“If you die before me, I won’t seek death. I will live well and forget you. I will find another man to live with,” Stella Grace said with anger on purpose.
“It doesn’t matter. You should live according to your heart. I have only one request. Every year on my death anniversary, come to my grave and let me have a look at you,” Jasper Milton said gently.
His doting, his generosity, his heart and soul… He never asked for anything in return, which made her feel sad.
She didn’t want Jasper to die, and she couldn’t bear to see him die.
After one died, there would be nothing left, not even one’s soul.
He would not be remembered.
Stella lowered her head, held back her tears, and clenched her fists tightly. Her shoulders were shaking from the overflowing emotions.
Jasper hugged her and said, “Silly girl, there’s nothing to cry about. We’re together now, and this won’t change in the future. We’ll be together forever until we’re old. We’ll have a child, and our child will have children. In this way, it can be said that we’ll live on forever.”
Stella closed her eyes and hugged Jasper tightly. They stood there for five minutes.
She finally stopped crying, let go of Jasper, and wiped the tears off her eyes.
In the future, she would not test him again, nor would she ask him for anything. She already knew his mind and she knew that she could never change it – she could only do what she thought was right.
“Jasper, do you like the former Stella or the one now?” she asked.
Jasper chuckled and said helplessly, “You, all this while it’s only been you in my eyes.”
“So, you fell in love with me because of Stella?” Stella asked back.
“Stella, I don’t know how you defined yourself and the you before, but your character hasn’t changed, at least, not to me, let alone your behavior and your way of speaking. The only change is that you no longer take sleeping pills and medication for your mental illness. You are the one who exists independently. You are my beloved woman.” Jasper confessed.
“Aren’t you afraid that the former Stella will be angry if she hears this?”
“That was you in the past. You grew and change into whom you are now. Are you jealous of yourself?” Jasper said with a smile.
She had cried but later almost laughed.
She had always thought that she was derived from Stella, but was not Stella. However, according to Jasper’s words, the Stella she used to be was before she grew up and changed. This made her feel that she was the Stella now. A Stella who had become better.
“You’re so good with your words. It’s no wonder that so many women like you.” Stella complained, but her heart was filled with warmth.
“I don’t know how many women like me, and I’m not interested in them. I only like you, and I’m only interested in you.” Jasper confessed.
Stella smiled, a sweet feeling akin to eating 5 kilograms of honey was rising in her. “We seem to have forgotten our task on hand.”
“Right.” Jasper responded and held Stella’s hand as they went to pick up the big leaves.
The leaves here were large, about 1. 5 meters long and 40 centimetres wide.
They picked up more than 50 pieces and returned to the beach.
Stella felt that something was off. “Um, could you please turn around for a bit?”
Jasper was puzzled, but complied with her request.
She squatted down and saw a red stain. Just as she was worried about it, a self-made sanitary pad was handed to her.
Stella felt embarrassed but still took it and put it on.
Her pants were also stained and needed to be washed, so she had to make a makeshift pair of pants with ropes.
She weaved it while Jasper washed the mushroom and put it into the chicken soup. He continued to stew it on the fire.
He made the banner for help using big leaves, connecting about 30 leaves together.
A gust of wind blew. Stella looked up at the sky. It was dark in the east, extremely dark. Moreover, it was moving towards them at a very fast speed.
“Jasper, do you think it’s going to rain?” Stella asked.
Jasper looked up at the sky and frowned. “The storm will come in two hours. The wind will be strong. Shall we go to the bamboo house from before to avoid the rain?”
“Will the tide rise?” Stella asked.
“The tide is caused by the pull from the sun and the moon. The storm and the waves might be big, but it won’t cause the tide to rise. Judging from the situation here, it seems that the trees have never been drowned,” Jasper observed.
“Then let’s not go to that bamboo house. Our house should be able to shelter us from the rain if we put the wooden board on the top. The bamboo on it is long, which is equivalent to the roof. On the side facing the sea, you can use the big leaves in your hands to cover it.
As for the fire, let’s move it to the bottom of our house. There are two pieces of cloth that can be used as cover. If that doesn’t work, we still have the umbrella.” Stella did not want to leave.
The bamboo house was not as good as the house which she and Jasper had built together.
Living in an unfamiliar place, she felt goosebumps in her heart.
“Okay. In that case, help me get the wooden board up first,” Jasper said. He took the torch and took Stella by the hand to lead her to the house.
Stella lit the fire in between the stones.
Jasper tied eight ropes that had been made before on the wooden board. He climbed to the roof and then pulled the ropes up.
Stella raised the wooden board with all her strength. After it rose into the air, she climbed up the ladder and pushed the wooden board up.
It took more than half an hour to place it on the roof.
The wind was getting stronger and stronger.
“Let’s bring the ingredients back and put them below first,” Stella said.
“Okay.” All their ingredients were moved to the bottom of the house and covered with leaves.
Stella took the pot back and put it on the ground.
The remaining two wooden boards were small, about 1. 4 meters long and 1. 2 meters wide.
The other piece was almost the same size.
Jasper put the two pieces together and blocked the entrance, leaving a 50-centimetre-wide gap for them to enter and exit.
For safety purposes, he folded the leaves, which were six meters long and five meters wide, and folded them until they were around five meters long and three meters wide.
The leaves were sandwiched between the two wooden boards.
Jasper found a few stones to press down on the board.
He moved the firewood to the side of the house, laid big leaves on the firewood, and pressed it down with stones.
Only a dozen pieces of dead wood were left, piled up in the corner away from the fire.
Stella looked up at the sky. No matter where she looked, there was a mass of darkness.
She had never seen such weather before. It gave her a gloomy and horrible feeling and made her hair stand on end.
“Stella, stay in the room and don’t come out.” Jasper reminded her.
“What about you?” Stella was worried.
“I still have something to do.”
“If you have something to do, let’s go together.” Stella held Jasper’s hand.
“Listen to me and stay in the house, alright? I’ll be distracted if you come with me.”