I pulled Guan Hai'er along the rainforest, looking for some fruit. Perhaps it was fate, but I actually spotted a tree laden with fruit, clusters of bright red fruits, incredibly tempting.
Is this a Ficus racemosa?
Ficus racemosa prefers humid environments, and it looked very similar to what I had seen before. I was overjoyed.
This is good stuff!
The fruits of the Ficus racemosa not only fill the stomach, but the tannins in its bark have an astringent effect, useful for cleaning wounds.
Its use on this deserted island is significant!
I picked a fruit from the tree, wiped it with my sleeve, and took a bite. It was sweet and sour, very appetizing. My appetite whetted, I ate four or five.
Guan Hai'er beside me watched me eat enviously, swallowing hard. "Brother Ye, is it tasty?"
I explained to her that it was Ficus racemosa and handed her two fruits. Guan Hai'er put the fruit into her mouth, her eyes smiling with sweetness.
Seeing Guan Hai'er eating with such gusto, I placed the bamboo basket on my back on the ground and knocked the fruits down, filling the basket handful by handful.
We had food for the night, but where to live was still an issue!
As dusk approached, I picked fruit, feeling worried.
Suddenly, I heard Guan Hai'er exclaim beside me, "Brother Ye, look over there!"
Damn, could it be a wild beast!
I quickly raised my head and nervously looked in the direction Guan Hai'er was pointing.
Through the sparse leaves, I saw a dark opening. I breathed a sigh of relief and put down the bamboo basket to approach.
Pushing aside the leaves, I found a cave.
Could this be a bear's den? That would be deadly!
I picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it into the cave to test the waters, then hid behind a large tree to observe. Two seconds later, the echo of the stone hitting the ground resounded from the cave.
There were no beastly roars.
Fortunately, it seemed safe.
I rubbed my hands together excitedly and turned to Guan Hai'er, "Hai'er, you truly are my lucky star! This cave is probably not a den for fierce beasts, and we even have a place to stay tonight!"
Guan Hai'er looked equally happy, and then we both quickened our pace of picking fruit.
Meanwhile, Shangguan Yao felt uncomfortable after seeing me and Guan Hai'er leave. She listlessly organized her belongings in the suitcase.
Li Degui spat on the ground disdainfully, "It's good those country bumpkins are gone. They'll starve to death sooner or later!"
Then, he eagerly ran to Shangguan Yao's side. "Yao'er, I knew that security guard was no good. Taking that loser along would only drag us down."
Pan Lili listened to Li Degui's rambling, occasionally chiming in with agreement, but a shadow of gloom still lingered on her brow.
It was nearing evening. After collecting the fruit, Guan Hai'er and I lit a fire at the cave entrance.
The sky had darkened quite quickly. It was surprisingly cold.
The wind from the sea carried humid air, making the flames flicker. I tightened my clothes and moved closer to the fire.
Suddenly, Guan Hai'er's stomach rumbled. I instinctively glanced at her.
Guan Hai'er clutched her stomach, her face slightly flushed, appearing not to have eaten enough. The more I looked at her, the more my own stomach seemed to react.
I coughed lightly, "Hai'er, stay in the cave and don't move. I'll go to the beach to catch some fish and shrimp."
Hearing my words, Guan Hai'er immediately grabbed my sleeve, "Brother Ye, I'll go with you. I can help!"
I thought about it. Guan Hai'er had traveled extensively with her father since she was young, and her survival skills were naturally not bad. I always treated her like a little girl.
But as soon as we reached the beach, I began to feel uneasy.
The sea, which had been calm, was now rough, with waves as high as half a person.
What was going on with this stretch of ocean!
"Look at these waves. It seems we can't go into the sea. Let's search along the coastline."
Guan Hai'er nodded solemnly.
The wind by the sea grew stronger. I had to squint to walk, ensuring that sand wouldn't get into my eyes.
We walked forward for a while and suddenly saw a blurry dark figure in the distance, standing on the beach.
Is there a building on this island?
I pulled Guan Hai'er and walked step by step towards the dark figure. When we got close, I realized it was a yacht half-buried in the sand.
The yacht was severely eroded by wind and sand, appearing to be quite old.
Could this be the rescue boat that came for us!
Then I dismissed the thought. If it were a rescue boat, even if it ran aground, it shouldn't be so severely eroded by wind and sand.
Just as I was about to enter the yacht to investigate closely, I suddenly heard Guan Hai'er scream from the direction of the yacht!
Without a second thought, I rushed to Guan Hai'er's side and found her pointing fearfully at the shadow beneath the yacht.
I stepped forward to take a look and my heart leaped, my hair standing on end!