The lake is connected to the sea by an artificially dug canal, with rivers flowing into the sea but not the other way around, so there's no chance of sharks coming in.
Pei Yujang was amused by Jin Duo's wild imagination and reassured the girls before heading to the school's check-in point. Since most of the participants were high school students, full of energy, the freedom in this event wasn't very high. The itinerary was arranged by the teachers and the guides.
Once everyone had settled their luggage, they went to the restaurant for dinner. The meal was a DIY affair where they chose ingredients, and the chefs prepared the dishes. The island had an abundance of fresh seafood, mostly kept alive in tanks.
Meals were eaten by accommodation groups, so the six girls ordered a variety of dishes: Yuzu crab, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, sweet and sour pork, fish with scallions, cold dishes, and stir-fried vegetables, all of which were local specialties.
Pei Yujang wasn't particularly fond of crab, which required careful eating and shell-cracking, and she had never tried yuzu sauce with crab before. But when the dish arrived, she was pleasantly surprised.
The crab wasn't large, but it was cooked to perfection in yuzu sauce, giving it a sweet and tangy flavor. The tender crab meat, combined with the crab roe and yuzu juice, created a unique taste experience. Dipping it in yuzu vinegar added a refreshing twist that was both novel and appetizing.
The fish was also freshly caught and cooked to perfection. The fish, farmed in a designated area of the lake, was tender and flavorful, with bones and small spines carefully removed by hand. The dish was further enhanced by the island's unique herbs, making it fragrant and light.
Pei Yujang picked up a piece of fish belly and placed it on Yu Zhiwan's plate.
"How is it?"
She remembered that Yu Zhiwan didn't like the strong flavors of hotpot, barbecue, or spicy food, preferring lighter tastes.
The cold dishes included sweet-scented osmanthus with water chestnut and taro-stuffed lotus root, all of which Yu Zhiwan enjoyed. The meal was filled with laughter as the girls savored the new flavors. Jiang Wenxiu, delighted to be staying in the same house as her crush, even shared a joke with everyone.
After dinner, the guide took them on a brief tour of the area before they walked back via a small mountain path.
The path was lush and green, with well-maintained vegetation. As evening approached, the warm sunset filtered through the bamboo groves, creating a picturesque scene filled with the laughter of young students.
Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan walked hand in hand at the back of the group. The path consisted of a long flight of steps—not too steep but potentially tiring if walked for too long. The school had chosen this route for the scenic views, though there were shorter paths and even a cable car option.
"The environment here is really nice," Pei Yujang remarked, unable to resist admiring the surroundings. She had visited Ningxiang with Yu Zhiwan before, but Ningxiang, a gentle water town in the south, didn't have the same wild charm as this place. She still thought about the golden pomelos and carvings they had seen earlier and wished she could go back and take a closer look.
She liked it here because it was a rare opportunity to relax and unwind.
But Yu Zhiwan tightened her grip on Pei Yujang's hand and lowered her voice to ask, "In that other time, was this island polluted?"
Pei Yujang's relaxed demeanor immediately tensed.
After careful thought, she replied, "At first, no. Yaohai was a tourist city, but not very developed. The closest outbreak was in Yicheng, which saw armed conflict soon after the first signs of trouble. Yicheng's mayor ordered the city to be sealed off, and anyone capable was sent to the front lines to resist the zombie invasion. The city itself remained relatively stable."
By the time Yaohai fell, the island hadn't been affected by the zombies. After all, the zombie virus was man-made, and those responsible had no interest in a small island for fishing and vacationing.
"I only remember that it was fine at first. I don't recall what happened later."
Pei Yujang had been very busy at the time, managing many places. Yicheng wasn't a major metropolis, but it was a military stronghold. She hadn't paid much attention to this sparsely populated island, focusing instead on more pressing matters.
