The waves lapped against the soft sand, the morning sun bathing the entire coast in a warm glow.
Zhong Li, eyes half-closed, dazedly looked around. Before she could get a clear view of her surroundings, a soft, sweet voice reached her ears.
"Oh, why is someone here?"
She followed the sound.
Not far away, a pair of palm-sized feet hopped merrily towards her. Following the tiny feet upwards, she saw a little girl with her hair tied in two pigtails.
The girl was incredibly cute, with a round head, pouting lips, and large, lively eyes that blinked rapidly.
"Little sister..." Zhong Li began, intending to say something, but found her voice to be hoarse.
The little girl had already reached her side. Hearing her words, she quickly crouched down and asked, "Big sister, are you alright?"
Zhong Li twitched her lips, trying to reply, but only felt her head spin again, and she lost consciousness.
She woke up again to the sound of the sea breeze and rough panting outside the cave.
Zhong Li propped herself up and followed the sound. She was in a cave. Outside the cave, she could still see the ocean they had drifted from. A slender figure seemed to be dragging something into the cave where she was.
"Big sister is awake? Then hurry and help Youyou!"
Zhong Li looked at the person who had spoken. It was the little girl she had seen earlier. As for what she was dragging behind her...
It was Lu Wuxie!
Her consciousness returned, and she quickly stood up, but because she stood up too quickly, her vision swam, making her stagger.
"Are you okay?" Youyou, seeing this, quickly ran to her side to inquire.
Zhong Li shook her head and said, "I'm fine, perhaps I haven't eaten for a long time, and my blood sugar is a bit low."
After speaking, she rushed out of the cave and pulled Lu Wuxie, who had been left halfway, back.
Low blood sugar?
Youyou was stunned for a long time, unable to understand what the beautiful sister in front of her meant, but she understood the first half of the sentence – she hadn't eaten.
"Here, this is for you!" Youyou, following behind her, took out a wild fruit from her pocket and handed it to Zhong Li.
Zhong Li took it, staring at the little girl, who was only six or seven years old, and asked, "Did you save us?"
A campfire slowly ignited in the large cave.
Facing the firelight, Zhong Li gently parted Lu Wuxie's clothes, skillfully using a scalpel to meticulously cut away the necrotic flesh from his body.
Lu Wuxie, in his coma, frowned.
"Found it, but this?" After a while, Youyou's voice echoed in the cave again.
Zhong Li looked up at the little girl holding a handful of herbs and said, "Yes, this is it. You're very smart!"
As she spoke, she took the herbs from Youyou, chewed them, and prepared to apply them to Lu Wuxie's wounds.
Youyou seemed very interested in Zhong Li's medical skills, squatting beside her and watching attentively.
Zhong Li was busy with her movements, glancing at the little girl opposite her from time to time. Seeing the earnestness and concentration in her eyes, she asked, "Do you like it?"
Youyou's face flushed upon hearing this, and she nodded shyly.
Zhong Li took the bandages Youyou had found for her, bandaging Lu Wuxie as she spoke, "The herb I asked you to find is called Andrographis. It has the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain. Herbs with similar effects are Houttuynia cordata, Forsythia, and Honeysuckle."
She explained to Youyou, and fearing that Youyou wouldn't recognize the herbs she mentioned, she carefully drew them for her.
"Youyou knows this one! There's some south of the fishing village!" Youyou said happily, pointing to the drawing of Houttuynia cordata.
Zhong Li, rarely seeing such an innocent child, continued to tell her stories with a smile.
Unknowingly, they learned until afternoon. It was time to change Lu Wuxie's dressing. Zhong Li crushed the remaining Andrographis with stones Youyou had found and continued to apply it to him.
"Sister Li'er." Youyou looked at the sunset and quickly ran to the cave entrance, waving, "Youyou has to go home. I'll see you again tomorrow."
Zhong Li heard this and quickly called out to stop her.
"Youyou!"
Youyou, having taken only a few steps out of the cave, turned back in confusion.
Zhong Li emerged from the cave, holding a pair of straw sandals. "I made these just now from the weeds by the cave entrance. I don't know why you're not wearing shoes, but I think it's not good for a girl's feet to be cold."
Youyou stared at the shoes in Zhong Li's hands, surprised.
"What, you don't like them?" Zhong Li raised an eyebrow.
The next moment, before she could react, Youyou opened her mouth wide and began to cry hysterically.
Zhong Li looked at the little girl opposite her, feeling somewhat helpless. She didn't seem to have done anything to make her cry.
"Big sister!" Youyou, catching her off guard, threw herself onto Zhong Li and sobbed.
Zhong Li, with a hint of confusion, gently stroked Youyou's soft hair to comfort her.
"Youyou's mother is also as gentle as you, Big Sister," Youyou said affectionately with a nasal voice.
Only now did Zhong Li understand why Youyou was acting this way. She crouched down, wiped away the tears on Youyou's face, and said, "Youyou, do you miss your mother?"
Youyou nodded.
"Your mother is gone?" Zhong Li guessed. She thought that if Youyou had someone who cared for her, that person would not let their child go without shoes and with tattered clothes.
Upon being asked, Youyou's tears suddenly stopped. She stared at Zhong Li with slightly frightened, watery eyes and hurriedly shook her head, "No, no, no... Youyou has a mother, and Youyou also has a father. Father and Mother are very good to Youyou!"
Zhong Li did not expect such a simple question to make the little girl so agitated. Her voice became even gentler, and her movements slower as she lifted one of Youyou's feet. "Youyou, don't be afraid. Sister didn't mean anything else. Sister knows Youyou is so kind, you must have a very good mother and..."
She paused there, all her words stopped.
She had actually seen shocking scars on Youyou's ankle.
Zhong Li involuntarily pulled up Youyou's trouser leg.
"What are you doing, Sister!" Youyou became extremely agitated by her action. Before Zhong Li could react, she kicked Zhong Li in the shoulder and, ignoring Zhong Li, who fell to the ground in disarray, turned and ran towards the depths of the island.
Zhong Li stared fixedly at the shrinking figure, lost in thought for a long time.
In the evening, Lu Wuxie had a high fever all night. Fortunately, there were fruits and herbs nearby, and she had also managed to get some fresh water through distillation. By the time the rooster crowed at dawn, his fever had subsided, but he was still unconscious due to severe injuries.
Zhong Li was preparing to fetch more water from the sea with a small wooden bucket she had found on the beach when she heard the little girl's cry.
"Sister Li'er."
Zhong Li turned around and saw Youyou running from not far away, wearing the straw sandals she had woven for her yesterday.
"Youyou." She smiled and waited for her.
Youyou, panting, looked up at the woman opposite her, her eyes impossibly clear. "Yesterday... I'm sorry, Sister Li'er, can you forgive Youyou?"
Zhong Li shook her head. She had never considered quarreling with a child, let alone the one who had saved her and Lu Wuxie.
She gently rubbed Youyou's head, preparing to say some comforting words, but then she noticed two clear scratch marks on her neck.