SDIWD - Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Aside from still catching its own food, Emergency Rations was almost no different from a domestic cat. Whenever it had nothing to do, it loved to cling to Bai Zhen or Hua Mu and act cute. Because Bai Zhen was busier, Hua Mu was the one who looked after it most of the time.

At first, Bai Zhen was very worried it would lose its wild instincts. Later, seeing that its movements were still agile, she gradually stopped worrying about it so much.

Cutting the timber into planks took Bai Zhen more time than laying the floor. Tropical trees were generally very tall and thick. If not for Bai Zhen's innate super strength, it would have been difficult to cut them even with the saw blades they had found.

Cutting the planks, trimming them to the right size, dehydrating them in the sun or over a fire, then giving them a light sanding—only then could they be fixed to the crossbeams. If they weren't in a hurry to move in, it would have been more appropriate to first coat the wood with wax oil.

Hua Mu's legs were more nimble now, and she couldn't sit still at all. Unfortunately, Bai Zhen wouldn't let her do any heavy labor, so she could only do the work of sanding down splinters. But while she held a stone in her hand to sand the splinters, her eyes kept darting over to Bai Zhen's body, her thoughts having long since flown off somewhere unknown.

The Sentinel's wheat-colored skin was covered in the sweat of her labor. The exertion revealed clear muscle lines on her arms, her full chest trembled slightly with each movement, and her long, straight legs were a feast for the eyes.

Even without any other form of entertainment, she could watch this body all day.

Hua Mu's mind raced with wild thoughts as she watched, and in a moment of excitement, her hand slipped, and a splinter immediately pierced her delicate finger.

"Ouch!"

This was hardly better than having a bucket of cold water dumped on her head. Hua Mu cried out in pain, quickly alerting Bai Zhen, who was securing the floorboards.

The Sentinel leaped to Hua Mu's side in a few bounds, asking nervously, "Miss, what's wrong?"

"It hurts, it hurts, my finger, my finger..." Hua Mu's eyes welled up with tears from the pain. She held her fingertip out to Bai Zhen. "It went in."

"A splinter?" Bai Zhen's eyesight was excellent, and she quickly spotted the wound. "Wait here."

She hurried away and hurried back, holding a sterilized needle to pick out the splinter for Hua Mu.

Hua Mu was afraid of pain and started crying out before Bai Zhen even began.

"It hurts, it hurts! Bai Zhen, be gentle."

"I haven't even touched it yet. Miss, don't look. It'll be over soon."

Hua Mu obediently turned her head away and said miserably, "I'm so pitiful, always getting hurt. Heaven must be jealous of my beauty."

Bai Zhen pressed her lips together, seeming to hold back a laugh. "You should probably stop doing this kind of work."

"Hmph, it's not that I can't do it. I just got distracted for a moment. I was doing just fine before."

"Yes, yes, of course you were doing very well. It's just that it pains me to see you suffer and get hurt."

Although the Sentinel was dense, she was thankfully very straightforward. Speaking her true feelings made up for her lack of romantic finesse.

Hua Mu blushed slightly and mumbled, "You could stand to dote on me a little more... in other areas..."

As she picked out the splinter and bandaged the finger, Bai Zhen asked, "Is there some area where I'm not satisfying you? Tell me, and I'll definitely change."

What other area could there be?

She'd be damned if she could say it out loud! Couldn't this woman show a little consideration for a girl's modesty?

"Hmph, there's nothing."

In truth, it wasn't that they hadn't kissed and hugged these past few days. When their passion ran high, they would sometimes lose control and get a bit more heated. But that final step—they just couldn't seem to take it, no matter what. She was even starting to consider whether she should let Luna out to lick Bai Zhen with her!

The Young Lady's expression clearly didn't say "nothing," but the Sentinel was wise enough not to press the issue.

"Anyway, there's only a little left. You rest for a bit, I'll do it. The floor can be finished today."

Hua Mu's face lit up with joy. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes. We haven't made a bed yet, but we can move in first."

Sleeping on wooden planks was certainly better than sleeping on the ground. Hua Mu didn't hesitate at all.

"Let's move in, let's move in! We'll move today!" With all-natural materials, there was no need to air out any smells. She was already used to the scent of wood and palm leaves and didn't find it unpleasant at all.

"Alright then. Go see what things need to be packed. I'll move them when you're done."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Hua Mu was immediately full of energy and ran to the temporary shelter to pack their things. Seeing how nimble her legs were, Bai Zhen couldn't help but swallow.

She had been very diligent in nursing the Young Lady back to health recently, and the Young Lady hadn't complained about leg pain anymore. It should be fine now, right?

Although the house wasn't completely finished, it was, for the most part, a presentable gift. Her ring had also been ready for some time, but she hadn't found an opportunity to give it to her.

Today... Today should be a suitable time, right?

Bai Zhen's heart was filled with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

Would the Young Lady like it? Would she think she had ulterior motives?

But the Young Lady didn't seem to dislike being close to her, so... so if she could win the Young Lady's favor, could it be that..."

The Sentinel had been planning for this day for a long time, but now that it was here, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

She yearned for the Young Lady at every moment, but possessing her couldn't be such a rash affair. She wanted to give the Young Lady a pleasant memory worth cherishing, to make her feel that she was treasured.

