SDIWD - Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Bai Zhen worried all night, but unexpectedly, it started raining in the early morning and continued for the whole day. Recently, it had been raining every few days, so the two of them were already used to it.
Although working in this bit of rain was nothing for Bai Zhen, she was very afraid that Hua Mu would also want to participate, so she simply decided not to work on the toilet for now. It just so happened that a few tools needed further processing, so while demonstrating for Hua Mu and answering her questions, she completed this work "indoors."
The two fire axes revealed their original appearance once more. The handles, made from the branches of the flowering crabapple tree, were polished smooth and comfortable to hold by Bai Zhen. The saw blade was fitted with a handle, and the hacksaw blade was set into a bow-shaped wooden frame. Since there was plenty of time, she spent a lot of it making these tools, sharpening the edges until they were incredibly sharp to prevent Hua Mu from wasting too much effort when using them.
Hua Mu watched as the few items that had previously looked like junk were now completely transformed, and she couldn't help but marvel once again at Bai Zhen's magical hands.
If she had the materials, she could probably even build a ship, right?
Ignoring the injuries on her hands, Hua Mu was eager to try chopping firewood the moment the axe was finished. She only gave up after Bai Zhen's persistent dissuasion.
The two of them spent a relatively leisurely day, but still, no rescue appeared.
With proper tools, the progress of building the toilet greatly accelerated. Making and burying the pipes took them only half a day, the roof and walls took a day and a half, and the toilet bowl took two days. The water storage device, however, was more troublesome; Bai Zhen had to experiment several times before finalizing the finished product.
On the back wall of the toilet, a large bamboo tube served as the flush tank. Most of the rainwater was stored within the bamboo walls, connected by thin bamboo stalks. The last stalk led to the top of the flush tank, normally sealed with a wooden plug. It was only opened when needed, and once the water slowly filled the tank below, a "plop" sound would signal that the toilet could be flushed clean.
Hua Mu had seen this kind of device before in the courtyard of a certain country. It was a very elegant decoration. She never expected it to be used here now; it was acceptable, she supposed.
As for the toilet bowl itself, it was made from bamboo, flowering crabapple wood, and an iron plate. The support frame below was made of bamboo, the seat was made of polished flowering crabapple wood, and the lid was, simply and crudely, a single sheet of iron.
After a week, the "perfect" toilet in Hua Mu's mind was finally complete.
The moment she sat on the toilet, Hua Mu almost wept with joy—her life of shame was finally over!
Even though she knew no one was watching, as a well-bred lady from a prestigious family, using the toilet in broad daylight was still one of her most "painful" experiences!
The only thing that could possibly rival it was using leaves to wipe her bottom!
Hua Mu was so excited she looked left and right, touching everything. She sat inside for a full ten minutes, savoring the feeling of satisfaction—the satisfaction of having built a toilet—until Bai Zhen called her from outside the door.
"Miss, are you, are you done?"
Startled, Hua Mu almost forgot Bai Zhen was waiting outside and hurriedly pushed the door open.
"Wh-what do you mean, 'done'? I wasn't using the toilet! I was just inspecting our work."
As if she would use the toilet while Bai Zhen was around!
"Uh, oh." Bai Zhen, not knowing why she had suddenly lost her temper, asked dejectedly, "So, what do you think of it?"
"Considering the circumstances, it's not bad."
To be able to create such a finished product under such crude conditions was already extremely impressive.
Hearing her assessment, Bai Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.
"As long as you like it."
"What do you mean, 'as long as I like it'? Don't you like it?"
"Uh, I like it too."
Of course Bai Zhen liked it; it was something she and Hua Mu had made together.
"Sigh, it's a pity we can't take this thing back with us."
Hua Mu was quite regretful. Compared to the bamboo raft and the bamboo bed, the toilet was what she had put more effort into. But this… no matter how you looked at it, taking it back would be a bit too much.
This was already their fiftieth day on the island. Because Hua Mu was so focused on her work, even her disappointment that rescue hadn't arrived wasn't as severe.
She could now split firewood and bamboo with precision. Although she was a bit slow due to her lack of strength, it was still a huge improvement. She had even developed a thin layer of calluses on her hands—something a noble lady would never have.
Ah, when she got back, she would definitely have to brag about this to her friends.
Bai Zhen was delighted by Hua Mu's desire to take everything back with them. She was deeply moved that the items she had helped create were so cherished by the Young Lady.
"What should we make next? A small bamboo house? That would definitely take a lot of time. Hmm… why don't we build the roof first, and just make the support pillars for now. It's not cold in the tropics anyway, and the original walls of the shelter are still good enough to block the wind."
"Alright, I'll go cut the materials."
A few bamboo stalks were piled next to Bai Zhen, obviously freshly cut. But she didn't immediately carry them back; instead, she sat on the ground resting with her eyes closed.
The Sentinel was covered in sweat, her face pale. She seemed to be in some kind of unspeakable pain, not just tired. She endured it silently for a while before finally taking a blister pack of white pills from her pocket and swallowing one.
Of the twenty-four Little White Pills in the pack, only a third remained.
