A Life Ashore

Chapter 4 - Acquaintances

As soon as I heard that, I became nervous. Was there a wild animal nearby?

However, after listening carefully for a while, I couldn't help but sigh. There was no strange sound, just the rustling of leaves caused by the sea breeze.

This woman was too timid.

But then again, in such a wilderness, even some men would be afraid.

Queenie grabbed my hand in her fear. I found it amusing. At this moment, why didn't you feel disgusted with me? Didn't you criticize me for getting too close to you yesterday?

I intended to mock her, but I was really tired and didn't want to chat with this woman. So I just lay down and fell asleep again.

When I woke up again, it was already the next morning.

To my surprise, Queenie had already gotten up before me. But for some reason, she didn't seem to dislike me as much as yesterday. She didn't nag or scold me for no reason.

Resting for a night, we quickly felt hungry again. Queenie wanted to take out the food, but I stopped her.

In her puzzled eyes, I walked towards the beach.

The beach on this island was not entirely sandy; there was some soft mud. I used a rectangular stone as a shovel, squatted down, and started digging the mud.

Soon, I dug up some small insects like earthworms.

Queenie asked me what I was doing, and I replied, "Finding something to eat."

She looked at me with disdain, "What are you doing, getting yourself all dirty? Are these earthworms the food you mentioned yesterday? Eat them yourself; I won't."

Queenie moved her feet away from me. At that moment, my hands and body were covered in mud, and she probably thought I was dirty. Moreover, the sight of those earthworms made her feel disgusted.

I didn't pay attention to her. Besides, earthworms, if needed, would be eaten even if they were disgusting. In the wilderness, one shouldn't be picky about food.

Of course, I wasn't going to eat them at this point. They were treasures for fishing. Without proper fishing gear, we couldn't catch fish, but I had another way!

In no time, I dug up a lot of earthworms wriggling on the ground.

Queenie stared at the sea sadly as if staring longer would summon a rescue ship.

I couldn't resist teasing her, picked up an earthworm, and threw it onto her. She screamed.

Under Queenie's angry gaze, I took a stone and smashed those earthworms into pieces, releasing a strong muddy smell.

I wrapped the crushed earthworms in leaves and put them into a prepared pit, pressing them down with stones.

Queenie, not understanding what I was doing, looked at me with confusion.

I didn't bother to explain and just chuckled, "Wait, at noon, we'll have something good to eat!"

She didn't believe me, "I don't believe you. Back in the company, you were good at slacking off and bragging, often affecting our performance. I wanted to fire you a long time ago."

Hearing her words, I felt a burst of anger. Damn it, it was Lillian Chester and Harold Locke, those scheming couple. Was I lazy and bragging? Did I affect the performance?

With their contribution, it seemed that in Queenie's eyes, I was just a worthless, lascivious, lazy bragger!

Queenie was so naive. She might end up counting money for someone who sold her one day!

I didn't bother explaining and just said, "Well, wait and see." Then, I turned and walked towards the bonfire.

Now there was some time before noon. I planned to gather more firewood and rest a bit to conserve energy.

Speaking of gathering firewood, Queenie became active. She worked hard and gathered a lot, thinking she could contribute.

She told me, "I'm the president of the company, even on this deserted island, my survival skills are not inferior to yours."

I casually agreed to her words, but in my heart, I couldn't help but sneer. How could a pampered girl like her not be worse than me?

Of course, I understood that this girl was just being stubborn. Deep down, she knew that, as a weak woman, she couldn't survive on this island without me. That was why her attitude towards me today became much milder.

And so, soon it was noon. I checked the sea conditions and felt it was about right. I hurriedly ran to where I had baited.

As expected, a big fish was swimming around in the water pit! "We have fish to eat!"

I couldn't help but swallow my saliva, happily laughing.

Queenie was also stunned. She didn't expect me to actually get some food, and it was such a big fish. She couldn't hide her excitement, and her mouth was watering.

Indeed, we were really hungry.

I jumped into the water pit to catch the fish, and Queenie curiously asked me how I did it.

I explained that I had noticed the strange tide pattern in the seawater around this island.

Around noon, there would be a one to two-hour high tide, flooding the water pit. The strong smell of the dead earthworms I placed in the pit would attract many fish during high tide. When the tide receded, some delicious creatures would be left behind for us to harvest.

Soon, I managed to catch a large fish from the water, seemingly a grouper. Its taste must be exquisite. Besides the grouper, there were also several crabs and some small fish and shrimp.

Originally, according to the rules of fishermen, we should release the small fish and shrimp back into the sea. However, considering our current situation stranded on a deserted island, survival was a pressing concern, so I didn't adhere to that rule.

Queenie and I returned with a bountiful harvest, both in high spirits.

Quickly, I set up a makeshift barbecue rack on the beach. I took out the fish and grilled it, while turning the small fish and shrimp into skewers.

My culinary skills proved to be excellent. Soon, the large fish was grilled to perfection, releasing a tantalizing aroma. The golden drops of oil dripped onto the fire, producing a sizzling sound.

Queenie was salivating with anticipation.

We indulged in the feast, savoring every bite. The sensation was beyond words.

The fish was indeed large, estimated to be around four pounds, more than enough for both of us.

At this moment, Queenie abandoned her ladylike demeanor and ate quickly. Of course, I didn't hold back either. We were truly hungry, and even without any seasoning, the fish I grilled still tasted delicious.

After eating enough, Queenie looked at me with some gratitude, "I misunderstood you this time. I didn't expect you to have some skills. Thank you!"

I said, "Now you know I'm not just a bragger, right? In the company..."

I hesitated for a moment, wanting to explain who I really was. Otherwise, this frustration was getting hard to bear.

However, just as I was about to speak, the bushes on the beach suddenly shook violently.

It surprised me, and I immediately had a bad feeling. Could it be that the smell of our grilled fish attracted some large wild animals?

Seeing Queenie still oblivious, I quickly pounced on her, pressing her down.

Queenie was stunned by my sudden move, thinking I was trying to do something inappropriate. She was about to scream.

"Shut up! Something is coming!"

I whispered.

Hearing my words, Queenie also became anxious. Both of us dared not to make any noise.

To my surprise, what came out of the woods was not a large wild animal but two people. Moreover, these two people were familiar to me – Lillian Chester and Harold Locke, that scheming couple!