SDIWD - Chapter 47
Chapter 47
It was that time of the month again, the most troublesome one. Hua Mu truly envied a Sentinel's constitution at times like these. Fortunately, the toilet was already built, and the bed was very soft and comfortable—considering their current situation. So, no matter what, it was much more comfortable than last time.
For the past few days, aside from foraging for food, Bai Zhen spent most of her time keeping Hua Mu company while making tools. Apart from necessary activities, Hua Mu was practically sprawled out on the bed, even being fed her meals by the Sentinel.
She figured she could be allowed to indulge herself, just for her period.
Bai Zhen tried all sorts of ways to make her feel better. Besides brewing the same herbal soup as last time, she had somehow managed to find honey. When Hua Mu drank the warm honey water, she was so happy she could have cried.
Although she had eaten a lot of fruit, the only thing that could truly be considered a sweet treat right now was honey. The sweetness from before wasn't real sweetness; it only seemed sweet because of the bitterness in her heart!
After discovering Hua Mu's love for honey, Bai Zhen acted as if she'd found a treasure. She brought some back every day—sometimes a small bottle, sometimes half a jar, and sometimes even a small piece of honeycomb.
Hua Mu couldn't eat that much, so Bai Zhen would store it in clean, dry glass bottles. Natural honey, if kept free of impurities, almost never spoils. It was also a quick source of energy, making it a top choice for emergency food.
Looking at the growing collection of honey, Hua Mu started to worry about the poor bees. This was especially true after she personally witnessed the Sentinel conceal her presence to cut away a piece of the honeycomb. The bees flew around in a daze, not knowing who had stolen their home, and Hua Mu felt infinite sympathy for them.
The seemingly honest Sentinel turned out to be quite "ruthless."
Hua Mu thought to herself as she sipped her honey water, I like it!
After getting through her second period on the island, the Young Lady was full of life again and actively participated in the labor.
"Yay! I cut it down!" Seeing the breadfruit fall, Hua Mu excitedly threw down the long bamboo pole with a blade tied to it and ran towards the fruit.
Breadfruit is a cauliflorous plant, so it can bear fruit almost anywhere on the trunk, from the base to the top. However, the lower fruits were easily eaten by animals, so it was hard to find intact ones.
Bai Zhen had sharpened a curved blade and fixed it to the top of a bamboo pole, creating a long-handled sickle for Hua Mu to harvest breadfruit and other fruits. Because the handle was too long, Hua Mu initially couldn't exert any force. The two of them experimented repeatedly before making the tool the right length.
The breadfruit at this height would be enough to feed Hua Mu for a long time, which relieved Bai Zhen considerably. Over the past few days, they had been building the roof and fishing, and had also made many tools and smoked fish. Their little life seemed quite comfortable.
Living with this "just getting by" mindset, Bai Zhen found that, strangely, her consumption rate of the Little White Pills hadn't increased much compared to before.
"Hahaha, am I amazing or what?" Hua Mu happily ran to the Sentinel, holding the breadfruit. Her lively appearance would make it hard for anyone to believe she was the same elegant and proper noble lady from television.
"You are amazing!" Bai Zhen took the fruit from her hands and placed it in a previously woven bamboo basket. It was great that they had found the bamboo grove. It had been a huge help, especially during this period of tool-making.
"Are we making dried breadfruit today too? Let me try!"
In this environment, ripe fruit would only rot if not eaten promptly. Because food sources were abundant, Bai Zhen hadn't planned on letting Hua Mu eat anything that wasn't fresh. But now, she couldn't afford to be so picky. Every day, she would pick the ripe fruit and sun-dry, roast, or salt it.
The shelter now had the basic form of a house. A roof built against the rock wall and supported by coconut trees was enough to provide cover from the wind and rain. Like the toilet, the eaves were fitted with a water collection system, and a rack was built mid-air for placing and hanging food.
To store food, Bai Zhen had made several trips to the shipwreck area and found some usable ceramic and glass containers. After washing and drying them, she would place charcoal inside to keep them dry, then seal them with dried bamboo leaves to preserve the food for longer.
"Okay. The bamboo shoots from before are almost dry. I hope it doesn't rain in the next couple of days. We'll be able to use them for soup soon."
Perhaps because they had cut down a lot of bamboo, the new shoots in the grove were growing at an astonishing rate. New shoots would sprout after almost every rainfall. Bai Zhen took the opportunity to make a lot of dried bamboo shoots, which earned endless praise from Hua Mu, who hadn't eaten vegetables in a long time.
It seemed vegetables were also essential.
Bai Zhen also found some edible wild vegetables and pickled them. Wild vegetable soup was recently added to their menu.
"But isn't this too much? It feels like so much food, we can't possibly finish it all. We have fresh food every day, so these are mostly for a change of pace."
Hua Mu had a light diet, so she rarely ate pickled foods in the past. However, her diet on the island had been so bland that she was quite interested in the sudden new dishes. She didn't just want something salty; she was also starting to crave something oily.
