Chapter 521 - 355: The Irresistible Temptation of Diving

Chapter 521: Chapter 355: The Irresistible Temptation of Diving

After they finished eating, Jin Meiyan took the initiative to carry the lunchbox to the stream to wash it.

Lin Chen wasn’t idle either. He held the little wolf cub and stood guard near her, picking some tough weeds from the forest floor. He planned to weave a small grass pouch for the little guy to lie in, which would save him the trouble of always carrying it.

It might not look big, but his arms would get sore from holding it for too long. Besides, having your hands tied up was the last thing you wanted when you were active in the wild.

Most importantly, the little guy could only drink liquids and water for now. It peed all day long, so holding it in his arms was too risky.

Once Jin Meiyan had finished washing the lunchbox, Lin Chen started teaching her how to weave baskets from the weeds.

"Back in the countryside, you’d often see things made from grass ropes. I never thought I’d get the chance to make one myself. This is way more interesting than working a job!"

"Tell me about it."

The two shared a smile and continued their work, moving around as they wove to gather more materials as needed.

The grass pouch Lin Chen wove was only the size of his palm. It could be hung from his waist or carried by a finger. At his speed, it only took him a few short minutes to finish.

But Jin Meiyan wasn’t satisfied with just that. Building on her experience weaving the flower crown yesterday, she learned quickly today. It only took her about half an hour to weave a grass basket roughly the size of the lunchbox.

So far, they hadn’t found anything edible on the island, so there was no point in weaving a bigger basket. She planned to use this one to hold crabs later.

With Lin Chen leading the way, they changed direction today, moving horizontally along one side of the central hill on the island.

The further they went to the side, the stronger the wind in the forest became, blowing in relentless gusts. Fortunately, it was only a level four or five at most, strong enough only to rustle the thin branches and leaves in the canopy.

"SKREEE~~"

A piercing cry cut through the dense foliage and reached their ears. They both looked up at the sky at almost the same time, but their view was blocked by a thick canopy of leaves.

"Sounds like some kind of eagle," Lin Chen said, shifting his gaze back and forth. He soon caught a glimpse of a black shadow flashing through a gap in the mottled leaves.

"It’s an eagle. They circle in the sky, waiting to snatch fish that surface. The sea here is shallow, but there aren’t many types of fish that school near the surface."

"Surfacing isn’t their natural behavior; they’re doing it simply to escape predators. This means there might be large marine creatures like sharks, dolphins, or whales lurking in the waters nearby. It could also be a school of tuna."

Gazing at the side of Lin Chen’s focused face, Jin Meiyan’s eyes sparkled with admiration. He had deduced so much from just a single cry.

It was hard not to feel safe around a man like him.

’At this moment, she even felt that if they encountered a Black Bear, Lin Chen would probably find a way to keep her safe.’

There really wasn’t much to eat in the forest during this season. Berries and fruits generally ripened in the fall, and the same went for most plants. In spring, there were only freshly sprouted shoots.

After wandering through the forest for over half an hour and finding nothing, Lin Chen immediately changed direction. He prepared to follow their original plan: to gather the roots of Spring Beauty Grass as their source of carbs for the day.

"Looks like we’ll have to make some fish traps and shrimp pots. Remember to collect some thin branches later. We’ll see if we have a better catch tomorrow morning."

"Mhm, whatever you say!"

She didn’t understand any of this anyway. Whatever Lin Chen said, she would do. She nodded obediently without hesitation.

Spring Beauty Grass was abundant in the forest during spring. They didn’t need to climb all the way to the top of the hill. Just by wandering along the water source near the foot of the hill, they quickly found a large patch.

He had originally intended to just take the roots, but Jin Meiyan thought it would be a waste to throw away such beautiful flowers. So, she took them along, planning to weave something for fun and practice her crafting skills.

After securing their carbohydrate intake, Lin Chen headed straight for the intertidal zone. He walked through the shallow water at the base of the seaside cliffs, an area littered with gravel and reefs, occasionally stopping on a rock to stare at the sea for a while.

Soon, he stopped at a shallow pool of water enclosed by several large boulders.

"There are many ways to make fish traps in the wild. You can use wood, vines, or grass. There are also specialized crab pots and shrimp pots."

"We’re short on time, and we didn’t rest well last night, so let’s make the simplest kind."

As he spoke, he began sticking the thin branches they had collected earlier into the mud and sand on the seabed one by one, planting them firmly. He placed another branch every two knuckles’ width until they formed a circle.

"Done."

"What?"

Jin Meiyan stared blankly at the circular fence of branches sticking out of the water. She never would have guessed that the so-called "simple fish trap" was just this.

"The gaps between the branches are so wide. If a fish can get in, it can definitely get out, right? Will this trap even work?"

"Haha, of course it’ll work. You’re giving fish too much credit."

