Now that they had moved into the "New House," they naturally had to celebrate.
Apart from the little each of them had tasted that first day, the fruit wine they had brought back from the wild apple grove had remained untouched. Today, it finally came in handy.
Chu Xiu and the four women gathered in the front hall.
During this time, Chu Xiu had used his spare moments to fell trees with his Wolverine Claws and dry plenty of timber, making quite a few pieces of furniture for their rooms.
A table now stood in the center of the front hall. The five of them sat around it, with all kinds of food covering its surface.
Roast meat, lettuce, wild vegetable dumplings, spirit rice...
Chu Xiu fetched a large parcel of fruit wine wrapped in tough leaves that served as a container, while Shui Bing'er placed a Seashell in front of each person.
"Come on, today's a good day. Let's have a little wine to celebrate."
"Everyone, pick up your Seashells. I'll fill them for you."
Holding the parcel of fruit wine, Chu Xiu filled everyone's Seashell to the brim.
Naturally fermented fruit wine certainly couldn't compare with wine made using modern methods. It tasted slightly raw and wasn't quite sweet enough.
But for people surviving on a deserted island, it was already a rare treat.
"Cheers, everyone."
"May our lives grow happier and better."
"Cheers."
Ning Rongrong, Shui Bing'er, Qian Renxue, and Ah Yin all raised their Seashells. Chu Xiu raised his own and clinked it against theirs before draining it in one gulp.
It tasted faintly bitter at first, then slowly left a sweet aftertaste.
Even Ning Rongrong, who disliked bitterness most of all, drank nearly half a Seashell in one go.
As they drank and enjoyed the delicious food, the mood grew increasingly lively. Even Ning Rongrong and Qian Renxue seemed to have thawed their old grievances, beginning to address each other as sisters.
The fruit wine didn't burn much going down, but it packed quite a kick afterward.
Gradually, some of them began blacking out.
Ning Rongrong was the first to go down. Chu Xiu picked her up and carried her back to her room. By the time he returned, Shui Bing'er and Ah Yin had also reached their limits.
"Chu Xiu, we're full. You and Sister Xue carry on. Sister Ah Yin and I are going to rest."
Her eyes hazy with drink, Shui Bing'er came over and leaned into Chu Xiu's arms as she spoke.
Half-drunk, she was remarkably bold, even tilting her head up and planting a forceful kiss on his lips.
Then, giggling foolishly, she and Ah Yin supported each other as they returned to their rooms.
"I'm full too."
Qian Renxue stood up as well.
Of everyone present, she held her liquor fairly well and looked completely unaffected.
Chu Xiu, on the other hand, looked a little drunk.
"Are you still eating? If not, go get some rest. I'll clean up."
Qian Renxue continued.
"Then I'll leave the cleanup to you."
Chu Xiu had felt fine while eating and drinking, but after getting up to carry Ning Rongrong back to her room, a gust of wind had brought the alcohol rushing to his head.
He returned to his room in a daze, lay down, and fell straight asleep.
When he woke, it was already the next morning.
The light inside the cave was dim. Only after getting up did Chu Xiu discover that all the women were still sleeping in, with no one even keeping watch.
"We let ourselves go too much yesterday. This won't do."
Chu Xiu washed his face and headed toward Ah Yin's room.
Ah Yin was having a lovely dream. In it, she had returned to the city and was living happily with Tang Hao and Tang San as a family of three.
"Ah Yin, I missed you so much."
"I missed you too."
The surroundings shifted. Tang San disappeared, and Ah Yin and Tang Hao found themselves in a bedroom.
Tang Hao lowered his head, and Ah Yin closed her eyes in his embrace.
They fell together into bed, holding each other, and were soon bare before one another. Suddenly, Ah Yin sensed something wrong. Her eyes flew open, and she cried out in alarm.
"No, you can't."
In the dim cave room, Chu Xiu's smile was particularly lewd.
"What do you mean, I can't? Weren't you enjoying yourself just now?"
"Y-you... you're talking nonsense."
Ah Yin clung to her bottom line, her face so red it looked ready to bleed. "Rongrong is in the room next door. If you want to do that, you can go to her."
"Or go to Bing'er. She'll definitely be willing too."
"Silly girl, I came to you precisely because you're unwilling."
Chu Xiu chuckled. "Haven't you heard? The fruit you can't have smells the sweetest."
Chu Xiu had originally come to remind Ah Yin that, whenever no one else was keeping watch, she would have to take over.
First, she held the lowest place in Chu Xiu's heart.
Second, her sensing ability was the best means of ensuring the other women's safety.
But seeing how happy she looked in her dreams, Chu Xiu thought it might have something to do with Tang San, and his anger immediately surged.
"Don't."
Ah Yin curled up, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Chu Xiu, I know you're a good person. You've done so much these past few days, and I'm just as grateful to you and trusting of you as everyone else. You can't treat me like this."
"That's where you're wrong. Good people should receive good rewards. Otherwise, where's the justice in this world?"
Chu Xiu wore a perfectly serious expression. Who understood reasoning better than he did?
"Well..."
Ah Yin felt his words made so much sense that she stammered for ages without finding a way to refute them.
But she absolutely couldn't betray her Brother Hao.
That left her in a terrible bind.
"How about this?"
Chu Xiu suddenly sounded magnanimous. "I won't make things difficult for you. I'll give you two choices, and you can pick either one. How's that?"
Ah Yin's eyes lit up, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"What choices?"
"First, lie still. I won't cross your bottom line, but you can't refuse anything else I do."
"Second, I'll lie down, and you take the initiative. Whatever method you use, I'll let you off once you satisfy me."
"Take your pick."
Chu Xiu spoke with a wicked grin.
Ah Yin actually began considering it seriously. After a while, she made her difficult choice.
"I choose the second."
Ah Yin's voice was firm, as though she had steeled herself with tremendous resolve.
She had never chosen the second option before, but compared with the first, which she absolutely couldn't accept, this was her only choice.
"Chu Xiu? Are you up?"
"I'm coming in, okay?"
Standing outside Chu Xiu's room, Ning Rongrong called softly twice. When she received no answer, she walked straight in.
"Huh? Why isn't anyone here?"
The room was empty, with no sign of Chu Xiu.
"Who says no one's here? Aren't you someone?"
Chu Xiu's voice came from behind her.
Ning Rongrong turned and immediately frowned. "Why is your face so red? And why does that smell on you seem familiar?"
Ning Rongrong suddenly widened her eyes, planted her hands on her hips, and stamped her foot. "Did you go to Shui Bing'er?"
"No, I went to Ah Yin."
"You're lying."
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth. "Sister Ah Yin is such a proper woman, and all she thinks about is her family. She'd never fool around with you."
"I knew that little hussy Shui Bing'er wouldn't behave. I guarded against her for so long, but she still found her chance."
Chu Xiu shrugged. "I told you, it really wasn't her."
"I don't care."
Ning Rongrong gave a cold laugh, her smile sly. "To stop her from coming to you again, I'm moving in here and sleeping with you starting tonight."
Chu Xiu froze, then quickly caught on.
The little minx's jealousy was fake. Her real goal was to find an excuse to move in with him.
It seemed he had neglected her during these past few days of digging out the cave.
"Fine, move in if you want. Just wait and see how I wear you out," Chu Xiu said with a smile.
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