Returning a bit late, Ling Shuying corralled the fish in the sea and hurried over to tend to the kiln.
Sure enough, the temperature had dropped significantly, down to 800 degrees.
Ling Shuying frantically blew on the embers, fanned the flames, and added more firewood, finally managing to pull the temperature back up to 1,100 degrees.
However, this meant the melting process would take much longer to complete.
But she had plenty of time.
When surviving on a deserted island, the one thing you never lacked was time.
“Let whoever wants to be anxious be anxious.
I’m not in a hurry at all,” Ling Shuying hummed, speaking to herself.
“Right, Qing Ling?” This time, she spoke to Qing Ling.
She didn’t wander far this time, opting to head to the nearby shallow waters to see if she could forage any other seafood, such as…
Forest Shadow Crabs?
Stone Oysters?
After circling the area, she found absolutely nothing, and neither did Qing Ling.
She glanced up at the sun—which was already sinking in the west but still hanging in the sky—and pursed her lips before walking away.
If there was nothing readily available, then she would just have to go into the water and harvest it herself!
She knew of a type of shrimp that could be caught in the shallows, though how much she could gather depended entirely on luck.
The Iron-Plated Blind Shrimp.
It loved to burrow and inhabit the sandy seabed; it had a hard outer shell and incredibly tender, delicious meat.
Ling Shuying used to eat this shrimp often when she was a child.
Later on, due to severe seawater pollution, it gradually disappeared from dining tables altogether.
However, Wave Ruins was virtually unpolluted.
Perhaps she could give it a try.
Barefoot, Ling Shuying chose a slightly steep section of the shore and waded into the water.
She bent over, running her hands along the seabed as the ocean currents washed over it.
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
The seawater surged gently.
The surf lapped against her body, white as splashing stars.
A faint, subtle vibration transmitted through the water.
Ling Shuying knew exactly what it was and immediately began digging gently next to the source of the vibration.
She carefully dug out a funnel-shaped sand pit about thirty centimeters deep, with a narrow opening and a wide base.
She then scooped up a handful of decomposed algae mud and spread it at the bottom of the pit as bait.
This way, the blind shrimp would be trapped in the sand layer when the tide went out.
After that, all she had to do was wait for the harvest.
In the meantime, Ling Shuying went back to add firewood a few more times to maintain the kiln’s temperature.
She retrieved the Leaping Wave Flying Fish she had corralled in the water.
She sliced one of the fish into thin fillets and hung them up in the sea breeze to dry.
In just forty-eight hours, they would become wind-dried fish fillets.
As for the other fish, she gutted it, cleaned it thoroughly, rubbed it with some salt and lemon juice, wrapped it in Perilla leaves, and left it to marinate quietly for a while.
By the time she finished all of this, the sun had almost completely set, and the glass was just about fully melted.
The contents sloshed slightly as she carried it with extreme caution, terrified of spilling it.
Looking down, the materials inside the coconut shell had transformed into a flowing liquid glass.
Although some black ash had fallen in during the process, the glittering, liquid substance was still clearly visible.
Step four: Shaping.
The mold had been prepared well in advance.
Ling Shuying set the material aside and carefully poked at it with a wooden stick, tilting the coconut shell to a specific angle to let the substance slowly pour out.
SWISH, SWISH!
Not too fast, and not too slow.
Maintaining this delicate balance, she gradually applied more force until all the material was poured out, filling the entire mold perfectly.
Ling Shuying originally wanted to pick the ash off the surface of the liquid, but she realized that the more she tried, the more ash seemed to appear.
Eventually, she simply gave up trying.
Let it be black, then!
Step five: Annealing.
The sky was getting dark, and the temperature was gradually dropping.
Under these conditions, if the temperature difference was too drastic, it would cause the glass to heat unevenly and shatter.
Therefore, Ling Shuying opted to place the mold containing the “liquid glass” back into the warm pile of ashes, allowing it to cool slowly.
With all of this done, it was time to make dinner.
It was another cozy dinnertime.
Ever since arriving on the island, for some unknown reason, Ling Shuying didn’t eat much—only two meals a day—yet she still felt full of energy.
Perhaps it was because of Qing Ling?
Or maybe the beautiful natural scenery had nourished her?
She certainly hadn’t skimped on drinking coconut water, though.