Lin Chen looked around, pried some shellfish from a nearby rock, and cracked them open to expose the meat. He then casually tossed them into the center of the fish trap.

"The width of these branches is the standard for filtering fish by size. Fish larger than this can’t get in, and they usually don’t hang around in such shallow water anyway."

"Only fish smaller than or equal to this width can enter. The rules in the world of fish are very simple; it’s also survival of the fittest. Larger fish naturally have priority when it comes to feeding."

"A trap like this is simple, and it does involve a bit of a gamble, but it’s undoubtedly effective. I’m betting that a fish just big enough will come for my bait."

"A fish of that size will have to squeeze a little to get through the gaps to eat. After it’s done eating, it’ll find it can’t get back out."

"They only have two instincts in their brains: eating and avoiding predators. When there’s no food or predators nearby, they won’t try to escape the trap. Instead, they’ll treat it as a natural hiding spot."

"In other words, if we’re lucky, we might come back later and find one or even a few fish just chilling in here."

"Of course, to increase our odds, we need to set up a few more of these traps. We can also make shrimp and crab pots with narrower gaps. The principle is the same."

After his explanation, Jin Meiyan’s interest was piqued. She eagerly volunteered, gathering branches and heading nearby to set up more traps.

Lin Chen was happy to take a break, strolling leisurely nearby as she worked.

"The placement of the traps is also very important. You need to look for pools like the one just now, or areas near reefs that get submerged during high tide. It’s low tide right now, so any place that has water will be submerged later."

"You should also check the tide pools on the reef flats. You might find some unlucky critters that got left behind when the tide went out."

While he continuously shared tips about foraging by the sea, his gaze wasn’t fixed on the girl. Instead, he frequently glanced toward the opposite shore.

Yesterday, he had found traces of bear activity on the opposite shore and in the forest there. Since the two of them were foraging here, they definitely had to be on guard.

Bears are very lazy creatures. Unless they’re desperate with hunger because there’s no food in their territory, they normally wouldn’t bother wasting unnecessary energy.

Like crossing the sea.

Swimming is universally recognized as the most energy-consuming aerobic exercise, and that’s true for animals as well.

He didn’t think a bear that had just woken up from hibernation would be willing to expend a massive amount of energy to swim over and cause trouble for them. Even just cracking open shells to eat on the shore would be far more efficient.

That’s what he thought, but as a competent guide, he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility. He still had to pay close attention to his surroundings to prevent any unnecessary accidents.

Fortunately, his worry was for nothing. By the time Jin Meiyan had finished setting five traps and had spent another half an hour searching the reef flats, the opposite shore remained quiet.

Forget a bear; they didn’t even see the shadow of a single animal.

After searching for a long time and finding nothing, Jin Meiyan looked at Lin Chen pitifully. "There’s nothing to eat around here. Looks like our only option is the sea, huh?"

To be honest, she was interested in diving, but she found the process of drying her clothes and body to be a hassle.

Seawater itself is corrosive. Yesterday, after swimming, she had put her clothes on immediately without drying off, so they were soaked through. They had only been dried by the fire, not washed, so a lot of salt and heavy metals had already accumulated on the fabric.

If she went into the sea again, she would definitely have to wash her clothes. A ruined outfit was a small matter, but having the salt corrode her skin was a big one.

The problem was, to wash her clothes, she’d have to take them all off.

And she didn’t dare to be too far from Lin Chen, especially after learning about the bear, which left her with lingering fear.

This created a very awkward situation, and she didn’t know what to do.

"Are you tired? Do you want to go? If you’re not up for it, I can go by myself. You can wait for me on the shore and look after the little guy."

This trip was mainly for her, after all, so he naturally had to ask for her opinion.

"I really want to go, but I’m worried about after I get out of the water..."

She then briefly explained her concerns.

Lin Chen hadn’t expected her to think so far ahead. He nodded in agreement. "That is a problem, unless... Never mind. I’ll just go."

"Unless what?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just don’t think that method is suitable for a girl."

"Oh, come on, tell me. What if it is suitable?"

She was still thinking about diving for fish and catching crabs. The moment she heard Lin Chen might have a solution to her problem, her interest was instantly sparked.

"Uh, well, the method is actually simple. Just take off your outer clothes and go into the sea in your underwear, like yesterday. When you get out, don’t put your clothes back on right away. First, go to the stream and rinse your body with fresh water. Then, once you’re dressed again, you can wash your underwear by itself and then dry it."

After hearing his suggestion, Jin Meiyan froze for a moment. An image of the scene he described popped into her head, and a blush slowly crept up her fair cheeks.

It was indeed the only viable method at the moment, but just as he’d said, it wasn’t exactly suitable for a girl, especially when the two of them were alone.

However, tempted by the prospect of diving, she quickly made up her mind.

"Let’s do that. I already took my clothes off yesterday anyway. I’ll just pretend it’s a swimsuit; it’s not that weird."