But still, there were people on this island. If it had been invaded by zombies, they might have died waiting for rescue in despair. The best-case scenario would be that the island wasn't ravaged by the zombie virus or other diseases. If the water remained unpolluted, the inhabitants might survive, though life would be difficult.
Seeing Pei Yujang fall silent, Yu Zhiwan patted her hand and gestured for her to look at the students ahead. The teachers were more lenient during the after-dinner stroll, and several students had secretly started holding hands, using their sleeves to hide it.
Among them, the girls were more unabashed, as it was perfectly normal for them to hold hands.
Pei Yujang forced a smile, but her mood remained heavy all the way back to their lodgings until Jin Duo suggested they play cards together.
She pulled a deck of cards out of her pocket like a magician and said, "Let's play Old Maid! It's simple—much easier than playing Poker or Fight the Landlord!"
The card case was emblazoned with the bright logo of Qianshui Island, clearly a local souvenir. Given that the teachers had been with the group the entire time, it was unclear how Jin Duo had managed to sneak this under their noses. Even Jiang Wenxiu, who often pulled similar stunts, was impressed by Jin Duo's audacity.
"There's a vending machine that sells cards. I pretended to buy water and used the machine to shield me, hehe."
Jin Duo laughed heartily, explaining that she had quickly paid without waiting for change and ran off. The cards cost 18 yuan, and she had even left the vendor an extra 2 yuan.
Pei Yujang couldn't help but feel Jin Duo had been ripped off. What kind of playing cards cost 18 yuan? Was it just because of the Qianshui Island logo?
When Jin Duo opened the deck, they realized it wasn't an ordinary deck of cards but a special set unique to Qianshui Island, with beautifully drawn illustrations. The game was similar to Dou Shou Qi but more complex. Pei Yujang's interest was immediately piqued.
Although Ding Fang and Shen Jiayu were dedicated to their studies, they didn't want to spoil the fun, so they joined in for a few rounds until everyone had grasped the rules.
The game did involve "catching ghosts." One player played the ghost, who could use their cards to set traps and capture the others. The rules were intricate, but by the fourth round, everyone was thoroughly engaged, and it was Yu Zhiwan's turn to play the ghost. She played a risky move, ambushing the others along the way and capturing five cards combined from Pei Yujang and Jin Duo.
She captured three "Soldiers" and two "Blades," which were the weapons players used for attacks, effectively disarming them.
After Yu Zhiwan's victory, it was Shen Jiayu's turn to play the ghost. Shen Jiayu's strategy was even more aggressive than Yu Zhiwan's. She initially retreated, luring the others in, and although communication between players was forbidden during the game, Yu Zhiwan had several moments where she wanted to speak but had to hold back, watching helplessly as the three girls delivered their "Blades" to Shen Jiayu.
Shen Jiayu, who usually looked like a cute, round-eyed bunny, played with a ruthless precision. She nearly depleted her resources, only to turn the tables at the last moment, disarming their three-pronged attack and defeating Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan with her remaining forces.
The match lasted nearly an hour, leaving Jiang Wenxiu with a stiff neck. She had started by carefully watching the board, but her attention eventually drifted to Shen Jiayu.
When Shen Jiayu played, she was completely focused, not like she was playing a game but commanding a real battle. Her lips were tightly pressed together, and when she executed her final move, a cold determination flashed in her eyes, making even Pei Yujang feel a bit tense.
After the game ended, everyone was exhausted. Ding Fang nudged Shen Jiayu with a smile:
"You're so serious, Jiayu. You had some strategies I hadn't even thought of."
After the game, Shen Jiayu returned to her usual sweet demeanor, cute and soft.
Pei Yujang stood up to stretch and washed her face, noticing that the sun had set. She glanced at Yu Zhiwan, signaling whether she wanted to go out with her.
They had been eyeing a particular stall earlier and figured it would be even more lively at night. The students weren't allowed to go out without permission from the teachers, so they could only wander nearby, but Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan weren't restricted. Seeing the students indoors, Pei Yujang suddenly felt a thrill of rebellious freedom.