Although Bai Zhen had tried her best to reduce her consumption, the interval between doses of the Little White Pills had not increased. Her body's developing resistance made her more and more dependent on the artificial Guide-hormone. The remaining eight pills would likely not last her fifty days. No, forget fifty days—it was questionable if they would even last a month.
She wasn't worried about herself, only about Hua Mu. If she couldn't hold on, what would the Young Lady do? It seemed the only hope was for rescue to arrive before the Little White Pills ran out, but that hope now seemed illusory and completely baseless.
For the cautious Bai Zhen, this was tantamount to a wild gamble.
Perhaps the Miss's idea was correct. She should use this time to teach the Young Lady all the survival skills she could, so she would be able to live on the island alone.
Bai Zhen knew how much the Queen valued Hua Mu. As long as no body was found, the rescue efforts would not end.
As long as the navy was dispatched, even if they couldn't find it in a short time, they would eventually discover this island given enough time. After all, this was no small isle; an island with an area of over one hundred square kilometers was larger than many island nations. There was no reason for the rescue team not to come and investigate.
As long as the Young Lady could hold on, she would be rescued sooner or later.
After taking the pill, Bai Zhen rested for a short while. Once she had fully recovered, she shouldered two bamboo stalks and walked toward their camp.
Building the roof for the shelter wasn't as urgent as the toilet, so Hua Mu decided to take it slow. It was more for her to practice and learn from Bai Zhen, so their progress was rather slow.
Working on and off, they had only managed to set up eight pillars in three days.
Because Bai Zhen now had other ideas, she no longer stopped Hua Mu from helping and even took the initiative to teach her some survival skills. She taught Hua Mu how to start a fire with flint, how to identify medicinal herbs, and even took her to gather seashells.
Hua Mu thought this dense Sentinel had finally seen the light and discovered her talent, and she was quite pleased with herself for a while.
That day, Bai Zhen once again set aside the work on the roof and started fiddling with a bamboo pole. After watching for a while, Hua Mu figured out her purpose—the Sentinel was making a fishing rod.
Fishing was one of Hua Mu's hobbies—of course, the kind of fishing where a young lady sits in a lounge chair by a lake under a huge parasol, enjoying delicious drinks and snacks, and occasionally chatting about gossip.
Three high-society ladies could lounge for an entire afternoon and perhaps not catch a single fish.
"You're making a fishing rod? Are you planning to go fishing?"
An efficiency-minded person like Bai Zhen would always take the initiative rather than wait passively. That was why, all this time, she had focused on catching fish directly.
"Miss, this is for you. Didn't you want to catch fish before? Angling is more suitable for you."
Exactly, exactly, Hua Mu couldn't agree more.
"Then I'll make one with you. I want to make one too. We can make a few more so we can fish together. I told you, it's so much work to always go into the water to catch fish."
"You're right. I'll make a longer one, then. You can make a 3.6-meter one."
Bai Zhen selected clump bamboo that was neither too old nor too young, with stalks that were not too thick or thin, but straight, uniform, flexible, and resilient. After removing the branches and leaves, she polished the bamboo shafts clean. Any parts that weren't straight enough were heated over a fire and then corrected by applying a damp cloth. Finally, she soaked them in saltwater.
She worked with exceptional focus, and Hua Mu learned with great interest.
The fishing line was made from climbing vine silk, its strength far exceeding that of ordinary line, while the hooks were replaced with bent needles. The finished products were naturally not exquisite; compared to the fishing rods Hua Mu had once used—custom-made for noble ladies, so delicate that even the handles were carved—they were incredibly crude.
But Hua Mu immediately fell in love with the two fishing rods and dragged Bai Zhen out of bed early the next morning to go fishing.
Of course, before fishing, they had to prepare bait, which presented a problem for Hua Mu.
It wasn't that she was afraid of worms, but that she found them disgusting, especially the soft, fleshy kind that could make her lose her appetite for a whole day.
The moment Hua Mu saw the sandworms, the hair on her body stood on end.
After digging into the sand near the water, a dense mass of wriggling worms appeared underneath. Some were a few centimeters long, others over ten. Their body segments were distinct, and they even had two rows of parapodia. They were even more disgusting than earthworms, which she feared the most!
"Uwaaah!"
Clutching her fishing rod, Hua Mu stumbled back several steps, nearly throwing up.
"What the hell is this stuff!"
"Miss, these are sandworms. They make excellent bait."
Bai Zhen picked them up and put them in a basin without a change in expression, making Hua Mu shake her head in disgust.
"Earthworms! Let's use earthworms! Earthworms will be fine!"
While earthworms weren't out of the question, sandworms were easier to obtain. In Bai Zhen's view, if Hua Mu could accept them, it would undoubtedly be more beneficial for her future survival.
"Miss, they're really not that scary. You just have to be careful not to get pricked by their bristles."
Bai Zhen tried to approach Hua Mu with the basin, but Hua Mu threw down her fishing rod and fled in panic, shouting, "I'm not scared, I'm disgusted! You jerk, Bai Zhen, I'm not speaking to you anymore!"
In Hua Mu's eyes, Bai Zhen's behavior was no different from that of a nasty elementary school boy bullying his female classmates.
She hated that kind of person the most!
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