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As the saying goes, “Spring arrives with the village festival, and willow catkins drift like mackerel fish.” It was springtime, the season when the mackerel fish was at its plumpest and most delicious. This fish was known for having plenty of flesh with few bones and a fresh, savory taste. It could be grilled directly, made into fish balls, or wrapped into dumplings—countless ways to savor it, each mouthwatering.

Chu Liuxiang lived by the sea, his diet mostly fresh fish. He knew well which dishes were delectable and which were not.

He dove into the sea and caught fish in one fluid motion.

On the shore, Jiuli remained expressionless but suddenly sprang into motion.

Chu Liuxiang watched through the water’s surface as she ran around the beach collecting shells and seaweed, kneeling to dig holes in the sand with her hands—barely a moment of rest.

He felt inexplicably amused.

So, he let out a stream of bubbles from the corner of his mouth, which rose to the surface and burst into foam.

With the mackerel fish in hand, he leapt out of the water and casually tossed the fish to Jiuli.

Jiuli’s green eyes gazed at Chu Liuxiang without a flicker of emotion... or so he thought. Somehow, he felt he glimpsed a hint of joy within.

The next moment, Jiuli raised the mackerel fish high above her head.

She began circling Chu Liuxiang at a steady pace!

Chu Liuxiang: “…………”

Alright, it wasn’t his imagination—she was indeed quite happy.

But was this really the way to express happiness...?

After three full circles, Jiuli suddenly twisted her body and bolted away, decisively!

…Yet still holding the fish aloft!

Chu Liuxiang continued: “…………”

He touched his nose.

In the blink of an eye, Jiuli vanished without a trace.

Chu Liuxiang stood with his hands behind his back, choosing not to pursue her with his lightness skills.

Instead, his gaze fell upon the trail of footprints Jiuli had left in the sand.

Each footprint was spaced precisely two feet one inch apart, extending all the way to the bend of the bay.

Moreover, the depth of each imprint was exactly the same, indicating that every step she took exerted identical force.

Her control over her own body had reached such an exquisite level!

Jiuli... Jiuli...

A mysterious deserted island, a young woman skilled in martial arts, an uncanny, otherworldly appearance... who exactly was she? What secrets did this island conceal?

Night had fully fallen; the wind howled, and the rain intensified. It seemed tonight’s storm would not cease.

Suddenly, Chu Liuxiang dove back into the sea, caught several fish, then, carrying his clothes, climbed up the cliff to find a cave suitable for shelter.

***

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When Jiuli rushed out from the bay beach, it was already nine o’clock at night.

Speaking of which, the new DLC had indeed made significant changes... For example, during interactions with NPCs, scenes were no longer forced cutscenes—you could move freely, wait if you wanted, or simply walk away if you didn’t.

This certainly enhanced immersion, but the game time didn’t pause!

For a game like Stardew Valley that forces shutdown at 2 a.m., this change was truly hair-pulling.

Five hours remained to find the last two NPCs, greet them, and give gifts!

In the base game, Jiuli was the type of ruthless farmer.

As the saying goes, “After filling the stomach, one thinks of love”—only after achieving financial freedom could a player focus on improving NPC affection... so usually, she would only start intensively gifting in the second year.

But! The new DLC included adult content! The character portraits were exquisite!

Who could resist...

A lecherous soldier never forgets his original intention!

It was best to maintain roughly equal progress with every NPC, otherwise after confirming a romantic relationship with one, the others would remain “just friends.”

That would not do—she absolutely had to romance them all in the same save!

Therefore, gifts had to be given when necessary.

In the base game, flowers were gifts most NPCs didn’t dislike, so before knowing their preferences, flowers could serve as a reliable fallback, gifting twice a week to slowly build rapport.

However, considering the new NPCs in the DLC were castaways on the island, food was obviously a better gift choice.

While searching for NPCs in the forest, Jiuli also gathered items from the ground.

Normally, a bay beach would have coconuts fallen from the trees, easy to collect seven or eight without issue. But today, for some unknown reason, not a single coconut had spawned!

