“Qing Ling, did you see that?
It’s raining big fat fish.”
Seeing two plump sea fish flapping on the ground, Ling Shuying immediately relaxed and leaned against the window with a smile.
“Qing Ling, isn’t that novel?
Such big fat fish falling from the sky,” she said, her eyes sweeping her surroundings.
Fish rain wasn’t an uncommon phenomenon.
Generally, if a fast-spinning waterspout—a Sea Dragon tornado—formed over the ocean, it could suck up water and everything in it into the clouds, carrying them via strong winds on a long “journey” before dropping them elsewhere.
What these waterspouts usually carried were small fish or unhatched eggs.
Therefore, the fish in a typical fish rain were not large, at most the thickness of a finger.
However, the two fish before her eyes looked to be around five pounds each.
It was impossible for a waterspout to blow them away.
Unless…
Ling Shuying focused her vision, squinting as she scanned outside the window.
It was incredibly faint, but Ling Shuying acutely caught it—a piercing gaze hidden in the underbrush like a wild beast.
The moment Ling Shuying met those eyes, they flashed and quickly retreated into the curtain of rain, disappearing completely.
She smiled somewhat helplessly and casually popped another piece of shrimp into her mouth.
She simply leaned against the window, listening to the sound of the rain, ultimately deciding not to go out and pick up the fish.
The next day.
The damp air carried the fresh scent of mud and leaves as Ling Shuying slowly unlocked and opened the door.
Shortly before sunrise, she could still hear the two fish occasionally flapping on the ground, but now they were completely dead.
Ling Shuying wiped the mud off the fish.
She couldn’t recognize the species, but they looked ordinary enough and lacked any unusual organs.
They were likely edible.
“Qing Ling, what do you think this person was thinking, coming to deliver fish in the heavy rain?”
Ling Shuying picked up one in each hand, feeling a bit troubled.
Although resources on the island were scarce, receiving two such large, meaty fish all at once left her at a loss for what to do with them, other than drying them into jerky.
Perhaps…
Ling Shuying imperceptibly scanned the area, tilted her head with a mysterious smile, and walked into the forest carrying the fish.
She thought, “I want to see just what kind of background this wild woman has.”
Not far behind Ling Shuying, that pair of eyes remained hidden in the jungle, blinking as they intensely observed her reactions.
There were no other dangers in the forest.
Ling Shuying carried the fish to the small stream and placed them on the water’s surface.
She used the flowing water to wash away the mud, gutted them, removed the offal and impurities, rinsed out the blood, and cleaned them thoroughly.
Afterward, she carried the fish over to the patch of wild leeks.
Moving on, she continued her harvest along the way, gathering ingredients like wild peppercorn and lemongrass.
By a warm, damp path, she even picked a sprig of rosemary.
She stuffed all the spices into the fish.
Upon returning home, she added two slices of lemon into each, scored the sides of the fish with a few cuts, and skewered them straight through with thin, long branches, making two skewers.
Yesterday’s rain had soaked all the wood, making it impossible to find dry kindling outside.
She simply grabbed a handful of salt and took the fish indoors to roast.
Once the fire was lit, the flames slowly rose in the fireplace, gradually radiating heat.
Ling Shuying meticulously observed the fire’s temperature, rotating the fish to control their exposure to the heat.
Flip, sprinkle salt, flip again—until the aroma of roasted fish mixed with lemon wafted from the fireplace.
The fish weren’t fully cooked yet, but the fragrance was already drifting out through the chimney.
Feeling that the scent wasn’t strong enough and wouldn’t travel far enough, Ling Shuying threw all the doors and windows wide open.
Before long, the aroma permeated the area, filling every inch of the surrounding air.
Holding a skewer in one hand, Ling Shuying took a bite of the fish and let out a feigned sigh.
“Sigh, Qing Ling, how can I possibly finish all this fish?
I’ll just leave it in the kitchen for now!
“The seabirds are so rampant around here.
If I come back late, it will definitely get stolen and eaten, so I’d better return early.”
Saying this, she left one fish in the kitchen.
Holding the other, she munched on it as she headed toward the Sea Erosion Cave to tend to her algae seedlings.
When she returned, unsurprisingly, the roasted fish was gone.
Looking at the deliberate signs of cleaning left in the kitchen, a smile tugged at Ling Shuying’s heartstrings.
Night fell.
Nothing happened during the night, but before the sun rose, two more fish appeared at her doorstep.
This time, the fish were not as plump but had a lean and muscular look to them, appearing quite firm and chewy.
“Qing Ling, this person even knows how to mix up their deliveries,” Ling Shuying laughed, repeating yesterday’s process.
Wash, gut, stuff with spices, skewer, and roast.
For several days in a row, fish were delivered to Ling Shuying’s door every morning.
As usual, she roasted two fish each day, eating one herself and leaving the other out.
By the fifth day, she knew the fish had completely swallowed the hook; all that was left was to reel it in.
This time, she left the fish inside the house with the door wide open, saying faintly, “Qing Ling, the fish have been getting smaller and smaller these past few days.
I can’t even get full anymore. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“The Basic Algae is finally about to sprout, so I have to tend to it diligently.
We’ll be able to eat white flour soon, Qing Ling, white flour!”
With that, she headed toward the Sea Erosion Cave.
As soon as Ling Shuying left, a figure hidden in the shadows stared at the open door, hesitating and pacing back and forth.
In the end, smelling the aroma wafting from the house, the person couldn’t hold back any longer.
Following the scent, she slipped inside, grabbed the roasted fish by the fireplace, and turned to leave.
Suddenly, with a loud SLAM, her vision darkened.
The door had closed, and a figure blocked her path.
It was none other than Ling Shuying.
She stood with her arms crossed, holding a bone-spike dagger in one hand, silently watching the person in front of her.
Qing Ling was operating at full computing power, continuously analyzing the person’s physical metrics and predicting her next move.
Without a doubt, this person was the wild woman from that day.
Being this close, Ling Shuying finally got a clear look at her appearance.
Her hair was naturally messy and frizzy, but it was much tidier than when they were at the beach, tied back with a hairband made from an unknown plant.
Her face was neither delicate nor dull; rather, it possessed a heroic spirit born of the wild mountains.
She was half a head taller than Ling Shuying and well-muscled, clearly possessing formidable wilderness combat capabilities.
But Ling Shuying wasn’t the slightest bit afraid.
After fusing with Qing Ling, her physical constitution was extraordinarily strong.
Any coconut this wild woman could crack open, she could too.
Moreover, the room was cramped, and Ling Shuying was armed with a bone-spike dagger, giving her the advantage in close-quarters combat.
“Is the roasted fish delicious?” she asked.
“Why are you stealing my fish?
Speak.
Just who exactly are you?”
The wild woman looked down at the frail-looking girl who was half a head shorter than her.
She wanted to bolt out the door, but it was completely blocked.
She wanted to swat this person away with a backhand, but she still had half a bite of the other’s roasted fish in her mouth.
Caught in a dilemma, her dark face flushed red to the tips of her ears.
Finally, she stammered out a single sentence:
“The fish…
you clearly left it for me to eat…
how does that count as stealing?”