Desert Island Infrastructure: Claiming the System Brings Many Blessings

Lin Shishi didn't speak, but buried her head even deeper, clutching the front of Qin Chuan's clothes with both hands.

The two leaned against each other quietly under the tree for a while.

Qin Chuan stood up first and patted the grass clippings off his clothes.

"Let's go, we still have work to do. The rubber and yarn need to be transported back, it's not good to sit here all day."

Lin Shishi hummed in agreement and stood up as well.

The two returned to the area where they had collected yarn, rolled up the sorted yarn threads, and tied them together with thick yarn. Then they walked back to the rubber plantation.

Qin Chuan used a folding knife to cut special drainage channels in the trunks of several rubber trees, allowing the latex to flow along the cut lines to the base of the trees. He then placed several large coconut shells under the roots to collect the latex.

"We'll cut it open to drain the latex today, and then collect it tomorrow. It takes some time for the latex to fully drain."

Lin Shishi helped by handing over tools.

The two of them divided the yarn into several large bundles. Qin Chuan carried most of it on his back, while Lin Shishi carried a smaller portion, and they headed towards the camp.

Along the way, Lin Shishi also found several clumps of wild herbs on the ground, including broad-leaved plants that looked like blue plantain and yellow flowers that resembled dandelions.

She picked them one by one and gathered them in the corner of her clothes.

"This can clear heat, and this can relieve pain. Take it back and make some tea for Sister Fan. She must be having an upset stomach during her period."

Qin Chuan felt a warmth in his heart as he watched her squatting in the grass, diligently picking herbs.

This girl just went through something like that, and she's already starting to worry about others.

The two walked and stopped frequently, finally returning to the camp around noon.

The camp was bustling with activity.

Yang Mimi and Liu Yifei returned earlier than Qin Chuan and Lin Shishi.

A half-split coconut shell sat on the fire in the middle of the courtyard, containing some white crystalline chunks. These were coarse salts they had scraped back from the salt flats by the sea, which had been initially filtered and concentrated through evaporation.

Yang Mimi squatted down beside them, stirring the contents of the coconut shell with a stick while talking to Fan Yubing.

"Sister Fan, look, this salt is alright, isn't it? Although it's not refined salt, it's enough for cooking. I also found some wild ginger in the woods, which can be chopped up to remove the fishy smell. There are also a few leaves from some tree I don't know, which smell like Sichuan peppercorns. I'll try making fish soup with them tonight."

Fan Yubing sat on a wooden post at the entrance of the cabin, looking unwell, one hand pressed against her lower abdomen. It was indeed the first day of her period; she was hunched over, her expression somewhat strained.

"You do your thing, don't talk to me, I don't want to move right now."

Yang Mimi pursed her lips, but didn't continue nagging.

When Qin Chuan and Lin Shishi returned, Yang Mimi was the first to see what they were carrying.

"What's that? A white blob?"

Qin Chuan put the yarn in the yard, and Lin Shishi put hers down as well.

"Yarn," Qin Chuan said.

Yang Mimi was stunned: "Knitting? What knitting?"

"Grows on trees."

Yang Mimi stood up from the ground, walked over, squatted down, and reached out to touch the fibers.

"My God, it feels just like yarn! What kind of tree is this? It's amazing!"

Liu Yifei also came over to take a look, picked up a thin strand, rubbed it between her fingers, and then pulled it.

"The toughness is good, and the fiber structure seems very uniform. It would be great if it could actually be used to weave things."

Lin Shishi had already squatted down and started sorting. She separated the coarse and fine pieces, and then further subdivided them into three or four grades according to their thickness.

"The thickest yarn can be used to knit thick sweaters, the kind you wear in winter. Medium yarn can be used to knit thin shirts, even for wearing next to the skin. The thinnest yarn can be used to knit socks and gloves, and can also be used to mend clothes."

Upon hearing this, Fan Yubing tilted her head from the wooden stake and glanced at it.

"Can you knit?"

"I learned to knit from my mom when I was little; I've knitted scarves and gloves."

Fan Yubing's eyes flickered. She was only wearing one outfit right now—a tank top and a short skirt. It was fine in the hot weather, but it would be a disaster if it got cold later.

Moreover, the shoulder straps of the tank top were already loose, and there was no needle and thread to fix them, so they kept falling down when I wore them.

"Then teach me," Fan Yubing said, her tone unusually gentle.

Lin Shishi smiled and said, "Okay, Sister Fan is so skillful, she'll definitely learn quickly."

Yang Mimi raised her hand: "I want to learn too! I want to learn too!"

Liu Yifei didn't speak, but she also took a strand of fine yarn in her hand and silently looked at Lin Shishi's classification method.

Qin Chuan watched the women chattering away around a pile of yarn and felt quite pleased.

Although yarn is something you can't eat or drink, it can greatly improve your quality of life.

Having clothes to wear makes a difference in one's sense of security.

Qin Chuan handed over the yarn to them and then told everyone about another discovery he had made that day.

"I also found a grove of rubber trees in the forest. The trunks secrete natural latex, which can be collected and processed to make many things. Cups, bowls, waterproof cloths, mattresses, pillows, you name it."

Liu Yifei reacted the most strongly upon hearing this.

"Rubber trees? Are you sure?"

"Confirmed. I've already cut the drainage channel. I can collect the adhesive tomorrow."

Liu Yifei thought for a few seconds, then said, "If it's natural latex, it needs to be heated to solidify before it can be shaped. The temperature needs to be around 60 or 70 degrees Celsius. Heating it with fire might not result in a very even distribution..."

Qin Chuan nodded: "We can figure this out slowly, it's better than nothing."

Yang Mimi's eyes lit up: "A pillow! I want a pillow! I sleep with that pile of hay on my head every night, and it hurts my head. My neck is stiff the next day."

Fan Yubing perked up, and although her stomach was still aching, she kept talking: "I want a mattress. That wooden plank bed is too hard; my bones crack when I turn over."

Qin Chuan waved his hand: "Take it one step at a time, there's no rush. Let's collect the glue first."

It's lunchtime.

Yang Mimi has fully recovered and volunteered to take on the task of cooking.

She used the coarse salt and wild ginger she had collected to re-season the leftover grilled fish from yesterday, then wrapped the fish in large banana leaves and steamed it in hot ashes.

This method is much better than baking directly.

The fish is wrapped in banana leaves to prevent moisture loss, and with the addition of salt and wild ginger, it becomes incredibly fragrant after being braised.

Fan Yubing took a bite, and her expression changed.

"tasty."

Yang Mimi proudly raised her chin: "Of course, a food blogger's skills are no joke."

Lin Shishi brewed a bowl of herbal tea and handed it to Fan Yubing: "Sister Fan, drink some of this, it will relieve the pain and warm your stomach."

Fan Yubing glanced at the bowl of greenish water, frowned, and still picked it up and took a sip. It was so bitter it made her face contort, but she resisted the urge to vomit.

"It's really bitter."

"Good medicine tastes bitter."

Fan Yubing rolled her eyes at Lin Shishi, but still finished drinking the bowl of medicine.

After lunch, there wasn't much food left. We'd almost finished the seafood from yesterday, the wild boar meat had been gone for the past two days, and the mangoes and coconuts were also running low.

The combined food intake of five people means that their daily energy expenditure is considerable.

Qin Chuan knew it was time to go hunting.