First Home

Having eaten their fill and with their wounds properly tended to...

The construction work continued!

When the last vine was tightly pulled and tied into a dead knot—

A simple raft, about three meters long and two meters wide...

Impressively appeared in the clearing inside the cave!

Carrying the original fresh scent of wood and the moist breath of vines!

Rough and simple, yet very sturdy!

Then...

Fang Qi plopped his butt right onto the ground!

Panting heavily!

His arms were so sore he couldn't even lift them! His fingers burned with pain, and his lower back felt like it was going to break!

Sweat soaked his entire body; his T-shirt could be wrung out.

He looked up at the rocky ceiling of the cave, with only one thought in his mind:

Today is definitely a no-go...

A bed...

I desperately need a bed right now...

"Master! Master!"

An excitedly trembling voice came from beside his ear.

Fang Qi forced himself to turn his head—

Liguang right now... was lying completely flat on the raft!

She lay on her side, one fair leg bent, her bare foot gently rubbing against the rough surface of the raft.

Her silver hair spread out, draped over the dark wood like flowing moonlight.

Propping her head up with one hand, her other hand...

Was stroking the edge of the raft over and over, unable to bear parting with it!

Her heterochromatic eyes were stunningly bright, the red glow in her crimson eye flickering with her excited breaths, illuminating the entire raft!

She muttered, her voice sweet, trembling, and frantic:

"From today on... the raft... is also Liguang's treasure... just like Little Star..."

She pressed her cheek against the wood, rubbing it, feeling its temperature and texture:

"Liguang wants... wants to be with Master..."

"Drift to the end of the world... forever... forever..."

Fang Qi: "..."

His mouth twitched.

Then he struggled to get up, stumbled over to the raft, raised his hand—

"Smack."

He patted Liguang's fluffy head, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

"What end of the world!"

Fang Qi said grumpily, his voice hoarse from exhaustion:

"We are going to use this thing to float to the shore! Find a place where no one knows us and live a normal life! Bask in the sun! Eat big meals! Sleep in a big bed!"

Liguang let out an "Mhm," then looked up, her face showing an infatuated expression that screamed, "That's so romantic too!"

Fang Qi couldn't help but rub his nose, his tone softening:

"But this raft is indeed the fruit of both our efforts."

"Once we settle down... we'll keep it as a souvenir!"

Liguang blinked.

Then she rolled over, lay on her back on the raft, and reached out both hands toward Fang Qi:

"Master, hug!"

Fang Qi: "..."

He looked at his trembling hands, then at Liguang's rogue little "I don't care, I want it" look.

Finally, he resigned himself to his fate, bent down, scooped her up from the raft, and pulled her into his arms.

As her soft, warm body entered his embrace, there was still that pleasant sweet strawberry scent, mixed with the fragrance of forest soil.

The silver-haired girl immediately wrapped around him like an octopus!

Her arms circled his neck, her cheek buried in his sweaty collarbone, rubbing contentedly.

"Liguang knows..."

Her voice was muffled, but carried a smile:

"Liguang was just joking..."

"Liguang will absolutely, definitely bring Master safely to land!"

She looked up, staring straight at Fang Qi, the crimson in her red eye actually flickering with some tenderness:

"And then, together with Master, live the life Master wants to live!"

Fang Qi felt a warmth in his heart and pinched her cheek:

"That's more like it!"

However...

"Not today..."

Fang Qi sighed.

He felt protests coming from everywhere in his body!

He was falling apart!

If they went out to sea now, with just one wave, he was afraid he'd pass out first...

Liguang immediately nodded and said obediently:

"Master rests, Liguang keeps watch! Tomorrow night, when the tide ebbs, we'll set off!"

Saying that, she suddenly slid down from Fang Qi's arms, her bare feet stepping on the grass, and she turned and lunged back to the raft.

Then...

She started nimbly moving the soft leaves and dry moss piled nearby onto the raft!

"Liguang?" Fang Qi was taken aback, "What are you doing?"

"Making the bed."

Liguang didn't even turn her head, her voice full of joy:

"Tonight, we are going to sleep on our raft!"

Fang Qi: "..."

He looked at the rock-hard wooden raft, then at his aching lower back, his mouth twitching.

