Jasper Milton put his arms around her shoulders and looked up at the moon. He said softly, “It’s our home.”
The next morning, she woke up naturally at 9 a. m. She looked towards her side and found that Jasper was not around. Stella Grace got up and shouted, “Jasper.”
“Yes,” Jasper came in.
Stella saw that he was there as soon as she called him. She felt warm and she smiled, “I think I’ve overslept.”
“It’s okay. I’ve prepared breakfast. Let’s eat. Oh yes, what else do you want to bring here? Write it down for me later. I’ll ask them to bring it over,” Jasper said as he prepared clothes for Stella.
“I’ll write it now. I was too tired yesterday, so I didn’t write it,” Stella said apologetically.
“Let’s freshen up and have breakfast first. I’m not in a hurry.”
“Okay,” Stella washed up obediently. After taking breakfast, she leaned over the table and wrote, “Dried vegetables.”
Jasper sent a text message.
“Spices and herbs, such as black pepper, cumin powder, paprika, bay leaves, cinnamon powder, dry basil, and so on.”
Jasper sent another message.
“Dried foods, such as nuts, pasta, cereals, flour, oats, and rice.”
Jasper raised the corner of his mouth, “I also asked them to prepare a beach motorcycle.”
Stella looked at Jasper and smiled, “Great, I also want to ask for some hams and sausages. With these ingredients, we could stay here for several months.”
Jasper nodded and sent out the list of things that she requested.
“By the way, prepare more prescription drugs, especially anti-inflammatory medicines. They will be life-saving at critical times,” Stella reminded.
Jasper smiled and said, “I’ve already asked for those. Let’s go to the forest to pick some wild vegetables. I’ll introduce you to some plants.”
Jasper got up.
Stella looked at her watch and said, “It’s 10 a. m. now. Is one hour enough? I have to come back to cook.”
“Well, we are just going to walk around.”
He fed the dog before they went out.
Jasper told her the names of many plants and their usages patiently.
She thought of something and said, “Don’t forget to remind me to make honey pomelo tea today.”
“Got it,” Jasper stopped and looked ahead.
“Is this chrysanthemum?” Stella asked.
“We used to eat this when we didn’t have food in the forest. You could eat the buds directly,” Jasper explained.
“Then, we could also fry and eat this, right?” Stella asked.
Jasper nodded, “It should be edible. Let’s pick it first and check online later.”
“Good idea,” Stella said with a smile.
There would be a plane to deliver the food and ingredients soon. They had plenty of food to eat, so they were doing all these for leisure.
After plucking some chrysanthemums, Stella looked at the time and realized that it was almost 11 a. m, “I think that we should head back now. Should we pick chestnuts in the afternoon, or should we go fishing instead?”
“Let’s go fishing. We already have a lot of chestnuts at home,” Jasper said.
“Haha, you’re right,” She chuckled and walked in front.
This place was not far from their home, so she knew the way.
When they got home, Jasper went back to work. She searched on Google and found that there were many ways to eat chrysanthemums. She had never tried eating them before.
The simplest method was to boil the leaves of chrysanthemums, cut them into pieces, and mix them into salad dressing.
It was a very nutritious dish.
They still had the pork pettitoes and pork ribs leftover from the night before. Thus, she only had to reheat them. It took her about half an hour to make lunch.
She went to call Jasper.
Perhaps he had heard her footsteps. As soon as she reached upstairs, he came out of the room and smiled at her.
“It’s time for lunch,” Stella also called him with a smile.
He nodded as his eyes darkened.
While they were having lunch, Stella looked at Jasper, puzzled, “Is there anything on my face? Why do you keep staring at me?”
“Stella, no matter what happens, we’ll be together,” Jasper said in a deep voice.
Stella nodded and said, “To be honest, two years ago, I wanted to be with you too. But at that time, I was poisoned and I didn’t have much time left, so I had to leave. I’m sorry.”
“All those things are in the past. We will be together from now on and in the future.”
Stella smiled and said, “Yes. We’ll be together in the future.”
They stayed on for a longer period of time on the island than they had expected.
Two months passed, and it was already late winter.
It wasn’t snowing on the island, so the temperature here was higher than that on the mainland.
In the morning, Jasper worked while she cooked. In the afternoon, when he was at work, she would make clothes. Sometimes, they would play games, shoot, or go to the forest to hunt or pick some fruits. In the evening, he taught her how to fight along with some self-defense skills.
Their life was leisurely and peaceful.
She no longer suffered from insomnia. Her complexion improved and she also gained a few pounds.
On this day, Jasper came down from upstairs while she was cooking.
She looked at his solemn face and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?”
“Stella, my father isn’t doing too well, so I have to go back. Do you want to go back with me or wait for me at home?” Jasper asked.
Stella’s heart skipped a beat.
She did not want to stay on the island alone and wait for his news. It would make her feel helpless and unable to do anything. She held his arm and said, “I’ll go back with you. No matter what happens, we’ll bear it together. I’ll stay by your side always.”
Jasper held her hand and nodded, “Okay, the plane will come in an hour.”
If he was her patient, there were some things she could say to him. However, he was her lover, so she could not. She could only accompany him, feel his emotions, and share his sadness.
“Let’s have lunch first before we leave. When we get there, we may not even have time to eat. He is your father, after all, so you have to accompany him now. You have to take care of yourself before you are able to take care of others. Thus, you have to eat,” Stella said vaguely.
She was worried that he would be in a bad mood and would not take good care of himself.
Jasper nodded, “Okay.”
He let go of Stella’s hand, walked to the yard, and lit a cigarette.
She stood by the door. She knew he was not in a good mood, so she didn’t disturb him. Sometimes, it would be better to give him some space.
She cooked quickly. Knowing that she would not be able to return for the next few days, she made two dishes.
While the soup boiled in the pot, she folded the quilt and put it into the cabinet.
The leftover ingredients were all packed and put into the refrigerator on the yacht.
When the meal was ready, she went to find Jasper.
Jasper was still smoking. There were already three cigarette butts beside his feet.
She walked up to him and said softly, “Let’s eat.”