Even on a deserted island like this, even without a grand ceremony, even without the blessings of others, she herself could not treat this matter lightly.

Bai Zhen took a deep breath, picked up the plank Hua Mu had been halfway through working on, and walked toward the small wooden cabin.

Hua Mu packed for a while—though there really wasn't much to pack—and when she turned to see Bai Zhen engrossed in her work again, a plan formed in her mind.

There was a lot of alcohol in the cave, and quite a variety too: coconut wine, sugarcane wine, and even distilled spirits. She had wanted to try them for a long time. But because of her injury, Bai Zhen hadn't let her drink, so they could only use it for cooking. But today was a joyous occasion—in every sense of the word. Her injury was mostly healed, so having a little drink should be fine, right?

Hua Mu was a woman of action. She took Emergency Rations and dashed back to the cave, lighting a torch and heading inside. The cave was very deep, and the alcohol was stored further in. Although Hua Mu was a little afraid of the dark, her desire had completely conquered her fear. Plus, with Emergency Rations by her side, she felt quite brave.

The further she went into the cave, the cooler it became. After about ten meters, the air was even a little cold. But this environment was good for storing alcohol, which was why the two of them hadn't moved most of it out.

In Hua Mu's view, the rarer the alcohol, the more precious and delicious it must be. Those distilled spirits were fine for cooking, but she was afraid they'd be too harsh to drink straight. That's why she didn't mind the trouble of coming in to find some herself.

"Meow~" Emergency Rations wiggled its little bottom as it followed at her feet, meowing from time to time as if guiding her.

Hua Mu soon reached the place where the alcohol was stored and stuck the torch into a crevice in the cave wall.

"Not this one, not this one either," the Young Lady rummaged for a while before finding the bottle she wanted. The glass bottle was tightly sealed with palm wax and oil paper. In the torchlight, the liquid inside showed a clear, golden color, looking just like honey. "This is it!"

The two of them had spent a lot of effort organizing these things at the time, cleaning the packaging as best they could. There was a handwritten name on the glass bottle; this one was brewed from honey.

Imperial law explicitly forbade citizens from drinking before adulthood. Hua Mu had just passed her eighteenth birthday and had only drunk a little at her birthday banquet. The Grand Duke, thinking of his daughter, had chosen delicious and easy-to-drink mixed alcohols. This led Hua Mu to treat alcohol like a beverage to this day—with the exception of those high-proof distilled spirits.

Wine brewed from honey must be delicious—you could tell just by the color!

"Meow~" Emergency Rations meowed as if in agreement.

The place where the alcohol was stored was still not the end of the cave. Bai Zhen had explored further with her before, but because the terrain gradually sloped downwards and became deeper, and they hadn't found anything else along the way, they hadn't explored it completely.

Even with Bai Zhen there, she would get spooked, let alone by herself. After the excitement passed, Hua Mu felt a cold draft coming from somewhere in the cave. She ultimately felt a little unnerved and, grabbing the torch, wanted to get out quickly.

"Mrowwwl!" Just then, Emergency Rations suddenly let out a low growl toward the depths of the cave, giving Hua Mu a huge fright.

"Emergency Rations!"

"Grrrrr..." The rusty-spotted cat's fur stood on end as if it had exploded, as if it were on guard against something.

Hua Mu backed away while subconsciously summoning her spirit animal. Luna, who was now over two meters tall, almost filled the entire space the moment she appeared, and her fluorescent glow immediately lit up the cave.

There was nothing there.

"Eee?" Luna tilted her head with a look of confusion, then lowered it to look at the rusty-spotted cat that was growling at her.

Normally, ordinary people couldn't see spirit animals, but research had shown that certain animals seemed to be able to sense their presence. Hua Mu had long since discovered that Emergency Rations would disappear every time she summoned Luna, but this was the first time she had seen its reaction so directly.

Luna lowered her head, wanting to lick it, but unfortunately, her soft pink tongue couldn't touch the rusty-spotted cat no matter how she tried. But Emergency Rations still sensed something and leaped into Hua Mu's arms in fright.

"What was that all about? Scaring yourself." Hua Mu patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Holding the torch in one hand and Emergency Rations and the honey wine in the other, she quickly retreated from the cave.

Luna followed slowly behind her, which reassured her quite a bit.

"Miss!"

Just as Hua Mu emerged from the cave entrance, she saw Bai Zhen running toward her. Seeing the anxious look on her face, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Are you alright? I just sensed that you summoned Luna."

"Oh, oh, it's nothing. It was too dark in the cave, so I summoned her for some light." Hua Mu couldn't bring herself to admit she'd been scared.

The Sentinel's tense expression relaxed. "That's good... Did you go into the cave to find something?"

Hua Mu held up the bottle in her hand. "I found a bottle of wine. We have to celebrate our housewarming today. You can't use my injury as an excuse not to let me drink anymore."

Bai Zhen smiled helplessly. "Alright, we'll drink a little today."

Hua Mu stuffed both the wine bottle and Emergency Rations into Bai Zhen's arms and declared, "Tonight, I'm going to make a nice meal. We'll have a candlelight dinner!"

"...Alright."

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