I checked the sun and felt it was still early, so I discussed with Guan Hai'er about going to the abandoned rescue boat first to see if we could find any clues.
Guan Hai'er also looked preoccupied, clearly troubled by the matter.
Upon hearing my suggestion, she quickly agreed.
Following the rainforest, Guan Hai'er and I returned to where we had discovered the rescue boat yesterday.
The tide had receded, and the abandoned rescue boat that had been standing on the beach was now overturned.
The man's corpse was completely exposed to the sun.
It was evident that the man had been struggling continuously before his death, making his demise look extremely tragic.
Seeing the man's corpse, Guan Hai'er immediately covered her mouth, her body trembling uncontrollably.
My heart also felt heavy. I reached out and gently covered Guan Hai'er's eyes, preventing her from seeing the gruesome scene.
Guan Hai'er's eyes welled up with tears for a long time before she finally couldn't hold them back and they began to flow.
"Brother Ye, do you think we'll never be able to get out, and end up dying here on the island like him?"
She turned to look at me, clutching my clothes tightly with both hands, her voice laced with sobs.
I also felt a pang of unease.
In the face of nature's power, each of us is so insignificant.
I looked at Guan Hai'er with affection, reached through her jet-black short hair, and pulled her into my embrace.
I felt her trembling delicate body, and her tears wet the collar of my shirt.
Although Guan Hai'er had explored with her father since childhood, she was still just a girl of eighteen or nineteen.
"How could that happen? Don't worry. With how advanced technology is now, finding us is just a matter of minutes. Even if they don't come, as long as I'm here, I'll make sure you live well."
As I spoke comforting words to Guan Hai'er, I gently patted her little head with one hand, soothing her emotions.
After a while, Guan Hai'er's crying gradually subsided.
Guan Hai'er, with a red nose, somewhat shyly raised her head from my embrace.
Seeing her blush, I smiled and ruffled her hair, "Are you feeling better now? Go into the boat and look again for anything useful. Be careful."
Guan Hai'er obediently agreed and went inside the rescue boat.
After seeing Guan Hai'er go in, my smile gradually faded.
Turning around, I stood solemnly before the man's corpse.
Old brother, I don't know your name. But since I've encountered you, I can't let you be left unburied.
Using the iron bar I found on the boat yesterday, I dug a pit on the beach. Then, I placed the body into the pit and covered it with sand.
After thinking for a moment, I took out a bamboo strip from the bamboo basket and stuck it in front of the pit.
I hope your spirit in heaven will bless us to leave this nameless island alive.
I stood in front of the hastily made grave, lost in thought, and sighed.
Guan Hai'er came out of the boat at this moment, holding a knife.
She excitedly called out to me, "Brother Ye, look what I found!"
I collected myself and glanced over, exclaiming, "Wow!"
What a sharp alloy knife!
Now I finally had a handy tool.
I walked over, took the alloy knife, feeling a surge of excitement, and swung it a couple of times in the air.
I happily said to Guan Hai'er, "Hai'er, you're truly my little lucky charm!"
The tide had just receded, leaving a lot of seafood on the beach.
I patted Guan Hai'er's shoulder, "Heaven is truly looking out for us. What we can eat today depends on our luck!"
Saying that, I rolled up my sleeves, bent down, picked up a scallop, and threw it into the bamboo basket.
Guan Hai'er behind me followed suit. We began scouring the beach.
The more I picked, the more excited I became. Scallops, oysters, clams, crabs – I took whatever I found.
This was truly a bountiful harvest! Finally, I could have a full meal on this island!
"Brother Ye, Brother Ye!"
Suddenly, I heard Guan Hai'er calling my name anxiously from behind, and I quickly turned around.
I saw Guan Hai'er sitting on the beach, her finger caught by a small crab, unable to shake it off, her face contorted in pain.
I hurried to her side and pulled her up from the ground.
"When a crab pinches you, you can't just shake it off, or you might tear your finger and get an infection!"
"Ah, then what should I do?"
Guan Hai'er looked helpless.
I smiled faintly, took her hand, and led her to the sea, submerging her hand and the crab in the water.
Gently tapping the crab's shell three times, the little crab released its pincers and swam away.
With Guan Hai'er's look of dawning realization, I said in a slightly scolding tone, "You know what to do next time, right? Luckily, this crab was small. Otherwise, on this deserted island without medicine, you would have suffered."
Guan Hai'er pouted, "I've never caught crabs before, I was just scared. Who knew it would clamp on so tight."
Looking at Guan Hai'er's red finger, I took her finger and gently blew on it.
"Does it still hurt? Just be careful next time."
Guan Hai'er looked a little embarrassed and quietly agreed.
We rested for a while and then resumed collecting seafood.
When the sun was directly overhead, I hefted the bamboo basket full of seafood and, satisfied, called Guan Hai'er to head back.
We had collected seafood all morning, and the fruits I ate in the morning had long since been digested. I was feeling uncomfortably hungry.
"That's enough. Let's go back."
But just as I reached the entrance of the cave, I heard an unfamiliar woman's voice coming from inside.