Stranded on a Deserted Island—They All Started Plotting Against Me - Chapter 44 - Chapter 44

Zhang Liu and Anya briefly encountered Qin Rushuang, who had just returned from picking up wood on the beach, in the cave, and then they separated again.

Everyone had their own tasks to handle.

Qin Ruoshuang planned to finish gathering this batch of wood, get the fire going strong, and then head over to that grassy area with the deep pit to collect some dried grass.

Although the foam board beneath her did provide softness and warmth, after two nights of sleeping on it, she discovered one fatal flaw: it was stuffy and not breathable.

After personally experiencing how springy and soft the grass felt at noon, she came up with the idea of using this fluffy wild grass as a sleeping mat.

If she slept well tonight, she would recommend the method to Zhang Liu and Anya.

Just as she scooped up a big handful of dry, root-laced yellow grass and was about to turn and leave—her eyes suddenly caught a flash of white.

She paused for a second, then realized what it was—several plump white rabbits.

Apparently, they had been hiding under the pile of grass.

When she yanked away the cover, their big black eyes widened as they stared at this tall, bipedal creature they’d never seen before.

Their bodies were round and plump, little paws tucked under their chests, ears standing straight up, and their three-lobed lips slightly parted, still chewing the grass they’d been eating moments ago, whiskers twitching slightly on both sides of their cheeks.

They looked adorably stunned and frightened.

Instantly struck by the cuteness, Qin Ruoshang dropped the grass and bent down to touch and pet them.

But before she could reach out, the rabbits reacted, letting out a sharp “ao ao” cry, then quickly darted into the nearby grass and disappeared.

“Ah, what a shame… They were so cute. If only I could’ve touched one,” Qin Ruoshuang muttered to herself later, laying out the grass in the cave with a slightly regretful expression.

She went on to pull up grass from a few other spots, but didn’t see any more rabbits.

Then, a hunger pang hit her, freezing her in place.

Because a terrible thought flashed through her mind—

Those cute rabbits… looked like they had a lot of meat on them.

If the thought hadn’t come up, it would have been fine.

But now that it had, Qin Ruoshang’s mind was like possessed, beginning to imagine various rabbit dishes she’d seen.

Braised rabbit, spicy rabbit, cold rabbit dish, carrot stewed rabbit…

Feeling extremely ashamed, she swallowed hard, grabbed some jaboticaba berries that Zhang Liu had left in the cave, and popped a few into her mouth to ease her hunger. Yet her gaze kept drifting back to the patch of grass where she had seen the rabbits.

Maybe I can find a way to catch a few rabbits…

That was Qin Ruoshang’s only thought at the moment.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liu and Anya, both considered “healthy laborers,” had their own tasks.

As the male suited for heavy work, Zhang Liu was searching in the shallow sea water—about a meter deep after the tide receded—for various edible and well-preservable shellfish.

He didn’t encounter the lucky “big fish falling from the sky” fishing beginner’s blessing he got yesterday again today.

Still, his haul was pretty good—in no time, the huge giant clam shell he found and used as a container was already full.

And all the shells were intact.

As for the broken ones more suitable for dinner, he’d already cracked and cleaned those, tossing the shells and placing the meat into a nearby coconut shell—also nearly full.

Stepping out of the seawater wearing only his underwear, Zhang Liu looked at Anya struggling to dig on the beach and asked, “How’s your harvest?”

After confirming the plan to set up a sheep trap tomorrow, food storage was a top priority.

So the two of them were working on two fronts: Zhang Liu collecting shellfish from the water, which was riskier, while Anya dug for various sand-dwelling food on the beach after the tide went out.

“Hmm, four crabs, some starfish, and some razor clams…” Anya answered while vigorously pulling something from the sand. Suddenly, her expression turned disappointed as she lifted her palm from the sand.

A half-broken razor clam lay in her palm.

“…” Zhang Liu couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Anya looked embarrassed and said, “The harvest’s okay!”

She said this with a proud smile, pointing to the simple white foam box placed beside her.

This was made by Zhang Liu in the cave, cutting two extra foam boards and using tree branches as fixed supports to assemble it.

The container was very large, and even after Anya spent a long time digging for seafood, she hadn’t filled the bottom yet.

Four large green crabs kept crawling inside, making rustling sounds.

From time to time, they would pinch a starfish and wave it around.

Or sample various shellfish that Anya had cracked open.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Liu felt a bit more relaxed.

No matter how the goat-hunting attempt went tomorrow, the day after, he’d be leaving the cave—saying goodbye to Anya and Qin Ruoshuang—and heading off to investigate the plane wreckage, which might contain valuable supplies.

His only handy tool was a sharpened metal shard—hardly suitable for shipbuilding, sailing, or long-term camping.

Since this beach had plenty of easily found food, Zhang Liu didn’t have to worry too much about Qin Ruoshang and Anya running out of supplies after he left.

Also…

He recalled the earlier encounter between Qin Ruoshang and Anya.

Zhang Liu had initially worried that the two might respond with cold hostility or even conflict.

But after meeting, Qin Ruoshang was the first to show an apologetic smile, and Anya quietly lowered her head.

Then they started discussing their plans for later.

What could have been a confrontation mysteriously disappeared.

“Let’s go, Anya, it’s time to head back.” Zhang Liu glanced at the sun, which was already low and reddening, knowing it was getting late.

Without waiting for his clothes to dry, he tied his shirt sleeves into knots to make a bundle, stuffed his pants and socks inside, and tied it behind him.

The coconut shell with the seafood was nested inside the giant clam shell, held carefully with both hands.

Zhang Liu was barefoot and was about to return to the cave with Anya, who was carrying the foam box in front of her.

However, after walking several dozen meters, he turned around to find Anya standing still, not moving.

“Classmate Anya?” Zhang Liu was puzzled and hurried over to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Anya still said nothing, just looking down at the seafood in the foam box with an expressionless face, showing no emotion at all.

When Zhang Liu was growing anxious beside her, she finally spoke quietly, “How did I do this evening?”

“Huh?” Zhang Liu was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded, “You did great!”

Thinking about Anya’s personality, which seemed to like praise, he added, “Classmate Anya, you’ve always been amazing!”

Hearing this, her expression instantly turned a bit annoyed. Taking a deep breath, she looked seriously at Zhang Liu and said, “Anya!… If you want me to work hard in the future, you are not allowed to call me classmate; you should just call me Anya!”
(PS: He always called them classmates, but I didn’t mention it. Currently, he will call Anya by her name normally)

Zhang Liu was confused by her sudden demand. After a long pause, he finally said, “An? Anya?”

“Let’s go! Back to the cave!” Anya took the lead, her steps instantly lighter.

Halfway back, she emphasized seriously, “When we’re in front of classmate Qin Ruoshuang, you also have to call me Anya. If you don’t, I won’t listen to anything you say!”

As she spoke, the word “classmate” attached to “Qin Ruoshuang” was crystal clear and deliberate.

After that, Anya quickened her pace again, her pretty face already flushed red.