Desert Island Girl (Pure Lily) - Chapter 23.2

Returning from the beach, Bai Niao happened to see Mu Xiaoyang brutally killing a fish.

“?!”

Instinctively looking toward the voice, Mu Xiaoyang’s eyes were full of rage.

Seeing it was Bai Niao, she paused slightly, “Mu Mu…”

“What are you doing?”

“Oh… just, just killing a fish…”

Looking at the fish with its head smashed, Bai Niao frowned at the drenched, disheveled, and dazed Mu Xiaoyang, saying, “It’s okay, Xiaoyang… Letting out some frustration isn’t bad…”

“…”

Not wanting to dwell on it, Mu Xiaoyang forced herself to perk up.

She picked up the dead fish and asked Bai Niao, “No worries—how about you, Mu Mu? Did you find any medicine?”

Before she finished, Mu Xiaoyang saw Bai Niao’s empty hands…

Disappointment…

Such immense disappointment…

Mu Xiaoyang felt as if something choked her chest, her body overwhelmed with helplessness.

But she still held a sliver of hope—maybe… Bai Niao had put the medicine in her pocket?

However, Bai Niao couldn’t meet her hopeful gaze and just shook her head dejectedly…

“…”

Lowering her head, the faint anger Mu Xiaoyang had suppressed surged back in her chest.

Honestly, she felt a bit resentful toward Bai Niao: Why… why didn’t you find any medicine?! What were you doing? I worked so hard to catch this fish! Why didn’t you do your part?

Taking a deep breath, Mu Xiaoyang quickly realized this was wrong.

She felt guilty toward Bai Niao.

It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t find medicine. If there was any, how could Bai Niao not bring it back?

She was just… lashing out helplessly—afraid Jiang Ning would die from the fever, she pinned her hopes on Bai Niao.

When those hopes weren’t met, she instinctively wanted to blame her…

Could she be any worse…?

Lowering her head, Bai Niao was also dejected, “Sorry, Xiaoyang… The infirmary is near the ship’s bow, completely flooded. I couldn’t get in, so I smashed the porthole to let the water drain slowly, but… all the medicine inside was soaked by seawater…”

Only then did Mu Xiaoyang notice the cuts on Bai Niao’s arms, likely from breaking the glass…

“Mu Mu…”

Mu Xiaoyang felt even guiltier! She shook her head, gently taking Bai Niao’s hand, “It’s okay… We’ll find another way. You really, really tried your best…”

“Xiaoyang…”

Looking at Mu Xiaoyang with red eyes, Bai Niao couldn’t hold back her sobs.

She looked like an innocent child, “Do you think… Ning is beyond saving… I… I really can’t bear to lose her…”

“…”

Seeing Bai Niao wipe her tears helplessly, Mu Xiaoyang, having vented for a while, seemed to regain some rationality.

She stood on tiptoe, gently kissed Bai Niao’s cheek, and said, “Don’t cry, Mu Mu…”

Smiling faintly, Mu Xiaoyang nodded lightly, “Don’t worry… I’ll make sure she lives!”

“?” Wiping her tears, Bai Niao looked a bit confused.

Glancing at the sky now covered with dark clouds, Mu Xiaoyang sighed, “Trouble never comes alone. It looks like rain is coming soon…”

Pausing, she smiled faintly at Bai Niao, “I was too caught up in sadness earlier. Now, thinking carefully, I think I know what’s wrong with Ning…”

“What… what?!” Bai Niao got excited but quickly deflated, “No… even if we know, what can we do…”

Wrapping the fish in her skirt, Mu Xiaoyang smiled and analyzed, “Fever, difficulty breathing, and coughing bl00d in severe cases—it’s classic bacterial pneumonia.

My aunt had this before, though she didn’t cough bl00d like Ning.”

“This disease is caused by bacterial infection, mostly affecting children, the elderly, or people with weak immunity—like Ning…”

“Sadly, Ning can’t recover on her own immunity. She must have caught bacteria on the island, so our top priority is to help her fight the inflammation!”

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Bai Niao’s eyes widened, “So… you mean…”

Mu Xiaoyang sighed, “Antibiotics would be ideal, but we don’t have any—so we must quickly find a substitute! Otherwise, this infectious inflammation will kill Ning in days. We don’t know how long she’s been holding on alone, so our time is tight.”

Pausing, she looked at the gloomy sky, “We need to hurry back to make fish soup. There’s plenty of ginger in the vegetables, which has antibacterial properties. We can boil some for Ning to drink. I also need to eat something to fill my stomach, then go into the forest to find houttuynia cordata!”

“What? Are you crazy? It’s about to rain! And… while I’ve heard houttuynia cordata can be medicinal, do you think a few plants can completely cure bacterial pneumonia that’s already causing her to cough bl00d?! Isn’t that underestimating modern medicine a bit?!”

“I have to try. It’s better than watching Ning die, isn’t it? Don’t underestimate the treasures our ancestors left us…”

Mu Xiaoyang looked at Bai Niao with burning eyes, “Houttuynia cordata can fight viruses, bacteria, reduce fever, and boost immunity—perfect for Ning’s needs. Once the fish soup is done, I’ll take a few sips and go! I’ll be back before dark!”

“But…”

Raising her hand to stop Bai Niao from saying more, Mu Xiaoyang smiled and nodded, “You need to stay and protect everyone, Mu Mu. Trust me… I’ll come back with houttuynia cordata! When Ning’s better, the five of us will have fun together!”