her arms. She felt that the other party's words were very unconvincing.
"Y-you're right."
But she had learned from experience. There were some things the Young Lady didn't like to hear, so she absolutely must not say them out loud.
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