Ding Shaoyang couldn't help but laugh when he heard Peng Xiaoyue's words. Many people were interested in their platoon leader, but not many would claim to be his fiancée. Seeing that Ding Shaoyang didn't say anything, Peng Xiaoyue lifted her foot to board the ship and said, "I'm going with you, I want to see him!"
Ding Shaoyang immediately stopped her and said, "Our leader has a message for you."
Peng Xiaoyue felt a glimmer of hope, but Ding Shaoyang suppressed his disdain and said, "Our leader said he doesn't have a fiancée. If anyone dares to disobey the discipline of the educated youth team, they can expect the team leader to report them directly to the educated youth office for strict punishment!"
These words frightened Peng Xiaoyue, causing her legs to weaken and her face to turn pale. She had initially thought that by coming all the way here, Lu Yanchen would at least show her some respect. But now it seemed that Lu Yanchen had no conscience whatsoever!
However, Peng Xiaoyue still refused to give up. Since she had arrived, she was determined to marry Lu Yanchen. They were originally arranged by their families, and Lu Yanchen had never even seen her before. She believed that as long as Lu Yanchen saw her, he would be willing to be with her!
She was the daughter of the Peng family, studied at a university and far superior to people like Gu Ling, who is an uneducated country bumpkin.
What's the point of being able to survive on the island? Those were meaningless things. Only a woman of culture like her was worthy of Lu Yanchen.
Peng Xiaoyue wanted to ask Ding Shaoyang when Lu Yanchen would arrive on the island, but Ding Shaoyang interrupted her by waving his hand and saying, "Thank you for the food. Next time, tell me if you need anything in advance, if I pass by here on my way inland, I'll come to you!"
In addition, Ding Shaoyang thought to himself that they would probably be stationed on this island in about two weeks. He used to not care which island they were on, as they were all the same with poor food and inadequate sleep. But this time, he was actually looking forward to it!
Ding Shaoyang quickly left, and the other educated youths went about their own business. Before going to bed that night, they held a meeting. It was supposed to be presided over by Li Haixia, but unexpectedly, Li Haixia smiled and said, "Let's listen to Gu Ling. Although I am the team leader, I feel like I have less knowledge stored in my brain than Gu Ling."
In the end, Gu Ling wasn't polite. After all, survival is the most important thing, and they must quickly establish the basic necessities of life.
She roughly listed the tasks for each person for the following day, and everyone nodded in agreement, except for Peng Xiaoyue, who seemed distracted.
After summarizing today's work and planning for tomorrow, everyone entered their shed to sleep.
Gu Ling lay on the ground, covered with a quilt, and thought that sleeping on the ground for a prolonged period was detrimental to the body. She decided to find a way to make a bed tomorrow.
The next morning at seven o'clock, a gentle sea breeze swept across the island, carrying with it the fragrant scent of trees and the invigorating aroma of the sea. Birds chirped, and several people got up one after another to freshen up. After eating some dry food, smoked fish, and mushrooms, they began their day's work.
The first step was to cut down the trees. Gu Ling was in charge of drawing, while several male educated youths were responsible for the physical labor. After working for half a day, they made three basic beds and placed them in three sheds. They also constructed a fence around the huts to deter unexpected attacks from wild animals. Gu Ling was concerned about the possibility of snakes and insects appearing, as it could be dangerous if someone were to get injured. To prevent this, she decided to plant some wild mugwort near the fence.
The small courtyard was considered complete with the addition of the fence. Gu Ling led everyone in sharpening tree branches into tools and energetically turned over the soil in the courtyard. They then watered it and planted some seeds that Ding Shaoyang had brought for them.
It was now early summer, making it more suitable for planting crops such as corn, sorghum, and sesame. Gu Ling looked through the bag of seeds that Ding Shaoyang had brought and was pleasantly surprised to find that there were even some vegetable seeds!
She didn't know what kind of vegetable seeds they were, but she simply scattered them all in the ground. After all, they could eat whatever grew.
After two days of hard work, they finally tidied up their living residence
After undergoing several repairs, the shed was transformed into a sturdy wooden house. The outside kitchen was also undergoing construction, and the yard was being renovated. Some seeds had already sprouted after just two days of being planted. Every morning, the educated youth would wake up and check the progress of the seeds.
Their daily routine consisted of building houses, watering the seeds in the fields, fishing, and picking wild fruits.
The group became increasingly familiar with the nearby forest, and they ventured further and further away.
Gu Ling and the other educated youths discovered mangoes, coconuts, pineapples, and even lychees!.
These fruits, which were sold for a high price on the mainland, could be enjoyed freely to their heart's content on the island, and they tasted exceptionally delicious. Fish and shrimp were also abundant in the sea, with new catches coming in almost every day.
They even caught a few rabbits and pheasants in traps that were set in the forest.
Gu Ling took charge of raising two hens in a small chicken coop, with the hope of collecting their eggs. The hens were productive, laying two fresh and warm eggs the next day.
Gu Ling planned to save the eggs for occasional consumption or to see if they could hatch into chicks.
As for the rabbits, Peng Xiaoyue couldn't help but feel tempted. "Let's eat rabbit meat. Rabbit meat is the most delicious!"
After eating fish, shrimp and fruits for a few days in a row, Peng Xiaoyue was craving for meat on land.
However, Gu Ling insisted on keeping the rabbits. "There isn't much meat on rabbits, so we can supplement our protein intake with fish and shrimp. We don't have to eat rabbits. Keeping them can also allow us to collect rabbit fur. When winter comes, we can make blankets or clothes," Gu Ling explained.
Everyone, except Peng Xiaoyue, agreed with Gu Ling's decision.
Peng Xiaoyue looked at Gu Ling, and for some reason, she felt a surge of inexplicable anger. She strongly disliked Gu Ling, but she didn't hate her enough to wish harm upon her. However, there was an occasional malicious thought that emerged from the depths of her heart, hoping that Gu Ling would disappear from the world.
Soon, Gu Ling and Li Haixia went to transplant some wildflowers near their living area.
With the addition of wildflowers, the wooden house instantly became more poetic and picturesque. Peng Xiaoyue turned her head away, annoyed.
Gu Ya was also feeling restless. Although her marriage to Yu Mingxin had been finalized, she had been feeling unwell for several days due to the criticism she had received recently.
She had trouble falling asleep at night and would wake up shortly after managing to close her eyes, experiencing severe headaches.
Under such circumstances, she couldn't have any coherent dreams and couldn't comprehend Gu Ling's situation on the island.
After taking the medicine twice, her condition seemed to improve slightly. However, Gu Ya still felt uncomfortable lying in bed, in a dazed state.
The medicine seemed to have side effects, as Gu Ya experienced some discomfort in her stomach. She got up to go to the bathroom but was surprised to hear someone at the front door just as she reached the bedroom door.
It was already early morning, so who could be at the door?
Her parents had been arguing fiercely before, but her mother, Sun Xiulan, had managed to reconcile with her father, Gu Changjian, in the past few days. Wasn't it agreed that Gu Changjian would take on temporary work, while Sun Xiulan continued working, and they would both strive to marry off their daughter, Gu Ya, and raise their son, Gu Xiaobin?
Gu Ya tiptoed to the back of the courtyard gate and heard her mother's deliberately hushed and somewhat anxious voice at the front door. "Sister Wang , I beg you, please don't discuss this matter. Didn't we agree not to tell anyone? It has been many years, and Yang Shan is long dead. Why bring it up again? Have you forgotten the benefits I gave you before?"
Gu Ya was shocked. Did her mother know some inside story about Gu Ling's biological mother's death that she didn't?