“The beach was way too hot. I only dug up a little bit before coming back.”

Fu Miaoxue looked listless, as though the sun had left her somewhat dazed and dizzy.

She asked Du Lai: “Did you find a water source?”

Du Lai nodded and set down the bamboo tubes filled with water. “Boil it before drinking. I’ll need to go out again in a bit.”

“Why again?” Fu Miaoxue said listlessly. “This water should be enough for us to drink today. Let’s set up the tent first…”

“I want to dig up some of the clay near the water source and see if I can fire a clay pot.”

The bamboo tubes were too narrow and thin — neither for carrying water nor for cooking anything in them were they convenient enough. For example, right now, he had strung an entire row of bamboo tubes across his body and still hadn’t brought back that much water.

The shelter needed to be built, the clay pot was needed — there were too many urgent things lacking.

Du Lai walked over to the campfire and saw five or six clams sitting on the inverted base of the birdcage.

“This is all you dug up?” He was a little surprised.

Five or six clams — not even enough for one person to pick their teeth with.

Fu Miaoxue sighed. “The sun was too hot. There were a few fish in that cave though — but they swam too fast, I couldn’t catch them.”

Du Lai thought for a moment. “Then forget the clay — let’s figure out how to catch those fish first. Once the tide comes in tonight, we won’t be able to catch them anymore.”

“Okay.” Fu Miaoxue perked up a little. “If we can catch them, we’ll have fish to eat.”

“Oh, also, this…”

She remembered something, turned, and went into the cave, coming back with something lush and green. She smiled and held it out to Du Lai. “Put this on when you go catch fish. I made it especially for you.”

Du Lai: “…”

This… looked like it might be a… grass skirt?

“Your shirt got torn into strips for tying up the bamboo tubes. If your pants fall apart too, imagine how embarrassing it’d be when the rescue team finds us.” Fu Miaoxue smiled softly. “You only have one set of clothes. Having something to swap into is better — you can wear your clothes sparingly.”

As awkward as a grass skirt was…

Du Lai had to admit there was something to what she said.

Clothing was a consumable too — especially in this island environment. Saltwater erosion, branches scraping at fabric, harsh sun bleaching — all of it would accelerate the wear on the material. If he didn’t want to be indecently dressed when rescue came, it was best to start protecting his clothing now.

Du Lai took the grass leaf skirt Fu Miaoxue had handed him, glanced around, and walked into the trees behind the boulder to change.

He wasn’t sure how she had woven it, but it was loose and floppy — it nearly fell apart while he was putting it on. Du Lai had to reinforce it himself before he could wear it properly.

If he also took off his sneakers, his current appearance — save for not being dark enough in complexion — was basically indistinguishable from a native islander.

His thoughts drifted to Fu Miaoxue again.

Spoiled and willful and thoroughly irritating as she was — somehow she had become cooperative and sensible. Clearly she understood that surviving on this island depended entirely on him, so she had learned to rein herself in.

Du Lai smiled faintly, suddenly feeling that the young mistress wasn’t quite as difficult to get along with as he had thought.

He picked up the clothes he’d changed out of and started walking back. From a distance, he spotted Fu Miaoxue lying face down on the ground.

Du Lai found it strange. He was about to ask why she was napping at a time like this, then recalled how listless she’d seemed just now. His heart gave a sharp lurch!

She hadn’t gotten heat stroke, had she?

“Fu Miaoxue?!”

Du Lai sprinted over and crouched down, lightly patting her face.

Fu Miaoxue’s brow furrowed, her eyes still tightly shut.

Du Lai’s panic grew. In the wilderness, heat stroke and dehydration were genuinely dangerous! Everything now depended on whether he could get water into her. If he couldn’t, there was no way to give her an IV out here!

He spun around to grab a bamboo tube — and the grass skirt, completely without warning, became defenseless. A cold rush of air swept in from below, followed immediately by a constricting sensation emanating from that unmentionable region and spreading through his entire body!

Then, from behind him, a woman’s triumphant, gleeful laughter erupted: “Hahahahaha! That’s what you get for making me eat that octopus! Now you know how it feels! Hahahaha!!!”