Pixel Jiuli moved like a keen husky, darting up and down, left and right in the forest.

Ahead was a hidden entrance leading to the “Secret Forest,” where hardwood could be harvested.

Pixel Jiuli charged in!

“???”: “Who goes there?!”

Sure enough, an NPC was in the Secret Forest!

A pixel figure dressed in black stood in the center, arms crossed over the sword.

The screen displayed his portrait—pale skin, jet-black long hair.

This—this was—

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The player froze for a moment, leaning closer to the screen to examine.

It was Snow White!

Haha, just kidding.

Still, the portrait was well-done. Though the pixel count wasn’t high, the cold and ruthless expression was captured perfectly, especially his cruel green eyes that immediately evoked the image of a beast.

A truly beautiful portrait!

Excellent, my beloved concubine is stunning, my heart is at ease!

Pixel Jiuli approached directly.

[Jiuli]: “Hello, I’m Jiuli!”

[???]: “……”

Ah, Snow White said nothing.

[Jiuli]: “Hello, I’m Jiuli!”

[???]: “…………”

This time, the ellipsis lengthened.

He indeed seemed difficult—probably the type who would slowly open up after multiple attempts, much like Sean in the base game, who initially treated players with utter disdain.

[Jiuli]: “Hello, I’m Jiuli!”

Jiuli persistently greeted him a third time.

Surely now he would respond!

She waited patiently.

The black-clad pixel figure simply turned away, ignoring her.

Jiuli: “…………”

An NPC cold-shouldering the player! What justice was there!

But this only fueled the player’s desire to conquer!

So Jiuli chose to forgive him.

She pulled the freshly obtained [Mackerel Fish] from her inventory and rushed up, selecting [Give Gift]!

[Jiuli] gave the [Mackerel Fish] to [???]!

[???]: “?”

The NPC’s portrait changed slightly, as if frowning.

Ah! It was already 11 o’clock!

Remember, in this game, time does not stop during NPC interactions. If Snow White were deeply moved by the gift and instructed to “stay here without moving,” would she stay or leave?

Any further plot should wait until the next meeting!

Jiuli didn’t wait for a reaction; she turned and ran.

The black-clad pixel figure stood motionless, a string of ellipsis floating above his head.

Then came the last NPC!

The map was small, and unlike towns, the island’s NPCs didn’t lock players out at night—they didn’t have doors anyway, haha.

Thus, Jiuli easily found the third NPC, picking up a wild taro along the way.

…Only to find a generic portrait.

Probably not a marriage candidate... even if he was, the player could unilaterally declare he was not.

Though the player was casual, greeting quests had to be done, so pixel Jiuli cheerfully approached.

[Jiuli]: “Hello, I’m Jiuli!”

[Zhang San]: “Ah? Ah?… I’m Zhang San, greetings Miss Jiu!”

[Jiuli] gave [Wild Taro] to [Zhang San]!

Jiuli said nothing and immediately ran off!

Just kidding—it was already 12:30! If she didn’t return by 2 a.m., the player would collapse on the roadside!

Collapsing would mean losing money and items... absolutely no!

The player sprinted through the forest, entering through the secret entrance, rushing down the long path, and bursting into the bamboo hut—now it was 1:55. Fortunately, she had moved the bed to the door earlier, so she could jump straight in.

[Ready to sleep?]

→[Yes]

[No]

Pixel Jiuli closed her eyes.

Above, rain fell upon the thatched roof.

***

The rain continued.

The atmosphere was reasonably harmonious.

Fortunately, on the cliff overlooking the bay, there really was a cave to shelter in.

The cave was neither too deep to leave dark corners beyond the firelight nor too shallow to let in the full brunt of wind and rain, leaving them no dry place to rest.

Having survived the ordeal, they should rest well tonight.

A campfire had been built, burning warmly, wrapping the seated trio in its glow. A simple rack of slender branches held several fish, their skins sizzling with rendered oil.

