After the tsunami, many of Bai Zhen’s worries became reality. A large number of plants on the island had died, and the remaining seawater continued to cause subsequent problems. Fortunately, the place where the two of them were staying was less affected and was quite suitable for living.

After all, when this place was chosen as their home, it was because there was a small stream not far away. Judging by its location, the water source they had previously found at the foot of the mountain was very likely its downstream. The stream showed clear signs of artificial modification, forming a pool about ten meters in diameter in its middle section, which probably wouldn’t dry up even if it didn’t rain for a month.

After a careful search, Bai Zhen discovered an unusually large number of fruit trees around the dilapidated wooden cabin, likely planted by previous inhabitants. This largely solved their food problem.

After more than a week of recuperation, Hua Mu was finally able to walk a little. Bai Zhen made her a pair of crutches, so at least she no longer needed Bai Zhen to carry her around for physiological needs.

With the situation stabilized, they had to consider the future. The incident had left Hua Mu with such a significant psychological scar that she quickly decided to set up their base on the mountain.

Not a temporary shelter, but a real house. She wanted to build one here.

Hua Mu told Bai Zhen her idea and quickly received her support. Living in the island’s interior had two disadvantages: one was the inconvenience of getting food from the sea, and the other was the fear of missing a rescue.

However, the first point was offset by being closer to their staple food source, and the second could be solved by setting up markers on the beach.

The Young Lady was a person of action. Once the decision was made, she immediately began preparations. Of course, due to her limited mobility, most of the physical labor had to be done by the Sentinel. But she wasn’t idle either; besides choosing a site, she began designing their new home.

Although the location of the original wooden cabin was good, Hua Mu didn’t plan to build there. As for why, it was simply the noble lady’s mindset at work. Since it was essentially a newlywed home, how could they use a second-hand one?

However, even though they weren’t building there, the cabin still needed to be dismantled. For one, having such a cabin so close to their residence was an eyesore. For another, it was too secluded and could easily harbor dangerous creatures, posing a safety hazard.

They had lost most of their tools, but fortunately, there were many useful supplies in the storeroom. An axe, a machete, and even a hoe could still be used after replacing the handles and sharpening them.

Bai Zhen spent two days dismantling the wooden cabin and found many things inside, which were temporarily stored deep in the cave. The cave was cool and dry, perfect for storing items. Bai Zhen even found over a dozen jars of wine, most of which were surprisingly still drinkable, much to Hua Mu’s delight.

Although she couldn’t drink now due to her injuries, she was determined to celebrate properly once their new home was built.

The site Hua Mu chose was closer to the water source, built against the mountain wall to increase the house’s stability and also to pipe water down from the mountain for use—having a bathroom was her biggest dream since arriving on the island. It wasn’t far from the cave, only a few hundred meters, so they could still use it as a storeroom.

More importantly, there was a suitable place to build a toilet. It was unclear when it had formed, but there was a rather deep fissure in the area to the east. The swamp they had discovered in the eastern rainforest seemed to be below it.

Since it was far away, they didn’t have to worry about methane gas, and the problem of where to dispose of flushing water and waste was solved simultaneously.

Although the Young Lady didn’t understand design or architectural structure, she owned a private island and knew what kind of house was comfortable on a tropical island. As for the specific details of how to build it, that was left for the Sentinel to figure out.

In any case, the house had to be elevated, otherwise, the humidity would be too high.

When Bai Zhen lived in Hezhou, she had participated in building houses many times. The villagers helped each other out; if a family was splitting off or a newlywed couple needed a house built, the whole village would come to help. Although she was young at the time, as an orphan who had received a lot of help from everyone, the villagers intentionally taught her skills, so she always went to help.

Hua Mu’s high standards naturally increased the difficulty of Bai Zhen’s work. Just laying the foundation took her a week.

The soil on the mountain was quite firm, and at Hua Mu’s request, Bai Zhen used a combination of compaction and pile foundations to handle the groundwork.

Since the Sentinel was doing the labor, the Young Lady took the initiative to take on the cooking duties. Bai Zhen, fully considering Hua Mu’s condition, built her a suitable stove near the construction site. She couldn’t persuade Hua Mu not to cook, so she chose to keep an eye on her from nearby.

“Bai Zhen, time to eat!”

The last dish didn’t even need to be plated; Hua Mu brought the pot directly to the dining table.

Bai Zhen heard her voice from afar and ran over. Seeing that Hua Mu was about to get the bowls and chopsticks for her, she quickly stopped her. “Miss, I’ll get them myself.”

“Get what? Go wash your hands.” Hua Mu slapped her hand away and stuffed a towel into it. “Wipe off your sweat.”

The Sentinel was much more sensible now; if it didn’t work the first time, she wouldn’t argue with Hua Mu again.

“Okay.”

For the sake of Hua Mu’s leg, Bai Zhen spent a day making a set of table and chairs. Hua Mu was very satisfied that she no longer had to squat to eat.

“Eat slower, you’re ruining my cooking.”

The Sentinel did everything with a whirlwind-like intensity, as if going to war. While high efficiency was a good thing, it was better to eat a little slower.

Bai Zhen obediently slowed down, smiling shyly.

“I wasn’t paying attention…”

A strong and fierce Sentinel was certainly intoxicating, but this shy, girlish demeanor was also very cute—though the slightly perverted side could be done without.

