They looked at each other.
Jasper held Stella’s hand, the chicken long out of his mind. They quietly walked toward the bamboo house.
Stella’s heart was beating fast. They had actually found someone on this island. She and Jasper were no longer alone. Perhaps, with their help, they could leave the island earlier than expected.
Jasper Milton pushed the door open.
No one was inside, with only a thick layer of dust remaining on the wooden desk.
“Whoever was here is already long gone.” Jasper commented, enthusiasm quickly dimming.
Stella Grace glanced around and opened the cabinet. She looked at the things inside and said, “I think that the owner of this place must have lived here for a long time, so that’s why he could build a house. However, he must’ve been ready to leave anytime, that’s why there isn’t any food in the cabinet.”
“To build a house here, it is crucial to consider factors like water source and an adequate level of safety. This place doesn’t seem to be particularly safe.” Jasper guessed. He took Stella out of the house, went around the house, and looked around.
“Jasper!” Stella shouted, looking at the charcoal ash and the remaining wood on the ground. Frowning, she turned to him. “The owners of this house must have had the same thoughts as we do! They probably also made their own boat and left this island.”
Jasper nodded, but his heart was still very heavy. “It’s equally possible that they either lived, or died in the sea.”
“The bad news is that he stayed here for a long time, but no ship came by to take him away.” Stella said sadly.
“Not necessarily. This place is a little far from the seaside, so even if a boat passed, they might not have seen him and so no one came to rescue him,” Jasper tried to comfort her.
“Okay.” Stella responded.
Jasper lay flat on the ground with his ears close to the ground.
Stella guessed that he was listening for the sound of the water.
Jasper stood up and glanced around again.
“Did you hear anything?”
“There is the sound of water. It should be nearby, but I can’t seem to see it anywhere.” Jasper was puzzled.
“Could it be inside the room?” Stella guessed, then turned back to the room and searched everywhere.
After entering the room, Jasper stuck to the ground again. “Stella, the sound of the water here is much louder than that outside. I suppose it’s covered by something.”
Stella looked around and looked at the cabinet. “Could it be under here?”
Jasper opened the cabinet and saw a well.
“There really is water in it.” Stella was surprised. “However, it seems to be a little deep. I think it is about 6 meters deep?”
Jasper thought for a while and said, “It’s probably around eight meters.”
“There is no bucket here, so we need to make a bucket by ourselves. By tying a rope onto the bucket, we can have a fresh supply of water. We can use the bamboo to carry enough water, so that we won’t be afraid of dying of thirst on the sea.” Stella’s eyes flashed.
Jasper could tell that she really wanted to leave.
“Do you want to live here or go back to the beach?” Jasper asked.
“Of course, we should go back to the beach. At the very least, if a boat really does pass by, we won’t miss it. Not only that, but we also have to catch fish over there. We can dry the fish and fry them with oil, then bring them along for our journey. Now that we have water and food, all we need is a boat,” she said, her mood suddenly uplifted.
Jasper turned her body over and faced her directly.
“Stella, promise me that if we go back, we will still be together,” Jasper said solemnly.
He still had some concerns.
He was worried that when they got back, Stella would leave him again. In that case, he would rather stay on this island for the rest of his life.
Stella lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. She held Jasper in her arms and leaned on his shoulder. Looking ahead, she murmured, “Jasper, you are the love of my life. Even if I die, I will still love you. Thank you, for letting me know the sweetness of love and the feeling of being trusted and cared for. I will definitely be with you and will never go to other people again.”
The corner of his mouth raised and he looked at her dotingly. He scratched her nose and said, “Don’t talk about dying. We won’t die. We will live until we’re 100 years old with many children and grandchildren. We’ll be happy together for the rest of our lives.”
Stella’s eyes reddened.
That was also what she wanted.
She smiled and changed the subject. “Let’s go back now. We haven’t had breakfast yet. I’m a little hungry.”
“Okay.”
As soon as they came out, they saw the wild chicken from before passing by the door.
Jasper smiled. “This chicken is meant for us. Stella, wait here for me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed out. Without her holding him back, he successfully caught the feral chicken and took it toward Stella.
Stella also smiled and looked at the beautiful wild chicken in his hand.
In the past, she’d thought that wild chickens looked the same as normal chickens.
She hadn’t thought that wild chickens would look so beautiful. Its colorful feathers were long and shiny.
It was no wonder that there was a saying that a wild chicken might turn into a phoenix.
If she could live on this island for the rest of her life, she would like to breed this kind of chicken.
When they returned to the beach, Jasper looked at the time. It was already ten o’clock.
They still didn’t have a fire.
Starting a fire with two sticks of wood was by no means an easy task. Even though Jasper was experienced, it still took him half an hour to start a fire.
Stella took the opportunity to dry the fish and pork from before by the fire while Jasper went to kill the chicken.
When she was done, she turned to look at Jasper. He was squatting on the beach and plucking the chicken’s feathers out.
“Um, it will be easier to pluck the feathers out if you first boil it with hot water,” she said.
“Really?” His face was almost the picture of ignorance.
It was his first time killing a chicken. He put the chicken in the pot, boiled it with hot water, and then took it out.
“Be careful, it’s hot,” Stella reminded him gently.
“It’s not that hot.” Jasper grabbed the chicken and went to the beach, continuing with his work.
Stella didn’t want to sit around doing nothing. She boiled the last of the water and cut the bamboo into segments, tying the twelve segments she’d made together with a rope to make a simple water bucket.
At this time, Jasper had finished cleaning the chicken and put it in the pot.
Stella handed the bucket to him and said, “We don’t have any more mineral water. You can use this simple bucket first.”
Jasper took it from Stella’s hand and handed the pistol to her. “Keep it for self-defense.”
“I don’t need it. I’ll go to bed and wait for you to come back.” Stella pushed Jasper’s hand away.
Jasper smiled, and his eyes were covered with a deep layer of meaning. “I really hope that this sentence has other profound meanings.”
She originally didn’t mean anything else by it, but after he said something like that, she immediately got what he was trying to say. Her face turned red and she stammered, “D-Didn’t you say that the bed is safe?”
“Yes,” he said seriously, not joking around with her. “You go up first, and I’ll leave after you go up.”
After Stella climbed onto the bed, Jasper left safely.
On the bed, she made the rope for more than half an hour. Her neck was sore and her abdomen hurt. When she looked up, she saw a fishing boat on the sea…