I jolted awake from my dream, instinctively leaping up from the bearskin and looking at Guan Hai'er with a serious expression.
"What's wrong? Has that monster returned?"
Guan Hai'er was startled by my reaction and then covered her mouth, laughing.
"No, Brother Ye. You'll know if you go take a look outside the cave!"
I looked at Guan Hai'er with suspicion, rubbed my face, and got up to walk toward the cave entrance.
What had happened to make Guan Hai'er so secretive!
Outside the cave, the sudden, dazzling sunlight shone on my face. I couldn't help but cover my eyes. I hadn't seen the sun in so long that it was a bit disorienting.
I had just woken up, and my mind was still a bit hazy.
I stared at the sun for a moment, then a wave of elation washed over me!
The sun was out!
The blizzard had finally stopped!
The rubble that the giant bird had knocked down to block our entrance yesterday was gone. I figured Shangguan Yao and the others had cleared it up early in the morning.
I walked outside the cave, spread my arms, and greedily soaked in the thin sunlight. Although the weather was still a bit cold, it had warmed up significantly.
A great disaster averted, and fortune will surely follow!
The monster's arrival seemed like a test deliberately set by heaven. Fortunately, we had made it through!
Luo Yaqin walked out of the forest carrying a bamboo tube. Seeing me standing outside the cave, she smiled enchantingly, "Lu Ziye, look what I brought back!"
Luo Yaqin held the bamboo tube out to me.
I looked down. It was full of clear, fresh water!
"Wonderful!"
I excitedly asked her, "Where did you get this water from?"
Luo Yaqin shrugged smugly, "I just went to the little stream where we got water before, and I found that the stream has thawed!"
Good news kept coming. We could finally say that our hardships were over!
Luo Yaqin linked her arm with mine and entered the cave. Shangguan Yao, seeing us, immediately her face fell.
I found it utterly baffling. Shangguan Yao seemed to have some sort of problem. I had saved her from the giant bird yesterday, and today she was giving me the cold shoulder.
I wasn't going to grovel for her attention. Luo Yaqin and I found an empty spot and sat down.
After we finished breakfast around the fire, I called everyone outside.
Xu Jiaojiao's body was still exposed under the large tree. Fortunately, the weather was very cold, and there were no signs of other animals having fed on her.
I led everyone to Xu Jiaojiao's body, feeling a heavy weight in my heart.
Although I knew we could encounter any danger on this island, someone we were chatting and laughing with one moment could be a cold corpse the next.
"Xu Jiaojiao is the first companion we lost on this island, and she serves as a warning to us all. She cannot go back with us and can only be buried here."
The women also wore expressions of grief. Su Yunran, with red-rimmed eyes, whispered, "We were talking just fine this morning, who knew..."
I felt a pang of guilt, and also a sense of powerlessness over being unable to prevent Xu Jiaojiao's death.
Together, we built a simple grave for Xu Jiaojiao and found a bouquet of wildflowers nearby to place in front of her tomb.
At that moment, I secretly vowed to become even stronger so that such tragedies would never happen again!
I had to have enough strength to protect these women and bring them back to the outside world alive!
After this matter was settled, I led the women to unearth our second boat, which was buried under the snow.
Guan Hai'er brushed off the snow and said with some surprise, "Brother Ye, look! Our second boat doesn't seem to be damaged!"
I carefully inspected the hull of the second boat and found that it was only slightly swollen from being submerged in snow for so long. Everything else was intact.
"We are truly lucky. That monster wreaked havoc in front of our cave, yet it didn't damage this boat. Now, we just need to replace some of the wood on the hull!"
The women were all excited. Everything was starting to turn for the better.
I spent the entire day with the women repairing the boat, preparing to send them out when the weather was suitable.
The next day, after breakfast, I went to the seaside to check the wind direction.
The salty sea breeze blew on my face. I excitedly discovered that today's wind direction was the southeast wind we had been yearning for!
Fearing that the wind direction might change if I delayed, I rushed back to the cave.
"Everyone, pack up quickly and come with me to the sea!"
Time was of the essence, and I didn't have time to say much more. I quickly packed some food, carried the boat, and led everyone toward the sea.
Finally, we could go home!