Hua Mu looked at the other’s slightly tanned skin, muscles that were even more toned from labor, and long, well-defined fingers, and subconsciously swallowed.

This was just too much. This skin tone, body shape, and attire were practically synonymous with eroticism. What a treasure she had found; just looking at her was a feast for the eyes.

As Hua Mu sighed in admiration, she couldn’t help but feel a little regretful.

When on earth would her leg heal? It had been over half a month. Did she really have to endure it for a hundred days?

Although waiting until the house was built to… wasn’t a bad idea, she didn’t really mind doing it elsewhere.

“…I should be able to finish all the wooden stakes today. Tomorrow, I’ll go cut some more trees.”

Without wood oil or wax, the timber could only be treated simply. Since dehydration was time-consuming, Bai Zhen worked in stages, first felling the required amount for treatment, and then felling the next batch of materials while the first was dehydrating.

“Ah? Oh, oh!”

Hua Mu’s attention wasn’t focused, and she only heard the last part.

“Ahem, there’s really no rush. Don’t overwork yourself.”

Bai Zhen grinned, her white teeth shining particularly brightly in the sunlight.

“How could I? I’m not tired.”

Her smile was just too innocent, wasn’t it?

If you’re not tired, why do you go to bed so early at night!

“Oh… well, is that enough to eat? Do you want another plate of taro?”

After moving up the mountain, their diet had changed significantly. Besides the cured products they had saved, the newly discovered taro became another staple food, and the proportion of vegetables also increased greatly.

Since she didn’t know when they would be able to go down, Hua Mu was very frugal with the cured products, only adding a little to their dishes. Fortunately, the Sentinel was easy to feed and ate whatever was given to her.

Bai Zhen would occasionally catch a small animal to enrich their diet. Perhaps because so many animals had fled during the last tsunami, the two of them would occasionally run into one. However, they were mostly birds and rodents, just enough for one meal.

Bai Zhen would prepare them very carefully, and Hua Mu would cook them for a long time to avoid parasitic infections.

Since it wasn’t a stable food source, and salt was also unobtainable for the time being, Hua Mu was particularly stingy with food that could be preserved for a long time.

“Another plate of taro and a slice of breadfruit, please.”

Doing physical labor, the Sentinel’s need for carbohydrates increased dramatically, and she could eat a lot in one meal. Hua Mu was extremely stingy with meat, but in this aspect, she wasn’t stingy at all, always cooking a large amount.

“I don’t know where Emergency Rations finds so much food to eat. I think it’s gotten rounder.”

The rusty-spotted cat slept during the day and mostly stayed in the cave.

“What would you like to eat, Miss? I can go look this afternoon.”

Hua Mu actually didn’t eat much meat even when they had it; she was mainly worried about Bai Zhen’s nutrition.

“You should worry about yourself. I won’t go hungry. By the way, I’ll put some more aloe vera gel on you later, so you don’t get sunburned and peel.”

Hua Mu found that the gel Bai Zhen had made last time was very effective and could also be used as a skincare product. She strongly demanded to be told the recipe. While Bai Zhen was working, she would sit on a lounge chair making aloe vera gel, preparing food, and reading a book. When she felt energetic, she would also summon Luna for a stroll.

“That’s not urgent. Let me change your dressing first.”

Every day, Bai Zhen would steam Hua Mu’s leg with hot water infused with herbs for a while before changing the dressing. Thanks to the proper care, Hua Mu’s leg was recovering well without any complications.

“How much longer until I can take off the splint? It’s so uncomfortable like this.”

“Just a while longer. You need to move around now, so it’s safer to keep it on.”

Alright, that wasn’t what Hua Mu really wanted to ask.

“Bai Zhen, don’t you think it’s about time you stopped calling me ‘Miss’?” Although she herself had gotten used to hearing it, it was still strange for lovers to call each other that, right?

If it weren’t for the intimate things they did before bed, Hua Mu would have thought the other person still hadn’t caught on.

This wasn’t the first time they had discussed this topic, and Bai Zhen once again showed an embarrassed expression.

“That, that’s really…”

So lame. She took back all the cool things she had said before. This Sentinel was so lame!

“Hmph!”

The Young Lady was very displeased.

“Miss, it’s just a form of address…”

“But I want an exclusive form of address! So many people call me ‘Miss,’ how do I know it’s you calling me!”

“Uh, we’re the only two on the island…”

“That’s not what I mean!”

“Well, you call me Bai Zhen too, and many people call me by my name.”

“At least I call you by your name. But what the heck is ‘Miss’? So many noble ladies are called ‘Miss’!” Seeing that this dense Sentinel had learned to talk back, Hua Mu’s anger flared up. “Or should I change how I address you, and you change too? Then tell me, what do you want me to call you? Da Bai? A’Zhen? Zhenzhen? You say it, and this Young Lady will grant your wish!”

As soon as Hua Mu finished speaking, she saw a very indescribable expression on the Sentinel’s face—a mix of happiness, anticipation, and apprehension.

Could it be that she really had something in mind?

“Then I hope, I hope…”

Seeing her stammer, Hua Mu said helplessly, “Spit it out!”

“Big… Big Sister Bai Zhen…”

What?

Hua Mu stared at her in shock.

Could this person really be a pervert? This kind of advanced role-playing, where on earth did she learn it!