"No... Liguang, if I sleep on this thing, I won't be able to get up tomorrow."

He tried to reason with her: "Let's find a flatter patch of ground and lay down some leaves..."

"No!"

Liguang spun around, her heterochromatic eyes staring intently at him.

Under the moonlight, her expression was very serious, and a bit stubborn!

"This is the raft Master and Liguang built together."

She said word by word, her voice soft but very firm:

"Every piece of wood was handpicked, chopped, and trimmed by Liguang."

"Every vine was found, tied, and knotted by Master."

She walked back to Fang Qi, crouched down, and held his hand—

Carefully avoiding the bandaged areas.

"This is the first time... the two of us made something together!"

The crimson in her red eye softened considerably.

"Liguang wants... to sleep on our creation together with Master!"

She paused, a hint of coquettishness in her voice:

"Just for one night, okay?"

"Liguang will make it very, very soft, I promise Master will sleep comfortably."

"And... and this counts as adapting in advance!"

Fang Qi looked at her eyes filled with expectation, and then at the rough raft behind her.

Could he refuse?

No!

Of course not!

He reached out and vigorously rubbed her head!

"Alright, alright... you win!"

Liguang's eyes lit up instantly!

"Master is the best!"

She cheered, turned, and lunged back to the raft, making the "bed" with even more effort.

Fang Qi looked at her busy back and smiled helplessly.

Forget it.

Hard is hard.

Anyway, he had this crazy woman in his arms to act as a cushion!

Wait... was he going to be the cushion for the crazy woman?

Hmm...

Ah, whatever!

Liguang's bed-making skills were actually quite good.

Thick leaves for the base, dry moss filling the gaps, and on top, a layer of some broad, soft plant leaves she had found from somewhere.

Although it still couldn't compare to a real bed, at least lying on it wouldn't directly grind his bones.

"Master, come try it quickly!"

Liguang knelt at the edge of the raft, waving at him with sparkling eyes.

Fang Qi dragged his exhausted body up and lay down tentatively.

...Hmm, it was much better than he imagined.

It was still hard, but at least it didn't feel like torture.

Just as he adjusted his posture, Liguang immediately lay down next to him.

She lay on her side, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her entire body into his embrace, resting her head on his arm.

"Hehe..."

She rubbed against him contentedly, the red light in her crimson eyes like two warm little lamps in the dark.

"Master, do you feel it?"

She said softly, her fingers gently stroking the surface of the raft beneath him:

"This is the scent of the two of us... the smell of wood, vines, and sweat..."

Her voice was sweet and intoxicated:

"Liguang loves it... loves it so much..."

Fang Qi held her tightly, closing his eyes and letting out a soft "Mhm."

He was tired, truly exhausted.

But the warm, soft touch in his arms, the familiar sweet scent of strawberries lingering at his nose, and the rough yet sturdy wooden raft beneath them that he had built with his own hands...

They strangely combined into a...

Deeply reassuring atmosphere!

He could feel Liguang's cheek pressed against his chest... her temperature quietly rising.

"Master..."

She suddenly whispered:

"When we reach the shore and settle down..."

"Liguang wants to put this wooden raft in the most prominent place in our yard."

"I'll wipe it spotless every single day."

"And then I'll tell everyone—this is the first home Master and Liguang built when we eloped together!"

Fang Qi curled the corners of his lips in his drowsiness.

"Alright."

He mumbled in response, his arms tightening around her a little more.

"Whatever you want..."

Liguang seemed to want to say something else, but Fang Qi's breathing had already grown steady and even.

She lifted her head, gazing at his exhausted sleeping face under the moonlight.

The red gleam in her heterochromatic eyes flickered with tenderness.

Then, she lowered her head and kissed his bandaged palm ever so lightly.

"Goodnight, Master."

Pressing closely against him, she murmured breathlessly:

"Tomorrow... we are going to start our new escape."

"On our ark."

"Liguang is... so happy."

She closed her eyes in pure contentment.

The moonlight cascaded down silently.

Only the chirping of insects remained in the forest, accompanied by the faint sound of ocean waves in the distance.

The wooden raft quietly carried the embracing couple through the night...

Like a little boat that had already set sail.

Steering toward an unknown tomorrow that belonged only to each other.