Ling Shuying shook her head, recalling her time back in the City State.
Back then, she would eat hotpot all day after finishing her meetings.
She would gorge endlessly on spicy beef tallow broth and sesame paste like a bottomless pit.
It was nothing like her current lifestyle.
Fish soup~ Grilled fish~ Roasted fish bones~
Humming a little tune, Ling Shuying skipped merrily toward her kitchen.
Then, she paused.
She almost forgot about her “seafood”!
Ling Shuying slapped her forehead.
She had been busy for so long that she nearly forgot.
Thankfully she remembered, otherwise all the shrimp would have escaped during tomorrow’s high tide.
Jogging over to the spot where she had set the shrimp trap, Ling Shuying was left dumbfounded.
It was completely packed to the brim with shrimp!
A mass of large, green-shelled shrimp were clustered in the sand pit, stepping on top of each other and cramming the hole full.
A few more were even relentlessly trying to burrow their way inside.
How could she possibly finish all of this!
However, why take the whole ocean when a single cup will do!
Disregarding the sheer quantity, Ling Shuying simply grabbed two shrimp that were as big as her hand.
That would be more than enough for her to enjoy tonight.
As for the rest, she would let them play around on their own.
They were delicious and easy to catch, so having them again wouldn’t be difficult.
She scooped up a handful of sea mud from the water, filled a coconut shell with it, tossed the shrimp inside, and then used pieces of the coconut shell to seal and wrap it up tight. Read the latest chapters at novelping dot com.
This would keep the internal environment at a constant temperature of four degrees Celsius to preserve freshness.
Hugging the coconut to her chest, she strolled slowly along the sunset beach.
SPLASH, SPLASH!
The ocean waves crashed.
Every footprint she left behind was immediately washed smooth by the crystal-clear, glass-like seawater, stirring up layers of sand.
Occasionally, she could even spot jellyfish on the beach—some over half a meter wide and in various shapes, just lying there on the sand.
Ling Shuying kept walking without paying them much mind.
There was food scattered everywhere; she could just come back and gather it to eat tomorrow.
Right now, she merely wanted to walk in the fading glow of the sunset on the beach and quietly enjoy this peaceful moment.
Ling Shuying didn’t head home until the sun had completely set.
She took out the shrimp, rinsed them once with seawater, and removed their heads.
Without even bothering to remove the sand veins, she tossed them straight into the boiling water to cook alongside the fish bones.
She conveniently placed the flying fish’s wing bones over the fire, waiting for them to roast until crispy.
Then, she buried the Perilla leaves wrapping the flying fish into the ashes, letting the residual heat slowly roast the meat.
BUBBLE, BUBBLE!
The water was boiling vigorously, slowly simmering into a milky-white broth.
She tossed in a bundle of kelp, and when it was just about done, she sprinkled in a little salt for flavor.
The savory, aromatic scent of the fish soup wafted out.
CRACK, CRACK!
The firewood popped twice, almost as if it were getting greedy for a taste, too.
Actually, this soup didn’t need salt for seasoning, but Ling Shuying was still a bit unaccustomed to eating it plain.
She scooped a portion out, blew on it, and set it aside to cool.
She took out the leaf-wrapped roasted fish, and a fresh, fragrant aroma immediately assailed her nostrils.
The crispy bone wings were also done roasting, and Ling Shuying took a bite of one first.
It was incredibly crunchy, and very rich in calcium.
After eating wild vegetables for several consecutive days, she finally got to change up her palate today.
Delicious fish soup, crispy roasted fish bones, roasted fish radiating the aroma of Perilla and lemon, and incredibly chewy blind shrimp.
An all-seafood feast!
It was so lavish that even if a castaway were to show up, she could spare a bite for him!
“What should I eat tomorrow?
Crabs?
Or maybe catch a bigger fish?
Should I head south to dig up some oysters?
I’m the only person on this island, so there’s definitely enough seafood to eat.
If only I had some white rice…
or a few more side dishes…” Ling Shuying pondered over tomorrow’s menu while eating in small, delicate bites.
Her imagination ran wild, and she felt absolutely no rush at all.
“Qing Ling, I’m treating you to some fish soup!
It’s your first time drinking it, isn’t it?”
Regardless, she had all the time in the world to enjoy every single moment.