Even though she had never experienced campus life, Pei Yujang couldn't shake the feeling that it was like they were sneaking out of school to go on a secret date.
Pei Yujang gave Yu Zhiwan a knowing look, and Yu Zhiwan caught on, saying she was tired and heading upstairs to rest. The others naturally didn't follow, instead returning to their rooms in small groups. Ding Fang and Shen Jiayu, who shared a room, went to work on their math problems.
After a while, Pei Yujang quickly applied some light makeup, grabbed a small camera, and the two of them quietly slipped out. They didn't tell the others, fearing they'd want to tag along—especially Jiang Wenxiu, who would definitely want to join in. Pei Yujang didn't want to deal with a third wheel.
At night, Qianshui Island had a different charm than during the day. The streets were lit with bright lanterns, and the vendors continued to call out, selling more than just the golden pomelos they had seen earlier. Pei Yujang even spotted a vendor who had creatively made pomelo lanterns, hollowing out the fruit and placing a light inside. When lit, it gave off a refreshing pomelo scent.
Pei Yujang had always liked fruity scents and couldn't resist the vendor's enthusiastic pitch. She immediately bought one and handed it to her girlfriend, feeling her mood lift considerably.
"What about the pomelo carving?" Yu Zhiwan hadn't forgotten the grand promises Pei Yujang had made earlier in the day. "You said you'd make one for me. Can you do it?"
Pei Yujang confidently replied, "I can do it!" A woman can't say she can't!
True to her word, she went to buy several golden pomelos and a special carving knife. However, the vendor seemed reluctant to sell the knife to Pei Yujang, preferring that she let him do the carving himself since he charged 20 yuan per character. The knife itself was priced at 300 yuan.
Pei Yujang found this ridiculous. Although the resort had knives, they weren't suitable for carving—only fruit knives, which couldn't do the job.
It wasn't that she was unwilling to spend the money, but paying 300 yuan for a small carving knife seemed unreasonable, so she turned to leave.
But the vendor grabbed the sleeve of the nearest person, Yu Zhiwan, and said, "You've wasted enough of my time—I could have made several sales already. You're not buying?"
Yu Zhiwan, her pace slowed by the grip, calmly pried his hand off her sleeve and looked at him coolly.
"This kind of knife, I can buy for three or five yuan at a supermarket. You're charging 100—raising the price like this?"
The vendor huffed, insisting that his knife was of exceptional quality, unmatched by any other, almost implying it was a family heirloom.
Yu Zhiwan pressed further, "Do you have a vendor ID? You can't set up a stall here without one."
The vendor, thinking she was accusing him of operating without a license, smugly pulled out his ID. But Yu Zhiwan quickly took out her phone, snapped a photo of his ID number, and immediately dialed the local business administration.
Yu Zhiwan shook her phone at him:
"I'm going to report you to the Bureau for price gouging. Even though there's no supermarket here to compare prices, it's clear this knife is overpriced. According to the law, you could be fined between 3,000 and 5,000 yuan."
The vendor was speechless.
He gritted his teeth, but seeing that this seemingly gentle woman was serious about reporting him, he scowled, slammed the counter, and pointed the knife at her:
"Are you crazy, you crazy woman? What's it to you how much I charge—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the other woman's long fingers lightly tapped his wrist. With just that touch, a sharp pain shot through his wrist, spreading through his body like an electric shock, rendering him speechless.
The vendor trembled. By now, several people had noticed the commotion, but those who had witnessed the interaction only saw Pei Yujang lightly touch him without much force. The vendor was a large, intimidating man, while these two young, pretty women were clearly tourists—how could they have done anything to him?
Yu Zhiwan, her expression more kindly, spoke softly, even though she was somewhat afraid, shaking her head at him:
"Let's talk this out. Why draw a knife? Were you planning on forcing us to buy?"