"…Let's just keep it for now. It can be stored for a while anyway."
That's true, Hua Mu thought. Maybe rescue will have arrived by then, and I can even bring some of this food back for my friends to try.
"Alright, let's head back then. Ah, I'm exhausted. I'm going to make myself a glass of honey-lime water when we get back."
In the rainforest, Hua Mu could now manage to walk for a while before having Bai Zhen carry her for a stretch. For someone who used to get sore legs the next day from walking just one kilometer on flat ground, this was a huge improvement.
Bai Zhen had cleared a small path to the few places they frequented. Although tropical plants grew quickly, the Sentinel cleared it every day, so even Hua Mu had no major problems walking on it. Besides, Bai Zhen would clear the way ahead for her, and she had a staff she could use as a walking stick.
Most importantly, she had two new pairs of shoes. Bai Zhen had taken apart her own combat boots and used the thick cowhide from the uppers to make two pairs of well-fitting shoes for her, which made walking much easier.
As for Bai Zhen herself, she used the soles of her combat boots as a base and wove new uppers from pandanus leaves.
One pair of shoes had become three. Hua Mu thought Bai Zhen must be a genius.
Aside from the fact that rescue was slow to arrive, things seemed to be developing in a good direction. But Hua Mu felt a faint sense of unease in her heart. She kept feeling like she had forgotten something, overlooked something, but she couldn't remember what it was.
Moreover, she found Bai Zhen a bit strange. Although she herself had asked to participate in the work and had asked Bai Zhen to teach her survival skills, the Sentinel's sudden shift from opposition to enthusiastic teaching still felt a little off to Hua Mu.
Lately, Bai Zhen had been constantly gathering food, making tools, and building their shelter, almost to a fanatical degree. Of course, given their current situation, it wasn't that strange. But compared to her past attitude, it wasn't exactly normal either.
Was the Sentinel's intuition sensing an approaching natural disaster? Or was she simply overthinking it?
Hua Mu was walking behind Bai Zhen, lost in thought, when the person in front of her suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"Shh… Miss, there's something."
Hua Mu didn't know whether to be excited or nervous. After walking so much in the jungle, a place she once thought was fraught with danger now felt almost like level ground—albeit only in a very small area. But it had been a long time since she had "encountered a situation"!
"What kind of situation?"
Hua Mu lowered her voice, an unconscious hint of excitement in her tone.
Bai Zhen shielded her and listened intently for a moment. "It should be an animal like a wild boar. Not a major threat, but it wouldn't be good if it charged at you. I'll carry you and we'll take another path."
"A w-wild boar?"
"Yes, a large one."
"Can you catch it? While ensuring your own safety, of course."
Although Hua Mu was craving something oily, she still had no interest in meat from livestock. The thought immediately came to her mainly because the Sentinel looked too thin. She still had plenty of muscle, so it wasn't a frail kind of thinness, but a lean, wiry one.
If she gets any thinner, her chest will disappear. That's no fun to hug. They had a staple source of carbohydrates, but if they really wanted to gain weight, red meat was necessary.
Hua Mu felt that Bai Zhen must be avoiding hunting these animals because of her, so she took the initiative to suggest it.
Bai Zhen was very surprised. "You want to eat meat?"
Hua Mu lied without batting an eye.
"Yes. There's no oil in our food, so I'm craving meat."
Bai Zhen didn't suspect a thing and looked very happy.
"Really? Then I'll take you back first, and then come back to catch the boar."
This boar weighed at least one hundred and fifty kilograms. If made into jerky, it could last them a long time. Moreover, Hua Mu being willing to eat meat would be a great benefit for their future survival, which was why Bai Zhen was so happy.
"It's fine, I'll go with you. You're very capable, right? You won't let it hurt me."
Hua Mu didn't want Bai Zhen to take her back first. For one, she was afraid the boar would run away. For another, she was afraid something would happen to Bai Zhen.
She truly trusted the Sentinel and believed that if they went together, Bai Zhen could protect her. But if she let her go alone to face the boar… she didn't want to be left feeling helpless and terrified like last time.
"But…" Bai Zhen was confident she could protect Hua Mu, but she didn't want her to see such a bloody scene. "Are you sure you'll be okay? Killing a wild boar is much bloodier than killing a seabird."
If Bai Zhen hadn't mentioned it, Hua Mu would have forgotten about that.
"I-It's fine! I'm not the person I used to be. I even dare to kill fish now!"
That's right. Hua Mu had personally handled fish, and more than one.
This was the thing she was most proud of from this period.
"But that's different from this…"
"Oh, stop talking nonsense. If we don't go now, the boar will get away." Hua Mu pulled a gun from the holster strapped to her thigh. "Not only am I not afraid, I can even kill it. Believe it or not?"
Bai Zhen grew tense at the sight. "Miss, unless it's for self-defense, please do not shoot at it. I will handle it."
Hua Mu wrinkled her nose, putting on a magnanimous air.
"Alright, fine. I'll leave it to you."
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