Inside the cave, seven or eight neatly arranged coconut shells filled with rainwater sat ready.

The island’s days were scorching hot, requiring ample hydration to maintain strength, so Chu Liuxiang had placed the shells outside early—these hard-shelled fruits made excellent water containers.

One shell contained peeled, chopped wild taro.

Wild taro was poisonous and needed soaking in running water for a long time before it was edible. Without a water source, they had soaked it in the coconut shell instead.

Yidianhong leaned against the cave wall, arms crossed over his sword, eyes closed in meditation.

Zhang San constantly turned the wooden sticks, flipping the fish to ensure even heat and a crispy outside with tender inside.

Chu Liuxiang sat before the fire, watching the storm outside.

Yidianhong said nothing.

This man was an assassin—cold, terse, and disdainful of socializing. He had stayed aboard the big ship for several days and generally ignored others.

Still, he had deigned to speak a few words to Chu Liuxiang.

The first: “You are Chu Liuxiang.”

The second: “We will meet in combat sooner or later.”

The third: “To fight to the death with Chu Liuxiang is my greatest pleasure.”

The fourth... well, there was no fourth. Those were his only words.

As he spoke, his piercing gaze never left Chu Liuxiang, who remained relaxed and jovial. The assassin sneered suddenly, baring sharp white teeth.

Then he turned and disappeared from sight.

A very dangerous man.

However, when they escaped in a coffin and were caught in the storm, Chu Liuxiang pulled Yidianhong aside in the sea, saving him from being struck in the chest by a floating log.

This assassin was principled and clear in his loyalties. Having received Chu Liuxiang’s kindness, he ceased speaking of fighting to the death.

Because of this, the three could temporarily unite, exploring the island together and awaiting a chance to leave.

Outside, the storm raged harder.

Silence deepened within the cave.

Understandably so—anyone uncertain if they could return to civilization would feel some despair. Besides, they were all weary and not inclined to speak.

Chu Liuxiang touched his nose and smiled: “Today on this island, I met a strange girl.”

Zhang San suddenly looked up: “Was she silver-haired? Like she’d lost her mind from martial arts training?”

Chu Liuxiang asked curiously: “You met her too?”

Zhang San chuckled: “She’s a strange one. You know, she came straight up to greet me!”

Chu Liuxiang laughed: “Same here.”

Zhang San continued: “And she immediately told me her name.”

Chu Liuxiang smiled again: “Me too.”

Zhang San clicked his tongue in amazement: “She’s really enthusiastic! After talking, she just gave me something!”

Chu Liuxiang still smiled: “Same.”

Zhang San said: “And it was a pretty practical gift! Look, that big wild taro, just handed it to me. No need to bring a gift, how polite! She looked so skinny, she could’ve kept it for herself.”

Chu Liuxiang: “…………”

Zhang San glanced suspiciously: “Why didn’t you say ‘same’ this time?”

Chu Liuxiang ignored him, casually turning to look at Yidianhong: “Brother Hong, did you see that girl too?”

The assassin raised an eyelid: “Mm.”

Zhang San asked: “Jiuli approached you too? Told you her name?”

Yidianhong: “…………”

More than just her name—she had announced it three times while chasing him.

The assassin had never seen anyone dare do that to him in his life...

Though feared and merciless, he refrained from indiscriminate killing. When he was investigating the secret forest, he ignored the woman and focused on his own tasks.

Zhang San asked again: “Did she give you some food for no reason?”

Yidianhong: “…………”

Of course she did.

She threw a mackerel fish at him and ran off swiftly.

For some reason, Chu Liuxiang seemed quite interested in this answer, his gaze probing.

Yidianhong glanced at the fish roasting over the fire and snorted.

Chu Liuxiang also looked at the mackerel.

Strangely, though the fish was unrecognizable now, the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed...

Brother Zhang San kept exclaiming: “She gave a mackerel! What generosity!”

Chu Liuxiang: “…………”

He touched his nose and simply lay down pretending to sleep, no longer wishing to engage with Zhang San.