Zhang Liu's entire body jolted as if struck by lightning when he caught sight of Qin Ruoshuang's shy expression. He quickly averted his gaze, his heart racing. Grabbing the coconut from the ground, he hurriedly stepped behind a small rock, taking deep breaths to steady himself.
"Qin Ruoshuang, please tidy up," he called out. "I'll crack open a few coconuts for our breakfast."
Learning from yesterday's failed attempt, Zhang Liu wasn't foolish enough to try smashing a coconut's tough, fibrous shell with a rock again. Instead, he slammed the coconut against the sharp edge of the rock. As the juice spilled out, he quickly caught it in an empty coconut shell he'd prepared the day before.
In just over ten minutes, Zhang Liu had a simple breakfast ready: two large servings of coconut milk and less than half a serving of coconut flesh. Without proper tools to scoop out the meat, he had to scrape it with a sharp flint. The result was a mangled mess of coconut flesh, with at least 40% of it still stuck to the shell, wasted.
After preparing the meal, Zhang Liu hesitated to approach Qin Ruoshuang, the memory of the earlier scene in the forest still vivid in his mind. Instead, he called out from behind the rock, "Qin Ruoshuang, are you ready?"
"Yes… I'm done," came her soft reply. Though the pain in her lower abdomen hadn't eased, Zhang Liu's considerate behavior warmed her heart. All she could do to "tidy up" was pull her clothing back into place, flip over the blood-stained foam board beneath her, and bury some sand mixed with blood. Her white underwear and black stockings, still draped over the rock, she left untouched for now—the underwear to avoid getting dirty, the stockings because they were uncomfortable.
"Let's have some coconut juice first," Zhang Liu said, emerging with two coconut shell bowls, his tone carrying a hint of resignation.
"Okay." Qin Ruoshuang took a coconut shell as big as her face and sipped from it. Glancing up, she noticed Zhang Liu staring at her, and a wave of nervousness hit her. Her sips became uneven, and she choked, coughing a few times. She set the shell down and wiped a few drops of clear liquid from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
Turning to Zhang Liu, who was still looking at her, she asked shyly, "Why are you staring at me?"
"I wasn't staring," Zhang Liu replied, shaking his head. "I was just thinking that if help doesn't come today, we'll need to find a new place to spend the night."
His words didn't register the embarrassed flush on Qin Ruoshuang's face as he spoke.
"This spot isn't safe," she said, her embarrassment fading quickly. She took another sip of coconut milk. "But didn't you say this place would protect us from wolves?"
"Oh, I made that up," Zhang Liu admitted with a sheepish grin.
Qin Ruoshuang, mid-sip, puffed out her cheeks, unsure how to respond. He lied with such confidence last night?
"Don't sweat the details," Zhang Liu said, brushing it off. "Let's eat. We need to find a place tonight that can block the wind."
Unlike Qin Ruoshuang, who had been curled up in the foam, Zhang Liu had endured the chilly sea breeze all night. He knew this rock was only warm in the early evening—by the second half of the night, it was practically a refrigerator.
He gulped down his coconut milk, outpacing Qin Ruoshuang's delicate sips with ease. Then he grabbed a piece of milky-white coconut flesh and popped it into his mouth. It wasn't as tasty as it looked—nothing like the sweet coconut sold at milk tea shops. It was bland, with only a hint of sweetness from the milk clinging to it, like chewing on a piece of flavorless gel.
But Zhang Liu had a plan. He'd figured out that morning that pairing a sip of coconut milk with a bite of coconut flesh made it more bearable—not delicious, but better than eating wax. Qin Ruoshuang followed his lead, mimicking his method.
Soon, their stomachs were no longer growling, though they were only barely full. A single piece of coconut flesh remained in the bowl. Their eyes met, and they spoke at the same time:
"You're in your special period, so you should eat it," Zhang Liu said.
"You're doing all the hard work, so you should have it," Qin Ruoshuang countered.
"You eat it!" Zhang Liu insisted, noticing her embarrassed expression. "I can crack open another coconut later."
It wasn't a lie—there were at least twenty coconuts piled behind the rock. They could eat as much as they wanted.
"Okay," Qin Ruoshuang nodded, no longer refusing. She popped the piece of coconut into her mouth, chewed it quickly, and swallowed. She didn't care for the slippery, cold texture, but the feeling of something in her stomach gave her a small sense of security.
A morning sea breeze swept over them. Zhang Liu stood unfazed, feeling only a slight chill, but Qin Ruoshuang shivered violently.
Noticing her trembling, Zhang Liu hesitated before saying, "How about I take off my pants for you to wear?"
"What?" Qin Ruoshuang froze, her mind jumping to the image of Zhang Liu stripping down before she realized he meant to give her his pants. "No! I…" Her face flushed crimson as she whispered, "There'd be blood."
"You could wrap them around you," Zhang Liu said earnestly, his fingers already on his waistband. "You were shivering just now. Catching a cold out here could be a big problem."
"No, really, I'm fine!" Qin Ruoshuang shook her head vigorously, pressing her hands against her bare thighs. "If you get scratched up, that's a big problem too!"
After some back-and-forth, Zhang Liu, still wearing his pants, walked toward the other side of the beach. In his mind, he was already forming a plan for their next steps.
First, time. The best window for rescue was within seventy-two hours. That meant he and Qin Ruoshuang had a good chance of being found within the next three days.
Second, shelter. They needed a place to shield them from the midday sun at the very least.
Third, water. He remembered that drinking too much coconut water could cause diarrhea, so they'd need another source.
Fourth, fire. They needed to find materials for starting a fire—tinder, a wooden stick, anything suitable. Scraping sawdust from bamboo could work.
Fifth, food. With rescue uncertain, they needed to secure enough food to last beyond seventy-two hours. It had to include protein, not just carbohydrates like coconut.
Zhang Liu racked his brain, piecing together everything he'd ever seen in wilderness survival videos, connecting the dots and prioritizing their needs.